Battlefields Past
I do not own anything Ace Combat (Man am I going to hate writing that all the time.)
Chapter 2
Ten years later… Young Kevin is walking to school, with the same, blank, face he always has. Kevin didn't dislike school because of his lessons, but of his fellow classmates that always stare at him and gossip about his back. He never really had any friends, except a young boy around his age named Henry Lighter. Henry was really the only kid to ever really have any human contact with Kevin. Henry would invite him to play at recess and after school, but Kevin would just decline, saying he had other things to do. And every time, Henry would feel sorry for him. Kevin would head home thinking to himself why bother, nobody other than Henry every liked him and he accepted his loneliness a long time ago. But on one, late walk home; fate would intervene, forever changing Kevin's life.
Kevin was walking home, after he attended a night service at his local chapel and helped Rev. McDonald clean up the trash that was around the parking lot. He was worried that Kate would worry about him, so he quickened his pace. But after he turned the corner, Kevin felt a shove from his side that pushed him into an alley. He was ambushed by the local bullies.
Kevin fell and skidded onto the ground which wouldn't have been that bad if it hadn't been raining that night. There Kevin picked himself up all covered in muck and soaked by the puddle he fell into, and looked at his attackers ho laughed at Kevin's sudden misfortune. There were three of them, and each was bigger than he was. Kevin recognized who they were. They were thirteen year olds who had a habit of terrorizing several of his fellow classmates. Kevin was scared, but he didn't let it show. He stood tall and ready for a fight. He knew he couldn't possible win with the size and numbers advantage on their side, but Katie always taught him to stand up for himself and never back down. And that's just what he did. He knew this would hurt, but if he did some damage in return, he could be proud. But before any punches could be thrown, a sort of miracle happened.
A bolt of lightning struck the dumpster near Kevin and his would-be attackers, setting the materials inside it on fire. A fire that quickly spread throughout the entire top of the dumpster. Seeing the flames, the bullies panicked and ran away in freight, but Kevin remained just watching the flickering flames. The fire had saved him and he knew that, but he was still intrigued by it. Here was something that turned a certain ugly situation into a heroic rescue. It protected him. Kevin then heard the sound of thunder, that grew louder and louder. He looked up and saw two fighter planes flying above his head. It reminded him of the war that happened one year ago. He remembered the radio and television reports of it, and the lectures his school had about that they were all safe and this war would be over soon.
He was told that the soldiers on the battlefield were fighting to protect him and his neighbors and his friends and family from harm. And seeing those fighters fly above him and the fire, made Kevin think about himself. He had about zero friends and wasn't good at much. He knew he was good at fighting since this wasn't his first meeting with bullies, and he knew that some certain people were being terrorized, he made a life choice that moment. He decided that he would protect everyone he could, like the fighter aircraft and the flames that protected him. That he would only fight so that others wouldn't have to suffer, or fear, or be victimized. And he kept that promise.
First, he protected his fellow students from bullies and jerks. This helped earn Kevin some respect among his classmates. As he got older, he moved up to bigger things. Now, there were no street gangs in Plymouth, but there where thieves, carjackers, and usual teenage punks who caused trouble. When Kevin was fifteen, he was protecting the regular people of the town wherever he saw it. From possible robberies, to petty thievery, Kevin was there to right those wrongs and kick some ass. Throughout the rest of his years at school, he was earning a reputation across the entire town of being a sort of vigilante. He received more respect from his classmates and other people in his town, but he still kept that emotionless face. Inside, he felt a little bit happier, a little more open. He started communicating with others more often and formed relationships with others in town, like Mr. Hatcher the mailman, Mrs. Cameron the grocery store owner, and Rev. McDonald of the church. The years did get a little easier for Kevin when it came to the citizens of Plymouth. But he still felt like a loner, and remained to himself most of the time.
Over the next eight years of his life, only two things made Kevin seem at least a little like a human. One was his guitar, that he practiced and played for many hours a week, and became pretty good at it. The second was the church that he visited every Sunday afterwards. There, he could be seen in silent prayer, eyes closed, ands folded, deep in thought. In his prayers, he prayed to be strong and to protect all. A prayer that God always heard.
Here's Chapter 2. Chapter 3 is shorter, but it goes into the two things tat made Blaze human. I hope you enjoyed.