As soon as the pair arrived Dio's once happy spirit seemed to drop. He wasn't sure what he was going to think. Truthfully, he hadn't even thought to mentally prepare himself. He didn't even consider the fact that seeing an alternate version of his childhood home left in ashes and ruins might have stung just a little more than he had expected it to. He knew what to expect, he knew what he was going to see... but he didn't think he would feel quite like this.

It almost felt as if someone took a sharp, cold knife and traced it from the back of his neck, all the way down his spine. He could almost feel the warm, red, salty blood drip down.

He later realized that it wasn't blood, but sweat. He suddenly felt ill. His hands felt clammy.

"It..." He whispered, his voice squeakier than he meant for it to sound. "It..."

He stumbled forward, hugging his stomach as if he was about to either throw up or fall over when Mr. L caught his shoulder.

"Whoa, hey now. Are you good?" Mr. L asked, seeing Dio's grey skin tone almost turn to white. There were beads of sweat on Dio's forehead.

He looked up to Mr. L with a horrified expression, then nervously smiled, squeezing his eyes shut and looking down, grasping Mr. L's arms so he wouldn't fall over.

"I... don't know what's happening..." He whispered. He didn't mean to whisper, but for some reason, it was all he could seem to manage. It was like his lungs had stopped working. They seemed to reject any air he tried breathing. "I... are we being hurt? What's happening?!"

"Hey, we're okay. We're not being attacked," Mr. L assured, not quite sure why Dio was breaking down all of the sudden when he finally put two and two together. The man in green paused, then turned his head behind himself, looking at all the ruin and destruction, making a small 'oh' sound.

"I... can't breathe..." Dio squeaked while tears slowly peaked out of his eyes which were still shut tightly. He shook his head as if in pain. "I-I can't breathe!"

"Yes, you can. Just listen to me," Mr. L assured. "Inhale... and exhale... okay? Just focus on my voice..."

Dio shakily nodded as Mr. L helped him regain his breath, then slowly opened his eyes, blinking the tears away as he took in what had once been a happy place. He blinked a few times, then looked back to Mr. L, who wore a look of concern, almost as if he was afraid Dio would drop dead at any moment.

"I... I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-" Dio started in a small voice when Mr. L gently shushed him and let him go, taking a step back.

"It's okay. It's okay..." Mr. L trailed off, turning away so he didn't have to look at that pitiful expression in Dio's eyes. "I've... heard about panic attacks, but have never really seen one."

Panic attack? Was that what that was? Dio honestly didn't know. He wasn't sure what he was experiencing. But whatever it was, he didn't like it. He hoped he wouldn't have to ever feel that way again.

"...Yeah... I'm sorry for scaring you," Dio breathed, slowly but surely regaining his usual cheery tone. "I guess... just seeing this... what happened to other me is so horrible. I just couldn't imagine what I would do if that happened to me."

He let out a shaky breath, then put his hood up over his face, almost as if he was hiding from the horrors that reality was presenting to him. He then took a few steps forward, pointing to a few ruins. "That was my house..." He stated. "I loved it because it was near the edge of town, so my brother and I would often go and play in the woods right next to it...."

He softly smiled, then grabbed Mr. L's arm without hesitation, walking timidly as he pointed out all the places he remembered. "And that was where my neighbors lived. They always struggled, so we would all help support that family. Oh, and across the street, there was this illusionist. His name was Cosmo. I thought he was the coolest person ever. Until he... he..."

"He...?" Mr. L trailed off, raising an eyebrow.

"... Sent me away," Dio finished, looking down. "I.. he sent me away, then said he would come back for me... but then he didn't. Sometimes... I feel a little mad at him for that."

"What? Why would he do that?!" Mr. L exclaimed, a little surprised by how upset he felt about this. He honestly didn't know why he cared.

"I'm not sure..." Dio trailed off, lightly shrugging. "I think... he just forgot about me. Or maybe he was mad at me. I'm not sure..."

Mr. L paused, then gently nudged Dio away, seeing that remembering was clearly painful for him. "Come on. Let's find my Dimentio," He breathed.

Dio reluctantly nodded, allowing Mr. L to pull him away.

______

As they walked, Dio continued pointing out all the things that used to be. The town hall, the fire station, the park, the school, the stables, the local mart, everything! He spoke of how much he loved this place and how wonderfully kind all the people were.

He explained how he believed that the whole world could be that way. Kind people living in peace, just living to smile and help others smile. He said that even when lost, he still believed that.

Mr. L wondered if Dimentio ever believed that.

"You know... there is a lot more black here than there was before..." Dio pointed out, referring to all the ash and soot. Even though most of it had blown away with the wind over the years, the town seemed stained that color. "But... when I look around the woods, I still see the same amount of green."

He smiled and looked up at the trees which still remained, looking taller than he had remembered, but still the same. Seeing them still standing tall was almost like seeing an old friend who had lost everything but was still holding their head high simply because there was nothing else left to do.

Dio smiled, then raised his head up as well, as if he too was one of the trees. A survivor of an attack that should not have happened to this other Dimentio's home. He could only hope that somewhere nearby, the other version of himself was doing the same. Somewhere nearby, the trees were not the only ones keeping their heads high.

"... Other me..." Dio started once again. "....Was he happy?"

"Huh?" Mr. L asked, cocking his head to the side and looking at Dio. But Dio didn't meet his eyes in return. He just continued looking up at the trees as he walked.

"Was other me happy?" Dio repeated. "I can imagine that it would be hard to be happy after something like this... but then again, he had you in his life. Did you... make him happy? Did you help him find happiness again?"

"Why do you ask....?" Mr. L trailed off as if the question made him somewhat uncomfortable.

"I'm not sure," Dio admitted, lightly shrugging. "I just feel like... if anyone could make him happy again, it would be you."

Mr. L stopped walking and blinked a few times. Dio took a few more steps, then halted and looked back when he realized Mr. L was not walking next to him anymore.

"Are you alright?" Dio asked.

Mr. L blinked a few times more, then met Dio's eyes. He almost wore an expression of sorrow, and Dio couldn't quite tell why. Was it his fault? Did he make Mr. L wear that melancholic expression?

"It's nothing..." Mr. L lied, forcing himself to lightly smile. He then rubbed his neck, looking down at his feet and lowering his voice ever so slightly. "It's just... I used to think that I could make him happy again too."

"You don't anymore?" Dio asked.

"No." Mr. L admitted, almost too quickly. He was surprised at how fast he had said that, but it wasn't untrue. He had lost all hope of making Dimentio happy again as soon as Dimentio snapped his fingers and sent him down to the Underwhere.

"Hmm... well would you look at that," Dio smiled. "We disagree."

Disagreement was an odd thing. Many people were repulsed by the very idea of disagreeing. Many friendships and relationships ended over disagreement. People would fight for their argument, giving points of evidence and reasons why they were right.

However, when it came to topics people felt strongly about, no amount of argument could ever change that person's answer. At that point, people would just argue for the sake of argument.

So, Mr. L didn't argue with Dio. He didn't give Dio a billion reasons why he was wrong. He didn't tell Dio that he tried before. He didn't tell him how he too once really did believe that he could make Dimentio happy but was instead met with failure. He didn't tell him these things, because it didn't matter how many reasons he gave. Dio would never change his mind. Nothing could change the way he thought.

Until he had experienced the pain of failure and disappointment for himself, he would continue to believe that there was a solution for everything. He would continue to believe that good would always prevail and that things would work out. He would continue to believe in happiness until the world showed him otherwise.

Mr. L really hoped that the world would never show him otherwise. He really hoped that he could send Dio home to the happy place he had described. To that perfect world of peace. He really hoped that Dio would continue to think the way he thought.

Mr. L continued to walk, too distracted by his thoughts to even see what was in front of him until Dio suddenly grabbed his arm and excitedly pointed forward as if he was a little kid who saw horses and felt the need to point them out to their parents.

"Look! Other me!" He whispered excitedly.

Mr. L blinked a few times, not fully processing what Dio had just said, when his eyes finally came into focus, back onto the real world. They were by the edge of the town. Black still lined the ground.

But sure enough, there was someone standing on the very edge, where the black met the forest green. He just stood there, looking down at the floor like he was waiting for it to provide an answer.

Mr. L took a step back, nervously grabbing Dio's arm. A part of him didn't think they would find Dimentio so quickly. He almost hoped that they wouldn't because he didn't know what Dimentio would do. But it was him, sure enough. His back was turned, but Mr. L could recognize that outfit anywhere.

"Let's say hi-" Dio started, taking a big jolly step forward and swinging his arms, when Mr. L immediately shushed him and pulled him back, unfortunately stepping on a twig as he did so. The snapping noise was so loud that he was afraid that the whole world could hear it.

His fears were met when Dimentio quickly turned around, still bearing the same mask, so it was hard to see his expression. Especially since he had spent so many years learning to hide the emotion in his eyes.

"Whoa..." Dio muttered, squinting at the yellow in Dimentio's left eye, utterly amazed "Nice eyes! That's so-"

"SHHH," Mr. L exclaimed, slapping a hand over Dio's mouth and nervously forcing them both to take steps backward.

Dimentio just stood there, staring for a minute. Mr. L couldn't tell what he was thinking. He couldn't tell if Dimentio was going to attack them or run from them, or simply stand there. None of those options seemed all that good, truth to be told. Why did he agree to this again?!

"Um... hey Dimentio," Mr. L nervously breathed, when Dimentio suddenly teleported right in front of Dio, tackling the cloaked man to the ground and out of Mr. L's grip. He then summoned a projectile, which glowed in the palm of his hand, emitting deadly magic. He held the projectile dangerously close to Dio's face, the glow from the projectile seeming to reflect off his good eye. His eyes were no longer emotionless, but instead showcased anger, confusion, and a demand.

"Where. Did. You. Get. That. Cloak."