Savage Heart, Lonely Heart
Chapter One- A Father's Love and a Prayer Answered
Bruce Banner looked out the window of the RV, his brown eyes looking out at those that were his friends and family. He could see his cousin Jennifer Walters, otherwise known as She-Hulk, having a conversation with his daughter Lyra. They were soon joined the by blue-armored behemoth Rick Jones, who had taken on the name of A-Bomb since being transformed into a hulking azure brute by The Leader and M.O.D.O.K. Bruce's eyes then settled on Betty Ross Banner/Red She-Hulk, who had seemingly chosen to stay a great distance away from the others, refusing to speak so much as a word to any of them. Then, finally, Bruce's eyes came to settle upon his son Skaar, who was sitting near a fallen tree looking out over the landscape.
Like any good father, Bruce worried about his son, because he wanted a better life for Skaar. He could only imagine what Skaar endured on that scarred, fiery planet that was Sakaar, but regardless of what happened on that planet, both Bruce and The Hulk were determined to make sure that their son was given a better life. When Bruce looked at Skaar, who had remained in his human form ever since their world-breaking confrontation, he could sense a deep loneliness and a desire for friendship that was not unlike himself when he was growing up. If only there was someone, someone other than his family, that could reach out to Skaar in that manner. If only...
"What's up, Bruce?", Jen asked, her unexpected appearance in the RV startling the brown-haired gamma physicist from his thoughts.
"Nothing, Jen. Just thinking a bit before I get back to work.", Bruce answered, turning to look at the cousin who was more like a sibling to him.
"Oh, I see. So... is there anything that I can do for you?", Jen probed as she walked over the the fridge and getting a diet soda.
It was then that an idea came to the mind of Bruce Banner, one that could prove helpful in introducing Skaar to others in a hope to form bonds of friendship with those of his own age group. He remembered reading something in the local newspaper that involved a shopping mall within the town nearby that was having a summer sale for teenagers that were released from school for their summer break. It was the perfect place for Skaar and Lyra to seek out individuals of their own age group, while at the same time, his cousin Jen could take part in a shopping spree for her own personal pleasure.
"Actually... there is something that you can do for me, Jen.", Bruce stated, a smirk briefly crossing his visage.
"Yeah, and what's that?", Jen asked, raising a curious eyebrow at her cousin.
"That shopping mall in Amity... I want you to take Skaar and Lyra there with you for the afternoon. I think it'll be good for them. Besides, I have some work to catch up on for the next few days.", Bruce answered, his voice as serious as the expression on his face.
"Bruce, is there something that you're not telling me?", Jen questioned, her voice calm, yet stern at the same time.
"It's Skaar... I think he's lonely, Jen. Other than us, his family, he's completely alone. I... I just want him to have a better life that what I had. I didn't have many friends. I was alone... angry and hurt. He's lost so much in his life, more than anyone his age should lose. His mother... The Hulk's wife... Caiera the Oldstrong is dead. His world... the planet Sakaar... is gone forever. He's lost his mother and his world. All he has now is us, but I... I want him to have more. Skaar has a family now, a new world to call home, and I believe now it's time for him to have friends. I owe him that much, Jen, if not more than I can possibly give him.", Bruce finally answered after a long silence, his words of sincerity are that of a father wanting nothing more then the best for his offspring.
Bruce turned away from Jen, closing his eye tightly shut to prevent his emotions from being seen as he tightly clenched his hands into fists. Suddenly, Bruce felt a gentle hand rest on his shoulder, causing him to turn and lock eyes with his cousin Jennifer Walters. She understood how Bruce felt, for she recalled the horrible childhood her cousin went through that involved his insane father Brian Banner killing Rebecca Banner, the murder of his mother scarring Bruce for life. She understood that Bruce wanted to be a good father, to give everything he had to ensure that both Skaar and Lyra would have a better life than his own. It's exactly why she decided right then and there to undertake Bruce's request, for she knew that it was the very least she could do for him.
"I understand, Bruce. I'll do it, not just for you, but for them. Besides, it's been a while since I last went shopping.", Jen remarked, briefly hugging her cousin before exiting the RV.
"Thanks, Jen. I can always count on you.", Bruce whispered to himself before taking a seat, his mind once again focusing on his work.
"Let's just hope that Skaar makes a friend on this day.", Bruce added in his thoughts, sending out a secret prayer for his son.
Amity Park
Amity Park Mall
Jen, Lyra, and Skaar entered the mall, discovering it to be quite nice and plenty busy as teens and adults alike shopped through the numerous stores. The three individuals walked together, with Jen and Lyra getting plenty of looks from men of different ages, but that was to be expected when you're as attractive as they were. Skaar, too, got some attention as people looked at the strange black haired, pale silver-gray-skinned human/oldstrong hybrid, his unique appearance causing them to point and whisper to one another. He didn't care, yet he couldn't deny that it irked him that the puny humans would stare at him before resuming to whisper behind his back.
"Okay, we're here. Lyra & Skaar, you're both free to go forth and explore. Just remember the rules. No Hulking-Out and try to keep a low profile. The last thing any of us need is to draw attention to ourselves, especially after all that's happened in the past few weeks.", Jen informed her niece and nephew.
"Where are you going to be, Jen?", Lyra asked, looking curiously at her aunt and mentor.
"Me? I'm gonna buy some new clothes... and a few other items that may catch my wandering eyes.", Jen replied, her voice carefree and optimistic as always.
"By the way, Skaar, if anyone asks you what your name is...", Jen added before the Son of Hulk interjected.
"Yeah, I know. My name is Skip.", Skaar muttered, making sure not to hide his apparent dislike of his fake name and the fact that he couldn't use his real name.
"That's a good boy. It's only for your own protection. If these people would discover that Skaar, the Son of the Hulk, were here... well, ya know what I'm talkin' about.", Jen responded, pulling him in for a brief hug and a light peck on the cheek, which caused the teenaged human/oldstrong to growl in embarrassment.
And with that, the three individuals went their seperate ways, each going out to explore the mall and its variety of stores. Unknown to both Skaar and Lyra, each were about to meet two very unique beings, who would change their lives forever. It would seem that fate destines to bring people together, but not at their moment of choosing.
Amity Park Mall
The Bookstore
Searching one of the towering shelves, trying to find a certain book written by Dr. Leonard Samson on the psychology of the human mind, was the lovely sixteen year old Jasmine Fenton. She was wearing her usual attire, which consisted of a black long sleeve t-shirt, a pair of light blue pants, and a black pair of shoes. However, instead of her usual blue hairband, Jazz had her long auburn red hair tied in a ponytail. It could not be denied that Jazz was beautiful, though for some reason she remained single. It seemed that most guys didn't appeal to her, not that she cared to begin with, for she was more than comfortable with her life as it is.
"Ah-hah! There it is!", Jazz exclaimed, finally locating the book she had been searching for, which was up on the very top shelf and way out of her reach.
"Why do they always put them on the highest shelf?", Jazz asked herself as she released a light sigh.
Knowing what had to be done in order to obtain her desired novel, Jazz began to climb up the bookshelf by using the lower shelves as footholds. It was when she neared the top that a certain individual appeared, his green eyes watching as Jazz continued to climb up the shelf to retrieve the book. Skaar arched an eyebrow, somewhat intrigued and amused by Jazz's actions as he continued to watch. He had nothing better to do, and besides, after having an encounter with a very rude latin girl and her equally rude blonde friend, Skaar figured that he was better off to attempt an interaction with another female than dealing with the insults of other puny humans.
Suddenly, just as Jazz managed to grasp her desired book, she began to lose her balance. Then, unable to keep a firm foothold of the shelves, Jazz began her descent to the floor as she fell with a shrill cry being released from her throat. Yet, before she could even hit the floor, Skaar raced forward and caught Jazz in his arms. However, while Skaar had been able to catch her, the momentum of Jazz's fall still caused them both to crash to the floor with Skaar taking the brunt force of their impact.
Slowly, Jazz managed to regain her composure as she opened her eyes, only to discover that she was literally touching noses with her unexpected savior. For the first few moments, all she could do was stare into his green eyes even as Skaar gazed into her lovely blue irises, neither of them moving an inch as her body rested atop his own. The first thing she noticed, other than the unique color of his eyes, was that his skin was a pale silver-gray in color. It was certainly unusual, but she really didn't care, for she felt it made him all the more intriguing and appealing to her curiosity.
"Hi.", Jazz greeted, a light blush coloring her cheeks.
"Um... Hi?", Skaar replied, somewhat flustered by the current situation that he was in.
"Okay... this is awkward, isn't it?", Jazz asked, an equally awkward smile forming on her visage.
"Yeah, I-I guess.", Skaar stuttered slightly, anxiously biting his bottom lip.
"Well, we can't have that, can we?", Jazz chuckled before rising to her feet, offering Skaar her hand as she stood before him.
She could see that Skaar was hesitant to take her hand for reasons that she could not begin to understand, but she hoped that she would get the chance to learn why he acted in such a way, especially towards someone as accepting as her. Once overcoming his hesitation, Skaar reached out and grasped Jazz's right hand with his own, allowing her to help him to his feet. For the next several moments, the two unique beings looked at each other, neither knowing what to expect next as their hands remained locked together.
It was then that Jazz decided to have a better look at her savior, her blue eyes taking in ever detail of his appearance. He supported a very well toned build for a fourteen year old, standing at least 5'5'', his weight range easily over the one-hundred pound mark. He wore a brown leather jacket with a white shirt underneath it, a pair of black shorts, and something resembling footwear on his feet. His hair was long and black as the midnight skies, which seemed to contrast his pale silver-gray skin and alluring green eyes.
She noticed, even as she was looking over her savior, he was intently looking over her 5'7" lithe frame. She was amused by his curiosity, finding it almost cute in the way he acted. She had to admit, it was nice to feel confident about her beauty, despite knowing that she had far more to offer. Still, it felt good to know that he thought she was beautiful. She then glanced down, realizing that her hand was still holding his own, causing her to quickly release it from her grip as a blush colored her cheeks.
"Sorry.", Jazz apologized, averting her gaze away from his.
"For what?", Skaar asked, clearly confused by her apology.
"For not letting go of your hand and stuff.", Jazz informed, briefly locking eyes with the human/oldstrong/gamma hybrid.
"Pfft. I didn't care.", Skaar remarked indifferently, his features remaining devoid of emotion.
"Oh, I just realized that I didn't introduce myself. My name is Jasmine, but you can call me Jazz. I mean, if you want to, that is.", Jazz stated, introducing herself to her savior.
"You were named after a flower?", Skaar asked, arching an eyebrow at the auburn red-haired young woman.
"Yeah, I guess. So... what's your name?", Jazz responded, intent on discovering the name of the unique boy standing in front of her.
"Uh... Skip.", Skaar almost growled out, causing Jazz to giggle in amusement.
"Skip? Seriously? That's your name?", Jazz giggled, much to Skaar's chagrin.
"It's not funny! Besides, I don't like it any better than you do, Jasmine.", Skaar snarled, narrowing his eyes at the redhead, wishing that he could Hulk-Out and scare.
"It's not that. I think it's cute. Honestly, I do.", Jazz
"Hmp. Whatever.", Skaar snorted, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Anyways, thank you for catching me. I could've been seriously hurt if you didn't come to my rescue.", Jazz said sincerely, smiling warmly at Skaar as she allowed herself to become closer until only a diminuitive gap was left between them.
"You're welcome, Jazz.", Skaar replied, biting his bottom lip once again, uncomfortable by how close she was to him all of a sudden.
"I'm gonna leave now.", Skaar quickly added, beginning to walk away, much to Jazz's disappointment.
"Wait!", Jazz exclaimed, rushing off after him, her outburst causing the Son of Hulk to stop dead in his tracks.
"Can you stay with me, Skip? I'm all alone, and to be honest, I could go for some company.", Jazz admitted, smiling as her eyes locked on to Skaar's emerald irises, a light blush coloring her cheeks.
"Well, I... I don't know.", Skaar muttered, rubbing the back of his neck with his right hand.
Jazz could sense Skaar's apprehension, but she was determined, and once she would focus on something, there was nothing that Jazz couldn't accomplish. An idea came to Jazz's mind, one that caused a mischievous smile to appear on her lovely visage. She would convince him to stay with her, while at the same time, she would show him gratitude for being her rescuer. Before Skaar could reject her invitation, Jazz embraced him in a brief hug and kissed his cheek, the unexpected token of affection shocking the Son of Hulk like no physical blow ever could.
"C'mon, Skip. It'll be fun.", Jazz assured him, linking her arms around his left forearm.
"Okay.", Skaar obliged meekly, his eyes wide with shock while his pale cheeks were flushed with blood.
Before anything else could be said, Jazz pulled Skaar by the arm, taking him with her as they began to explore the mall together. Skaar could only wonder what he got himself into, but then again, maybe this would mark the beginning of his new life? Would it be so bad to have a friendship with Jazz? He didn't think so, and besides, it might be fun.
Author's Notes
Well, it would appear that Skaar has made a friend in Jazz, or could it be that there's potential for something more than friendship between them? All will be revealed in time, but for now... we'll have to wait and see. However, the big mystery is who will be the individual that is destined to meet Lyra?
Here's a hint... she's a former enemy and love interest of Danny Phantom/Danny Fenton.
If you're not familiar with Skaar, might I suggest reading these great comics, which are also available in paperback and hardcover novels.
- Skaar: Son of Hulk #1-12
- Incredible Hulk #601-611
- Incredible Hulks #612-617
- Incredible Hulks #623-625
- Skaar: King of the Savage Land #1-5
Until the next chapter, I bid all of you farewell!