Corruption, Murder and Redemption?

by Man of cartoons

Corruption is said to be a monster that eats the soul of a man. So what if a hero with a pure heart decides to come to a world where the monster has almost taken over? Will he survive? Will he break? And will he get this dumb blond to stop calling him a cattle? Please read to find out. BenXAriaXSheele (Love Triangle). It used to include Leone.

13. Ieyasu, The girls and Too much crazy?

Hello everyone! Welcome to another chapter of Corruption, Murder and…Redemption?

Thank you once again for your continuous support of this fanfiction. The reviews in the last chapter were well received and very motivating for me to write this chapter.

Also, speaking of the last chapter, would you believe me if I said I actually forgot that Ben 10,000's son is named Ken? Well I did. My bad (lol). But it won't really matter in this fanfic because…Ken isn't Ben's future son anymore.

Yup, you read that right. Ken isn't Ben's future son anymore. Why? Because Ben is going to end up with either Leone or Aria, so it makes sense that Ken won't be his son. And if you're wondering "Well won't he still have a son in future?" Well he won't or at least not yet. He has a daughter in the future and she isn't named after Gwen like in the original series (look it up).

Now about Esdeath and Ben, I've said it once and I'll say it again. Ben and Esdeath will be a one-sided thing. Ben will NOT fall for Esdeath or have any lingering feelings for her. Why? Because Esdeath is a psychopath and Ben doesn't fall for psychopaths (unless it's in Aria's case). Also, let's not forget that Ben has fought against a psychopath already (Charmcaster for instance) and never fell for her. So again, there's no reason for him to fall for her.

Also, to answer a reviewer's question, there won't be any characters from Generator Rex or The Secret Saturdays. The reason is because I want this chapter to just be Ben 10: Omniverse and Akame ga kill. If I added another character outside of those shows, it would just be unnecessary crowding in one fanfic.

Now on to the chapter!

Chapter 13: Ieyasu's resolve, The girls' resolve and…Too many psychopaths?

Najenda crossed her left leg over her right leg while eyeing the individual before her. Usually, she would be alone by herself in the hideout due to her subordinates going out of missions, but recently it has been different. Ieyasu was alone with her in the hideout, specifically the dining table, where the both of them were currently seated across each other at the dining table.

"You wanted to speak with me, boss?" Ieyasu asked.

"I do." Najenda answered. Her expression showed no emotion, other than the composed look she presently had on her as she continued. "The rest of Night Raid isn't here, so I believe now is as much of a good time to conclude my examination of you from our last meeting."

"I see…" Ieyasu said with a low tone. He wasn't bothered by the so called examination, nor did he seem troubled by it. He just had a straight somewhat determined look on his face as he was in the boss's presence. "Is it okay if I say something?" He asked. "It's just that…everything that has happened, I don't want to be distrusting to everyone."

"Hmm, you may proceed." Najenda permitted.

"Thank you." Ieyasu said. From there, he spoke his mind. "If you have doubts about my loyalty to Night Raid, then I can't blame you. I've done some thinking that has made me realize that I haven't been so honest with myself…Aria did so many awful things to me and Sayo and killed her. If it weren't for Ben, I wouldn't be here…But I don't want to leave Night Raid. I don't want to leave Tatsumi's side, so just know this. I'll always be loyal to Night Raid, to your cause and the vision to liberate this world from the horrors of the empire. That's all I want."

"Are you sure of that?" Najenda asked, mildly skeptical. "You sure you don't want to kill the girl anymore?"

Ieyasu became quiet and looked down at the table. If his silence right there didn't answer his question, it surely did now. Hence, Najenda continued.

"Ieyasu, I admit your committed." Najenda said sincerely. "However, you've not been truly honest with me and clearly yourself. You were silent when Mine brought up the incident involving you in one of Tennyson's barriers and refused to speak about it when you reported to me this morning."

"I know…" Ieyasu said.

"Good." Najenda replied straightly. "That is why I've considered giving you a temporary leave from Night Raid."

"What?!" Ieyasu shouted in shocked. He then looked straight at Najenda with that look on his. "You can't do that!"

"Oh, I can't?" Najenda rhetorically asked and narrowed her eye menacingly at him.

"Oh…" Ieyasu muttered. He realized right there that he made a mistake, before shame came over his face. Hence, he frowned and apologized right away. "I'm sorry. It's just that…I don't want to go."

"I'm aware of that." Najenda said. "However, it's also clear to me that you have inner troubles that you're yet to get over with. As a member of Night Raid, you must be keen on ridding this world of the empire and its influence. You can't let what happened to you in that shed get in the way."

Ieyasu was surprised. He hadn't expected Najenda to bring up the last part, considering he had kept it as a secret. Hence, he became wide eyed as he stared at Najenda.

"You know?!" Ieyasu questioned, surprised.

"Yes." Najenda said calmly. At this point, she lit a cigarette and placed it in her mouth before continuing. "I've spoken with Tatsumi. He described you in many ways, some of which I admire. However, it also concluded that you've been traumatized from your experience with the girl's family, so honestly…I can't blame you."

"Y-You don't?" Ieyasu questioned, again surprised.

"Yes." Najenda answered. "You've been through so much clearly. The girl and her family tortured you, mocked you and took pleasure in those acts against you and your friend. However, even with all that, you managed to retain some form of sanity."

"That's good to hear." Ieyasu and smiled a bit. He felt some relief that Najenda still approve of him in some way. "Does that mean that…?"

"No." Najenda said immediately. "You're a very good and strong young man, Ieyasu, but I worry that your desire to kill Aria may cloud your decisions and put yourself and the others in danger. That is why I'm going to have you reassigned to the revolutionary army. The men there have some good people that can assist you."

Ieyasu, once again, became silent. He took in the words said by Najenda as it made him realize what his fate would be. So truth be told, he was very mixed about it, especially when he looked down at the table with his hands there.

"I don't get it…" Ieyasu said with a low voice. "What made you doubt me? Is it because of the incident with those barriers?"

Najenda became silent. She could see the young man before her was hurting, and so felt some sympathy for him despite not showing it. But as she watched him, she removed her cigarette and let out some smoke into the air before answering his question.

"I'm not doubting you, Ieyasu." Najenda admitted.

"Huh?" Ieyasu questioned, confused.

"I'm actually concerned about you." Najenda said, continuing. "Every member of Night Raid has had something bad happened to them. Akame and her sister were sold by her parents to the empire to become assassins and Mine was cruelly criticized by people in the western side of the empire for having foreign blood. However, even with these experiences, they've made the right choice, just like you, to help save this world."

"I see…" Ieyasu muttered, but didn't look at Najenda. He instead his mind was on what the woman just told him. 'To think…Akame and Mine went through that much…I never expected such.'

However, it didn't mean he was done talking.

"But it doesn't make any sense." Ieyasu said. He chose then at that moment to look straight at Najenda. "If you're actually concerned about me, then what made you feel that way?"

Najenda paused for a moment. She could see she was having mixed impacts of Ieyasu as their conversation continued. However, it was unknown if this was her intention or not. She just remained as composed as she has always been, before answering him with a straight look.

"Do you remember your first kill?" Najenda asked. "Do you remember what you said back then?"

"Yes I…wait!" Ieyasu said and his eyes widened.

FLASHBACK

Tatsumi and Ieyasu stood confidently strong before an intruder who was on the ground. He had the head of a wolf, while wearing white pants and a cloth around his neck, as he stared at the two boys before him, afraid.

"Please I beg you! let me go! If I die, my village –"

Tatsumi snapped out of the moment in shock.

'This guy's also fighting for his hometown.' Tatsumi thought in realization. 'But…'

The teen wasn't sure of himself. He felt some form of sympathy for the intruder as he let his plea sink into his mind and drop his guard, like the invader expected.

So unknown to Tatsumi then, the intruder had actually tricked him. He could see that Tatsumi had dropped his guard, as he reached for his sword which was on the ground. Then before Tatsumi knew it, the intruder was back on his feet, where he then charged for Tatsumi, ready to strike down on him.

"HAHAHA! YOU'RE NAIVE, YOUNG BOY! I'LL HAVE YOU DIE FOR MY CLAN!"

"LIKE HELL I'LL LET YOU GET AWAY WITH THAT!" Ieyasu shouted in rage.

Before, the intruder had expected to kill Tatsumi. However, he found that to be impossible due to Ieyasu, who suddenly struck him at the torso with his axe, sending him to the ground a few feet away.

"i-I'm sorry." The intruder apologized, now fearful for his life. Ieyasu's attack had come unexpectedly as it now left large cut at his torso, causing blood to leak out. "I beg you to have -"

"Mercy?" Ieyasu questioned coldly. "Sorry, but I'm all out of that."

"Ieyasu." Tatsumi whispered, surprised.

However, his expression there didn't matter. Ieyasu seemed to be in a whole new world of his own as he stared darkly at the intruder with his axe still in hand.

"I've seen it all before." Ieyasu said. "You bring out sweet words…try to make us feel safe. But when the time is right…turn against them without an ounce of sympathy. But do you know what's worse of all, you tried to kill my friend…You tried to take away another person close to me, so don't give me that crap about mercy…You lost that the moment you met me!"

The intruder could barely say a word after that. Ieyasu was different than the man he was just a minute ago. He had a dark aura coming from him as he stared down at the intruder like he was a prey. Hence, his fate was sealed. Ieyasu struck his axe down on his neck, cutting it right out and killing him instantly.

FLASHBACK END

"Following the elimination of the invaders, Akame reported what happened then. Of course, I didn't think so much about it due to the short timing and Ben Tennyson's arrival." Najenda said explained straightly. "But recently I began to recall that moment involving your first kill. So I had Akame tell me everything that happened…from the way you reacted down to the very words you said."

Now it was beginning to make sense. Ieyasu wanted to refuse it, but he could see where Najenda was getting ay. She had a good reason to doubt him, as it was his action then and recently that had brought him to this moment.

"In short, I understand everything." Najenda said. "In Akame and Tatsumi's eyes, you were killing the invader. But in your eyes, you were killing Aria."

"So what?!" Ieyasu shouted, visibly angry. His mixed emotion there at that moment had finally reached its max as it caused him to speak back against the boss.

But it didn't stop there like that. In fact, the moment escalated as he rudely stood up, angry at the woman before him.

"She deserves to die!" Ieyasu yelled angrily. "I know I shouldn't be so focused about her, but how can I not be?! You weren't there! You didn't see the way she laughed and cruelly harmed us! You didn't see the way she made every second of Sayo's life feel like hell! So what if I want her dead! She deserves it!"

Najenda sighed disappointedly in response. She didn't show it, but Ieyasu's rant had an effect on her. So rather than say something, the woman stood up and raised her mechanical arm to her other shoulder, only to then backhand the teen at the face. Hence, before he knew it, he was sent flying to the ground with a thud.

'She…She hit me?' Ieyasu questioned, clearly shocked.

However, his expression there didn't matter to the boss. She knew she didn't hurt him too bad, so her expression was composed as she walked around the table and stood by Ieyasu's legs.

"You seem to get it all wrong, Ieyasu…" Najenda said with her normal arm on her hip. "The girl will pay for her crime, that's how this world will work when the revolution comes. But if you don't believe in such a time, then you should stop fooling yourself and quit. At least Tatsumi is dedicated to a brighter future."

And with that, Najenda turned her back at Ieyasu and began walking away. She knew very well that she acted cold towards him and was aware her words had deep impacts on him. But she thought nothing else about it. Instead, she reached for the door, and was about to open it, when she suddenly heard Ieyasu's voice.

"Please…wait." Ieyasu begged with a low voice. The blow he received from Najenda earlier was still hurting him. However, he didn't let that stop him from standing on his feet with his head down towards the ground. "I'm sorry for the way I reacted…I deserved it. But…But I don't want to leave. I want to see that future!"

Najenda was silent. She could hear the teen perfectly well and could tell by his words that he was serious. But she didn't react in any way to show it. Instead, she continued standing there with her back at him and her ears listening as the teen raised his head towards her with tears slowly leaking down his cheeks.

"I don't want anyone to suffer the same way Sayo and I did!" He cried out determinedly. "I don't want to let my village down! So please...please, let me stay! I want to fight!"

"Is that so?" Najenda calmly asked. She didn't seem impressed by Ieyasu's action.

"Yes! I want to fight!" Ieyasu said and bow at her. "So please…accept me back!"

Now Najenda was impressed. She smiled a bit as she acknowledged the apologetic teen's words without any doubt. Hence, she turned back at him with that look on her face and placed her mechanical hand on his head after a small walk.

"You're a good person, Ieyasu." Najenda said sincerely. "You have the qualities Night Raid needs in the fight. I would hate it if a man with your heart turned to out to be like the scums of the Capital like many men has. So…do you promise to keep fighting for revolution?"

"Yes!" Ieyasu answered and nodded.

"You sure of that?" Najenda asked. "If you die, you're not likely to be remembered in the history books."

"I don't care." Ieyasu replied strongly. "I know this line of work is teeming with death, so I'll train and fight harder. I won't die. I'll see to it that Tatsumi and I realize that future together."

Najenda smiled wider. "That's the spirit, Ieyasu." She said. "Now calm down. You're officially back in Night Raid."

Ieyasu smiled in response. His head may still be down, but he was very relieved to hear those words as tears leaked from his eyes and to the ground.

"Thank you, boss." He said gratefully. "I won't let you down."

"No…you won't." Najenda smiled assuredly.

_(LINE BREAK)_

In the moonlight of the night, there was so much a person (or persons) could do. It may not seem much, but it can be with a different mind and the place to strike, at least in the case of Ben and Aria.

For a while, the duo had been quiet in the Capital when they explored it. But all that changed when nighttime came and Aria finally mentioned her request. She didn't reveal what it was though, but she did tell Ben the place she wanted to go, which he obliged to.

So with that, Ben and Aria landed right in front of a mansion in the quietness of the night. He was Astrodactyl at the time when they flew and landed, until that moment he put Aria down and slapped the Omnitrix symbol on his shoulder.

"Well here's the place." Ben said subtly. "Now what?" He asked.

Aria said nothing back. She stood quietly as she eyed the mansion before her, knowing full where they were and what laid inside the place. So she wasn't surprised to see the place was dark and deserted. After all, it had been a long time since Night Raid had raided the place and did away with the occupants of the property.

In other words, this was the mansion of the Goodricke family, and with its daughter finally 'returning' to home.

'I'm home.' Aria thought with a sad tone.

The memories of her time in the mansion, the old part of her life, came rushing back. However, it didn't have the pleasure that she once had on it. In fact, she seemed emotionally negative about it as she tightened her fists in irritation.

However, again, she said nothing. The girl just seemed to be in her own world as she eyed her home right there and then, when she suddenly walked towards it. But as she came to a stop in front of the door, she saw large chains and locks on it, which were clearly to keep them out.

"It's locked." Aria said, somewhat disappointed.

"I'm not surprised." Ben said back. He could see from his stand that being in front of the mansion, Aria's home, had an emotional effect on her. But rather think on it, he walked over to Aria and stood next to her before touching the faceplate of the Omnitrix in search of an alien to use. "I guess we should knock." He said.

"Huh?" Aria questioned, confused.

However, she didn't receive an answer. The reason for that was Ben, as he then slammed his hand down on the Omnitrix's core which then engulfed him in a flash of green light and transformed him into an alien again. Hence, when the light died down, Ben stood as a ten foot tall armored alien with armadillo ears and a long tail.

"ARMODRILLOOOO!" Ben bellowed.

In response, Aria was a bit surprised at the alien form. It wasn't too different from the other aliens Ben had turned into, but it was a total mystery to her. However, she didn't get to ask about it because Ben then drew back his arm, allowed the end of his Jackhammer rise, before striking at the door of the house, shattering it into pieces on the floor.

"Knock knock." Armodrillo joked.

As for his companion, she said nothing about it. Her surprise at the time was swept away as it then became straight and direct. But rather than say anything then, she walked over to Armodrillo's side and touched his metallic arm and looked into the house.

"It's dark." Aria muttered. "But that's to be expected…no one lives here anymore."

"Yeah…" Armodrillo said. He looked down at Aria for a moment, before turning his attention to the mansion inside with an idea in mind. "I think I can fix the lighting problem."

Aria was again confused. She looked up to Armodrillo and saw him twist the symbol on his chest to the left and right, before slamming on it and changing back to human with a slight difference. He stood as his normal self, but with his Omnitrix arm up at his side and the device shining a bright green light that covered the entire room.

"Wow…" Aria said, astonished. "I didn't think the Omnitrix could do that."

"Hmph, there's a lot the Omnitrix can do." Ben said with a smug look. However, it then changed as a serious one took over. "Now then…let's get going. You obviously wanted to come here for something."

"Yes." Aria nodded, also becoming serious. "Follow me."

Ben nodded in response. He didn't know for sure on what Aria wanted to do nor could he think of one. Instead, he held the Omnitrix up at his chest level and followed Aria from behind as she headed to the stairs.

_(LINE BREAK)_

With a strong blow to the face, Leone struck down her opponent with blood spilling out of his head. The fight had taken a bit longer than one would've expected, considering the guards weren't any ordinary guard. But after all that, Leone drew back her arm and smiled chirpily in a cartoonish satisfaction.

"I feel so refreshed!" Leone exclaimed.

Sheele kind of agreed. She was glad to be on missions, hence she smiled as she strapped Extase back on her back.

"I'm so glad to be here." Sheele said. "They were quite strong, weren't they?"

However, Akame had a different mindset. She had a suspicious feeling that something was amiss as she turned to the different guards on the ground, somewhat skeptic.

"Strange." Akame said suspiciously. "There should have been five bodyguards."

Unfortunately, the girl's words were taken too well. Apparently, during the fight, there had been one person that hadn't taken part in it. That person was Lubbock, who seemed displeased as he glared at Leone.

"I didn't get to kill one of them too." Lubbock complained. "There's just not enough."

"Huh." Leone said and smug at the fellow assassin. "That just means half of your reward goes away, lover boy."

"EEEHHHH!" Lubbock reacted in shock.

However, Akame wasn't mindful of their conversation, nor did she care. She was still thinking of her suspicion earlier, when suddenly the thought of one person came to mind. It wasn't weird, nor was it unexpected of her. But it did make her worry so much that she looked up at the night sky and let the wind frilly blow her hair.

"Tatsumi…" She muttered.

_(LINE BREAK)_

"We're almost at the meeting place." said Mine, sounding satisfied. "That means mission accomplished."

"Not yet." Tatsumi interjected with a wide grin. "You're still on a mission until the minute you give your report."

"Hmph." Mine smiled.

Tatsumi was right, even though she didn't say it. The both of them had finally made it through the root covered ground of the woods, when they came close to the meeting spot, which was a clearing with a tree at the middle. And since there wasn't any danger, the two continued their talking.

"Those are Akame's words, right?" Mine asked.

However, the response never came. The reason for that was due to Tatsumi, who turned to Mine, only to then express shock when he noticed someone behind Mine.

"Watch out!" Tatsumi shouted.

However, there wasn't enough time for Mine to evade. The person who was bold enough to follow them had closed the gap between him and Mine, when he suddenly sent his fist at Mine. But then, in what seemed like good reflex, Tatsumi was quick enough to push Mine out of the way, before receiving the full brute force of the enemy's punch. Hence, without a way to stop it, Tatsumi was sent flying through the earth's surface until his body came to a stop in a seemingly immobilized state.

"Tatsumi!" Mine shouted in shock. It occurred to her immediately that the teen had taken the hit for her. But rather than focus on that, she turned her attention to the man responsible with a look of scowl and glared at him. "Th…This guy. The assistant instructor for the past ten years…He's strong as expected."

The enemy grinned. He stood about six feet tall with a braided hair at the back of his head with his eyes directly at Mine.

"My skills surely have dulled." The man commented on himself.

However, Mine wasn't impressed. She had her Pumpkin in hand as a small smug formed on her face before she readied it to shoot the enemy.

"Full of yourself, aren't you?" She questioned rhetorically. From there, she raised her Teigu at him and began firing. "Let's take you down a peg!"

Unfortunately, there was a problem. The enemy had been a standing target, until he began to move. Hence, as Mine shot at him, he smugly dodged her shots with ease, while making his way to Mine, who became shocked.

"No way…" Mine said.

However, it didn't matter to the enemy. He already made his way to Mine, where he then came to a stop, ready to take down the pink haired girl.

"Time to get rid of evil." He said boldly. "I'll be delivering you to the Minister alive. I hope you're prepared."

"Don't joke with me!" Mine retorted with gritted teeth.

Just then, Tatsumi rushed back to his feet. He didn't seem to react to the blow he received earlier, nor did he let it hold him back a single bit. He instead pulled out his sword, before charging at the enemy, who then became alarmed of his presence.

So with that, both found themselves clashing. Tatsumi had come down on the enemy with his sword, only for said person to raise his armored wrists at him to block it.

However, it didn't stop there. Tatsumi was still pumped with adrenaline as he was facing the enemy before him. Hence, before the man knew it, he released his sword and wrapped his arm around his waist, keeping him in place with all of his strength.

"This little brat!" The man cursed in shock.

"Now, Mine!" Tatsumi shouted at the female assassin. "Shoot!"

"Tatsumi…" Mine muttered. She was taken aback by his act, as it seemed clear that he was willing to risk his life for her. "Are you really willing to give your life for me…?"

"I'm not, you moron!" Tatsumi yelled offensively. But that then changed when a grin formed on his face as he eyed the assassin. "You're a genius sniper, aren't you? I have faith in you."

'He's right, Mine…" said a mysterious male voice.

"Huh?" Mine questioned, surprised. The voice came all of a sudden as there was no indication of who said it. But then, as she let it sink in, her eyes widened when she figured it out.

"Ken?" She questioned.

'It' s me.' The voice said again. Its source was still unknown as it seemed to be coming from Mine's head. 'Now, Mine…' The voice sounded confident. 'Teach that son of a bitch a lesson. I believe in you.'

Mine cocked a grin. She didn't understand how Ken was talking to her, nor could she bother to question it there. But she did let his words and Tatsumi give her confidence as she raised her weapon at the enemy, who was still being held by Tatsumi.

'Oh, and another thing.' said the voice of Ken. 'Raise Pumpkin a bit higher. You're going to burn Tatsumi's head if you keep it that way.'

"Of course!" Mine exclaimed.

If the female assassin wasn't pumped up, she certainly was now. Hence, she held her Teigu with both her arms, before powering it up as she took the appropriate aim at the enemy.

"Shit! Let go!" shouted the enemy.

"HURRY!" Tatsumi cried out.

"Hmph!" Mine exclaimed, feeling confident. "I don't know why I'm hearing you, Ken, but I'll do as you and the newbie like!"

Now the enemy was truly afraid for his life. He realized there at that moment that the teen and the girl had him in tight position. Hence, he could say no word as his time alive was running out fast.

'W…Wait a second!' He thought frantically.

However, it was too late for him. Mine pulled the trigger of her Pumpkin, which sent a shot so powerful that it let out a loud boom and went right through his upper chest, leaving a large hole in its place.

"Guh…ah." The enemy reacted in pain. His eyes were widened while blood spat out of his mouth as he looked down at the male assassin before him. 'You guys….Since you laid hands on a relative of the Minister, don't think this is over…!"

With that, the enemy's last breath left him. Tatsumi finally let go of the guy, before watching his lifeless body hit the ground, with the fight now concluded.

"Wow…" Tatsumi said, astonished. He eyed the dead enemy before him and touched his own hair with his hands. 'For a second there, it felt like Mine would burn my hair off.'

Just then, the male assassin noticed something odd. Mine was quiet and hadn't said anything since she gave the shot, which concerned him. Hence, without much of a reason, the teen turned to the female assassin.

"Hey, Mine, are you…?" Tatsumi asked, but stopped mid-way. The reason for that was because of what he saw right there.

Mine was known to be a lot of things. However, right there and there, she was standing with teary eyes as she seemed to be staring at Tatsumi's direction, though not directly at him. It was confusing.

However, none of that mattered to the female assassin. She had her eyes on someone else besides Tatsumi, as his sudden reappearance was unexpected. But then again, to her it didn't matter. She could already feel a lot of emotions going off in her as it made her cry tearful at the person responsible for it.

'You…You're back…" Mine said softly.

"Huh?" Tatsumi questioned, confused. He didn't know what the assassin meant right there and then. However, he had a feeling that she was looking somewhere else, hence he turned back to see.

"Mine, what are you talking about, Min-" Tatsumi stopped.

Now even he was startled at what he saw. It wasn't a thing though, but a man standing at the end the clearing, near the forest, with his arms wrapped around his chest. He seemed to be a muscular man in size, as certain features about him were noticeable and somewhat familiar to Tatsumi. Like, for instance, he had brown tousled hair and green eyes, while wearing some strange clothes that Tatsumi wasn't familiar with and a pair of green gauntlets on his wrists.

"No way…" Tatsumi gasped, a bit in shock. He couldn't help but notice something very off about the man's familiarity. "That looks like –"

"Ken!" Mine shouted, interrupting Tatsumi.

_(LINE BREAK)_

Aria and Ben walked their way through the corridor with ease, with the latter behind the girl. It had been a few minutes since the duo had arrived at the mansion, which got Ben thinking. He had the Omnitrix up to his chest level to maintain the light, when a sense of familiarity came over him as he glanced at the doors he and Aria were passing in deep thought.

Just then, something struck his mind. It was a strong sense of the familiarity which suddenly happened when his eyes lay on a door they were approaching. He didn't know what was behind the door, nor did he give the thought a chance. He just went to the door as they were about to pass it and placed his hand on the knob, ready to open it.

Of course, this didn't go unnoticed by Aria. She was minding herself with Ben behind her, when she noticed the teen had stopped walking. So in a state of puzzlement, she turned to him with a question in mind.

"Why did you stop?" Aria asked.

"This door…" He puzzled with a puzzled look. "I get the feeling I know it."

Aria's eyes flew wide in response. She knew what the door was, as well as the room that lay in it. However, before she could say something, Ben opened the door and took a step in the room and received a wave of memories into his mind.

"This room…This place." Ben said in realization. "This is where Tatsumi and I slept those two nights we were here."

"Yes…it is." Aria replied in hesitantly. However, her tone was down.

Now Ben was confused. He could tell by the tone of her voice that something was wrong about her. But it wasn't until a second after he turned back at her did he realize what the reason could be. The girl had her face to the ground, as she seemed depressed with her hair hiding most of her face expression.

"Aria…I…" Ben tried to say.

"It's fine." Aria interrupted. "Just come with me. I need to give you some things." She said.

Ben was confused by this. He didn't have a clue on what the former rich girl meant nor could he figure out what it was. But whether it was good or not was left unknown for the moment due to the girl. She just chose not to say anything as she stood there for a few seconds, before turning away and walking quietly.

'Geez…I really messed up.' Ben thought to himself. 'This place is filled with so much bad memories of Aria's former life. I should've been considerate of her feelings.'

Just then, the teen sighed. 'Well there's no use regretting it now. Aria needs me to get her through this.'

So with that thought out, Ben made his move. He followed Aria from behind and caught up with her and waited in silence until they approached a door. Once they got there, she silently opened the door and walked into the door, to which Ben instantly knew what it was.

"Is this your room?" He asked.

"Yes." Aria answered. However, her face wasn't at him.

The room they were currently in was big. It had fine furniture that were covered in white cloth while a king sized bed was by the wall with a rug by the foot of it. As for any other thing, Ben noticed that they had been removed from their natural place. For instance, certain parts of the wall had square dusts on the wall, thereby indicating that the paintings have been removed.

"So why are we here?" Ben asked, looking around. "It sure looks like someone has taken some of your stuff here."

"That's to be expected." Aria responded with a depressed tone. At the same time, she pushed back the rug on the ground as she continued. "Ogre and his associates likely robbed the place of any value, so likely any of my father's fortune in this house is gone. It won't be long now till this house and anything else that remained is up for auction."

"Oh, that makes sense." Ben said, though awkwardly. The way Aria was acting was giving him a weird vibe. He could see her pushing the rug back till it was folded at the other end, before witnessing as she shook the wooden floor like it was loose. But it wasn't long after that she removed it and pulled out two brown shoulder bags and dumped them on the ground.

"Wow, what are those?" Ben asked curiously.

"These…" Aria said while getting up. "are Sayo and Ieyasu's bags."

Ben was shocked to hear this. He could recall right at that moment that Sayo and Ieyasu had such bags, but due to all that had happened, he had forgotten all about them until now.

However, Aria didn't seem to be done speaking. She had her eyes at the ground to hide her line of sight from Ben as she continued.

"When I was doing…those things, I usually collected the belongings of the people and burn them. It was fun. But now, it just confirms how much of a monster I am."

Ben was silent in response. He felt tensed and disturbed by her words as it just seemed to put her down. It was true that she was a monster, but to Ben, he saw someone with a good heart that had been clouded by corruption and evil. Hence, he couldn't tolerate her current behavior. It worried and sickened him.

"That's enough, Aria." Ben spoke boldly. He stood there with a direct look on his face as he tightened his fists by his side. "All those things you did were wrong, very wrong, and there's no way to change all that, but you can change the future, I know it."

"Hmph…you think I don't know that?" Aria asked. Her voice seemed to heighten from the way it was as she stood there. But just as she said that, she lifted her head to Ben with a serious look. "I know my mistakes can never be changed. That is why I need you to help me. Can you do that?"

"I can." Ben nodded.

"Good." Aria said. Then she pointed at a chair the door behind the teen. "First, break the chair. I need the leg of it."

"Uh, okay?" Ben said, confused.

There was no denying it now that something was indeed off about Aria. In one moment, she was depressed and now she was giving off a serious vibe that Ben could sense. He could've asked about it, but he chose not to do that because of his promise to her earlier. Hence, he went over to the Omnitrix and selected through the various aliens on the playlist before slamming down on it and being engulfed in a flash of green light.

"Swampfire!" Ben shouted.

As Swampfire, Ben stood as a tall and muscular plant alien. He had light green skin, as his face had the colors of yellow, red and orange with his pupils gone. Along with this, his chin was more visible while his hands were black with them having four yellow claws and yellow holes at the palms. Also, he now had six red horns with yellow spots (aesthically resembling glames), which had two on each forearm and one on each shoulder, as well as a green horn on each foot, knee and elbow. Lastly, he now had a large collar raised around his neck, which is yellow on the inside, with the Omnitrix symbol on his stomach, which was still shining its green light.

"Swampfire?" Aria asked, staring at Ben's current form. "That alien uses fire?"

"Yep…" Swampfire said back. He turned away for a few seconds to rip the leg of the chair from the rest of the furniture, before turning back to Aria. "He can also control plants. Pretty awesome, right?"

"Indeed…" Aria whispered.

However, she said nothing else after that. She just turned her back at Swampfire and walked over to the curtain before griping the end of it and ripping off a large cloth of it.

"There…" Aria said to herself. "I think I can use this."

Of course, Ben heard this since he was in the same room. He had been startled by Aria's action, but not in the least bothered to see it as a problem. However, he was just about to ask her about it, when suddenly his sense altered him to something. He didn't know what it was, but he could tell it was human, as it then made him serious and to turn to the door.

"Who's there?!" He shouted.

Now it was Aria who was startled. She was holding the big cloth from the curtain in both hands when she faced Ben with a confused and worried look on her face. If what Swampfire just shouted is true, then it meant that someone had been watching them.

Fortunately, Swampfire seemed to be on the same page as her. He dropped the wood he was holding to the ground and lit up his palms with fire, before running out the door and standing by the corridor. However, he found the place to be deserted from his left and his right.

"That's odd…" Swampfire said skeptically. "I could've sworn I sensed someone."

Aria said nothing back in response. She was a bit tensed from the way Swampfire acted, but not enough to deter her from her goal. Hence, she went over to the wood Swampfire had dropped and picked it up with her right hand, before doing what she intended with it. That meant she wrapped the cloth in her other hand around the top of the wood, before tightening it and securing the cloth.

'Perfect.' Aria nodded positively. She knew right there and then that her goal was almost complete. Now she just needed the teen hero.

"Ben, come back." Aria called to him.

"Huh?" Swampfire questioned. He had been so fixed on finding the person that had triggered his sensor that he had almost forgotten about Aria. But now that she called him, he powered down his palms and walked over to her, mildly confused. "What's up?" He asked.

"I need you to do something for me." Aria said straightforwardly. "I need you to burn this entire place down to the ground."

"What?!" Swampfire shouted, surprised.

However, he wasn't the only one to feel that way. The person who he previously detected had heard everything only to then have his/her eyes widened due to it. Fortunately for him/her, both Swampfire and Aria's attention were at each other that they failed to notice the mystery person drop to the floor from the ceiling and seemingly phase through it.

"So can you do it?" Aria asked directly.

"Uh, yeah I can." Swampfire answered, though hesitant. "But are you sure you want to do this? This place is your –"

"It's not my home…" Aria interjected sharply. "Not anymore."

However, she didn't stop there. She gripped the wood in her hand tightly, out of frustration, as memories of her past came crashing into her mind. It made her feel sickened, as well as disturbed, as it led her to feel frustrated at herself, as well as at the alien hero.

"This place deserves to die!" Aria yelled angrily. "It took too many innocent lives in false pretense and endured the evil joys of my family! So if you truly care about me, you'll burn this home of monsters to the ground!"

Swampfire glared at her with a serious look. He didn't mind the tone Aria used at him, nor could he care. Instead, he felt some sympathy towards the blonde as her action made him realize something about her goal. However, he couldn't be fully sure about it, at least not at the moment.

So with that, the teen hero made his decision. He went over to the bags Aria had brought out and held them with one hand, before walking over to Aria who he then opened his arm for her.

"You may want to hold on to me for this." Swampfire said firmly.

Fortunately, Aria understood what he meant. She went over to him and put her arms around him, before looking up at him with a serious look. Once that happened, she watched as the teen hero reached his free hand forward and shot out a stream of fire out of his palm, which would then fulfill her wish.

_(LINE BREAK)_

A different atmosphere was in the air as a stare off was happening. The clearing in the woods had once been a fight by Mine and Tatsumi against an enemy who had followed them. But now that he was dead, everything was silent as the two teenagers were staring at the man supposedly known as Ken.

Tatsumi found this very odd. He could tell from the brown hair, green eyes and familiar taste in green clothes that Ken reminded him of a certain teen hero. But he couldn't put his mind on the possibility of that being the case.

However, none of that mattered to Mine. She had been quiet ever since she said the name of the man, which clearly had an emotional effect on her. Ken was a man she had relied on in the past and someone that she had hoped to meet someday. And now that he stood right before her eyes, she couldn't help but feel happiness, joy and sadness as she stared at him.

Hence, the next thing she did was something unexpectedly. She suddenly ran to the direction of the man without a single thought as she saw he made no move to leave. To her, it didn't matter that she was doing something reckless; she just wanted to reach the man she was missed so dearly.

However, this wasn't felt the same by Tatsumi. He was taken aback by Mine's action as he never expected the girl to run off like that.

"Mine, hold on!" Tatsumi shouted.

However, his words were ignored. Mine was in her own little world in such a way that she chose to ignore him. She couldn't believe that the man who had taken care of her in the past was right there before her.

Unfortunately, the man didn't seem intent to speak. He could see Mine heading towards him, but said nothing back at her in response. Instead, he smirked in a nonchalant way before turning his back at her with a wave of his hand, ready to leave.

"Ken, wait!" Mine shouted, sounding like a plea. "Don't go!"

At this point, the female assassin was feeling desperate. Her heart was racing fast as she felt the tightness in her chest increase with every step she took. She didn't want to lose sight of the man, just not yet. She even tossed her Teigu to the ground just to use that hand of hers to reach out to him.

Unfortunately, her action seemed to be in vain. Ken walked into the woods and became covered in the darkness until he couldn't be seen anymore. The teen could've said something, but she couldn't utter the word to do so. Instead, she fell on her arms and knees, with her head at the ground and gripping the grass tightly.

"Damn him…" Mine muttered. "He vanished again…"

Just then, the female assassin heard Tatsumi calling out her name. It was unexpected, but not something to surprise the female assassin. Instead, it prompted her to rise from the ground and wipe her tears before turning back to see Tatsumi towards her. The teen was with her Teigu in his arms.

"Mine, you okay?" Tatsumi asked, clearly concerned.

"Um…yes, I'm fine." Mine answered. She looked away though, mainly due to a blush forming on her face. Something about Tatsumi's face had triggered her to feel strange about him. But when she was able to calm herself down a bit and look back at him, she noticed her Teigu in his arms and felt a bit shy. "I see…You brought Pumpkin with you."

"Yes, I…"

"Thank you." Mine said, though still blushing.

In response, Tatsumi was taken aback. He hadn't expected the female assassin to say such words to him, considering how rude she had been to him throughout the day. But as he watched her shyly take the Teigu off his hands without making eye contact, he couldn't help but find that…cute.

Fortunately, Mine was able to get over her shyness with a deep breath. She had noticed the way she was acting before Tatsumi, and didn't like it. Hence, she built up some confidence in her herself and looked at Tatsumi in the eyes, direct but calmly.

"It seems you have a little bit of courage." Mine said, clearly appreciating the teen. "I can't help but be a little impressed by that and…your concern. You now have my respect, newbie."

Tatsumi smiled and nodded in response. This new outlook on Mine was better than what he had known her for. It made him feel on an equal level with her, even to the point of raising his hand out to her to grab.

"Let's work together more, Mine." Tatsumi said.

"Of course." Mine smiled back.

With that said, the female assassin didn't hold back. She grabbed on to Tatsumi's hand and looked at him in the eyes smugly with a new perspective of him now in her mind.

Meanwhile, the two of them were being watched by Leone and Akame. They were surprise at the sudden bond the two assassins had made, but at the same time they were happy to see it, while standing a few feet away.

"Seems like it would've been fine even if we didn't run here." Leone said with an impressed tone.

Akame said nothing back. She mentally agreed with Leone on what she said, but couldn't help but recall something when they were heading to the place. So to Akame, it was too important to ignore.

"But still…we lost sight of him." Akame said observantly. "Are you sure Tennyson was here?"

"Hmm…" Leone paused and folded her arms under her chest. "I got his scent on the way here, but it was kind of different. It makes me wonder why he was here."

Akame silently agreed with her friend. However, they didn't know it though, but the 'Ben' Leone had sensed had actually been Ben 10,000, the future version of Ben Tennyson.

_(LINE BREAK)-

The Goodricke Mansion was entirely engulfed in fire. It had once stood as the home of the Goodricke family who, unknown to the public, were monsters in their own acts. But with it gone, the symbol it stood for in society was gone along with it, with the ones responsible for it fine with it. The house was deserted anyway, so nobody died in it.

However, there was one last thing Aria had to do. Her next intention was the shed that stood in the woods, at the back of the house, as it served as the true reminder of her family's sins. Hence, it wasn't too surprising to find her and Swampfire standing before the place with the front door chained locked.

"They locked this place this." Swampfire said observantly.

"I'm not surprised." Aria replied with a serious look on her face. She was glaring at the front doors of the shed as the place reminded her of the terrible things she had done with her family. "But it doesn't matter. This place has to go too." She said.

"I understand." Swampfire agreed.

Just then, Aria did something slightly expected of the teen hero. She lifted the clothed wood she had taken from her hand and held it to Swampfire, who just looked back at her in response.

"Light it up." Aria said.

Swampfire was compliant with her wish. He knew right to this point that Aria truly needed his help in order to move on with her life. So, even though it wasn't exactly clear to him, he lit up the palm of his right hand and touched it on the cloth of the stick, engulfing the cloth in fire.

"Thank you." Aria said to him.

However, Swampfire said nothing back. It was because he didn't want it, but because Aria didn't give him the chance too. She just walked away from them with the torch in her hand and said nothing.

Fortunately, Swampfire was able to do something. He stretched out his hand at the shed and raised his finger, which in turn caused a bunch of small tree roots to shoot out from the ground and wrap themselves around the shed instantly.

"That should help you better." Swampfire said to her.

Aria stopped and turned to the teen hero. She had been surprised by his action, before having that feeling disappear when she looked back at him. As such, she smiled at him and said. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Swampfire said back.

So with that done, the teen hero watched what happened next. Aria walked over to the shed and used her fiery torch to burn a part of the roots which immediately caught on fire. As a result, the fire spread all over the other roots, causing the shed to immediately be engulfed in flames, with the blonde and Swampfire watching it all happen, side by side.

"You did it, Aria." Swampfire said with a proud look. He had his eyes on the shed as he watched it burn, before crossing his arms over his chest with a smile on his face. "I'm proud of you." He said.

"I know…" Aria said back. "However, this isn't enough."

"It's not?" Swampfire questioned, mildly surprised. He turned his head at Aria with a confused look on his face and his arms still crossed.

"Yes." Aria nodded. She knew by the tone of Ben's voice that the teen was confused without looking at his face. Fortunately, with her deed done, she turned to the alien hero with a serious look. "I want to join the fight, Ben. The empire…this corruption and all its evil, it has to be put to an end. But I can't do it alone and neither can you."

"So what are you saying?" Swampfire asked, now intrigued.

"I want to get stronger." Aria said determinedly. "I want to be able to fight by your side through any of the danger. I want you to be able to rely on me just as I do to you. So please…please help me get stronger."

Swampfire smirked in response. He was impressed by Aria's resolve and glad to see that she wanted to be a different person. In fact, her resolve was so good that he patted her on the head as a sign of approval.

"You got it, Aria." He said.

However, his action had an embarrassing effect on Aria. The blonde couldn't help but feel flushed at Swampfire's action as it caused her cheeks to hit up. She would've then said something about it if not for the fact that it also felt nice.

Too bad it didn't last for long. The two of them were by themselves, when suddenly their attention was taken from one another when they heard a man call out to them.

"Hey, who's there?!" shouted the man.

The two teens were a bit startled. The man was no one they've seen before, as he could be standing there, some feet away from them. But some of his features could be seen, such as his black hair, blue eyes, and facial hair that made up a short beard and moustache. Also, he wore a white shirt, with a black coat on top and black pants and black shoes.

From the looks of it, the man didn't seem all that threatening. He was a brave young man, who clearly had walked into the scene, not understanding what was going on. But then, it didn't matter to Swampfire. The alien hero already took the precaution of extending his arm at Aria to keep her back, before glaring at the unknown man.

"Stay back, Aria. This guy might be dangerous." Swampfire warned.

"Aria?" The man questioned, sounding shocked. The look on his face also showed that expression the moment he said that name. "No it can't be…She's supposed to be dead."

"Yeah, so?" Swampfire questioned, not bothered by him. "Who are you and why are you here?"

The man suddenly changed his mood. It didn't hold the shock he had before, nor did it resemble anything close to that. Instead, it changed into one of malice as he glared at Swampfire and Aria for an unknown reason.

"I should be asking you the same thing." The man said straightly. "Anyway…My name is Satou Hamasaki and I'm the man who paid Night Raid to have the Goodricke family killed."

Aria gasped in shock.

_(LINE BREAK)_

Somewhere in the some other words, Ben 10,000 sat on a log at the edge of a small clearing. He had a thoughtful look on his face as he stared at the nightly skies, clearly reminiscing the past.

"So it was that time huh?" Ben 10,000 said to himself. The memory in his mind was still fresh, as he continued to speak. "Satou Hamasaki…It's been so long."

Just then, the future hero sighed. It wasn't out of depression, but actually due to being too deep in his thoughts. It was nice once in a while; however the man wasn't too deep into it like he would've been. Besides, he became over it when he felt a presence behind that then caused him to cock a grin and bring his head to its normal level.

"How long have you been there?" Ben 10,000 asked. "It's not nice to listen in on people you know…But then again, you already did that tonight, when my past self and Aria went to the mansion."

"Hmph." The person huffed, the voice sounding like a girl. She stood behind Ben 10,000, within the shadows of the tees, with her arms on her hips. But if one were to see her, they won't be able to because of the cloak that kept her hidden. "You're just like the Ben of my world. So cocky."

"Eh, what can I say?" Ben 10,000 asked rhetorically with a shrug of his shoulders. "Anyway…" He said and stood up and turned to her. "How was your little lookout in this timeline? I don't think your team's leader would be happy about that…Sayo."

The girl scoffed in response. She didn't like how Ben 10,000 pointed out the obvious, even though it was true. But rather than dwell on it, she walked forward, out of the shadows, and stood on a piece of ground that had the moonlight shining on it. Then, without a thought after, she pulled the cloak covering her head back and revealed herself to be Sayo.

However, this girl didn't look exactly like the Sayo that had been known. She had a slashed scar on both sides of her cheeks while her hair was tied into a ponytail that reached to the middle of her back. And speaking of her hair, she had a purple butterfly hairclip similar to her counterpart, and a green butterfly shaped earrings which dangled at their rightful place at her ears. As for her clothing, she wore the emerald green cloak, which was held by a clip around her collarbone, as well as a purple off-shoulder shirt, which had her pink bra straps exposed, a black skirt and black leggings, with black and white shoes.

"The way you paused to say my name is suspicious." Sayo said, though not seriously. She had her reason for talking to the future version of Ben, mainly because she was familiar with him. So it wasn't surprising to him that she glared at him and crossed her arms over her chest. "And what was that about letting Mine and Tatsumi see you?" She asked demandingly. "I thought we were meant to keep ourselves a secret."

"Paradox never said I shouldn't." Ben 10,000 said smugly. "Besides, didn't you enjoy stalking Tatsumi and Mine through the forest?"

Sayo was taken aback by this with an infuriated blush. It made her feel a bit nervous, as she unexpectedly dropped her arms to her sides, glaring at the adult hero.

"A-And so what?!" Sayo yelled. "I wasn't stalking. I was merely observing."

"Right…" Ben 10,000 snickered.

"Besides…" Sayo said and paused. She let a frown form on her face, as she let a thought enter her mind frilly, before speaking again. "Tatsumi and Ieyasu…I miss them so much. Is it wrong for me to see them, even if they're not from my timeline?"

"No…It's not." Ben 10,000 said with sympathy. He could see the trouble the girl was facing through since it was visibly clear. So rather than be quiet about it, he became responsible and continued with his words. "Look, you don't have to dwell on that anymore. I understand how it feels to lose people. I lost a few people I cared for in this crazy world…or I will, if you take into account of the teenage me. But that's beside the point."

"I get it." Sayo said softly. She understood where the hero was coming from, and so felt some ease about it. "Is that why you let Mine see you?"

"Yeah." Ben 10,000 admitted. "Even though it has only been a month for me, I guess you might say I formed a bond with her without even intending it."

Sayo smiled softly. "That's good to hear. Thank you, Ben. You're really like the Ben I know."

"I guess so." Ben 10,000 smiled back. But then a thought came to mind that made him widen his eyes in realization at Sayo. "Wait, didn't the Ben Tennyson of your world –"

"THERE YOU ARE, TENNYSON-KUN!" interrupted a female voice.

Just then, the unexpected happened. A girl in an emerald green cloak similar to Sayo leapt towards the future hero from nowhere and slammed her body right into him. She was able to catch the hero off guard, as her action then caused both him and her to fall to the ground, with her lying on top of him with a sexy grin on her face.

"I missed you so much, Tennyson-kun!" The girl said with a sweet tone.

"Co-Cosmina?!" Ben 10,000 stammered in shock. He had his eyes widened as he stared at the girl with fake bunny ears on her head. "Wh-What are you doing? I told you before that I'm married."

"That sounds boring." Cosmina stated lightly. She was well aware that the adult hero was married though. But, by her statement, it was clear she didn't care, hence she did another thing unexpected. She sat up on Ben 10,000's "private area" and sexily moved her fingers on her chest, all the while doing a slow lap dance. "You know, Ben. I'm always up for a performance with you anytime." She said sexily.

"Uh…" Ben 10,000 uttered reluctantly.

Fortunately, the adult hero got some help when suddenly a rubber stretched arm wrapped around Cosmina and pulled her off the hero. At first, the girl was surprised, until she was set on the ground, sitting, with a disappointed pout on her face as she looked at the person responsible, and currently next to her.

"Not fair, Mez." Cosmina said with a glare. "I was so close."

Mez laughed mildly in response. She had her arms at her hips as she heard the girl, before then replying to her. "Sure, I could see that. After all, Ben doesn't have the balls to fight back."

"Hey! I'm right here!" Ben 10, 000 shouted angrily.

"We know." Mez smirked at him.

Sayo, on the other hand, sighed disappointedly as she entered the clearing. She had seen everything that had transpired, from the moment Cosmina had interrupted their moment to the present, before having her eyes on the adult hero with a glare.

"Unbelievable." Sayo said disappointedly. "You faced Starbeard in combat and still can't shrug off your perverted thoughts."

"I can." Ben 10,000 said, clearly offended. But then he realized his mistake and corrected it. "Wait, I mean I have!"

The adult hero didn't like the way things were going. He could see that he had been put in a bad position, as Cosmina and Mez were known for messing with men. So rather than let it go that way, he immediately picked up his coat and got back on his feet before dusting his butt with one hand and holding his coat with his other hand.

"Anyway…" He said and glared at Sayo. "If you don't mind, I'd like to talk about something else."

"Puff, sure." Sayo said with a roll of her eyes.

Fortunately, the adult hero didn't take it offensively. He wasn't like his teen-self that would talk back, nor did he need to. Instead, he chose that moment to turn to Cosmina and Mez, the former of whom was now standing on her feet.

Cosmina was a young woman with a busty chest and a sexy look. She had mint green hair in a long bob-style haircut with bangs at the side, as it matched with the pair of matching green bunny ears she wore. Along with that, she wore a green mini dress that had a green stripe along the mid-section and a pair of matching green wristbands and a collar around her. But if the greenness of her style didn't seem enough, she wore green boots to match and a green cloak like Sayo, and a pair of glasses.

Mez, on the other hand, was different. She was younger than Cosmina by a few short years, as her appearance was taken into account. It wasn't so bad though, at least to her anyway, since she had her own style of clothes and appearance in total. For instance, she had green eyes and a tanned skin, which were very exposed, as she wore a more revealing clothes that consisted of long white leggings, as well as a bikini top and an emerald green cloak like Sayo and Cosmina. Her other feature, meanwhile, such as her hair was blonde, and clipped into 2 ponytails, while her forearms had green colored armor that had an insignia of the Omnitrix but with a square around it.

"Huh…" Ben 10,000 muttered. He had his eyes staring dryly at Cosmina, as something about her had gotten his attention. "I see you dyed your hair green completely."

"Yup." Cosmina said with a chirpy smile. "You like?"

"Uh…sure." Ben 10,000 lied with an awkward glance. "Anyway…" He said to change the subject. "Where's the rest of the team?"

"Over here, Ben." said a young male voice.

"Huh?" Ben 10,000 questioned and turned.

The unknown person smirked in response. He watched as Ben 10,000 turned to him, before folding him arms across his chest and looking mildly proud at him. "Kind of slow today huh, Ben?" He asked rhetorically.

"What? No." Ben 10,000 said straightly. "Also, how long have you guys been there?"

The guy was about to reply to that. However, he was beaten to him by a short girl who was next to him.

"We've been here long enough." The girl said with a monotone voice.

"Huh…" Ben 10,000 sighed plainly. He still had his eyes on the duo as he blinked with an unfazed. "I…honestly don't know if I should be embarrassed about it at this point."

"Hmm…Strangely, I'm fine with that." The guy remarked.

The guy was a fairly muscular man of above average height. He had short dark blue hair and eyes and wore an emerald green cloak that was similar to the others. Along with that, he also wore gold colored upper body armor and black jeans, as well as an arm gauntlet on each arm, which reached to his elbow and sprouted claw-like fingers. However, despite all that, the most noticeable was the mark of the Omnitrix symbol at his right hand's gauntlet, similar to that of Mez.

Meanwhile, there was the girl that was next to him. She looked very similar to Akame, except in some obvious appearance. For one, her hair was shorter and made into twin tails, while she possessed black eyes. As for her clothing, it was a black sailor uniform with a red belt that had a red side skirt cover, similar to Akame, while also having red gauntlets that were again similar to Akame. But if the similarities weren't so strange, she had a Teigu similar to Murasame sheathed to her back and another Teigu, known as Yatsufusa, sheathed opposite to it in such a way that the two Teigus were in a X formation on her back.

"I brought snacks." The girl said with a monotone voice. She held a sack full of snacks in it with a plain look on her face.

"Hahaha." laughed another other guy. He was standing at the blue haired man's side with a pleasant smile on his face. "Good work, Kurome. You did good."

Kurome turned him and nodded in agreement. The man who had just praised her was someone she was familiar with, both in her own timeline and his own. He was a young man with fair blond hair and golden eyes, as he wore a green robe on top of a black shirt and pants with a brown belt. Along with that, he had a feather pin behind his ear and a collar-like accessory on his neck, with the insignia of the Omnitrix in a square shape on the left breast of his robe.

"Anyway…" Ben 10,000 suddenly said. He was now standing with a composed look on his face as he stared at the three people before him. "Thank you for being here, Wave…"

Wave nodded in response.

"Kurome…" Ben 10,000 mentioned.

Kurome nodded with an expressionless look on her face.

"And…of course, Run." Ben 10,000 said.

Run nodded as well in response.

"By the way…" Ben 10,000 then said. He shifted his attention from the trio and moved it over to just Run as he continued. "I know Paradox and I said we won't interfere in your mission with the team, but I have to know something. How are you getting used to the whole…"

"Time war?" Run guessed loosely. He had a hesitant look on his face, as it was a factor that made him to pause for a few seconds before speaking. "Frankly, it makes almost getting killed by Wild Hunt seem less deadly. But then again…it's kind of fine. As a teacher, I always got to learn new things and share what I found with my students…and though I'll never see them again, crossing through different worlds, battling time lords and encountering beings that would be considered gods in my world…in this world we're in, it makes me want to share that experience when all of this is over."

Ben 10,000 was impressed. The way Run presented his thoughts was so good that it showed a side of him that was honest and outstanding. But if Ben 10,000's expression didn't show, the fact that the blonde's team members smiled in approval certainly showed it as they had their eyes on him.

However, Run wasn't really done. He still had one thing to say, to which he did as soon as he turned to Cosmina with a scowl on his face.

"I just wish she wasn't here." He said audibly.

"Hmph." Cosmina smirked. She had heard the young man perfectly well, with no offense towards him. But she did have her eyes glaring at him as she seemingly mocked him by her look. "If you're expecting me to apologize again, then you're out of luck. You almost died in that fight with Wild Hunt a few weeks ago, while I almost died two years ago. So you see, Run, I can't give you as much sympathy as I would when I was two years younger. But I can tell you this. Be happy you made it out of that fight alive, because if you aren't, you can return to that time and be Kurome's mindless puppet like you're alternate counterpart turned out to be."

Run gritted his teeth in annoyance. The scowl he had for Cosmina was increasingly growing to the point of rage as he stared at her. But when he took a step towards her, Wave placed his hand on his shoulder, stopping him immediately.

"Stand down, Run." Wave calmly said. "I know you and Cosmina don't get along, but I can assure you, she isn't the person she used to be."

"Hmm…" Run said and sighed. He was quick to acknowledge Wave's words, as it allowed him to calm himself down in that instant. It wasn't long after that he turned to the blue haired with a small smile on his face. "You know…for someone that's not the Wave I was able know, you have the same compassionate heart as he did."

Wave smiled at him in response. He appreciated the words from his fellow young man and felt a bit closer to him than he did before. But just because Run was fine, it didn't mean that the blonde was done talking. In fact, no sooner hand he spoken to Wave, he turned his attention to Ben 10,000 with a straight look.

"I've been meaning to ask you something ever since I was saved." Run said honestly. "Why did you assemble us? This 'Second Time War' sounds like something beyond any of us."

"Does it really?" Ben 10,000 asked with a grin. He had his eyes on his fellow young man and his hand at his short beard as he continued. "There's no doubt in me that bringing a bunch of people from different places of time is risky. But that isn't to say it isn't a logical reason."

Now everyone was listening. Most of them already knew Ben 10,000's reason for recruiting them and involving them in the time war. But, as he continued to talk, they listened, especially as he had his hands down by his sides.

"One of those behind the time war is a time-wielding Teigu user." Ben 10,000 explained clearly. "I could face him on my own, but the time war keeps getting out of hand with each second. That is why I decided on the best next thing. I decided to choose you and other selected individuals to form The Emerald Knights, a group of well skilled and powerful Teigu users from different timelines. This makes good sense since a Teigu user can be outmatched by another Teigu user or a group. And with Wave being your leader, I believe you guys will be fine."

Everyone acknowledged Ben 10,000's words in an instant. They each understood individually at the magnitude of his explanation and were confident in it even though they said nothing about. They were the Emerald Knight, and as a team of cross-time individuals, they bore the crest of their team at the back of their cloaks proudly. The crest was the same one spotted on Wave, Mez and Run, as it had the drawn mark of the Omnitrix symbol inside an emerald green box.

So with that, Ben 10,000 felt like going over his next move. He turned away from everyone else and extended his right hand out, which then caused a blue portal to appear right in front of everybody.

"Now then, let's get going." Ben 10,000 said straightforwardly. "We have other things to deal with. Besides, I don't want to be here when those psychopaths start making trouble in the Capital."

Again, everyone acknowledged that. They didn't need to know exactly what Ben 10,000 meant nor did they feel like asking about it. Instead, they watched as the hero walked into the portal before each of them individually walked into the portal until it closed behind them, taking them to another place at another time.

_(LINE BREAK)_

Somewhere in the Capital, some Imperial police officers could be seen running through the streets. It had been a day since Ogre the Demon had been assassinated, with most people taking the news in their own way. So it wasn't surprising that two Imperial officers were running pass an alley in search of the assassin.

"We must find Ogre-sama's murderer no matter what!" shouted one officer.

"Right!" shouted the officer behind him.

Unknown to them then, however, there was a suspicious man. He stood at the dead-end of the alley, as he had a wide psychotic grin on his face as he stared at a bunch of wanted posters on the wall, particularly one that had Akame's face.

"The same as me…A Teigu user…An Assassin." said the man, strangely pleased by his finding. "Happy. Happy. Can I really go all out here?"

Suddenly, the two Imperial officers noticed the man in the alley. They didn't know what his aim was, nor could they determine what it was. But by the fact that he was suspicious, one of them drew out a gun while the other pulled out his sword, ready to attack the suspicious muscular and tall man if necessary.

"Hey! You over there!" shouted the officer with a gun. "You look suspicious! Don't move from there!"

From the looks of it, both officers had the man cornered. They had their weapons ready to face him and the mind to kill him if it became necessary. However, their threats only made the suspicious man to turn his eye to them, before he then did the most unexpected thing ever. He went pass them in unseen speed and cut off their heads with the blades at his hands. The heads only showed their shock as they fell to the ground.

As for the suspicious man, he didn't seem disturbed by it. He just continued walking away with his blades out as he then came to a conclusion, while the bodies of the officers fell to the ground.

"It seems like…" He said maniacally. "The Capital is the perfect place to live. I kill and kill and there is always more. Happy. Happy!"

_(LINE BREAK)_

"Well…doesn't that look interesting?" Sunny said with a malicious grin.

Just recently, something had caught the interest of the evil Anodite. She was sitting on a pink mana-energy platform that overlooked the Capital, when she saw something just below her. It was an alley with two officers having their heads swiftly decapitated and a muscular man with murderous intent walking away. For most people, this would disturb them. However, Sunny couldn't help but feel excited about it as she watched the suspicious man walk away and the dead bodies lying in a pool of their own blood.

"Maybe it's time I join in on the fun." Sunny said with a smooth, but deadly tone. "Don't you think so, cousin?"

_(LINE BREAK)_

AAAAANNNND I'M DONE WITH THIS CHAPTER.

WOW! THAT WAS A LOT TO WRITE!

Thank you again for reading this chapter. Your support is always loved, so please be sure to review, favorite and follow as usual.

Right now this chapter is over 12,000 words, so I believe I made up for the last chapter with this one. This chapter for me was challenging, considering how much I had to cram into it and make it enjoyable. I know Ben didn't get any action, but this chapter was mainly on the base of emotional bonding than any action that was written. Like for instance, look at Tatsumi and Mine.

In the chapter 4 of the manga, those two ended up arguing with one another due to a mistake caused by Mine. However, in this chapter, Mine and Tatsumi have started to see each other in a different light sooner than they did in the manga and anime. Remember, this chapter has TatsumiXMine as a pairing, so expect more growth from them in coming chapters.

Now about Ieyasu, I actually enjoyed what I did with him. However, it wasn't originally supposed to go that way. Originally, Ieyasu would've decided on his own to go to the revolutionary army in order to train himself to overcome his mind and body for the betterment of Night Raid. However, doing a PM talk with another reader, I decided I'll have him stay for the duration of the chapter. Of course, this reader isn't aware of it, so I can say his fate is a secret until the time comes.

Now about the scene with Ben 10,000 and the Emerald Knights, there are some things I want to say. Firstly, the credit for the name "Emerald Knights" goes to Masamune X23, a reader and the beta-reader for this chapter. He/she gave the name that I used and came up with a concept which I used a bit but majorly changed to what you've read.

So about those cross-time Teigu users, I feel I should clarify their place in the different timelines.

Sayo – The one that was seen (or read) in this chapter is an alternate counterpart. She's the Sayo that I mentioned in the list of ideas for an alternate timeline story and the one currently mentioned in the poll. But if you're wondering how her story went, you won't have to be kept in the dark (read the poll results below to find out why). As for her depiction in this chapter, I can tell you she has a Teigu and has gotten into a relationship with the Ben of her world, hence the reason for her different clothes.

Cosmina – This version of her is actually not an alternate counterpart. She's actually the present Cosmina, but two years older. And if you're wondering about the regular aged Cosmina, then yes, she'll get redeemed at some point in time. Now I know this decision may not appeal to everyone, but I can assure you that (like Aria) it will be an understandable and gradual process, so trust me on this.

Mez – Originally, she was supposed to be like Cosmina. However, I changed my mind and decided that she'll be another alternate counterpart. So in her timeline, she actually switched over to Night Raid's side due to Lubbock, who she then fell love with.

Wave – Obviously from his outfit, this Wave is an alternate counterpart. He comes from a timeline where he and Tatsumi's roles are switched. In other words, he ended up joining Night Raid and having Incursio, while Tatsumi ended up joining Esdeath's group and becoming her lover.

Kurome – At first glance, it would look like she's from the present timeline, when really she's from an alternate timeline. In that timeline, she actually accepted Akame's offer to join Night Raid and fought alongside with her. Unfortunately, the Akame of her timeline got killed by Esdeath in the final fight, which in turn drove Kurome to use both Murasame and her Teigu to fight Esdeath and win.

Run – As obviously stated, Run is actually like Cosmina. He comes from the current timeline which had him and Kurome facing off against the Wild Hunt like in the manga. However, unlike that time, he was saved by the Kurome of the Emerald Knights before present Kurome could do what she did. So since then, he has been a part of the Emerald Knights and their battles in the Second Time War (or TW2, for short).

And that concludes that part of the explanation. I originally wanted to keep their status a secret due to two other members I wanted to add. However, when I thought through it, I decided to remove one of them and have the other one be recruited when the chapter comes. I don't want to foreshadow too much.

Anyway, I have some good news for ya'll. THE ULTIMATRIX WILL BE CONFIRMED IN THIS STORY FOR BEN!

Why? You may ask. Well I can't say the reason nor could I tell you how it will be. But I can say that when it arrives, you'll be very pleased about it.

Thank you once again for reading this long chapter. I look forward to hearing from you.

P.S – Satou Hamasaki is an OC. He will have some role in this fanfiction, but nothing major. However, this doesn't mean I'll be accepting any OCs from anybody else. The last time I let readers submit OCs, the fanfic ended up being incomplete due to their lack of support later on.

POLL RESULTS

What timeline would you prefer for a one-shot/two-shots?

1

The Timeline where Sayo takes Tatsumi's place, with Ben by her side?

3 60%

2

The Timeline where Kurome saves Ben and Aria?

1 20%

3

The Timeline where Sheele saves Ben and Aria, thereby turning her back on Night Raid?

1 20%

4

The Timeline where Aria is killed and Ben turns evil?

0 0%

5

The Timeline where Ben ignores Aria and uses Alien X to eradicate the world of evil people?

0.0

THE WINNER: "The Timeline which has Sayo take Tatsumi place, with Ben by her side."be