Disclaimer: Ben 10 is the property of Man of Action and Cartoon Network. Kanon is the property of Key. I do not wish to gain monetary gain from this work. All other characters are the property of their respective owners
AN: When a grey line pops up, that means that this is a flashback scene. When a new grey line shows up, that means that we're back to present time. Hope that helps you all out.
Somewhere in Japan...
It was midnight and a harsh blizzard was blowing. No sane person would even think to be out in this mess, but Ben Tennyson was never totally sane. At least, that was what Gwen always told him. But lately he was starting to wonder if perhaps she was right all along.
Ever since Vilgax destroyed his universe during his last battle with him, Ben was left homeless in a sense, though thanks to the aid of dear friends at least Rook's world was saved. Now he was in the dimension where it was located. Fat load of help Rusty Venture was getting them here. Thanks to his crappy tech, the two Plumbers were separated from one another and Ben was unsure where the Hell he was.
Two weeks ago, in the dimension of the Venture Bros...
"It was a royal hassle to get this done for you two, but I was able to get a dimensional portal up and running," Rusty Venture grumbled as he wiped the dust off his glasses' lenses. "I must add that as long as Rook is holding onto the retriever device, you two can come back here."
Admittedly, Rusty was hoping that the two Plumbers would find Rook's home and be done with him, at least for a while. The Kamen Rider Club were a big help, but they were overly friendly at times, and for someone who enjoys time by himself, they wore on Rusty at times.
From where the warpgate was, Ben had just finished the last tweaks to it. Soon the device roared to life and a world unlike anything Ben had seen before was practically right in front of their eyes.
It was a quiet little burg deep within Japan, with a subtle magic in the air. The last of Winter's snow and ice was melting away, and Spring was close by. Ben could tell that this shall be their new home. After Vilgax unleashed the dreaded "Annihilarg" and wiped out Ben's universe, he and Rook were in dire need of a universe for themselves.
"Again, we must thank you for your hospitality, Dr. Venture. We hope to see you when your affairs are in order," Rook said in a polite tone of voice.
Ben, with a wide grin on his young face, chipped in with "You are so awesome, man! When we get the bugs worked out, we gotta catch up with the KRC!" Rusty shuddered at hearing that, but that was due in part of all the drama that happened during their stay. He did like them, he just wanted some time to unwind.
With their goodbyes said and done, Ben and Rook were on their way to the universe that they found not too long ago.
But things are never that simple. No sooner than the two were inside, a brownout stuck the Venture Compound, separating the two and throwing them at random spots, Ben in the forest and Rook halfway to the city limits.
"Oh Crap." Rusty was a cheap miser at times and brownouts were the norm at the Venture Compound. He didn't care when they happened, but now was the WORST time for one to happen.
But Dr. Venture knew that Ben was a survivor. He wasn't about to just give up and die, right?
The suburbs...
"At least the Omnitrix still works!" he bitterly thought to himself, as he struggled to stay warm. That was in itself a losing battle. If he did not die from overexposure, surely some wild animal would kill him. Ben, depressed as he was, did not welcome death just yet. There was still work to be done and so little time to finish.
The last part of Diagon, the dark god that started this whole drama filled nightmare, was in the body of Julie Yamamoto. The first two pieces were destroyed by Ben and the aid of others. He also had to worry about Albedo and who knows what else?
Ben had been lost here for two weeks. Forced to live off the land, he had grown gaunt and ill; bags formed under his tired eyes. His shirt and pants were ripped and his shoes were worn out from all the walking he had done. By this point, his hair had grown out to be touching his lower back.
But now he had reached the end of the road. Finally he had given up on finding Rook or anyone. Now he was ready to die once again.
"I gave it my all! I fought for the safety of others since I was ten! What more do you want from me?!" he cried out in rage. But there was no one there to answer back. Only the cold winds were there to catch his words.
Regaining his bearings, Ben continued. "Okay, sure, I screwed up by bragging about how great I was and pissing off Gwen, Kevin, Azmuth, Rook...Julie." Saying the last name was painful for Ben, for she was the love of his life. "But I learned that I was acting like a tool and got past that! Must I suffer more to please the gods? I LOST MY WHOLE UNIVERSE! I can't go any lower than this!" Ben raged, before falling to his knees and crying.
"I can't fall anymore. So why must I go on like this?" he softly sobbed, hot tears falling to the cold snow. Then dreamless sleep befell the Plumber.
Not too far from where Ben is right now...
A young blonde man was just a few steps from where Ben was right now. He was lost in his thoughts, as per his usual pattern. He dreamt of the day he would be able to marry Kaori, the girl of his dreams. However, Kaori was still recovering from a painful ordeal, nearly losing her younger sister to an unknown illness that was cured, as if by magic.
Two weeks ago...
"You don't want to see me?" Jun whimpered in front of his self-proclaimed girlfriend, Kaori. "I know you want to spend time with your younger sister, but am I going to be that much of a bother to you two?"
Brushing her curly brown hair from her eyes, Kaori breathed in deeply and explained to Jun just why she needed some time apart from Jun.
"It's not that I hate you. It's because I was so horrible to Shiori, not acting like she wanted to live. I was acting like a selfish brat and I must make up for what I did to her, as well as the others." Tears were in her eyes now, the painful memories still fresh in her mind. "I just need my space until I can face the others, including Nayuki. I was a horrible friend to her, lying about my sister."
Jun wanted to answer back, that Kaori was nowhere near the monster she views herself as, but Kaori raised a hand to keep him quiet.
"Please just do this for me, okay?" she sobbed before hugging him tightly. He returned the gesture and allowed her to get some of her frustrations out. When Kaori finished, she ran back to her house, ready to start being the sister that Shiori deserved.
Kaori soon left on her way to mend her relationships with Shiori, leaving Jun alone to his devices. For the first time since he met Kaori, he was alone. It was an alien feeling to him, but he knew he had to solider on. For Kaori and everyone else.
Present day...
Since it had only been two weeks since that fateful day, Jun had begun taking long walks to give the girls time to process the information of what had happened. But as was his luck, a blizzard started right when he was about to go home.
"Crap," he muttered. With this storm going on, he had no choice but to go to the Minase residence. It wasn't that he disliked going there. On the contrary, he loved going there, as he was also close friends with the younger girl that lived there as well.
He was all set to head over there when he overheard Ben hollowing over how much pain he was in. Turning to where he heard the voice, he ran as fast as he could to his location.
Jun was stunned to see a younger boy in a black and green T-shirt and tan cargo pants laying down in the snow, his skin blue as death. He knew that he could not leave this boy here to die, so he scooped him up in his arms and carried him to the Minase house.
It was the longest half hour of Jun's life, but he was able to get Ben to the Minase household. Since no one was home right now, he used the key that the older woman gave him and let himself in.
But he had to save the boy's life. Jun may be clumsy and lacking in tact, but he is not heartless. In fact, he has a big and caring feeling towards most everybody that he meets.
He would save this boy, no matter what...
Next time: Ben wakes up in his future home and causes a scene there with the local residents.
Jun knows what Ben really is by this time, but how did he come across this knowledge? You'll learn about that and more in the next chapter!