10 Days Later...

"Hmph.. so those kids.. they're the ones that got allowed to attempt Recruitment Mentorship early.."

A tall boy with bulging muscles that nearly burst through his tanktop, and a ponytail rubbed the scar over his eyes as he glared at a file labeled 'Radiant Seven'

"Ridiculous." grunted the boy as Gojo sat nearby in Nia's office, leaning back and sipping coffee. "That a big deal 3rd year like me has to crash with the likes of the people they choose." 

"Don't know why you're complaining." said Gojo with a grin. "You said you always wanted to have Kratos as your homeroom teacher.. and of course the Radiant Seven is with me.. "

"A Blood Using Nonhuman.. a Machine Man.. a Chainsaw hybrid..  and I don't even know WHAT that fourth thing is." 

The man called Aoi Todo turned to look at Gojo with slight disdain. "Hmph.. I bet their taste in women is all shit.."

"Well Power is a woman from what I hear.."  said Gojo. "But with any luck, and some experience from an expert teacher like Kratos, and some leadership from you, I have a feeling that we might be putting together a potential Mission Squad... one that can back the Radiant Seven up just as much as the Raijin Riders have.. "

"Tch." Todo merely grunted as he stared at the various papers. "They don't even have all their members yet and they dare have the audacity to pick who I have to room with.. eh? 

Todo blinked as he picked up two documents with pictures attached. "Erice Tsukiyomi... hmmm.. 5'5.. passable.. huge ass.. nice.. eh? Who is-?"

Todo's eyes lit up at the picture of Ophelia. "Tall.. Big Ass.. MY GOODNESS! This woman might not be on the same level as my beloved Takada-chan.. but..THE LEVEL OF ENERGY OFF THIS ONE! OHHHHHH!! MY GOODNESS!!" 

"Yes, regarding Ophelia in particular, she's the member that they intend to retrieve next. And its a routine survey mission in her world in which we plan to field test your new Squad." 

"Seriously?" Todo grunted. "This soon?"

"No worries, they should have basic knowledge in Omni." Gojo said breezily as he took another sip of coffee.  "Ben took a bit of time off in his recruit's world to show him the basics.. well the bare minimum basics anyways..  Hanzo's done the same.  And Erice.. well, her two charges know how Omni works to a slight degree, so I suppose that's something."

"You gotta be fucking kidding me!" Todo growled. 

"Again, its a Survey Mission to see what needs to be handled before you are actually mission ready. Far as things go, it'll be relatively quiet." said Gojo. "And with Kratos and you there, as well as the Radiant Seven's members, I doubt any actual trouble will show up. Ophelia's world is known for being well ordered and peaceful under her reign. And she's in the midst of starting a regime change of some sort. It will be an excellent time to retrieve her if her Queenly responsibilities are about to lighten." 

"Fucking boring.." Todo grunted. "Fine, do what you want Gojo, but don't expect me to babysit."

"Oh I don't expect that at all Todo-san! That's why I recommended you after all!" said Gojo. 

"Where's Nia by the way?" Todo muttered. "I was supposed to report to her on that other mission."

"Oh she's with Erice right now.. "

"Hmm? Why?" 

Gojo merely smirked slightly. "Ahh well you know, Erice is still a first year and these are black filers.. you could say she's playing the Training Wheels role for her student."

************************

"What are you thinking of my dear?"

"Mmmghh.." Ben lay upon the beautiful bed.. the rays of sunlight gleaming upon the turrets of a beautiful, magnificent castle, just outside his window... a half read book open on his chest as he gazed upon the one thing more beautiful than even the scenery..

A girl with fair pale skin and flowing golden hair , lips supple as apples and green eyes like emeralds slid out of the bathroom, a towel wrapped around her gorgeous figure.

Twirling her finger, shadows whipped out of thin air and twisted her hair into two twin tails, wrapping bands around them into what was always her favorite hairstyle.. 

Ophelia loved twin tails, poiny tails, side pony tails. It allowed her the decency of elegance without hampering her in combat.. 

"A grunt, what am I supposed to divine from a simple grunt my dear?" Ophelia smirked playfully as always as she slid into the bed next to Ben, the smell of her shampoo still lingering near her damp hair. 

Ben looked at Ophelia. "Gonna put something on that isn't a towel?"

"No.. who knows? Might even take this off too, depending on how the night goes." Ophelia whispered, into Ben's ear, causing his heart to skip a beat. 

Ben stared for a moment, looking shocked, before Ophelia laughed and snapped her finger again, as her towel was replaced with an elegant black backless dress. "Oh I jest. Or.. do you want it NOT to be a jest hmm?"

Ophelia kissed Ben on the lips. 

It felt like they had done this a hundred times before. 

But that wasn't right.. Ben had only ever kissed her that one time.. right? And wait.. what was this world? Ben had never been here...

Sweetie.. you okay? You look confused.. is it stress?" 

Ben sighed. "I.. wanna go find you.. right away, as fast as possible. But  I'm just wasting time here. Taking classes.. doing..  I don't know what anymore. Goofing off!?"

"Ben.. you know what they teach here is important, what you do here is important.."

Ben stood from the bed and went over to Ophelia's side, using a hand to brush a hair aside, stroking her cheek. 

"YOU are important." Ben whispered. 

Ophelia blushed and held Ben's hand to her face, as if basking in its touch alone. " You remember why I told you to go for Hanzo first right?  Why it was okay for you to skip me?"

"The Shogun was hunting him, we couldn't wait." Ben muttered. "But.. But I.."

"Ben, I have no recollection of anything, its not like I'm suffering." Ophelia said with a small smile. "Oh.. wait.. that's tactless of me.. you're the one suffering.. "

Ben lowered his head. "Sorry, I'm being selfish I guess." 

"Its okay to be selfish now and then, even for heroes." said Ophelia. "You think I don't want to always be around  to advise you? To comfort you? To be with you?  That's why I tweaked the spell Hanzo cast after all..  you aren't wasting time. You're gaining the tools and people necessary to come find me.. to find the others.. you found Hanzo after all, I have no doubt you'll find me.. and help me remember."

Ben frowned. "But.. its a survey mission, its supposed to be easy right?"

Ophelia sighed and her eyes flickered from vampiric red back to their normal human green. "Ben, I wish I could say that. The Physical Me isn't yet aware of what's about to happen here.. this mission WILL be perfectly timed. You need to watch out for him Ben.. the man with a patchwork face."

Ben grinned slightly. "With you around, I'd be more worried FOR him than about him."

Ophelia blushed again and kissed Ben's wrist as she continued to clutch his hand to her face. "Oh you.. always with the flattery."

"But you're going to be okay right?  This is just a dream after all.. I'm just stressed cause I'm worrying.." Ben muttered. 

Ophelia looked at Ben, pausing. 

"Th-this is a dream.. right? Ophelia?"

Ophelia shivered a little then put her forehead to Ben's. 

"O-Ophelia..?"

Ophelia slowly moved her hand from Ben's hand up to his cheek, and slid closer, till her lips met his. 

So warm.. so real.. The smell of red roses filled Ben's nose as he kissed amid a feeling of succulent bliss, holding the slender vampire in his arms, wanting to hold her close forever. 

"Master..  Master he's freaking out over the coffee machine again. Master!"

A sharp-claw like nail on the smooth slender hand of a beautiful petite Oni woman jabbed into Ben's cheek, the slight pain jolting him awake. 

"AGHAGHAA!" Ben sat upright abruptly, his hand raised in preparation to smack the Omnitrix's faceplate. "WHOSE DEAD!? IMA BEAT VILGA- oh.. Shuten!?"

Shuten Douji's short hemmed Kimono fluttered over her skimpy black armored outfit, as she pouted slight, putting her hands over her hips, her smooth seductive voice still coming out like pouring red wine in spite of her current irritation.

"Really now Master, its 10 am.. with a charge like yours around I'd expect more responsibility even if it is a weekend."

Ben frowned and yawned, stretching his arms. "S-sorry Shuten, just..  I haven't been sleeping well.. for like.. well ever since I got to this school if I'm being honest."

Shuten sat on Ben's Bed next to him, pausing for a bit. "Yes, because of your dreams of Ophelia I presume."

"H-how do you-? Wait.. oh my God you share my dreams that's right!" Ben stared at Shuten as he felt his face go red. "Uh.. h-how much do you see?"

"I dream your dream, so I'm you and looking at it from your perspective.. have to say she's quite enchanting, and good at kissing too.. " Shuten, smirking teasingly as she licked her lips.

"OH FOR GOD'S SAKE-!" Ben snapped.

"And she seems to know I'm there, because she'll sometimes whisper to me through the dream wave to stop butting in on your private moments.. not that I can help it of course.. I'm not an echo like the other servants here, I need food and sleep.." Shuten muttered.  

"Wait what!?" Ben blinked. "It's a dream, she can't know you're-."

Shuten went quiet. "Ahem.. anyways your charge is being a little.. challenging.. I suggest you go see to him quickly."

Ben chuckled. "Of course he is.. this is still new to him right?"

As Ben got dressed, sliding his jacket on, Shuten folded her arms, her expression becoming slightly sympathetic. "She's okay. I know she is... you know better than anyone she can take care of herself, right?"

"Yeah." Ben said.  "I know.. th.. thanks Shuten."

Ben stepped out into the Dorm Living Room to find none other than another than a Latino boy in his own academy uniform, staring at a microwave on the counter. 

His skin was tan, his hair jet black and combed back in a sort of a bird-like tuft, yellow goggles wrapped around his forehead, supposedly a present from his mentor Six. 

"OH OH OH!! Uhhh.. BoBo's favorite Caviar!"

The microwave opened to show a bowl of fancy looking caviar with a side of shrimp. 

"Man! This thing's the best! Why do you guys even have a Food Court or restaurants when THIS is a thing!?" Rex Salazar exclaimed, grinning back at Ben. 

Shuten sighed and rolled her eyes. "You see now?"

"Heeeey Shuten." Rex grinned and leaned on the counter, as if trying to look handsome. "Er. Sleep well?" 

Shuten folded her arms, her expression a mixture of amused and exasperated. "As much as I would like to toy with you deary.. I'm afraid you're in quite a bit of a pickle."

Ben raised an eyebrow as he looked at the dining table, which was filled with various foods, half of which were mexican dishes and the other half which was burgers and junk food. 

"Rex.. uh.. how many did you-?"

"Wait wait, watch this." Rex grinned and tapped the button  on the microwave. "Apple pie with fried icecream, the way they make it at Happy B's."

"You have 0 Charges. Please wait 48 hours Before Restoration." 

"HUH!?" Rex exclaimed. "What's the big i-?" 

"Rex that thing has limited charges on it." said Ben. "That microwave searches you telepathically for what you want, searches the multiverse for a version of what you're thinking of, places an order, pays OUR actual money for it, then delivers it.  You're spending the funding the school gives us for food after we pay fees.. the restaurants here are technically cheaper." 

"Wait, you deposit money into this thing?" Rex said. 

"Yeah.. well.. it was my turn to pay for it, so.. you just spent my money.." 

Rex raised a finger then awkwardly rubbed the back of his head. "Uh.. oops."

"It's alright man!" Ben laughed as he held out his fist and Rex bumped it. "Guess we're gonna be eating a lot of Mexican this week. Lets move this all in the fridge."

"Hmph." Shuten rolled her eyes as she gracefully began whisking a number of bowls to the fridge. "Seriously now.. wasting my Master's hard earned Mission Pay on such frivolous cuisine.."

"HEY! Chile Relleno is FAR from frivolous!" Rex exclaimed as he grabbed a few plates.  "And I did say I'm sorry.."

"Sorry doesn't cut it, prove your worth with your actions." said Shuten curtly. 

As Rex continued to put food away, Ben looked at Shuten. "You really don't like him do you?"

"Hmmm? What gives you that impression?" 

"Just.. 'sorry doesn't cut it'.. sounds very Kratos of you.. 'Do Not Be Sorry, Be Better'." 

Shuten smirked. "I do wish you'd listen to him more. I do believe he has your best interests at heart.."

"Don't change the subject." Ben said. "And come on, you can't honestly believe-."

"I do believe it, because I've had harsh masters before who truly had care and love for me." said Shuten.  "Also.. I couldn't possibly hate this Rex person, I merely think he is a little overly exuberant and prone to jumping before walking."

"Like an Oni maybe?" Ben grinned. 

"Hmmm.. like Ibaraki.. if I don't put a leash on her now and then, she'll get in trouble for sure." said Shuten. 

"Ah.. so not hate, just being a big sister." Ben said. 

"Don't be ridiculous.. I already have a darling cute little brother to look after." Shuten said, poking Ben in the shoulder. "Ufufufu.. now.. where is my Sake bottle?" 

As Shuten went looking through the fridge, the door to the Dorm opened and Hanzo stepped in, grinning. "BOSS!! ERICE! Ya two here!? I want you all to meet somebody!"

"Erice is still in her Recruit's world, we're supposed to meet with her around Noon!" Ben called out as he made his way out of the kitchen. "Wait. Did you bring your recruit over Hanzo!?"

"So that's the samurai dude ya told me about?" Rex asked running over. "Dude, he really does kinda look like Kevin! YO! Samurai dude! What's shakin' I'm Rex."

"Huh, Boss told me a lot about you.. doin' alright? EVOs not too much of an issue?" Hanzo asked. 

"Oh, EVOs aren't exactly a big problem anymore.. uh.. the world was cured, long story." Rex said. "Providence still has plenty to do though. Anyways, I guess I get to meet one of my roomies right?"

"BINGO!" Hanzo grinned. "Allow me to introduce you to one of the fiercest warriors I know!!"

Hanzo stepped aside. 

Ben, Shuten and Rex looked into the hall to see what appeared to be a large gray stone about roughly twice the size of a human head sitting in the middle of the hall. With what appeared to be a pair of googly eyes glued onto its surface.

The trio frowned, looking down the hall momentarily and then looking down the other end. 

But there were only the familiar faces of students Ben and Shuten already knew chatting with each other in the hallway, nothing to suggest that Hanzo's recruit was lurking among them.

"Uhhhh.." Ben frowned.  "It's... it's-."

"Hmmm.. it's.." Shuten murmured. 

"It's a boulder." said Rex. 

"HEY! Watch it! She's real sensitive about that!" said Hanzo. "She ain't just a boulder... she's a Rock!!"

There was a silence as Ben, Shuten and Rex just stared at Hanzo. 

"Did he drink your Oni wine before he left last week?" Ben whispered to Shuten. 

"I.. I don't think he did.. at least I'm sure he didn't.. did he?" Shuten whispered back. 

"Soooo did the pioneers used to ride her for miles?" Rex asked. 

"What the hell are you talking about?" Hanzo asked, looking at Rex with a raised eyebrow. 

"Uh.. n.. nothing." said Rex. 

"Trust me, she may not look like much now, but back in the early days of the Rebellion, she was one of our finest warriors. Even Raikou personally acknowledged her as an equal to some of the generals!" said Hanzo.  "Rock-chan! Come on.. say hello, this is my Boss! Ben Tennyson! And of course you should already know about Shuten Douji, the Queen of Mt. Oei. And this guy is Rex, one of your new classmates."

The googly eyed rock remained silent. 

"Heh, she's real shy. Don't worry, she'll warm up eventually. She's always been like this, even when we were kids." said Hanzo  as he took the rock and held it in his arms. 

As Hanzo brought the rock into the room, Rex looked at Ben with a raised eyebrow, to which Ben responded with a quiet shrug. 

"Gooooood day to you all!" Gojo slid into the room, grinning. "We're nearly ready to greet Erice back from her training session with her recruits. I hope you're all good to go?"

"Erice is coming a few hours early?" Ben asked. 

"Yes, I think Nia gave them the green light. Must mean Erice was quite successful in managing them. Ah! Rex, see you're here, excellent excellent.. ah, now whose this?" 

Gojo grinned down at the rock sitting on the couch. "Well you must be Hanzo's recruit. A good day to you, I'm Gojo Satoro, the homeroom teacher of your fine student mentor." 

Rock-Chan remained silent. 

"Must be shy." said Gojo. 

"Ahhh, she's always been like that, give her time." said Hanzo. 

Ben, Shuten and Rex stared, the three of them looking even more flabbergasted. 

"Uh.. my other classmates won't be like.. a tree and a brick right..?" Rex grunted. 

"I.. don't even know at this point." Ben muttered.  "Maybe I'm still dreaming.

"Well come along." said Gojo. "Its time to go, I'm sure these two are eager to meet their three other classmates."

"Three? I thought Erice was only mentoring two-." Ben muttered.

"Oh.. there's a 3rd year transferring over to Kratos as a homeroom teacher. He's quite the student actually, a boy from my world with immense experience from missions and the like. However, he's got a bit of a disobedience streak to him. However he understands combat, Omni and Cursed Energy like nobody's business." said Gojo. "A true First Grade Sorcerer and a true Honors Student on the same level as Mordred.."

"Honors.. that means they live in the special solo dorms and they're tough enough to go on solo  missions.." Hanzo muttered. "Jeez, what is a badass like that doing changing to a rookie squad that isn't even cleared for taking missions since they're so green?"

"Wait, we have to be cleared?" Rex muttered.  "Before we can go out and do the hero stuff?"

"Yeah, only the top 10 percent of students ever actually go out before they graduate sometimes, and they get some of the biggest Multiverse/Universe ending crisises when they finally graduate." said Ben. "Heaven's Heralds are the top of the top.. my squad the Radiant Seven is on the same level as Raijin Riders, so we get a few global catastrophes.."

"Seven? They're only three of you.." Rex muttered. "Wait.. that Ophelia chic whose your girlfriend and- Is it the whole Raidant War thing!? You still gotta tell me the whole story about that man!"

"It was a traumatizing experience and a wonderful one all in one." said Hanzo. "Not exactly the easiest to talk about. Even I still have a tough time talking that one out." 

"You think we need therapy?" Ben muttered.

"Boss.. we DEFINITELY need therapy." said Hanzo.

"Whoa.. that bad?" said Rex. 

"Oh you know it!" said Gojo. "In any case, you particular kiddies have potential for being some of the top 10 percent, so in order to get an early assessment on how to get you ready for Missions, we have a squeaky easy Survey Trip set up for you to assess your skills in the field and what you still need to work on! Don't be afraid to make mistakes but still try your best! And don't worry on how your Omni Arts are assessed, you're still newbies on how to use it after all!"

"Bro, I can still barely do the whole "Grasp Omni" thing." said Rex. "How did you do it so fast?"

"I turned into an alien that turned me insane." Ben said. 

"What!?"

Later, the group made their way to the Train Station drop off. 

The train was already waiting for them, having just arrived as steam hissed from its wheels. 

The doors opened as Tru'nembra waddled out and bowed to Nia as she disembarked, followed by her butler Cthugha. 

"Ah, you guys got here.. on time no less, That's quite unusual of you Gojo." said Nia. 

"Ah well, mentoring others is a huge step in the growth of my students." said Gojo. "And that much I can take a good interest in. Now where's Erice and our two newbies?"

"Well.." Nia sweat a little. "They managed to get in the train.."

"That bad?" Gojo muttered. 

"You'll se-.."

"FOOOOMM!" A blur exploded out of the train, shoving Nia out of the way as she let out a squeal due to her tiny stature, nearly falling off the platform before Cthugha grabbed her. 

"MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! THE AMAZING POWER HAS ARRIVED TO CONQUER THE MULTIVERSE!!!!" 

A girl with long blonde hair, and a pair of red horns jutting out from her forehead, leaped out of the train in her Academy uniform, grinning to reveal her pointed teeth, her cross shaped pupils glittering in the dimension's fake sun.  "Read em and WEEP humans of this school! When I run for Headmistress and then get voted in and obtain worship from the masses, ALL OF HUMANITY IN THE MULTIVERSE IS SCREWED!! MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"HEY!! Power that's not fair! I wanna be the head honcho of the school!" A boy slid out from behind Nia, not being careful and whacking her over the head with his elbow, almost causing her to fall again as she squealed and waved her arms around like a windmill ,forcing Cthugha to catch her again. 

A boy with scruffy darker blonde hair ran out behind Power. His expression and demeanor were all tired looking, with bags under his eyes, as if he had once been constantly stressed out.  However he also gave off somewhat of a free spirited uncaring attitude, not as much as what Power currently gave off, but close. 

"Fair is fair! The great Power in all her magnimity.. mageemity.. Ma.. I don't know how to say that.. in ALL her awesomeness, has allowed you to be President of our World!" said Power. 

"I don't wanna go back to our stupid world! I wanna go live in Erice's world!" the boy growled. 

"DENJI!! POWER! Where are your manners!? Come on!"

Erice got out of the train, looking exhausted as she carried her roller suitcase. "Jeez.. you two better apologize to Ms. Nia right now."

"REBEL AGAINST AUTHORITY!! NEVER APOLOGIZE!!" screamed Power. 

Erice's eyes flared into a vicious glare. 

"Oh great powerful Headmistress I ask for your forgiveness." Power's voice went small as she immediately got into a dogeza bow, putting her forehead to the ground. 

"Oh.. uh.. sorry i guess." said Denji, who paid no attention to Nia, instead looking at Erice with pink patches on cheeks as he grinned stupidly. 

"Hmm.." Kratos nodded at Erice. "I see you have a handle on them."

"If have a handle means, barely holding on to their leashes by the skin of my teeth.. sure." said Erice in an exhausted voice. "Ben! Hanzo! You guys get your recruits okay?!"

"Yep! Right here!" said Hanzo, holding up Rock-chan. 

"Uh.. er.. its... uhh.." Erice blinked and looked at Ben, who merely shrugged. 

"She's just shy, she's not used to being with so many people." said Hanzo.

"S-sure?" said Erice. 

"Hey.. cool boulder." said Denji.

"SHE'S A ROCK!" Hanzo growled.

"Uh.. er.. cool rock then." said Denji. "Can I touch it?"

"Are you some sort of pervert?" Hanzo muttered, glaring at Denji. 

Denji blinked. "Uh.. Power am I a pervert?"

"YA SURE ARE!" Power yelled. 

"Yes.. I'ma pervert.. wait what's a pervert?" Denji asked. 

"Well, anyways, Erice check it out, this is Rex!" said Ben. 

Erice had a strange look in her eye as she went to look at Rex. "Ah.. h-hey there hi. I'm Erice. So you're Generator Rex right? We have nanites in my world too, but the EVO incident wasn't as severe- uh.. hello?"

Rex was staring with an open jaw, his eyes wide. 

Ben waved a hand in front of Rex's face. "Uh.. bro.. hey.. Rex.. dude you okay?"

"H-hi.. Eri.. Eri.. uh.. shh.. ghh.." Rex stammered. 

Erice blinked for a moment, then smiled kindly. "Uh.. sure, nice to meet you Rex. 

Erice hurried away a little faster than Ben expected, looking eager to step away. 

"Damnit I messed up!" Rex moaned, smacking a hand to his face. "DUDE! Th-THAT'S Erice!? You kidding!?"

"The one and only." said Ben. "Dude, are you crushing on her?"

"I mean.. how LUCKY do you have to be to have a girl like that coming on to you!?" Rex exclaimed. "This Ophelia better be absolutely amazing to justify a move like THAT!"

"Well it was a choice." said Ben. "But she's still family to me. I can't imagine life without her anymore honestly.."

"So uh.. any advice?" Rex asked. 

"On what?" said Ben

"Like you know?" Rex whispered. "What kind of stuff does she like? Does she think spanish speakers are hot? Or.. or..?"

"PATHETIC!!!"

A voice rang out before Rex could finish talking. 

A man stepped onto the scene, his muscles shone, his body shirtless in such an easy going pose, as if he regularly spent time bare chested.  His expression fierce, his scar making him look all the fiercer.

"This is supposed to be the group of recruits that will eventually make a Top Mission Squad!?" Aoi Todo glared as he stepped over, accompanied by a silent Kratos.  "Nia, I always trust your judgement.. but this.. THIS IS BEYOND PATHETIC! They look so green that they probably used Omni on the grass just get this level of greenness!"

"Ahhh! Todo you made it too!" said Gojo.

"Hmph." Todo grinted and glared at everyone present.  His eyes then fell on Ben. 

For a moment he glared straight at Ben, then straight at the Omnitrix on his wrist. Then he spoke. 

"Oi.. you're Ben Tennyson.. right?"

"Yeah?" Ben said. 

Aoi Todou, he heard about him from Jen.  An Honor Student who never before worked in a Squad and once sealed 3 Great Old Ones on one planet by himself with minimal support.  A guy from Gojo's world who  was also a badass Jujutsu Sorcerer among his peers before he got recruited for the Academy and learned Omni.. 

Apparently people found it hard to get along with him.. or rather, he refused to get along with most people. 

"Oi.. Ben Tennyson, answer me one question.." Todo growled, his eyes flaring.  "What is your ideal woman? 

There was a pause.. 

Ben blinked. "E.. eh?"

"AHA!! That's a GREAT idea!!" Gojo exclaimed, clapping his hands together. "INTRODUCTIONS!! We should all get to know each other!! You know what that means-!"

"I swear to god if you say Drumming circle.." Nia began. 

"DRUMMING CIRCLE!!" Gojo yelled. 

Nia heaved a sigh as Cthugha chuckled. 

A few moments later, everyone sat in a circle on the  ground around a wool carpet with Gojo holding a bongo drum in front of him.

Gojo beat the drum with his hands. "Now when I make a fast drum rythm, that's your signal to end the intro and pass it on to the next person!  As you speak I'll be drumming a slow beat in the background, but if I start drumming faster, you better start finishing up quick!! The faster I drum, the closer to the end you get!  You should say at least 3 things about yourselves! Right Nia?!"

"Don't treat me like a kindergartner.." Nia grunted. 

"Oh Niiiiiiiaaaaaa?" said Gojo brightly. 

"Fine fine, whatever." Nia muttered. 

"Finally we'll have time for 3 questions from everyone else!" said Gojo. "So don't be afraid to ask a few things to get to know each other. HERE! I'll start. Hello everyone! I'm Gojo Satoru. I like long walks on the beach and buying souvenirs from different places! Oho! Look I'm starting to drum a little faster now! See that's my cue to speed it up! Ah! I'm also a teacher in two schools: Jujutsu Tech and Nia's Academy! Questions?"

"OH OH!! I have a question!" Denji raised his hand excitedly. "Do you like.. wear a blindfold cause you're horribly disfigured!?"

"YES! I WAS ONCE INVOLVED IN AN EPIC BATTLE WITH A KAIJU THAT NEARLY OBLITERATED THE WORLD!" said Gojo cheerily. "NEXT!?"

"LIE!!" Erice, Ben, Hanzo and Nia all yelled, pointing at Gojo. 

"OH OH! I have one!" Power exclaimed. "Do you have any pets!?"

"I HAVE A PET KOMODO DRAGON!!" roared Gojo. "His name is Ripper and he has the ability to sing Frank Sinatra from memory!!"

"THAT'S RAD!!" Power roared. "What's a Frank Sinatra!?"

"ALSO LIE!!" Erice Ben, Hanzo and Nia all exclaimed again. 

"FRANK SINATRA IS A GALAXY RANGER WHO IS IN FACT THE EMANATOR OF NIHILITY!!" roared Gojo. 

"SUPER LIE!!" Nia yelled. "Jeez louise at least follow your own rules!" 

"And that's all the questions! Next up! Erice!" Gojo began to drum at a slower beat again. 

"Oh. .uh.. jeez er, well Hi I'm Erice Tsukiyomi. I have the power to control water, my favorite food is Strawberry Mochi Icecream, and I suppose I love riding motorcycles!

"Questions!!!" Gojo yelled, drumming faster.

"I can turn my legs into a sort of flying motorcycle thing!" Rex yelled. 

"O.. okay?" Erice said.

"That's not a question! Next!" said Gojo.

"Can we kiss!?" yelled Denji.

"EHHH!?" Rex stared at Denji with disbelief. 

"No Denji." said Erice, her expression tired. 

"Awww man!" Denji muttered. "Can we kiss later?"

"No.. Denji.." Erice said, rolling her eyes. 

"What's your ideal date!?" Rex exclaimed quickly, glaring at Denji. "N-not that it's too important!"

"Huh?" Erice's cheeks went slightly pink. "Uhhh.. uhh.. well, I suppose I always wanted to go to a Monster Truck ralley.."

"Oh my God she's perfect!" Rex whispered to Ben. 

"QUESTIONS DONE!" Gojo yelled. "Next person! POWER!!!"

"MY NAME IS POWER!!" Power roared. "I WILL RULE ALL OF HUMANITY AS A BENEVOLENT YET SLIGHTLY ANGRY GOD!! I HAVE A CAT NAMED MEOWY AND IM A LEBANON!!"

"That's four things!" said Gojo. "LOVE that gusto!"

"Wait, she doesn't look Lebanese." said Todo, scratching his chin. 

"She means she's a Lesbian.." said Erice with a sigh. 

"RIGHT I'M LEBANON!!" said Power.  "I LOVE TIIIIITS!!! WHOOO!!"

"Oh brother.." Erice moaned. 

"Questions!" Gojo exclaimed. 

"Ahh.. a fan of cats! What breed?" said Hanzo. 

"MEOWY IS NOT A BEE!!" 

"Th-that's not what I asked-." Hanzo muttered.

"NEXT QUESTION!! GIVE ME A REAL ZINGER!!" Power roared. 

"OOOOOHOooooo! I'm loving this one!" Gojo exclaimed brightly as he drummed a little faster. 

"Uh.. do you like video games?" Ben asked. 

"PACMAN CAN SUCK MY-!" Power roared. 

"POWER!!" Erice snapped, her eyes flaring. 

"I.. Erice showed me the Play Station 5, I liked it alot.." Power said, in a strangely normal tone. 

"Final question!" Todo's eyes flared. "Since you're a Lebanon-"

"Lesbian." said Gojo. 

"-WHAT.. is your ideal woman!?" Todo growled. 

"GOTH CHICS ARE HOT!!" Power roared. 

"Hmmm... " Todo nodded. "Acceptable." 

"NEXT is Rock-chan!" Gojo exclaimed. "Rock-chan! Tell us about yourself!"

There was a silence as the only sound was Gojo beating the drum. 

"Go on, don't be shy.." said Hanzo. 

The drum beat got faster. 

"Come on Rock-chan! Clock's ticking!" Gojo said.

The drum beat got really fast.. then..

"OOOH Out of time! Maybe next time Rock-chan"

"I didn't even get to ask her if she had an ideal woman." Todo muttered. 

"Well shyness can't be helped I guess." said Cthugha. 

Ben, Erice, and Rex just stared, nonplussed, blinking. 

The circle continued on for a bit, until finally they reached Denji.. 

"Helloooo, my name's Denji.." said Denji. "Uhh.. I'm 16, and.. I like Erice." 

"Oh! Question!" said Gojo. "Do you have a dream you wanna achieve?"

"Yeah, I wanna have sex with Erice." said Denji. 

There was a silence.. Erice simply sighed and put a hand to her face. 

"Hmm, excellent taste." said Todo. "My question is answered." 

"DUDE!!" Rex roared. "What the HELL man!?"

"Eh? Got a problem?" Denji said. 

"YOU DON'T.. you can't just-!" Rex stammered. 

"What.. do you wanna have sex with Erice!?" Denji said. 

"WHAT!? N-no of course n-?"

"Good, then more Erice for me." said Denji with a grin. 

A vein popped near Rex's head as blue circuits began to ignite over his hands and he gritted his teeth furiously. 

"Hey Denji!" Erice said. "Here's a question. Can you tell me what you learned yesterday?"

"Oh oh! I remember! Uhhh.. when you're saving people.. you shouldn't just do it to.. uh.. get girls.. you should.. think about if you were in the situation.. if.. you would want someone to save you. Am I right?"

"Good job Denji!" said Erice brightly. "Have a candy!"

"Yay!" Denji pumped his fists as Erice threw him a sour patch kids packet. 

"I wanted a candy.." Power muttered sourly. 

"You'll get one when you behave." Erice said. 

"I MADE MY BED YESTERDAY!!" Power snapped. 

"I already gave you a candy for that." 

"WELL I DIDN'T MESS IT UP AGAIN AFTER YOU CHECKED IT!!" 

Finally the group reached Todo. 

"I AM AOI TODO!!"  he roared. "I am a top Jujutsu Sorcerer, I love Takada-Chan!! And my type of woman is TALL with a BIG ASS!!"

"Okay, time for ques-" Gojo began.

"QUESTION ONE!" Todo roared. 

"Oi I think you're supposed to be the one answer-" Gojo muttered. 

"BEN TENNYSON!" Todo exclaimed, pointing at Ben. "You never answered my question. WHAT IS YOUR IDEAL WOMAN!?"

"Wh-why the hell would I answer that!?" Ben asked. 

"I am assessing you! You're supposed to be the leader of the Radiant Seven! My friend.. Lady Heralder, holds you in high regard. The top Sorcerer of my world, Gojo.. holds you in high regard! But I don't buy it.. not until I know.. WHAT IS YOUR IDEA WOMAN!?"

"Th-that's-" Ben began. 

"HE DOESN'T HAVE ONE!!" Power exclaimed. "BEN TENNYSON IS A LEBANON!!" 

"No.. wait wha-?"

"THEN ANSWER!! WHAT IS YOUR-!?"

"MY IDEAL WOMAN IS GONE OKAY!?" Ben roared. "AND I DON'T KNOW IF I'LL EVER GET HER BACK!!!" 

Ben panted hard.. 

His dreams from his most restless nights.. all the stress thinking about Ophelia's current state.. or whether he would be able to make her remember him the way he had with Hanzo..  the ominous feeling in his gut.. 

It all came out with that outburst.. and to Ben's embarrassment, he realized that he was blinking away tears.. 

He could feel Rex, Erice and Hanzo's sympathetic gazes, but he couldn't bring himself to even look at them at the moment. He didn't expect to come to a breaking point from something so ridiculous

Todo's expression softened slightly. "Hey.. I didn't mean.." 

At that moment, a shadow fell over Ben's own, as an old God of War got to his feet and approached..

"Ben Tennyson.." 

Kratos spoke in his deep voice as Ben looked up at him. 

"Walk with me.."