Disclaimer: I do not own Ben 10 or its sequels, spin-off and related characters. All is the property of Man of Action and Cartoon Network. I'm just borrowing them for some non-profit entertainment.

Branch

Chapter Nine: Resolution

Sigil found himself, once again, with his hands duct taped together. Devlin's father -a truly terrifying man- had inspected his hands the same as Devlin had done not long after Lightstar abandoned him -abandoned him! and they'd been together since forever!- and the older Osmosian had found the exact same amount of nothing that Devlin had found earlier. Sigil tried to explain to them that he hadn't inherited the mutation from his father -only Lightstar had. He didn't crave mana like she did. He didn't feed off mana like she did. He was perfectly harmless.

Except that Mr. Levin also seemed to take issue with the fact that he was Charmcaster's son as well and still refused to trust him even after it was well established that he wasn't going to be attacking or absorbing anyone.

Thus, the duct tape again.

Devlin, Kenny, and Ally tried to give some version of an explanation for why they stole the car, took off with two people they'd only just met, and drove to a place they knew was dangerous for them. But with all three of them talking at once, the adults became very frustrated very quickly and decided to hold all explanations and reprimands until they were all back at Mr. Albright's farm.

Kenny and Ally rode with Mr. Albright.

Devlin and Sigil went in Kevin's dented muscle car. (And wasn't that just one more thing the Osmosian was pissed about!)

The sorcerer rested his bound hands in his lap and sighed in an attempt to hide the fact that his eyes were watering. "I can't believe she left me."

There was a pregnant pause in which nobody really knew what to say to that. Should they comfort the boy because he'd just been betrayed and abandoned by his family? Or, tell him 'touch luck', that's what you get when you try and expect anything from a Lampray. Then again, were Lampray all that different from Osmosians. When Devlin absorbed the faux-Omnitrix and went mad with hunger, chasing Kenny down intent on devouring his mana... was he really any different from Lightstar in that moment?

"'Star and I have always been together." Sigil lifted his bound hands to his eyes, no longer trying to hide the fact that he was hurt and was crying.

That struck a cord with Devlin. He and Kenny had also always been together up until the fiasco with the Rooters.

Ally had been trying to get the young Osmosian to empathize with the sorcerer from the moment they learned his father was Darkstar. After all, they were both boys raised by their mothers, were the son's of villains, never met their father's until they were in their teens... Objectively, they really did have a lot in common. But it wasn't until Sigil was abandoned by his sister -someone that had been present in his life for as long as he could remember- that Devlin really started to feel like they could be kindred spirits.

With a sigh of his own, the Osmosian gave the sorcerer a sympathetic pat on the shoulder.

Confused, Sigil looked at the green-gloved hand on his shoulder, then up to the person it belonged to.

"Kenny..." Devlin began, "...my cousin that I've been trying so hard to protect this whole time... He and I haven't spoken in three months."

"Oh." The other boy didn't know what to say to that, so he looked away. Out the window at the fields passing by outside. They were off the main highway now and back in farm country. They must be getting close to Mr. Albright's farm.

"What I mean is," the Osmosian attempted to elaborate, "I have an idea of what you might be going through right now because I've been there. It sucks. You feel betrayed, and confused, and you don't really understand why. You just wish everything could go back to the way it was before this all started. You wish you never even had the idea to cross dimensional barriers in the first place."

"It was her idea." He corrected.

"What?" Delvin blinked. He was actually thinking of himself and his idea of taking Servantis back to his base in the Null Void and joining the Rooters. He wished he'd never crossed the dimension barriers in the first place. He was just talking and not really paying attention to what he was saying.

"Lightstar was the one who had the idea to come here and look for out father." Sigil explained. "She'd been having trouble lately..." he paused to consider his words. "...She would get these cravings. Ledgerdomain is full of mana, but it wasn't enough for her. It wasn't the same as what she wanted. She couldn't just be satisfied with pulling energy out of the air, she wanted living mana. Life energy from another living thing. I overheard Mom talking once about our father and how he had similar cravings and 'Star thought we should find him and get his help. She's really not a bad person..."

He trailed off.

In the driver's seat, Kevin adjusted the rearview mirror so that he could look the young sorcerer in the eyes. "Kid, she left you at the mercy of your dad's enemies and took off with a guy neither of you even know. She's not nice. She used you."

"But-" Sigil began an argument. "-she's my sister."

"And?" Kevin asked, raising one ebony eyebrow.

"And-" the boy paused "-and we're twins..."

Kevin did not look impressed. Devlin patted him on the shoulder again. The car once again lapsed into silence until they pulled into the driveway of the Albright farm. "We're here."

Kenny's mother, Kai, was in by the time they arrived and she was already giving her son a chewing out. About how he should have told her was going out, how stupid it was of him to steal Kevin 11,000's car -that's your father's influence! I don't know what Ben thinks he's doing!- how disappointed she was in him for just taking off with strangers -did I never warn you about strangers!?- Kevin was very impressed by just how terrifying she managed to be without the need to brandish weapons or make actual threats.

Devlin came up to defend his cousin.

"Aunt Kai, that wasn't Kenny's fault." He told her. "He was seduced by an evil Lampray girl who-."

She focused her dark eyes on the young Osmosian and Delvin instantly regretted every decision he'd ever made in his life, staring with standing up for his cousin. She indicated the couch where there was just enough room next to Kenny for the other boy to sit down. "I'll deal with you in a moment."

Devlin sat down instantly. Not daring to make her anger any worse.

Lifting her eyes from the boys, Kai fixed a dark-eyed glare on Kevin. "And you...!"

The Osmosian paused, not sure if it was him she meant. He and Sigil both pointed identically confused fingers at themselves, their mouths forming silent 'me?s.'

Stepping around the couch, Kai walked right up to the older Osmosian, not in the least bit intimidated by the fact that she was invading the personal space of the infamously terrible and deadly Kevin 11,000. "Have you ever heard of a phone? Do you not have a phone? Does Devlin not have a phone that you can use? Did you not think to call ahead and tell someone that you and Devlin were visiting? Did neither you or Alan think to call me when you realized the children had disappeared?"

Kevin suppressed the urge to growl back at her. "I was more focused on making sure they were safe."

"Part of making sure they're safe is also making sure the other adults in their lives know where they are!" Kai shot back at him, not missing a beat -almost as if she's had to deal out this lecture before. "Have you even called Gwendolyn since coming here? Because she called me asking why she couldn't reach her son on his cell about this one?" She jabbed a finger at Sigil. "Do you even know how to get in contact with his mother and let her know that her son is alight? Does his mother even know he's here?" Kai huffed, massaging the sides of her head in what he assumed was a not-uncommon gesture for her. "I swear. You're just like Ben! No wonder you're friends."

"Hey, don't compare me to Tennyson!" The Osmosian was insulted. "We're nothing alike."

Crossing her arms over her chest, Kai lifted her chin at him skeptically. She was not impressed. "Oh, really? Because from where I'm standing, the only significant difference between you is that Ben's a little bit shorter. Honestly, I don't know how Gwendolyn puts up with you. Crap like this is exactly the reason I left Ben!"

"Aunt Kai!" Devlin shot back up from the couch. He made eye-contact with her, then tilted his head to indicate Kenny still sitting on the couch, his shoulders tense as he slouched into the cushions. Kenny hated it when his parents fought. Nothing made him more uncomfortable or more insecure. Devlin had his thing about being the son of Kevin 11,000 and Kenny's thing was watching his parents fight -or in this case listen to his mother harp on about how terrible, and irresponsible, and incompetent his father was.

Kai -unlike Ben- was not oblivious to her son's emotional sensitivity. She nodded at Devlin's warning and grabbed Kevin by the arm. "We'll continue this outside!"

She dragged the older Osmosian out.

Devlin flopped back down on the couch next to his cousin.

"Thank you." Kenny muttered, not making eye-contact with the older boy.

"We look out for each other, Kenny." Devlin replied, also not looking at his cousin. "Its what we do."

Ally glanced at the pair, realizing that that was the first exchange they'd said to each other without being prompted or forced by someone else, she did not want to ruin the moment. The Pyronite girl -very carefully and slowly, so as not to distract the boys- got up from the couch, grabbed Sigil by the arm and dragged the other boy out of the living room to give the cousins their privacy.

"You really looked out for me today." Kenny commented, still not looking at the Osmosian. "Thank you." A pause. "And thanks for not keeping my energy either."

That was when Devlin looked at him, his green eyes wide with a insult. He would never keep Kenny's life-force! But then, he remembered his behavior at the Rooters' base and reassessed himself. Under different circumstances, he would have kept Kenny's mana, and after his cousin was drained maybe go after his mother or Uncle Ben's Omnitrix as well. The Osmosian returned his eyes to the floor without saying a word.

"I just don't understand." Kenny continued, also speaking to the floor and not to the boy next to him. "Why? Why does everyone want my energy? At the Rooters you only focused on me, even thought Aunt Gwendolyn was there too and she's an Anodite. Shouldn't you have wanted her instead? And Lightstar! She wasn't going for the Omnitrix. She went straight for me. She wanted me! My energy! Not my watch's. Why!? What's so special about me!?"

"You really don't know." Devlin concluded. He knew Kenny must not have known. If he had known, he would have told Devlin as soon as he found out. Before the incident with the Rooters they were closer than brothers, they told each other everything. Kevin theorized that Kenny didn't know because Uncle Ben gave him a copy of the Omnitrix and so his Anodite abilities never had the opportunity or need to be awakened. Kenny really didn't know.

"No! I don't know!" Snapped the younger boy. "That's why I want you to tell me!"

Someone had to tell him. "You're an Anodite, Kenny."

It was low, sober, deadpan.

There was a beat of silence.

Then, "No... Aunt Gwendolyn is an Anodite."

"You're also an Anodite." Insisted the Osmosian. Osmosians were sort of the un-official experts on Anodites. They were their ideal prey after all.

Kenny crossed his arms over his chest and glared skeptically at his cousin. "I think I would know if I was an Anodite."

"My mom didn't know she was an Anodite for a really long time." Devlin reminded him. "Even after her magic awakened."

"I don't have magic." The younger boy pointed out.

The Osmosian was about to argue back that his cousin's magic hadn't awakened yet, but then he remembered that this was Kenny. They could go back and forth for hours. Kenny didn't learn well just being told. Kenny had to be shown. So, Devlin decided to do something stupid -stupid because he was still trying to earn back the younger's boy's trust.

Devlin reached into his shirt and pulled out a chain, on the end of which was a padlock. He held the lock up so that Kenny could see it.

"This has mana in it." He said. He then took off the chain and set it aside on the coffee table. Then he took off one of his gloves. Hesitated. Then grabbed Kenny by the hand. "You know I don't have mana of my own. I expelled all the mana I absorbed from my mom when I was eleven."

Kenny's eyes darted down to their joined hands. Then slowly looked back up at the older boy, suspicious. "Yeah...?"

Hesitating again, Devlin paused. Really considering what he was about to do. It was a bit extreme just to prove a point. But Kenny needed to believe him. He needed to know what he was. Even if his mana never really awoke and he was never able to access his Anodite powers, even if he only ever used the Omnitrix for the whole of his life. He still needed to know what he was. If for no other reason than to be on his guard. Anodites were prey for a very specific type of predator. Lamprays, and Osmosians, and even Synthroid. Ones that stole energy.

"There is no Anodite power in my body." He wanted to make sure he was absolutely clear. Closing his eyes -Devlin didn't want to look at his cousin when he did this- he absorbed just a bit of his mana. Just a bit! Not very much at all. Really. Just enough to make one small mana-orb.

Kenny pulled away instantly. Climbing -falling- off the opposite side of the couch and backing away 'crab style' on his hands. "What the hell!?"

Devlin held up his arm -which was also halfway transformed between human and Tetramand- and collected all the traces of mana he'd just absorbed from Kenny in his palm, forming one small orb of glowing star sapphire light. "Look at this, Kenny."

Eyes wide, the younger boy gaped at the Osmosian, and Devlin wasn't sure if his shocked, open mouthed expression was because he didn't believe that the mana Devlin was holding came from him, of he felt betrayed all over again because Devlin just absorbed him a second time.

"This is your mana." The Osmosian informed him. "I got this from you. Just now. You're an Anodite."

Slowly -cautiously- Kenny crawled back onto the couch, eyes focused on the orb of mana, not the boy holding it. "That came from me?"

"Yes." Devlin confirmed.

The younger boy stared at it mesmerized for a moment, then blinked, still disbelieving. "But I can't be an Anodite. I've never shown any signs of having magic."

Devlin released the orb, allowing the mana to be diffused into the air where it would either return to Kenny on its own- or not, he wasn't too sure on that detail.

"Kevin has a theory about that." He said. "My mom's powers awakened when she was young because she was put into a lot of dangerous situations where she had to defend herself. Her mana awakened out of necessity. But you've been pretty sheltered and safe most of your life. When you were the same age my mom was when she awakened, Uncle Ben gave you an Omnitirix, so whenever you were in danger you would use that. There was never any need for your powers to come out, so they stayed dormant."

Kenny thought about that. He still looked skeptical, but was coming around to the truth. "I'm... an Anodite..."

"Yes." Confirmed the Osmosian.

The other boy leaned back and sighed. Almost sinking into the couch with the weight of the revelation.

"Whoa."

"I know..." Devlin muttered indignantly -almost resentfully.

"That's crazy." Kenny commented.

And unfair.

Devlin didn't say it out loud, but he was thinking it. The younger boy always got all the best stuff. He was the son of a hero, while Devlin had to come to terms with being the spawn of a villain. Kenny got an Omnitirx that could transform him safely and completely into one fully formed alien, while Devlin only got a conglomeration of incomplete parts from ten different aliens. Now his cousin was an Anodite too, and Devlin was still stuck with the same crappy Osmosian power set he was born with (plus the ability to walk through walls, but that was insignificant compared to being an Anodite, so it didn't count).

"But wait!" Kenny sat back up, bolt upright. "That doesn't make any sense!" He looked at the older boy. "Your mom's an Anodite, neither of my parents are Anodites. If either of us was gonna be an Anodite, shouldn't it be you?"

'Should' and 'are' were two very different things.

Devlin agreed, he should have been the Anodite -he certainly had the studious disposition for it- but he wasn't. He was Osmosian and that was all. The older boy would be lying if he said he wasn't jealous. So, instead he explained. "Neither your parents or grandparents are Anodites, no." He agreed. "But our great-grandmother, Verdona, is an Anodite. Yeah, it skipped a couple of generations with Uncle Ben and Great-Uncle Carl. But mana doesn't really follow the conventional rules of genetics. Some things are inherited through the soul."

"Huh." Kenny shrugged.

"It certainly explains why you're so hyper some times." Devlin added with a half-hearted laugh, trying to add a little levity to the revelation. "Being a being made of pure energy."

The younger boy seemed unaffected by this statement. He was still looking at his cousin. "Dev... are you mad?"

"About what?" The Osmosian stretched his mouth into an ignorant smile.

"Dev-" a pause "-you hate your power-set. I know you do. You always have. You hate having Kevin's powers. I know you wish you could have had Aunt Gwendolyn's instead. I might not know how to access them, but now we find out that I have her powers instead. That's... that's gotta upset you. So, are you mad? Is that... is that why you tried to absorb me back at the Rooters' base?"

That forced smile of melted into one of mild -oddly melancholy- amusement. "Uh, no. I tried to absorb you because I OD'd on to much energy and went crazy. The fact that I'm also jealous had nothing to do with it."

"So you are jealous."

"Hard not to be."

"I'm sorry." Kenny muttered, eyes back to the ground.

"For something you have no control over?" Devlin looked at him.

"Because it upsets you."

Heaving a sigh, the Osmosian got up off the couch and knelt in front of his cousin. "Kenny, who am I?"

The younger boy blinked at him, confused. "Wut?"

Devlin continued to stare up at him. "I am the son of the most famous and hated terrorist in the universe. I'm Devlin E. Levin. Fake-Tennyson. Baby 11,000. I can't help it. I have no control over it. I didn't get to choose who my father is. I have been apologizing to the world for something I have no control over my whole life. So, please, listen to me when I tell you: don't you start!"

Now Kenny got it. Devlin could see the recognition in his eyes. Emerald eyes identical to his own.

"Am I jealous that you have the powers I've always wanted instead of the powers that I've got?" Continued the Osmosian. "Yes. Have I spent this past summer secretly cursing the universe and my lot in life? Yes. Am I mad at you because of it? No. Because I know you didn't ask for it. You didn't know about it. And you have no control over it. And, as someone who has built an identity around apologizing for something I have no control over, let me tall you: it sucks. It makes you anxious all the time! You get sensitive about the most random stuff. You're insecure around people you want to like you... Its exhausting! So, listen to me when I tell you, don't start! There's not enough room in this family for two angst-whores, and I was here first!"

"Dev... I had no idea."

"I know." Nodded the older boy. He rose from his kneeling position and flopped back down on the couch next to his cousin. "And now that you know you're an Anodite, I'll understand if you're still afraid of me -or even more afraid of me. Osmosians are kinda your natural predator -one of your natural predators. I, uh, I've been texting my mom and we've agreed. It- it would be better if we went to different schools this year. She always wanted me to go to her old school anyway. The only reason she enrolled me in Bellwood Public was because we wanted to be together. Since we're not as close as we used to be, there's no reason for us to stay in the same school. In September I'll be attending Bellwood Prep."

"What?" Kenny blinked. "You don't have to do that!"

The Osmosian smiled again, that same gentle, melancholy number. "You have no idea how happy it makes me to hear you say that, Kenny. But its already been decided. Beside, it might be good for us. Ya know, gain a little distance and perspective, or whatever."

"You didn't get enough distance and perspective this past summer apart?" Asked the younger boy.

"Did you?" The older one shot back.

Kenny looked at his hands as if not really seeing them. To be completely honest -no. Up until a few hours ago he had no perspective and was still trying to distance himself from his Osmosian cousin. "But we'll still be living together, right?" He asked finally. "You're just going to a different school. Kevin and Aunt Gwendolyn aren't moving out right?"

"To the best of my knowledge, we're staying at Headquarters." Devlin confirmed.

"Because I know Dad and Grandpa Max have been nagging Kevin to get a real job. I just- I don't want to never see you again!"

"Moron, we're family. Of course we'll still see each other. Even if my parents and I did move out." Devlin shook his head at the absurdity of the idea. That was classic Kenny right there. It almost felt like things were back to normal between them. Almost.

"Its just..." Kenny paused, thought about his words, continued. "I've been afraid of you these past few months Dev. And I've been mad at you because of it. I've been pushing you away and- -and I haven't seen you in so long! Now I know why! I get it now! I'm sorry it took me so long but, I understand why you tried to absorb me! Now I want us to go back to the way things were!"

"We will." Devlin promised. "Eventually."

They both had things to work through on both their ends. Trust and jealousy. The things people don't like to talk about openly but that can make a relationship tense.

"Promise?" Kenny pressed.

"Promise." Devlin agreed.

…

With none of the adults present being magic users, and therefore not knowing how to contact Charmcaster to come and pick up her wayward son, Kevin was forced to call Gwendolyn, explain to her what had happened, and ask her to come down and help them get the young sorcerer home safely.

Kai made a point of making Kevin the one to do it in the hopes that the High Magus -and his unofficial wife- would be more effective in driving home the point of just how irresponsible he was. Then again, Gwendolyn lived with Ben and had been an influence on his life for his whole life, and look how irresponsible and bad of a parent he was. Maybe both men were just lost causes. Gwendolyn was powerful, but she worked magic, not miracles.

While the Osmosian sputtered his excuses in between explanations over his phone -which Kai was amazed to learn both worked and was charged- she called her delightful ex-husband to give him a pice of her mind.

"...Didn't you think the fact that Kenny's an Anodite is something you should have told me! Don't you think that's something his mother might need to know!" She roared into the phone. "What do you mean you have no idea what I'm talking about!? You live with him most of the year! Don't give me that! Both Devlin and Kevin knew -and Kevin only just met him a few months ago! Don't pretend you don't know what I'm talking about! Anodite comes from your side of the family! Can't you guys sense each other or something!?"

There was so much negativity in the air, Devlin could feel the static like a prickling on his skin.

Sigil sidled up next to the Osmosian, meek and unsure. Almost vulnerable. "My sister and I never actually told our mother we were leaving the realm. I, uh, I don't know how mad she's going to be. She can be kinda scary when she's angry."

"My mom too." Devlin agreed.

There was an awkward pause.

Sigil shuffled his feet. Cleared his throat. Opened his mouth to speak. Closed it again.

"We, uh, we've got a lot in common, you and I." He said at last, sounding about as awkward and his body language was showing he felt.

"Yeah. We do." Devlin agreed. Then, more as a joke than anything else, "Maybe we're soul mates."

The white-haired boy look pleasantly startled by that suggestion, then smiled a hesitant and unsure smile.

"I uh... I'd like to see you again, Devlin." Sigil tentatively reached out for the Osmosian's gloved hand. He hesitated for a second, pulling away again when their fingers met. Then screwed up his resolve and grabbed the other boy's hand holding it between them. "That is, if you'd like to see me too."

It took Devlin much, much longer than it should have to realize what the other boy was asking. He looked at their joined hands and the open and vulnerable expression on Sigil's face. He was so handsome! Devlin thought he was handsome from the first moment he saw the other boy, but he ignored the feeling because the people that he liked never liked him back and that was just a fact of life.

"You want to see me?" Asked the Osmosian.

"Yes." Sigil confirmed.

"And I'll be seeing you."

"Yes..." Now the sorcerer was a little confused. Was he not clear in what he was asking?

"So, we'll be seeing each other." Devlin finally concluded in a quiet tone of disbelief.

"Yes." Sigil confirmed.

"I'd like that." And the Osmosian smiled a goofy, happy smile he didn't even know he was capable of.

…

END

(A/N 1: Anyone who has a problem with Devlin being gay can just go ahead and unfollow me now. In fact, anyone who has a problem with gay characters as main characters should just unfollow me.)

(A/N 2: Now that the obligatory warning to the homophobe snowflakes is out of the way... the next installment in this series is gonna get weird. I don't really wanna give away spoilers, but... anyone ever seen the anime "Revolutionary Girl Utena"? -The series, not the movie.- If you have, recall if you will season two... That's all I'm gonna say. I probably won't start it right away since I have so many other fics to finish. But be aware, it is in 'pre-production'. Look for "Rose", coming to a fan fic site near you! )