Author's Note: Ahem... any one of you Chinese BxG fans know the song 'Tong Hua'? It touches me every time I hear it (only one other song has that kind of power, Goo Goo Dolls' 'Iris'.) So I was listening to it and suddenly I had this idea for a fanfic. Even if you don't understand Chinese you should look for a vid that comes with subtitles (not a redubbed version) and have a listen. It's a very moving song with a very deep and sincere meaning.
On the subject, this fanfic was also concieved in Chinese... Ben's imagined Chinese voice is kind of based of that of my old crush. (Actually, I don't even know if he was my crush or not--I was only 11 and it certainly wasn't a fanfic-esque crush.) Ah well...
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Angel
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He slowly opened his eyes, wincing with pain, a patina of shattered glass covering him.
And then it all came back to him in a flash--an icy dagger of memories. Ben got up, pressing one hand to the ground to support him. The glass pieces shifted and fell off, though his palm quickly ended up bloody. He hissed with pain. It wasn't supposed to happen this way--it was so fast he couldn't remember most of the details--but he knew one thing. Kevin was a traitor, a stupid, damned traitor.
It was like a rewind, a repeat. Kevin had grabbed his wrist, taken the DNA from it, and one of Chromastone's diamond spikes had narrowly missed his head and smashed a shop window to pieces. A sick replay of how Kevin had become his enemy in the first place.
He'd gotten away--it wasn't supposed to happen--
heroes never let their mortal enemies become their friends; they're always on their guard, waiting for that one little slip-up
"Ben..."
"Gwen?"
He turned to face her. Gwen had scratches on her arms, and her eyes had been red with crying.
crying--he didn't deserve those tears
Ben flinched slightly at the tenacity of those thoughts, and quickly hoped Gwen would think he flinched from pain or shock. It was stupid. Hiding your love away, like it was a sin. He remembered how he'd never be able to react to Grim Tales From Down Below in the same way again...because falling for someone who had a blood-tie to you, that hit too close to home.
"He betrayed us," she said in a haunted, horribly saddened tone. He knew why. A blow to the heart was harder than any wound to the flesh.
"Gwen, I--"
She fell into his arms, still crying.
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Hospital lights were always so depressing. They made you think something bad was about to happen.
He was glad to be out, albeit with bandages on everywhere he'd been hit by Kevin. Gwen was, too. She had fought with Kevin, and it was obvious by the nurses' expressions that he hadn't held back.
Kevin was out there...with the ability to transform into almagalmations of Ben's aliens at will, instead of being permanently stuck.
But Ben would get to him in due time.
Right now the world had known the secret that he'd encountered when he was an angry, resentful ten-year-old in the middle of nowhere. They were horrified to know a monster was probably among them, but they were proud, too. People had come forward, shared their side of the story.
He's a good kid. Saved my property once...
His mother must be proud of him...
I want to be just like him when I grow up...
He knew all of that.
In fact, Ben was supposed to talk to some leaders tomorrow. To get their help to find Kevin and put an end to him, for good.
All of that could, and would be done.
In due time.
Gwen faced him, and right then even a cup of his favourite smoothie couldn't have been more perfect than this.
"Wow," she murmured, gesturing towards a flock of city-wise pidgeons. An old, gray leader flew off into the distance, the flock behind him, wings spread out, displaying a riot of colour and species. The last one trailed behind, pure white. Probably released from captivity.
"That last one," Ben replied. "Looks kind of like...an angel..."
"An angel. I could sure use one of those right now."
Ben paused, hesitated, and quietly told her what she'd known all along.
"I'll be your angel."
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Author's Note: How about that? I'm typing this while yawning, so if there were any mistakes feel free to point 'em out!