Disclaimer: I do not own Ben 10 universe. I just wish they had developed the relationships better.
The funeral was beautiful, with Bluebells, and yellow roses. The coffin was cherry wood, the nearly black surface shimmered in the light. Ben rested peacefully on the inside, his face nothing short of tranquil. His hair slightly messy, but that just helped preserved Ben's image, his hair had never been neat, and it seemed that even in his dead state that wasn't going to change.
His jacket was still upon him, neat and crisp from being at the dry cleaners just that morning. There was a smoothie placed inside his left hand. Perhaps that was a bit odd to the others attending the funeral. But to Ben's family and friends, it fit there perfectly. It was a dark day, there were clouds in the sky, dark grey, and menacing, but there was no rain, or wind, it was simply grey and depressive.
Kevin walked up to the coffin, his hands shaking as he grabbed a hold of the cherry wood surface, as to lean down easier and look at the hero more carefully. No one saw his face streaked with fresh tears. His knuckles turned white, but he restrained himself, for he knew if he were to grip any harder he would splinter the wood. He was that angry.
He was blaming himself for the downfall of the brunette, even though he had been nowhere in the vicinity when ben had been struck down. He had been on his way, and if he had gone just a little faster- he let out a sob.
Nobody stirred.
Ben looked so peaceful, so peaceful that it was braking Kevin's heart, his face couldn't have looked like that when he was pinned down his hands desperately clawing at the alien Highbred scum that was choking the life out of him, when the large white alien had applied that last bit of pressure and crushed his respiratory tube, when he had been struggling for breath as Gwen knocked the alien off him, when he had died.
Kevin wanted, no wished, that Gwen had been just a little bit more apprehensive during that fight, maybe then she would have been able to notice that Ben had been missing before it was too late. But Kevin knew he couldn't blame the Anodite. He hadn't been there himself. He had to listen-listen! To how his best friend -love obsession- had died.
He felt dreadful. He had felt wretched. He had been late. He hadn't made it in time, and this was the result. Slowly he raised his head, his black hair sticking to his cheeks from the tears.
"I'm sorry." It came out as a whisper, hoarse and inaudible, but it meant so much to Kevin that he said it. Even though the horrible guilt in his gut didn't leave, nor the empty feeling in his heart and stomach. But he supposed that they never would. And in all honesty, he didn't want them to.
"I love you." He had said it, though it meant nothing to the chilly air, or the dead boy inside that coffin. So he cried, his sobs wracking his body with convulsions. No one spoke or left. He had wanted to say that for so long, yet it didn't matter. Ben was silent, his mouth still holding that same frown it had been since Kevin had first seen him in that coffin before he couldn't look at the boy and feel shame and guilt.
His eyes strayed.
There sat the Omnatrix, its face white and dim, no longer glowing with energy. Kevin glared at it. IT was the reason Ben was dead. It had to be if it hadn't timed out- no, no he couldn't get angry, not here, not with Ben here. So he turned, his face still streaming with tears, and faced the crowd as he walked past them and into the cemetery parking lot.
He didn't look at the cemetery as he started the engine, didn't look at Gwen as she stared at him with glassy eyes. No, he simply started the engine and drove off. But he also didn't hear the soft manly call of his name from the cemetery, but neither did anyone else. Nor did anyone else see a very dim glow of green from a certain device in a coffin, before it shut down again, reverting back to its white state.
[3rd person: Kevin. E. Levin]
As he drove memories decided to dance inside his head, mostly about how he and Ben met, and how he had betrayed him. So many conversations of spite and anger, so many conversations of awkward words, and muttered curses.
It was simply lucky that Kevin was a good enough driver to still focus on the road. For the memories began to turn bitter, and horrible. Because; he realized, there wouldn't be another one. They wouldn't laugh together while watching a 'Sumo Slammers' movie, or argue left and right about who had the best powers.
There wasn't going to be another conversation like that. Any more conversations period. The raven's eyesight began to get blurry, clear road lines becoming vague blurs of colour. Sniffing, he pulled over to the shoulder of the road to try and collect himself. But he somehow couldn't, and ended up crying once more, except this time, he didn't restrain anything, and big baby sobs filled the air of the Chevy Camaro. Even as his head began to pound, he didn't stop, or when his hands went numb from erratic breathing. He couldn't stop. He sobbed into his arm, onto the steering wheel. The right hand of his tux was covered in snot, saliva, and salt water tears. He was a mess. All of his mistakes were rushing at him, hitting him in the face with their brutal whips, and he took it. How could he not? This was all his fault. Ben was dead because of him.
Finally, his sobs died down and did the haze that had covered his eyes. He could drive again, and that's exactly what he did. He drove the way he should have for Ben, far past the speed limit, and up to the point of deadly if he crashed. But he didn't stop there, nor did his Camaro, the beautiful muscle car seemed to let him go as fast as he pleased, at least for now.
But that was fast, very fast. There was no cops or traffic around to stop him, though, and Kevin loved it. The window was wide open, letting him feel the gush of air on his face, and hear the perfect loud purr of his engine. However when his speed reached 165MPH the road ended, and he was faced with traffic, and with it the feelings of guilt and loneliness.
Kevin got back to his apartment thirty minutes later. His eye bloodshot, and the sleeve of his black tux in dire need of cleaning. Looking around the room he spotted something. Something dangerous, and heart-wrenching; Ben's bag. The hero had been planning to stay the night of his death, which had been almost five days ago, Kevin was ashamed he hadn't noticed the bag sooner. But he didn't cry, he couldn't let himself do that. So instead he simply sighed, and set his keys down inside a round dish, and took off his shoes.
As he walked over to the couch where the bag lay he made himself take three deep breaths before sitting beside the green item, and staring at it. After a while, he gathered up his courage and unzipped the main pocket.
There sitting right on top of a pile of clothes was a small leather bound book, with the words 'Benjamin Kirby Tennyson's diary' sprawled at the top in net silver cursive. It must have been a custom made gift from one of his relatives, he thought absently. For Ben wouldn't put his full name willingly on something. Slowly and carefully Kevin lifted the small book out of the bag and set it on his lap, tenderly stroking the spine. He wanted to read it. So slowly, he opened up the small book. His eyes widening as he did so.
Date: June 27th, 2005
Dear Diary
I am so... frustrated, my mom said that me and Grandpa were going on our usual summer vacation early, but when Grandpa picked me up, my dufus cousin was there! I mean how the hell am I supposed to have a good vacation while she's here?! Ugh! I don't even want to think about it!
Kevin couldn't help but chuckle slightly at this, after all, even when he had met Ben and Gwen for the first time the redhead had seemed a little sassy.
Date: June 30th, 2005
Ok, so I said that this summer was going to suck, scratch that! I found this really wicked device from a meteor that crashed down to Earth, in the forest today. And it lets me transform into really cool creatures and stuff. Grandpa says their aliens, and Gwen says there monsters. But who the hell cares! It's AWESOME!
Date: July 1st, 2005
KK, so, me, Grandpa and Gwen have taken to oh I don't know... SAVING THE WORLD! I AM AWESOME!
Date: July 3rd, 2005
Ugh! I am so mad at my Grandpa right now! I mean come on! I know I screwed up, but did he have to ban everything I hold dear to me all of a sudden! And OMG Gwen is totally PMSING at me right now, about not being able to go to the spa in the hotel, to hell if I care! You know what, I'm going to go for a walk. Deal with it!
Kevin couldn't help but stare a little at this entry, something was wrong with the way Ben had put it, it was obvious that he was angry, but there was just something... Off about it, that Kevin couldn't quite put his finger on.
Date: July 4th, 2005
Its official, I'm never going to have any friends.
Again something was off, but it was clearer this time, Kevin almost felt the desperation seeping from the very tone of that entry, and Kevin didn't like it.
Date: July 6th, 2005
Nothing new, as always I'm friendless.
Date: August 17th, 2005
I saw HIM today, I know I haven't told you who that is yet Diary, but honestly, it's painful to think of. I mean the guy was by the first friend. And I lost that friendship. Now I just say him walking down the streets of South Dakota. But he didn't see me. And Grandpa Max and Gwen didn't see him.
Date: August 20th, 2005
If only...
Date: August 21st, 2005
I'm so stupid... If only I had done it...
Kevin's felt his eyebrows pull together, those last few entries strayed so far from the Ben he knew and loved, he seemed so... hurt. In them that it broke Kevin's heart. The pages stopped there, but he desperately flipped through the diary, until more ink filled paged appeared. And almost sighed in relief when they did.
Date: March 31st, 2010
I put the Omnitrix back on today. There was an alien attempting to kill me, and I guess I felt the need to wear it, Gwen cautioned me not to, but since when did I listen to her? Turns out the alien that was trying to kill me was a Plumber friend of Grandpa Max.
And had a job for us to do. So you know, we go over and check it out. Turns out it's Kevin selling alien tech to the Forever Knights. And what do you know, Gwen was DROOLING over him. Fucking cousins. I mean come on! I spotted him first! I befriended him first! Doesn't matter though does it?
Kevin's heart took a leap for the better there. After all, it sounded like Ben was mad at Gwen for drooling over him. Could it be that Ben had been jealous of Gwen? But then as soon as his heart had soared it sunk, Ben was dead, and Kevin couldn't bring himself to read any more of the private diary, so he settled for placing the small book to the side, and walking off to the bathroom, to do his nightly ritual before bed. Turning off the lights as he left the room.
{Time Skip~ 8 hours later}
Kevin screamed as he woke up, bittersweet memories were swirling through his head, and he couldn't seem to shake them out. The one making him scream was the worst of them all. It was of Ben when he had first seen him dead. Gwen's body draped over his, her sobs echoing in the heavy atmosphere. Ben's eyes had been open, staring into the night sky blankly, his emerald green eyes clouded by the fog of the dead. His clothing, from what he could she of it, was torn, red and pink stains covering his black and white top.
He had just gotten out of soccer practise. His hair had been tousled about, per usual, but sticky red blood stained its tips, from the small cuts in his head. But his neck, oh god his neck! That was the worst part, it was bruised, long purple lines decorating the skin.
And it was crushed, it looked small and lumpy compared to a normal neck, The flesh near his Adam's apple was torn, blood covering the sick sight that was part of his spinal cord sticking out from the middle of his throat.
Where it should have been behind his neck. The body in the coffin seemed so... so.. Spectacular compared to this, so much so that Kevin had forgotten that this is what Ben had looked like when he had found him.
But his mind was cruel, and it wanted him to remember, it wanted him to suffer this moment again, if only in his nightmares.
But as Kevin calmed himself down, there was a fierce fire in his eyes, that he hadn't had since he was eleven. And now that fire was set a new goal; to destroy whatever hybrid bastard killed Ben, to make them suffer the worst sides of his wrath.
He was going to tear every strand of the highbred flesh from the bastards body. Drip acid on his delicate wings, watching them burn and wither at the sweet poisons touch. Tear out each eyeball and force a rusted blade inside the eye socket instead.
This hybrid bastard was going to pay, along with the rest of their pathetic race. Ben was going to be avenged.