NOTE: Another prompt that I managed to complete. Hope you guys enjoy it, because this is a more serious one instead of comedy.

Prompt given by: Blackmetalzane22

Review and Enjoy

Log 17: Safety from our Dreams

Cover Image: A 7-year-old Yukiko sat in a rocking chair. In her arms was a small green bundle of blankets. Small chubby hands were trying to reach for her hair as the little heiress giggled softly.

Fire. All he could see in front of him was a sea of flames.

"Ben!"

His attention snapped to the sound of his name. He stood to his feet, slowly pushing through the flames consuming the world around. Who was calling his name?

"Ben!"

It was getting louder. With each step he took the fire's intensity grew.

"BEN!"

He froze completely. The clearing in front of him was nothing more than a ring of flames, but what stole his attention wasn't the fire.

It was the three motionless bodies that were burning to a crisp. His body shook, a putrid smell of burning flesh entering his nose. He covered his mouth to avoid throwing up in response to the horrific sight in front of him. All three were recognizable.

Gwen.

Grandpa Max.

Kenny.

Three members of his family were dead, burning corpses in a sea of hellish fire.

But if they were dead, who had been calling his name?

"BEN!"

The voice was extremely close. Turning around he found Yukiko standing right behind him. Her face was hidden behind her hands.

"BEN!"

He reached for her. To find comfort in his time of need.

"BEN!"

She roughly grabbed his wrist, yanking the boy closer to her. He cried out in pain as her sharp nails dug into his skin, drawing blood. He was confused as to why Yukiko was hurting him so much.

That was until he looked into her eyes.

Instead of their usual brown, there was nothing but soulless black. Dark purple lines cracking across her face and a sick twisted laughter coming from her mouth.

"BEN! IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!"

Ben woke up in a cold sweat, heavy breaths pouring out of his throat. His heart was pounding against his chest. It took him a few moments to eventually calm down from his god-awful nightmare. Looking around Ben was glad to see that he was still in the Rustbucket and that his family was sound asleep.

Glancing down at the Omnitrix, Ben activated it. He slowly scrolled through all of his aliens.

Heatblast.

Wildmutt.

Gray Matter.

Four Arms.

XLR8.

Diamondhead.

Stinkfly.

Ripjaws.

Upgrade.

Cannonbolt.

Wildvine.

Eye-Guy.

All of them were accounted for…all but one. "Ghostfreak…" Just saying the name alone brought a shiver down his spine. It wasn't that long ago that the Ectonurite had attempted to forcefully take over his body. Somehow managing to escape from the Omnitrix, almost killing him and his family in the process.

Ben hadn't thought too much of it at the time, especially since he unlocked Eye-Guy in the process and defeated Ghostfreak. It should've been like every other bad guy they've beaten, but this was different. Ghostfreak was different.

He HAD been Ghostfreak.

Since he first got the Omnitrix and began turning into his aliens, it always felt like he was himself but different in a sense. Like, putting on a different pair of clothes. But with Ghostfreak it had always been something else. As if there was always someone watching him from the shadows, but he could never tell where they were.

His first clue that something may have been strange with Ghostfreak was during the battle with Zombozo. Ben had been so infuriated at seeing Gwen's shriveled body and Yukiko getting beaten down that he transformed without much thought.

The only thing on his mind was putting Zombozo down. He hadn't even been aware of most of his actions during that battle until the clown exploded.

Ben quietly got out of his bunk, walking slowly so as to not disturb his family. He silently opened the door to the Rustbucket and stepped out into the cool air of the night. As he closed the door Ben had failed to notice the pair of eyes that had followed his every movement.

FLASH!

Ben sighed in relief that he had made it back to the Rustbucket. The hero had decided to turn into XLR8 and go for a run in hopes that it would clear his head. He tried not to go too far so as to not be stranded in the middle of nowhere until the watch recharged, thankfully he made it back in time.

Quietly he approached the door of the RV, hoping that his family was still sleep-

"Ben?"

"Crap…!" Ben mentally cursed. Turning around he saw Yukiko sitting on a park bench, dressed in her pink yukata. She had been so quiet that he didn't even notice she was out here. "Uh, h-hey, Yukiko…"

"What are you doing out here?"

"What are you doing out here?" He returned the question.

She looked tired and considering the time at night he couldn't blame her. "Ben, I'm serious. Why did you sneak out?"

"Nothing you need to worry about."

"Ben, I think I do when you decide to sneak out in the middle of the night. Something could've happened to you and we wouldn't have known," Yukiko said.

Ben was on the defensive. "Nothing happened. So just go back to sleep."

"Ben, come here."

"Why? So, you can yell at me and hit me?" He accused her.

"I'm not going to punish you, Ben."

"Then why do you want me to sit down with you?"

"Because you look scared."

Silence followed her answer. Which was all she needed to know that she was correct. Yukiko didn't say anything else or move. She just observed Ben to see what he would do next. Usually, the sign of someone sneaking out at night would mean they're up to something bad. And Yukiko would be lying if she said the thought didn't cross her mind when it came to Ben.

But his refusal to meet her gaze said more than words could. Ben was easy to read, because of how poorly he hides his emotions. Her falling for his lies is mostly just her hoping that Ben is telling the truth. Yukiko knew that boys his age don't like to talk about things that are bothering them, choosing to hide it away so as to not look weak. Pushing it too much will just make Ben hide back further.

So, when Ben slowly approached her to sit on the bench, Yukiko waited for him to speak first. The two sat next to each other silently, staring at the clear night sky, counting the stars shining brilliantly above them.

"I…had a nightmare."

Yukiko didn't say anything, but he knew that her attention was fully on him.

"There was fire…a lot of it. It felt like I was burning from head to toe from how hot it was. Suffocating me slowly." Ben could remember the horrible feeling of suffocation. "Next, I heard someone calling my name. So, I followed the direction that it was coming from…and once I did…" He felt his chest tightened as the memory came back to him.

Yukiko's hand softly held his own and his heartbeat started to slow a bit. "Take it easy, Ben. I'm right here."

"Y-yeah…" Ben nodded his head. "When I pushed through the flames, I found three bodies burning to death…"

Yukiko's grip tightened.

"It was Grandpa, Gwen, and Kenny. They were all dead and there was nothing I could do to save them. The smell coming from their bodies was gonna make me sick."

Oh…oh she knew what this was about now.

"I could still hear someone calling my name…and when I turned around…I saw you. But at the same time, it wasn't you. It felt as if you had died too and all that was left was…"

He didn't finish the sentence, because there was no need to. Yukiko was already cradling him in her arms, whispering comforting words that he hadn't known he needed. "I'm sorry, Ben. I should've realized sooner that this was hurting you."

"It doesn't matter-"

"It does matter! Your mental health matters to me, Ben. To Gwen and Grandpa too. If there's ever something bothering you, please don't hesitate to speak about it. I want to help you, Ben. To help you feel safe." Tears were threatening to fall from her eyes.

Ben cursed himself for making her cry again. "I'm sorry, Yukiko. I just didn't want to worry you guys. I'm a hero and heroes need to be big and strong."

"Even big strong heroes need someone they can confess their problems to, Ben. To let out their feelings in some way. You're still 10-years-old, Ben. You still have a long time before you're big and strong."

"I don't want to be looked down on."

"No one's looking down on you, Ben. Right now, I'm your big strong cousin. Which means that I'll always be here to hold you in my arms even when you grow taller than me."

Ben did like the safety that Yukiko's arms brought. Though, he'd never say it out loud in fear of sounding weak. Instead, he focused back on his current issue. "...I just want the nightmares to stop."

"They will. I promise you they will." Yukiko spoke from her experience with the TV World. The constant nightmares she and her friends suffered from during that entire year. As time went on, they happened less, and it was only a matter of time until the nightmares faded for good.

"Okay. As long as you promise," Ben grinned.

"I keep my promises, Benjamin," Yukiko giggled.

Ben yawned, his exhaustion coming back to him. "I think it's time we went back to bed," Yukiko said. She and Ben stood up from the bench to return to the Rustbucket.

Before they did, Yukiko addressed Ben again. "And Ben."

"Yeah?"

"Ghostfreak is gone. You made sure of that."

When she said that, Ben couldn't help but remember Ghostfreak's final words.

"T-this isn't over…Ben Tennyson…! I will have my revenge!"

"Right." Ben tried to convince himself. "He's gone for good."

Log End

NOTE: Originally this was going to be a different prompt but wanted to do something just between Ben and Yukiko here.

Hopefully, you guys enjoyed it!

That cover image was just a 'What If' and obviously that green bundle was a baby Ben.