What's up, you beautiful people! I hope you've had a fantastic day! Welcome to another chapter of Same Universe, Different Outcome! Before I get to the chapter, I just want to say thanks for your reviews and placing this story as your favorite and follow. I apologize for the late update. I've been busy.
On another note, this chapter mentions one event in my other fanfiction, Corruption, Murder and Redemption? They aren't major, but it's just good to let you guys know about it.
Also, this story won't go with Ben and Sayo joining Night Raid. Maybe they'll be allies later on, but not to the point that Ben and Sayo would integrate themselves into their ranks. If you want to see how that'll go, keep reading this fanfic.
Disclaimer: Never have I owned any of the shows in this fanfiction. They all belong to their respective owners.
Now on to the chapter.
Chapter 2: Fight or die
From all the adventures Ben Tennyson has gotten into, he never would've thought he would be in a situation like this. It didn't mean it worried him; In fact, if anything, he felt more cautious about his opponents. Night Raid was infamously known to be the best assassins in the world. In short, one wrong move could lead to death. Already, there was the dead body of Aria's bodyguard on the ground and Ben didn't want him or Sayo to be included.
So with the new Ultimatrix ready, the teen hero slammed his hand down on the popped up core. He was then engulfed in a flash of green light as his body suddenly underwent an intense transformation. It lasted for a second before then revealing his current alien form.
"Frankenstrike?! Seriously, Ultimatrix?! And here I thought we could have a good start!" Ben exclaimed out of shock.
Frankenstrike was a eleven foot tall alien that resembled the depiction of the Frankenstein monster. His skin was dark grey in color, as he also possessed black hair with sideburns, huge scars on his arm and chest and bolts on his neck, shoulder, elbow and three more on his back. The clothes he wore consisted of a white and green belt with white bolts on them, black pants and metallic copper boots. The Ultimatrix symbol rested at the middle of his belt.
"Ben, look out!" Sayo yelled out and pointed at his front.
Her reason for her reaction was because of Akame. The female assassin wasn't known to let her opponents talk when there was an opening to talk. Fortunately, it was a good thing then that Frankenstrike reacted by clashing his right arm gauntlet against the girl's katana.
"Close one! Thanks, Sayo!" Frankenstrike said.
Sayo nodded and Akame quickly jumped back. She wasn't in the mood for a retreat, nor did she did see a reason to. Thus, she got into a fighting stance with her katana straightforward and above her head.
Suddenly, Sayo noticed a familiar attack coming. She noticed a bunch of green threads diving their way and quickly pulled out an arrow. This arrow was equipped with a small explosive attached to the tip. As such, she accurately shot the arrow at the incoming threads with her bow and witnessed an explosion. Lubbock was forced to pull his threads back.
He smirked. Sayo impressed him to some extent, but not enough to deter him. Meanwhile, Frankenstrike turned back upon hearing the explosion.
"What was that?" Frankenstrike asked.
"Our 'friend' from the rooftop again." Sayo said with a decided look. She equipped her bow with two extra arrows and ran off. "I'll take him on! Focus on the girl!"
"Sayo, wait!" Frankenstrike shouted with his arm reached out.
Frankenstrike was ignored by the black haired girl, however, and had to focus back on Akame. The female assassin came running towards him, when suddenly he used the tower-like conductor coils on his back to shoot an electric shot at her.
As expected, the female assassin jumped to the side and dodged it. Frankenstrike responded to this by turning back at the assassin. His main concern wasn't to beat the girl, but to protect Sayo. However, seeing that Akame won't let him get to her, he didn't have much of a choice. He would just have to put some faith in Sayo's skills.
Speaking of the girl herself, she made some distance from the building Lubbock was on and fired two explosive arrows. Lubbock saw them coming and quickly used his threads to shoot at a streetlight across the street and reel himself there. Once he was gone, the arrows made contact on the building's top edge.
"You're pretty fast." Lubbock complimented as he landed on top of the streetlight. "If you were better developed at the chest side, I probably would've held back a bit."
"W-What?!" Sayo exclaimed with an embarrass blush. She suddenly felt like Lubbock was gazing her chest, before using her arms to cover them.
Lubbock saw this as a chance and took it. He pushed his arm at Sayo's direction and fired a bunch of threads at her way. The black haired girl noticed them coming and quickly jumped back before they could hit her. Then, upon them striking the ground she once stood up on, she snarled lowly and readied her next explosive bow.
"Come on! You can do better, you perverted bastard!" Sayo stated with malice.
"Language much?!" Lubbock said smugly.
Sayo responded by shooting another explosive arrow. It went straight for Lubbock, who then reeled back his threads and suddenly made a bunch of threads into a net in front of him. With them, the explosive arrow made contact with them and exploded, creating a dust cloud as expected.
"Got him!" Sayo cheered with a smirk.
"You're pretty cute and oblivious…" Lubbock's voice was suddenly heard.
Sayo suddenly felt dread as her eyes widened. Lubbock's voice didn't come from where she had shot; it came very close to her ear. The fact that he was close to her caused her to act out on reflex by doing a swift turn at her back and then making a jump back to create space. In those short seconds, she prepared a special arrow to fire while Lubbock raised his right arm to his chest with a serious look on his face.
"…but in the end, being those two things will save you." Lubbock finished his statement.
Before Sayo's eyes, the young man stretched his arms out and unleashed a fierce number of threads heading her way. They came like a huge net, but unconnected with one another and making it impossible to avoid.
Sayo had two choices. She could allow the sharp threads to rip her to pieces or use the explosive arrow in her possession to escape death. Fortunately, the girl chose the latter and just in good them, as she then shot at the threads.
What then happened soon after was as expected. The explosive arrow exploded and let out a fiery force that pushed back the threads back and Sayo from reaching one another. As such, the black haired country girl hit the ground with a small pained cry while her bow and pack of arrows scattered from her.
Time was still not over with the two though, so Sayo had to act. She had to ignore the pain from the impact to get up and pick up her bow and arrow pack. Then, with a serious look on her face, she turned back to Lubbock, ready to fire at him again. The green haired assassin stood perfectly still from some feet from her with not a scratch on him.
"Out of tricks, perv?!" She asked with an intimidating tone.
"Not really." Lubbock said before doing something unexpected. He stretched his right arm out and suddenly shot out the threads into his arm, creating a long one-bladed axe in the process. They knotted together and landed on his open arm without doing any harm.
'What kind of Teigu is that?! This guy's really dangerous! I have to take him out…NOW!' Sayo thought and fired two arrows.
Lubbock responded by swinging the spear in his hand above his head with both hands. Once the arrows came close, he swung down against the arrows, causing them to explode. Surprising, they didn't do any harm to the assassin, especially as he then charged at Sayo.
Sayo knew then that she had to be more focused. Lubbock was surprisingly faster than any man she knew. But she didn't feeling like giving up soon, especially now. Hence, she shot another arrow at him and saw what she expected. Lubbock used the spear to defend against the explosive arrow and kept coming. Sayo, this time, shot one arrow at his face and another at his feet.
According to her plan, Lubbock won't be able to react fast enough, and even if he did, she had a plan for that. Thus, when she saw Lubbock cut the arrow for the head, the arrow for his leg exploded when it met the ground. The young man responded by jumping up in the air, leaving himself in the open.
'There! Now's my chance!' Sayo thought.
With speed, the girl equipped three arrows onto her bow and fired. Lubbock was still descending from above, when he saw the three attacks coming. From the looks of it, if he didn't do something to avoid them, he'll be hit and possibly injured.
Fortunately for him, his reaction speed was superior to Sayo. He quickly stretched his hand out and sent his threads to latch on the body of the arrows. Then, upon pulling his arm back, he turned the arrows the other way, before swinging them down back to Sayo's direction.
Sayo was shocked, but she had to run. With all three explosives, she knew just how bad it would be if she stayed in their path. So she ran as fast as she could, however it wasn't enough. When the explosive arrows hit the ground, they created a big explosion that sent her flying to the hard ground.
Sayo felt hurt upon the impact. It was stronger than she would've expected from such a throw. But she was determined, and even tried to quickly to stand up. Unfortunately, she wasn't given a chance do so. She realized this when a bunch of the threads wrapped around her stomach and fling her to the side of a building. The impact hurt badly, as it caused her to grunt and wince from the pain. However, none of it compared to the horror she saw when she opened her eyes.
Stuck to the wall, Sayo was held back by a bunch of the threads from her arms, knees, neck and chest. When she tried to move her arm, she found the thread would sink into her skin and make her scream. There was no doubt about it; she was in deep trouble.
"I guess we're close to wrapping this little dance of ours." Lubbock joked casually. He stood before Sayo with his hands in his jacket's pockets as he stared at Sayo's angry face. "Don't be mad at me; I'm just doing my job! You and your boyfriend were just at the wrong place and the wrong time! Nothing personal!"
"I hate you!" Sayo yelled.
"Yeah, same with almost every girl I've met." Lubbock said sarcastically.
With this, he then raised his hand up, ready to make the final kill. Sayo was in his grasp and would be killed with a slight move of his own.
Fortunately for her, the girl still had help.
"SAYO!" Frankenstrike screamed.
His battle with Akame was dragging on longer than he expected. However, the moment didn't call for analytics; it called for action. Akame thought otherwise though, as she came at Frankenstrike's left with a body spin and her katana in hand.
Frankenstrike quickly slapped the symbol on his chest. It engulfed him in a flash of green light and even blinded Akame for a moment. When the transformation was complete, Ben backhanded Akame as Cannonbolt and quickly ran over to Sayo's direction, before forming into a ball and heading there.
"BEN!" Sayo shouted with a smile.
"Yeah, I don't think so." Lubbock said calmly.
Before Sayo knew it, the young man stretched arms out and spun them in the air. The result of his action was then revealed to be a barrier made of threads in Cannonbolt's way.
"Ben, the threads! Don't come near them!" Sayo warned cautiously.
Cannonbolt heard her well and responded accorded. His body became swept in a flash of green light which changed the alien's body texture. Now he had dark blue shells with spikes on them.
"ULTIMATE CANNONBOLT!" He bellowed.
Lubbock was immediately caught by surprise. Ultimate Cannonbolt unleashed a barrage of spikes at the threads, causing them to explode to the point of incineration. He didn't stop there though, as some of them went straight for Lubbock, who quickly jumped back.
'That was dangerously close! Just what is that guy?!' Lubbock wondered. He then felt the tingling of his Teigu's threads and focused at Sayo. 'It doesn't matter now! I should get rid of her first and then focus on him!'
With that, the assassin commanded his threads on Sayo to slice her into bits. The command was instant and always happened in a flash of an eye, meaning her chance of escape was very slim. Even Ultimate Cannonbolt could notice as he suddenly became engulfed in a flash of green light and becoming another alien. This alien was literally a living planet, large and bulky in size, reddish-brown body with rocky skin, a giant mouth, green eyes and a molten lava planet core at the center of its body.
"NO!" Gravattack shouted. With his arm already stretched, his gravikinesis caused the threads to become immobile and just in time.
"What?! How?!" Lubbock questioned with widened eyes. He allowed his feet to skid against the ground's surface, before coming to a stop.
None of this made any sense to Lubbock. No one had ever taken control of his Teigu, nor have it been possible to abrupt its command. Gravattack had just saved Sayo's in a single moment that would've led to the girl's death. In fact, even as the alien used his gravikinesis to free Sayo, he noticed some cuts on the girl's body and clothes.
"That guy!" Gravaattack yelled in anger, turning to Lubbock. Once his eyes landed on the young man, he felt some spit towards him. "You tried to kill her just now!"
"Ben, Akame!" Sayo shouted.
If Sayo had responded earlier, there may have been time to avoid the assassin's attack. However, Akame was fast, which she proved when she swung her katana close to Gravattack's core.
"Wow! Are you trying to blow us up?!" Gravattack shouted and quickly tried to backhand Akame. The female assassin jumped back to avoid it and landed a few feet away.
'As I thought, his body composure is too hard to cut! It didn't even leave a mark!' Akame noted in her mind. 'But what did he mean by blowing up? Did I find a weakness?'
Akame wondered, but didn't get to find out. Gravattack, for the extent of the battle, had finally reached his tolerance level. Hence, with his hand raised and glowing green at Akame, the female assassin suddenly felt weightless from the ground.
"All aboard the gravity train!" Gravattack exclaimed and punched his fist at Lubbock's direction. Once he did that, Akame was sent flying at Lubbock.
"Hey, Akame! Slow down!" Lubbock shouted, but was ignored. It wasn't like Akame had any choice in the matter.
So in a surprising twist, Lubbock found that he couldn't move out of place. He didn't know why until he looked at Gravattack and realized the alien's other hand was directed at him. From there, he became weightless and saw Akame's body coming his way.
"Shit…This is going to hurt." Lubbock muttered.
The young man turned out to be right. When Akame eventually rammed into him forcibly, the both of them hit the ground hard with a pained shout. Fortunately for them, the Ultimatrix chose that moment to change Gravattack back to normal.
"Ben…?" Sayo muttered and suddenly let out a high pitch shout. Her body was hurting so bad that she fell on her knees.
"Sayo!" Ben shouted. The concern he had for her quickly swept away his anger as he fell to his knees to look at her face. "Hey! Hey! You okay? Please tell me you're alright!"
"I'm fine…" Sayo said and then winced.
Some parts of her body trickle blood from the small cuts Lubbock's threads had made earlier. Sayo and Ben could see that before the former looked at Ben with a mixed look of regret and weakness.
"I…guess I wasn't strong enough. I'm sorry."
Ben sighed and got back on his feet. When he did it, he patted Sayo on the head and looked back at Akame and Lubbock as they got up.
"You don't have to apologize, Sayo. The fact you held on this long proves you're getting strong. Now try to hang on a bit longer. I'll make this quick."
Sayo felt flabbergasted as she stared at her hero. Ben never looked down on her, even in the past that they had known each other, and now that her friends were gone, he continued to look after her. Ben was always like this, so why is did she feel her heart skip a bit?
Some questions were not answered. Ben became serious as he glared at the two assassins returning to their feet. He also pushed his jacket's sleeve back, revealing the Ultrimatrix as he began choosing through the selected aliens.
Lubbock and Akame quickly noticed him coming. He was still meters from them, so there was still time to act fast. However, Lubbock could sense this battle wasn't going to go their favor.
"We have to move back, Akame! We're at a disadvantage fighting this guy in the open and straightforward!"
"You guys aren't going anywhere!" Ben stated firmly. He still kept his eyes on the two as he continued selecting through his aliens. "First, you kill that man, and then you attack me and Sayo! You even tried to kill her! I don't care who you are or where you come from! All I know is that I'm going to make sure you both regret it…HARD!"
At the last word, Ben slammed his hand on the popped up Ultimatrix core. He was then engulfed in a flash of green light until it disappeared to reveal his alien form.
"ECHO ECHO!" He bellowed.
Then he slapped the symbol on his chest. The moment he did that, four spikes came out from the symbol before washing green light all over his body. His body also began to change in size and structure until he stood as a humanoid blue colored metal alien with removeable speaker-like components with longer arms and feet. He had green eyes and cables attached from his back to his mouth and smaller mouth. His head was also wide and angular, with a silvery forehead and black "ears" on the sides. The Ultimatrix symbol rested on his chest, connected by discs.
"ULTIMATE ECHO ECHO!"
Lubbock quickly responded. The new form Ben stood as was unknown to him and Akame. So, with his arms stretched out, he sent a volley of threads at Ultimate Echo Echo's way. If nothing was done about it, Ultimate Echo Echo would be sliced into pieces.
"Ben!" Sayo screamed in fear. When she faced that same attack, she was just lucky to evade them the way she did. However, she had some doubt that Ben would make it.
Fortunately, Ultimate Echo Echo was more than equipped for this battle. He crossed his arms over his metallic chest and the Ultimatrix's symbol before suddenly releasing a huge sonic blast at the threads. Just that attack alone was enough to shake the ground violently and break nearby glasses of all shapes and sizes and tear Lubbock's threads into pieces.
Lubbock was totally shocked. This was the second time Ben had destroyed his threads. The first hadn't been too much of a concern however, but with this new form, both he and Akame were hit by it and sent flying some feet away. They finally came to a stop after tumbling against the ground three times, with only one of them conscious after it.
Akame let out a groan as she tried to rise on her feet. She lay flat on her stomach with her katana just a few feet away from her right hand. But to move much of her body felt terrible. Thus, in order to get up, she had to fight back against her trembling hand to grab the weapon and push her body up. But then she looked forward and saw a black and white levitating disk directly at her face. Behind it, Ultimate Echo Echo stood with his hand extended.
"Drop the weapon, assassin!" Ultimate Echo Echo said as a warning. "If you don't want to hear the beatings of your ear drum, then stay down! If I wanted it, you and your friend would be dead already!"
Akame became silent. In the mere seconds she had to glare at Ultimate Echo Echo, she calculated her chances. She didn't know what the disk levitating before her would do, except a small hint that it would do same thing that Ultimate Echo Echo. With that, she knew what to do next.
"Try it!" Akame exclaimed and went into action.
With remarkable speed, she swung her katana through the disk and destroyed it. Ultimate Echo Echo was surprised, seeing as the assassin did it despite her poor condition. However, the moment wasn't right for admiration or fear. Ultimate Echo Echo jumped a few feet back and looked forward just in time to see Akame running at him with a loud battle cry.
Ultimate Echo Echo reacted by stretching his arms forward and shooting another sonic blast from his metal palms. Akame was in the way of the shot, when suddenly she surprised him by running out of the way. The attack was minimized in comparison to the former sonic blast, so it didn't hit Lubbock.
However, Ultimate Echo Echo was in for more surprises. The sudden speed Akame suddenly attained was enough to keep her from getting hit. She literally ran circles around the ultimate alien as he tried and failed to shoot at her. Despite how fast he tried to react at each moment he saw her, the girl would maintain the momentum she built and cause him to destroy the shops and others places in their surroundings.
"This is crazy…" Sayo muttered with mild shock. Even from her condition, she could tell how flamboyant the battle was becoming. "Ben shot her and her comrade directly with his attack and yet she can move so fast. I…I can barely keep up with the way she's moving. It's almost like…she's a blur."
Sayo was right to assume such about Akame. The female assassin was pouring much of her strength while searching for an open weakness in Ben. So she continued, running and evading all of his attacks until she got to his front when he looked back and she saw her chance. The Ultimatrix symbol was in her sight before she charged directly at him.
'Each time he transformed, he always touches that thing on his chest! If I cut it then it's very likely he'll be forced to transform back! Now's my chance!'
With that, Akame became dangerously close to the Ultimate alien. Each step she could, each breath she let in and out, and each second she took anticipated for this moment. It didn't surprise her then that her attention was on the symbol before she motioned her katana to the device.
However, there was an abrupt. Ultimate Ben may have looked back, but one of his disks suddenly flew out of his arm and hit her with a sonic blast. Akame couldn't anticipate for such an attack, thus she was knocked to the ground and skidding back until she came to a stop. When she tried to sit up, she was greeted with about six of the same disks pointed down at her body from the air.
"Nice try, but I kind of predicted something like that would happen." Ultimate Echo Echo said, walking to her direction. He then came to a stop and stretched his hand out and added. "If this was in slight better circumstances, I would've cracked some jokes to pass the time! But not now! I'm taking you down, Akame of Night Raid! Sayo needs me!"
"Ben!?" Sayo called, interrupting Ultimate Echo Echo.
Her voice sounded like it was in distress. Ultimate Echo Echo didn't know it yet, but Sayo was in a tight spot. That is why, when the ultimate alien turned back to her, he w2as shocked to find held off from the ground by the arm of a familiar blonde woman.
"Hello?" Leone greeted with a smile and waved at Ultimate Echo Echo. At first, the ultimate hero was confused by her appearance until he realized that she had beast ears, huge paws and a tail.
Leone could see that she had the hero's attention so she continued as she shook her loosely. "You sure did a number on Akame of all people. I can't tell you how many people she's 'danced' with and come back alive."
"Sayo!" Ultimate Echo Echo shouted in shock. He was then quick to get anger as his eyes shifted to the blonde woman. "You! I told you to stop following us! Leave Sayo out of this or else!"
Ultimate Echo Echo was almost at the brink of attacking Leone if not for two things. One, the woman was close to Sayo, meaning her life was in danger, and two, the four of them were interrupted when they had metal footsteps hurriedly heading their way.
"Looks like you guys attracted the attention of the Imperial guards." Leone said smoothly. She then carried the injured Sayo onto her shoulder despite the latter's futile struggle and Ultimate Echo Echo reaction. Then she said. "Let's split the work. You take that unconscious pervert on the ground and Akame, and I'll take little missy here so we can get both of them treated."
"As if I'll help you guys! You're part of Night Raid, aren't you?!" Ultimate Echo Echo replied angrily.
"Then I guess you're friend here would make a nice sole member of our little group! Bye!" Leone winked at the last word.
Before Ultimate Echo Echo knew it, the female assassin ran off with Sayo. Sayo was surprised about it all and even called out to Ben. In response, Ultimate Echo Echo shouted the girl's name before pausing and looking back at Akame. The assassin herself was still surrounded by the Ultimate alien's disks.
'I could fly and catch her, but…she has Sayo.' Ultimate Echo Echo thought with reason. 'Dammit, I guess I actually have to give her a hand! I'm already wasting time!'
With that, Ultimate Echo Echo came to a decision. He quickly recalled back his disks to his arms and went to pick up Akame. The assassin protested by trying to struggle out of his metal arms, but failed. He then did the same for Lubbock before getting set to fly off.
"Trust me, I rather hand you guys over to the Imperial guards! But if my friend gets hurt, I'm going to need to know where you guys live so I can make someone pay!"
Akame said nothing in return. It wasn't like she could from her position. But even if she could, Ultimate Echo Echo flew off to the skies and left the scene before the Imperial guards could make it there. The only thing that, thus, greeted them was the destructive aftermath of the battle.
_(LINE BREAK)_
Some time had passed, as it was daytime. Sayo lay comfortably and sleep induced in a bed, with not much going on for her. It was so peaceful for her until she something triggered her to start stirring.
For some reason, the girl was struck by a flashback that woken her. It happened promptly, as it caused her to sit up and pant heavily. Her chest felt heavy just a few seconds ago, but it didn't matter to her. This was because Sayo noticed her surroundings and felt surprised by it.
"I'm back in my hotel room?" She questioned.
Truth to her eyes, she was actually back in her room. She also realized that by looking at her body that she was still in her clothes and covered from her waist down by a white blanket. Her confusion became high when she noticed a bunch of bandages covered in blood and on a round table by the side. Before she could question about it, she heard a familiar voice.
"Oh good, you're finally awake."
Sayo was slightly alarmed by the voice. Her head was slightly recovering when she had heard it. Thus, she turned her head to the open window and found Ben sitting there with a small genuine smile. She would've liked it if not for the tired look in Ben's eyes.
'Those looks in his eyes...' Sayo skeptically thought until her eyes widened. 'Wait…don't tell me he's been awake like that for the night.'
"Anyway…" Ben muttered and stood on the floor. He then ruffled his left hand through his hair and said. "Rough night huh? Do you need anything?"
'Rough night?' Sayo questioned. Then the memory came flooding in before her eyes widened again. 'That's right! We were fighting Night Raid and I…almost got killed! Then Ben saved me and fought Akame and that other guy by himself. I…remember getting kidnapped after that by that blonde woman, but the rest in blank. What happened after that? How did I get here?'
"Sayo." Ben called out.
Sayo returned to reality before noticing the teen hero. He stood next to her with an obvious deep concern for her that made her feel sick. Fortunately, Sayo responded calmly as she smiled at him.
"I'm fine, thanks. I'm just…a little confused." She said honestly. Then she turned to her side and looked at the bandages. "I'm guessing I blacked out. I was bleeding and…the fact those bandages are soaked in blood says that it's from me. But…"
Sayo paused for a moment to raise her arms. The reason was unknown until she pushed back her sleeve and rubbed her arm; there was no sign of marks on her.
"I was hurt by that guy's threads. But now there isn't a trace of blood or a scar anywhere. Why is that?" She asked.
Ben sighed and sat comfortably on the edge of her bed. Sayo could tell by the look on his face that he knew about everything that transpired. Hence, she sat still and listened as he faced her and explained.
"Last night you were kidnapped by that woman. It turns out that she's a member of Night Raid and probably their informant. She didn't say it, but with everything that has happened later on I figured it out."
"So what happened? I mean after I was kidnapped."
"I took Akame and that other guy with me and followed you. I figured that I could use the both of them as leverage if that woman tried to harm you. Ironically, she didn't at all. She actually took you to a doctor she knew in the Capital. He treated you, Akame and that other guy while I watched with that woman. I never really changed back to normal during my short stay there because I was worried about what they would do."
"So you stayed as…that ultimate alien?"
"No." Ben answered. "The Ultimates function is powerful, but it consumes more power from the Ultimatrix than the usual aliens. I just stayed as Fasttrack for the time being since he possessed both speed and strength."
"I don't think I've heard of that alien before."
Ben chuckled nervously. "Well I do have a lot of aliens. Right now I'm not sure of their exact numbers now that I have new aliens."
"I see." Sayo muttered. Then she spoke clearly. "I don't get one thing though. Why did the woman save me? If she's with Night Raid, then shouldn't she have tried to kill me?"
Just then, Sayo noticed the shift in Ben's face. She saw how tense and serious it became in a second, before seeing as he looked away to the window and stood up. His back was facing her when he answered her question.
"That's because they want us to join them."
Sayo was surprised to hear this. It was obvious by the shift in her eye lids as she stared at the teen hero. The answer brought up new questions for her, as Ben expected. But it didn't change the conflict in him that Sayo noticed. Something big happened that night, but she didn't know what it was yet.
Ben went ahead to continue from where he stopped. He could keep it a secret, but it would basically be lying to her. The teen hero didn't want that; hence he turned to her completely with the serious tone from his voice.
"From what the blonde assassin said, the whole battle was a big misunderstanding. She was actually trying to get the others to accept us before she could try and recruit us. But because she never described what we really looked like, the other two attacked since we saw what they did. Their mission last night was to deal with the remainder of Aria's bodyguards. We just showed up at the wrong place at the wrong time."
Sayo silently glanced to the ground. Last night was crazy, but now it began to make sense. Even things she hadn't thought so much about was also making sense as she looked to her sheet covered laps.
"I guess that explains why we could live peacefully without any repercussion from the empire." She said.
"Yeah…" Ben replied. His tone and body tension began to ease. "Well after you got treated, I took you back here. That assassin thought it was best you stayed back there and recover, but I couldn't take the chance. After that, I searched through the new aliens I have until I found a healer type of alien that's another race from Pesky Dust. You can guess what happened after."
Sayo's hand rubbed on her other arms' wrist. It felt amazingly soft despite the fact it was the same wrist that had a few number of openings leaking out blood. So for Sayo there, she could only feel some gratitude as she smiled warmly at the arm.
"Even though I'm weak, you still look out for me. Sorry that I put you through so much sometimes." She said.
"It's fine." Ben said. He then surprised the girl by patting his hand on her head, causing her to feel flustered. However, Ben didn't seem to notice as he added to his previous words. "I made a promise to Tatsumi and Ieyasu to watch over you. Besides, you're my friend. I would do anything for you."
"A-Anything?" Sayo stuttered.
"Sure." Ben said and smiled back.
Sayo was feeling even more flustered by the second. She didn't want to face Ben with such a face, so she looked away. Fortunately, the teen hero didn't notice as he began heading to the door.
"I'm going to get breakfast. Do you have anything in mind?" He asked.
Sayo shook her head to calm her mind. If she kept up thinking over what Ben said, then he'd notice her expression and ask question. Thus, she looked back at the bedsheet and smiled nervously.
"Just anything good would be fine. We have to watch over our budget, right?" She said and laughed halfheartedly.
"Right." Ben nodded at her.
The teen hero then opened the door, expecting to step back. He already had the idea for their breakfast in mind. However, Sayo suddenly called out to him and got his attention. When he looked back at her, the girl seemed like she had something in mind.
"Um…sorry if this is sudden, but what did you answer back then with Night Raid? Do you think we should join them?"
Ben was silent before then looking away. The questions were completely unexpected, though a part of him felt that he shouldn't think that way. Sayo was taken aback by the silence and felt bad about.
"I…You can forget what I said. It's just something that popped out of my –"
"No, it's fine." Ben interjected with a calm voice. There was a small hint of sadness in it, but he covered it up as he closed the door and lay his back on it. Then he looked straight at Sayo and answered. "To be honest with you, I think Night Raid have a justifiable cause in this messed up world we're in, but…"
"But?"
"They're still murderers in the end." Ben said straightforwardly. "That is why, when that woman offered the chance, I shot her down. We can't get tangled in their affairs, not like how Tatsumi and Ieyasu did."
"Tatsumi and Ieyasu?" Sayo said and felt confused. "What about them? They're gone."
"I know…I'm sorry." Ben said and sighed. "Do you…remember the time I told you about Multiverse?"
"Yes. It's how you explained about yourself."
"Well there are alternate universes that are exactly like this one, but with different outcomes caused by some other decisions made. Like when you and I were lost in the woods. Because we got lost, Tatsumi and Ieyasu were the ones who got to Aria's…place. But in other universes that wasn't the case like in this universe."
"So you're saying that Tatsumi and Ieyasu are alive in those…universes?"
"For the most part, yes."
Sayo was completely flabbergasted. The thought that her friends made it out of Aria's death shed was something she had never thought before. But now that she knew, her heart began to beat slightly faster than before. It took her a second later to realize that it was out of joy, as she then placed her hands on her chest.
"They're alive…?" She muttered with a smile. Tears slowly began to leak out from her eyes, but she continued. "Maybe not here, but...I'm so glad to know they're alive somewhere. Thank you, Ben."
"I'm sorry…" Ben said with a sympathetic voice.
His response surprised Sayo, who couldn't understand his shift in tone. It was unexpected, but she ask anyway.
"Why are you sorry?" She asked. Then a dark thought dawned on her. "Wait, don't tell me that they –"
"Yeah…" Ben muttered. "I wasn't told about all the outcomes, but I did get two. Sadly, in both of them…Ieyasu and Tatsumi didn't make it. I mean…in one universe Tatsumi is alive, but Ieyasu didn't make it through. He died while fighting alongside Night Raid."
Sayo almost gasped. The lightness in her chest began to hardness as she took in this world. Fortunately, Ben realized this shift in the girl and walked over to her calmly.
"I know this is hard, but don't think it's over for them." Ben said assuredly. "The Multiverse is expanding constantly. Right now, there could be a universe where the both of them are alive."
"What about me?"
"Huh?"
Sayo wiped the tears at her eyes and looked at Ben with hopeful eyes.
"Did I ever…make it with them?" She asked.
"No…" Ben frowned. The look in Sayo's eyes died and he looked away. "You…never made it out like them. From what I summed up from Paradox, you're pretty much the only version of yourself that survives."
Once again, Sayo felt like her chest was tightening. It wasn't life-threatening, nor was it completely bad. However, it was clear that the revelation was depressing to the girl. In one hand, she should be glad to be alive. But in the other hand, it scared her to think that other versions of herself died in the same manner she saw Tatsumi and Ieyasu.
Ben suddenly reacted by hugging her. His action surprised Sayo, as well as confused her. However, before she could say a word, Ben did it as he tightened his arms around her.
"It's going to be okay. I promise; you're not going to die. I'll make sure of it." He said. "You're special, Sayo. The fact that you're here and breathing proves it."
"Ben…" Sayo muttered. She began to feel at ease at the teen's embrace, especially in her mind and chest. Hence, she returned the hug and smiled. "Right…Just don't die in the process, Ben. I won't forgive you if you do."
"I won't." Ben smiled back.
_(LINE BREAK)_
Some hours passed before another briefing occurred in the same room in Night Raid's hideout. Every member of the infamous group of assassins was present, including their boss, former general Najenda, when suddenly Mine overreacted.
"EEEEHHH?! YOU ACTUALLY LET HIM GO?! ARE YOU STUPID?!" Mine yelled angrily.
Leone had just concluded her briefing over last night's incident. Mine clearly wasn't happy about the result, with the same possibly from Najenda. The former general of the empire looked displeased as she sat with her right leg over her other leg and her arms rested on the seat's armrest.
Leone expected these much negativity, though. Her action was backed with a reason that she hadn't let out yet. Even Najenda, while obviously unsatisfied with her briefing, would understand due to the circumstances. However, Leone didn't like being insulted by the pink haired brat, thus she turned to her angrily.
"Hey! Don't call me stupid! It's not like you could've done better!" Leone yelled back at the girl.
"Eh?! Of course I could!" Mine retorted. She then lifted her Teigu, a pink sniper-like gun, and held it firmly. "Just shoot a bullet right through his forehead would've been enough!"
"No, it wouldn't." Akame interrupted. She stood perfectly fine despite what she had gone through last night. Hence, she looked over to her pink haired comrade and said. "That boy is not like any Teigu user I've faced. I faced him in close combat, and twice he was able to hold his own against me. His transformation over various and mysterious Danger Beasts is unprecedented. If it weren't for the girl he was with, he may have dealt with Lubbock and I sooner."
"I don't know." Lubbock said with a snarky grin. "I could've take him on. I was just…caught off guard."
"Hmph! Easy for you to say!" Leone grinned devilishly at the young man. "If I'm not mistaken, you got a bunch of bandages under that shirt of yours! And let's not forget that you couldn't hear anything for the past eight hours!"
"W-Whatever!" Lubbock turned away embarrassed.
It was now Najenda that got everyone's attention. Her serious gaze and posture displayed that of authority as she remained seated in front of her subordinates. After much has been said by them, she had her own conclusion.
"Then I guess this just proves that the young man will prove troubling." Najenda said calmly. "To be honest, there was a part of my mind that hoped he and the girl would join our cause. The both of them would've made potential assets to the revolution one day. However, the fact that he refused makes him a liability. If we're not careful, he could end up joining the empire, thus hindering the revolution the people seek. Then there's the fact he saw Lubbock and Leone, our two members who beside Mine are not on the empire's wanted list."
"What are you suggesting?" Akame asked.
"Eliminate them…both." Najenda answered with a serious tone. "True, the boy is powerful. However, we cannot risk him telling the empire about you two. If that happens, only Mine can roam the Capital freely and, worst case scenario, our future affairs within the walls would be in jeopardy."
"Understood, boss." Leone replied. "I've talked to the lad, but I don't know if I can trust him. We'll have to be extra careful before we can assassinate him and the girl."
"Then that means some scouting is in order." Najenda responded with an idea. "Leone, I –"
"Najenda!" Lubbock interrupted with an urgent look. His threads, which were rolled around a small object and located at his back waist, began to roll violently. It could only mean one thing.
"Intruders!?" Akame guessed.
'This is quite unexpected, but unfortunate.' Najenda thought. Then she said to Lubbock. "How many are there?!"
"Not much. They're…one?!"
Lubbock sounded surprised at the analysis. Being the only person compatible with the Teigu, he could tell how many people triggered his threads that were set outside. However, this moment was unexpected for him as he turned back to Najenda.
"Go!" Najenda ordered and stood straight. Then with her arm stretched out, she shouted. "Find the intruder, but be cautious! Something about this person…is not right!"
Everyone in the group of assassins nodded and rushed out the door. The intruder might be bigger trouble than they know.
_(LINEBREAK)_
The search was on, with each member grouped into two. Mine and Sheele went to the top of a cliff to get a good vintage point of the area, while Akame and Bulat dealt in stealth to find the person. Lubbock used his threads to get any response from the intruder while Leone scouted the side to find the person as well.
Unfortunately, the results of their effort never showed. The intruder, whoever he or she was, was either gone or hiding in a way the assassins didn't know about. It was odd really, because even if the intruder could do any of that, he or she would fail and get discovered. Leone was in her beast form, which made her sense of smell multiple times better than the average man, Bulat was invisible –so it wasn't like the intruder would notice him either. Then there was Akame, who was well-trained to hunt down her target no matter the course. But if she failed (which was impossible), there was Mine, who could see the area below her with her keen superior eyesight.
But like some things in life, the search slowly began to be called off. Lubbock and Leone headed back to the hideout with Mine and Sheele behind them. The green haired teen seemed disappointed about their search and even expressed about it.
"I can't believe she got away." Lubbock complained. "I was pretty damn sure she couldn't have gone far."
"So it was really a female?" Mine asked.
"Yes…well I think so." Lubbock answered. His hands were behind his back as he laxly entered the briefing room with the others. "There's a way males and female move when they're walking. My threads can detect them and I just interpret them in the way it tells me."
"I didn't know you could do that." Sheele said. "It's…cool."
"Thanks." Lubbock smirked.
Just then Najenda walked over to them.
"Found anything?" She asked.
"Nope, nothing." Leone said disappointedly. "And here I thought I could try out some beat down on the intruder. Akame and Bulat decided to scout the area a bit longer for any clue on the person. I kind of agree with them, but it's getting really late."
"I see." Najenda replied. "However, we should fortify surveillance just in case. Lubbock, I need you to extend the range of your threads. Everyone will take a turns on two hour shift as lookouts for the next few nights."
"What about our discussion about the kid?" Leone asked.
"We'll talk about our next move to eliminate Ben tomorrow morning." Najenda answered.
"Ben?" Sheele questioned with a surprised look.
Nothing was wrong with it, but it did annoy Mine a little when she turned to the purple haired young woman.
"We were talking about him before we left, remember? Seriously, Sheele, you have to pay a bit more atten-"
"GET BACK!" Bulat's voice was heard.
His voice was the one to interrupt Mine's possible rambling. However, before anyone to question about it, the armored assassin threw his double-edged spear straight at Sheele. It happened so suddenly, as the blade dug right into her back and she let out a scream before falling to the ground.
"SHEELE!" Mine screamed in shock.
Her expression wasn't alone, as even Lubbock, Leone and Najenda were taken aback by the scene. Sheele's body lay on the ground unresponsive to their eyes. But then the group looked back to where Bulat came and saw Akame and the same Sheele they saw on the ground, running towards them.
"That's the intruder!" Akame shouted.
With that, things became a bit clearer, but more confusing. The body of Sheele on the ground suddenly formed into a pool of purple mud and moved out of their way. It was odd and probably the weirdest thing they had seen. But then the weirdness of the situation increase when it formed into an entirely different human being, much to their shock.
"Psyche!" The intruder said and laughed with a snort.
"What the hell?!" Lubbock shouted in shock and stepped back.
None of what happened made any sense. The person before them was an entirely different person than whom she had been before. She was female and seemed to be around the age of sixteen. She had blonde ponytail tied by a red band and seemed to be dressed in a black sleeved shirt with a red collar which had a star at the chest area. She also wore white socks that went passed her knee, red and black shoes and red lipstick.
"That was fast! I thought I had more time before I was found out! You guys are really good!" The girl said with a cheerful smile.
"You!" Mine yelled angrily. Her eyes which once held horror was now filled with rage as she pointed her gun at the girl. "You impersonated Sheele! Die!"
"That doesn't look cute!" The girl's eyes widened.
Mine fired anyway. She let out a furious cry as she pressed the trigger repeatedly, sending each shot at the girl. Surprisingly, none of them did that much damage, as they went right through the girl while she stood perfectly still.
"Mina, stop!" Najenda ordered.
Mine did as told and halted. Her anger had been the fuel to her shooting until it began to subside and she and the others were surprised at what happened next. The holes Mine created regenerated until not a single scratch was on her.
"That was unexpected." The girl giggled and let out a snort like before. "You should get that anger checked out. I know this one guy that –"
"Enough!" Najenda shouted firmly. Her single exposed eye glared angrily at the girl. "Who are you?! How did you get there?! If you don't want to die here so soon then you better answer!"
"Who me?" The girl asked with an oblivious look.
Sheele explained. "I was with Mine when we decided to leave. But suddenly I was ambushed by something and became unconscious. The next time I woke up was when Akame and Bulat found me."
"So that's why you got here early." Lucy said, pointing at Sheele. "Shoot! I probably should've hidden you somewhere else."
"But Sheele was close to me!" Mine retorted. "I would've noticed someone coming!"
"But you didn't." The girl said and giggled again. "What can I say? I'm really good. I'm also great at Hide-and-Seek."
Lubbock snarled a bit. "Then I guess that explains everything. My threads going off, the fact we couldn't find an intruder, and how you made it here. You planned all of this, didn't you?"
"Yes, for the most part." The girl answered.
"For the most part?" Akame questioned.
Just then, Najenda interjected. "You didn't answer my question! Who are you?!"
"Oh right. I almost forgot." The girl said. She then placed her right hand on her hip and raised her other hand close to her head and raised the fingers as a peace sign. Then, with her right eye closed, she placed a cheerful smile and said. "My name is Lucy Mann, nice to meet you!"
"Lucy Mann." Leone muttered. She knew a lot of people, including their names and specialty. The fact she didn't know anyone who fit Lucy's name and description caused her to turn to Najenda. "Boss, I don't know who that is!"
"Yeah, I'm kind of new here!" Lucy said and scratched the back of her head sheepishly. "But…I think you'd know my cousin. After all…you guys want to kill."
Her face then became seriously scary and dark. It surprised everyone and added tension to the air before then she finished her words.
"I don't know about your problems, but I won't let that happen. Gwen and Magister Max won't be happy if I did."
Something big was about to happen.
_(CHAPTER END)_
Done! I hope you guys liked it! It took me a while to get this much out! If you're wondering who Lucy Mann is, then let me refresh your memory. She first appeared in the original series, with a minor role. In the episode with the Sludgepuppies, she was the flower girl that Ben was meant to dance with at the wedding. She later appears in two episodes in Omniverse as a her younger self and her older self as a Plumber.
So why and how is Lucy in the world of Akame ga Kill? I won't say anything about that. Keep reading this fanfiction to find out. I also plan on other Ben 10 characters like Sunny, Julie and Ester showing up later on.
On another note, Ultimate Echo Echo's design is mostly based off from Albedo's description of the ultimate alien. I hope you liked it.
That's all for now! Thank you very much for reading this fanfiction! If you want more chapters, then please review, favorite and follow this fanfic! Bye!