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Sometime after Ben finished his breakfast...

Japanese breakfasts are not very filling to Ben, who was used to eating a meal fit for a lumberjack as his way of starting the day. But he reminded himself that he was a guest here and that tastes are different from culture to culture. Ben found that out the hard way after Manny's candied bacon sent Yuki and Ran running to the bathroom. He finished before Yuuichi, Nayuki and Jun and thanked them for the meal.

"Hey, no problem Ben dude," Jun replied with a mouth full of food. "I'm just thankful that I was ultimately right about you after all. These EVO jerks are real buzz kills."

His reply was met with scorn from Yuuichi, who was giving him the look for both talking trash about innocent people mutated into monsters and talking with his mouth full. "I think what Jun meant to say was that we're glad you're here, Ben. Apart from Kickin' Hawk, Heatblast, Upgrade, and Clockwork, what else do you have in your watch?" he inquired, albeit with some reluctance on his part. Why Ben picked these names for his 'alien heroes' was quite beyond what he was used to

"About one million nine hundred and ten, give or take. I only have about ninety or so unlocked, and I haven't had time to name them all just yet," Ben admitted honestly, causing Yuuichi to do a spit take and spraying it all over Jun, grossing him out as he tried to wipe the miso soup off of his T-shirt. Ben was feeling a little bit guilty over what he had caused by accident. "Um..sorry 'bout that," he sheepishly apologized as he looked down in shame.

"Don't be too hard on yourself," Nayuki said in a gentle tone. "Yuuichi doesn't handle these sorts of things all that well." She then had an afterthought on Ayu and the fact that she was still not with them made her realize that Yuuichi was still grieving her loss. "I should tell you that he has his reasons for that. After Ayu, who was his closest friend got hurt during Yuuichi's last day, he just shut down and repressed his memories of this town."

Yuuichi saw that Nayuki was upset over what happened during that time. While much of the matter was resolved, the reopened wounds from that dark day will take time to fully heal, and even then, such a traumatic event never completely goes away. "I lashed out at Nayuki when it was never her fault to begin with. Plus, I hurt dear friends that were close to me by forgetting my time here. It took my parents divorcing to finally get me back here and fix what was broken." Yuuichi was close to tearing up from what he was telling Ben's knuckles turned white from gripping the table so tightly that Jun thought it would break from all the pressure he was putting on it.

"Yuuichi, you don't have to do this right now if you don't want to," Jun suggested kindly, but Yuuichi shook his head and continued on with his story.

"I don't know if it was fate, God, or karma that brought me back here, but I was able to repair what was broken for the most part. When Nayuki's mom got in a car accident, she shut down around the same time Ayu went away. Ayu was looking for a doll I brought her all those years ago that we buried in case we needed it. Shortly before the accident, we were able to find it and fix it, but we had no clue as to where she went. I nearly died trying to find her in a raging blizzard," Yuuichi recalled in a somber mood, his face full of emotion.

Nayuki knew that this was a touchy subject for him, so she stepped in to finish. "An old friend of his found him nearly dead in the snow, just as Jun found you, Ben. Yuuichi almost didn't make it, but he recovered and found Ayu shortly after we found out what she was," she said while wiping away tears. " I was so upset over what happened to my mom that I closed my heart from the world and would have stayed in my room if Kaori didn't get me out of my funk. I met up with Yuuichi later that day, and we were able to patch things up between us. I was being such a brat because-" Nayuki was crying her eyes out now, as she knew what happened next and she didn't want to say it.

Yuuichi finished the story for her, and what he said was beyond anything Ben had heard before. "After I found Ayu's red hair band, I learned from Mishio that the Ayu we met was an Ikiryo, or actually, her soul that had left her body in the hopes that she'd find what she was looking for. By the time I gave her back her doll, she returned to her body, but before that she gave us all a gift.

Ben was blown away by what he had just heard. The only other time someone separated their soul from their body was his cousin Gwen, and that was to save him from a glitch in the Ultimatrix. Up until today, he thought that magic was just alien science misunderstood. What he heard next made him a believer in magic once again.

"Since Ayu waited so patently for me to come back, she got a wish from the forces that protect this town. She used it to save our friends from the woes they were in and brought happiness back into our lives," Yuuichi said in a grim tone of voice. "Our dear friend Ayu paid a heavy price for her miracle to come to life. I'm not sure she'll ever recover from her coma now that her magic is gone," he quietly added, his eyes moist with tears. "Mishio has dealt with this before. When she gets here, she'll fill you in on what it takes for a miracle to truly come true."

Ben wasn't totally sure if he wanted to know what it takes for a dream to come true here, but he had to know. He heard a little about the rules of equivalent exchange from Charmcaster after he had saved her from Vilgax's Dark Horoscope plot, but to just give up your soul for a wish? That went against everything he believed in. The heroes in his comics never had to make those kinds of choices and when he gained the Prototype Omnitrix, he resolved to never sacrifice a life if he could help it. That line of thinking got him into conflict with Azmuth, but for the most part it served him well.

Ben wanted to ask more questions about just what the heck happened, but now was not the time to ask questions. Nayuki and Yuuichi needed time to themselves right now and he would give them that time.

Ben now knew that his perfect world was never so perfect as he had perceived it to be. He would have to work hard to bring not only the dreams he wants to life but those of the others as well.

A while later...

There was a little left to do for Yuuichi's aunt, and that was just cleaning up the house. An hour or so of vacuuming, and the place was looking nearly spotless. Yuuichi would never say this out loud, but both his aunt and her daughter had become as close as his parents once were. As was par for the course of children of divorcing parents, Yuuichi blamed himself for the failing of their marriage, though it was no fault of his own. They just fell out of love and separated out of the blue, leaving Yuuichi to pick up the pieces of his life.

Nayuki had been a big help in getting him used to the town, but nothing had prepared them for Ben Tennyson. Ben was his own category of weird, and even Jun told him out-front that he would not tolerate any of his aliens running wild in the streets. But at the same time, they felt sorry for the young man as he was the last of his kind in a sense.

Yuuichi was just about to open the door when it opened without him touching it. Standing outside was Mishio Amano, the girl who helped him make Makoto's last moments on Earth more bearable...the girl who was now his girlfriend.

"Good morning, Yuuichi. I believe that life has calmed down for us somewhat," she replied polity as she hung her brown jacket up on a free hook and took off her shoes. She was a case of contradictions, quiet but girly, intelligent if rather shy, friendly with a bit of curtness for those that she does not fully understand, and above all else, cute as a button.

"My life's never going to calm down, Mishio, and you of all people should know that," Yuuichi jested as he looked into her purplish-grey eyes. They held onto some sadness, but overall, they were filled with a sense of childlike wonder and wisdom beyond her years. When she was younger, she befriended a fox from the nearby hill, and that fox used its magical power to become human to stay with her.

Poor Mishio found out that kind of miracle took both its memories and later, the fox's life. Mishio never really got over the fact that the fox gave up its life to spend time with her and as a result, she withdrew into herself, becoming distant and aloof. When the fox Yuuichi played with became Makoto Sawatari, she was able to piece two and two together and found out that Makoto was on her way to the same fate that befell her fox friend. She didn't want to befriend Makoto as she feared she couldn't handle that kind of pain again. Yuuichi, however, was able to reopen her heart and shortly after, Mishio warmed up to Makoto until the latter died. The two of them, however, figured out that the foxes of the hill are friendly and that when it does happen again, they'll be ready for it.

When Yuuichi wasn't busy with helping the other girls with their problems, he hung out with Mishio, and the two grew closer together. Now they were lovers, but they were not willing to be openly lovey-dovey just yet. They were private people and that suit them just fine. Ben, however, was not an introvert, so the two discovered shortly thereafter.

Ben was clad in just his underwear, dancing like a fool while singing 'I like that Old Time Rock N' Roll'. He startled Mishio, making her auburn hair bounce up as far as her bob haircut would allow.

Glaring daggers at Ben, Yuuichi hissed, "What the hell are you doing?!" as he dragged Ben out of Mishio's line of sight. "I know we have no clothes for you, but I beg of you, please don't act like a goddamned jungle man!"

Ben crossed his arms in a huff, annoyed that Yuuichi didn't understand classic rock the way he did. "I can't go out in just my undies, and I'm bored. Don't you guys have a TV or a computer?" he whined, making Yuuichi pinch the bridge of his nose in frustration. This was noticed by Ben, who was not aware he'd messed up. "Sorry 'bout that. I hope I didn't spook your friend too badly," he apologized in shame.

"She's my girlfriend, actually, and you're welcome," Yuuichi responded with a gruff tone. Ben was not going to be easy to live with, that was for certain. "Jun was nice enough to get you some clothes to wear. Be sure to thank him when you see him next time, okay?" he told Ben as he headed back to where Mishio was.

A few minutes later, after Ben got dressed...

I guess things have gone full circle, Ben thought to himself after he saw that he was, once again, clad in a simple black T-shirt and blue jeans.

It did make sense, in a way. This was the same outfit he had worn when the Highbreed attacked, and he had grown to be a stronger leader. It was also the same outfit he'd worn when he reverted to a more childlike state of mind after the fame had gone to his head.

Now that he'd had time to mull it over, Ben realized that his ego was responsible for the death of his universe and the woes other universes had faced from Diagon's power. If he had been more mature, then Captain Nemesis would have never gone over to the dark side, taking Jennifer with him. The Flame Keepers would have never gained Julie as a member, and overall, everyone would have been much happier if he had just been a hero and not a showboater.

Looking at the Omnitrix on his arm, Ben was unsure of what he could do for these people. He'd only fought against EVOs once and that was with Rex and White Knight. He was now completely on his own, an idea that he loved to death as a kid. Alien X was his trump card, but he was unwieldy at best, due to the two other personalities in that form. So whatever he had unlocked would have to do for now.

Walking down the stairs, Ben saw that Yuuichi, Jun, Nayuki, and Mishio were ready and waiting for him. Suffering from cabin fever, Ben jumped at the chance to go walk about the town and see the sights.

A hour later in the shopping district...

Ben lucked out when he found a green jacket, much like the one he'd worn during the time he donned the Ultimatrix. What pretty much sealed the deal was the option of getting it customized to his liking, so he went with the deco his old jacket had on it.

"I know the stakes are higher than Cheech and Chong right now, but I do have time enough for vanity," Ben admitted, while adjusting his jacket. He was a little disappointed that no one got the reference he was making. "None of you have played 'Robocop VS The Terminator' for SNES? I can't believe you guys have not heard about one of the greatest SNES games of all time," he added, hoping to jar a response from someone.

"That game you mentioned was only released in North America,you simpleton," Yuuichi snapped as a vein throbbed in his forehead. Ben was tactless, and it was taking all of Yuuichi's willpower to keep from lashing out at him. But at the same time, he knew that Ben was on his own in a sense, and he needed them more than they needed him.

It was confounding, to say the least. All that power, and it went to a brat like Ben Tennyson.

The tense mood was relived once Nayuki and Jun saw that Kaori was heading towards them, a shopping bag in each hand. A second or so after, Yuuichi caught a glimpse of the brunette walking up to join their group. Nayuki stated to him, "Kaori wants to talk to us, Yuuichi," in her usual manner. Why she kept doing that thing where she reminded him of things that had already happened, he would never fully understand.

"Hey guys," Kaori greeted the assembled group with as much cheer as she could, given her awkward living arrangements right now. It's not easy to reconnect with a sister she admitted that she wanted to die in the hopes that she would never have to suffer again. Even though she had been granted a second chance, it was not a smooth transition for Kaori, who was feeling guilt over giving Shiori the cold shoulder and rightfully so.

However the matters regarding her family did not need to be brought up now. She greeted them in a polite manner and after she and Nayuki hugged each other as sisters would, she then addressed the elephant in the room: Ben Tennyson.

"I wonder who your new friend is?" Kaori asked the collected group as she brushed a lock of hair out of her face.

"I'm Ben Tennyson. I like to think of myself as a hero that fights against the forces of darkness. At least I was until my ego got the better of me and caused me a LOT of grief with both family and friends," he shamefully told them all. It's not easy sharing your faults with people you just met, but Ben wanted all that out in the open so he could focus on more important matters; namely getting rid of Diagon once and for all.

From the shadows someone else had overheard what Ben said, and she had to agree with him. "You always were a fathead, Ben. At least you now have the social grace to tell people you're nothing more than a flawed human being," the new girl said in a harsh and hurtful tone, her red eyes clashing with the white dress and jacket that she wore. Ben knew almost immediately that Julie Yamamoto was standing before them, the powerful Galvan sword held firmly in her left hand.

"Julie," Ben whispered in fear and shame, knowing full well she could not be saved this time. "Please forgive me for all the horrible things I've done to you," he sobbed as he selected Crashhopper and pressed down on the dial.

At least he thought he selected Crashhopper. Ben was now a little, yellow bug alien with a green neck brace, the Omnitrix set in the middle of it. "Ball Weevil?! Aw man, I wanted a bug, and I got the cute one instead!" he whined in his cute little voice. The girls agreed with Ben's admission of Ball Weevil being an adorable little fellow, with, "Awwws," telling Ben he was in a form that they found as cute as he thought Ball Weevil was.

Julie, however, couldn't care less. "Another stupid alien? You must hate your humanity if this is your answer to combat the heir of Diagon," she growled demonically as she raised her sword into the air, its blade glowing purple. "Arise, my EVO's and crush all hope from their bones!" the former tennis player snarled as four oddly-shaped beings teleported into Ball Weevil's line of sight.

To Yuuichi, Jun, Nayuki, Mishio, and Kaori's shared horror, they were fellow students that were mutated into freaks of nature. They were gray and were all wearing the male version of their school uniform, though all four were in various states of tatters. Powerful muscles bulged out as gold eyes shined at Ball Weevil, a look of primal hunger deep within them.

All it took was a simple "Kill them," from Julie to get the foursome to attack Ben, who was forced to defend himself from these unwilling EVOs. Ball Weevil coughed up a green ball and kicked it at one of his the green ball hit its target, a explosion burning the beast's uniform as it roared in pain. Mishio and Nayuki were grossed out by Ball Weevil's means of attack, but over all were glad that the cute little guy can defend like the best of them. "Eh Heh heh. Sorry 'bout that," he chirped and the look of Ball Weevil being sad just made the girls' heart melt with love over how CUTE the yellow alien was being right now.

"Are you done with being your usual self? If you are, you should keep in mind we're in danger here," Yuuichi snarked at Ben. His attention soon turned towards one of the EVOs, who was looking rather woozy from Ball Weevil's ball attack.

To our heroes' shock and horror, his head fell off of his shoulders, but instead of dying it was still standing tall and strong. It was unsettling to behold and Jun nearly hurled onto Kaori, who pushed him out of her way so she wouldn't get vomit on her. She cared a lot for Jun, however getting puke on her was something she cannot abide.

Ball Weevil was stunned by what he just saw. "I didn't mean to do it!" he pleaded. Thankfully his friends would believe him, as they know that Ben was not a killer at heart. No sooner than he has said that, all four of the EVOs' head fell off their bodies and started to float in midair, the headless bodies still ready to kill for their dark master.

Ben switched from Ball Weevil to a black and yellow striped form, pincer claws forming his feet and hands. A metal head was floating between two spikes on his shoulders, the Omnitrix firmly set in his chest. A loud cry of, "Lodestar!" confirmed that he was ready for action. Ripping the metal bars from the guard rails with his magnetic powers, Lodestar then threw them at the EVO's, knocking their bodies down, but the heads were still in action.

"Just what are you guys?" Lodestar asked, his brow furrowed in an attempt to figure out what the EVO's were. "Apart from EVO's, I mean." The heads fired heat beams from their mouths, forcing Ben to step back, lest he gets burned by a beam. Once he regained his bearings, Lodestar snapped, "I know you may be jerks too! That doesn't mean you have the right to attack me!" Lodestar soon regretted what he said once the EVO's headless bodies went after his friends.

"They're Nukekubi," Mishio gasped as the quartet advanced menacingly at her and her friends.

"Nuku-what bee?" Lodestar muttered in confusion as the head hovered in the air, eyes full of killing intent.

Jun was almost too terrified to speak. "D-Don't these guys attack by screaming at their prey? W-W-Why would they attack us?" he whimpered as the Nukekubi EVO's forced them into a corner with their heat beams.

"Some youkai are just...evil like that, Jun. No rhyme or reason is given for their attacks on normal humans," Kaori replied to Jun's question as tears of fear fell from her eyes

Lodestar was confused by what she meant by 'normal humans'. "Would you mind telling me what Kaori said about these Nukekubi dudes?" he asked in an honest manner.

Julie scowled at Ben's ignorance and told him what he needed to know in a harsh and cruel way. "In Japanese mythology, sometimes humans turn into youkai when they break Buddhism's laws or if they undergo tremendous emotional stress. These four were once perverts who wanted a 'better view'." Her lips formed a sinister smile as Lodestar looked on. "So I gave it to them. I am the heir of Diagon, the one who shall awaken the truth of humanity by using nanites to force people to become what I feel they should be."

"You're a monster," Yuuichi snarled at Julie. "These guys were just harmless onlookers and you turned them into freaks! How can you find any justice in what you have done?!" he barked as he swung his arm to the side in anger.

"She's not in her right mind, but she does have a point about perverts," Nayuki said in a motherly tone. "Girls do have the right to privacy, you know."

"I DESERVED BETTER THAN THIS, BEN!" Julie roared at her former boyfriend, causing him to flinch. "If you weren't so damned full of yourself, none of this would have happened! Gen would have never come to your world and I would have been happy, but noooo, you had to be the hero you wanted to be, didn't you? DIDN'T YOU?!" She calmed down a bit before saying, "Well, guess what? Now everyone can see the kind of hero you are; a crappy one!"

Soon, all four floating heads set the heat beams at Lodestar and Ben's new friends were horrified by the thought that he was dead. Instead of ashes, a green light flashed, and the beams missed the little frog alien Ben became by a good four feet.

"A little bit too much, if you ask me, Jules," Grey Matter said in his highly intelligent way of speaking. As he was dusting himself off, he added, "I know that I messed up royally with you. It doesn't take a Galvan's intellect to let me know that. However, I must ask of you, please leave these people alone. They have done nothing to you, and you know that, don't you?"

Julie's face turned beet red from her rage, once bottled up inside until she could hold it in no more "They helped you! That alone makes all of humanity my enemies!" she bellowed with all of her might, causing the humans below to cover their ears. It was clear that Diagon's soul had corrupted Julie to the point of no return.

As much as Ben hated to think about it, he knew he had to kill Julie lest she kill everyone else there and who knows where else. But the Omnitrix was close to timing out and these four EVO's were not just going to head off on their own. Making matters worse was the fact the Gray Matter was not known for his combat skills, save one little feature.

Thanks to Emoto and Azmuth reworking the Omnitrix, Ben regained his Ultimate Ben has ego problems, a failsafe was placed in its programming in order to keep Ben humble. In order for Ben to use it, he first had to befriend someone and then he could use the Ultimate preselected to that person's Zodiac sign. Since he had no idea if any of them were Capricorns, the sign set for activating Ultimate Grey Matter, he was in a bad spot. Ben was at his wit's end when he heard it.

The howl of a fox, wanting to help her friends one last time. Yuuichi and Mishio saw what appeared to be Makoto, the fox they knew who had taken a human form before her time ran out and she just...faded away. With one last howl, she went away for good, but an orb of light, marked with the sign of Capricorn, flew towards Grey Matter. Ben knew just what to do and had the Omnitrix absorb the light. Soon, four spikes jutted out of the dial in the formation of an X.

After that had happened, Ben was bathed in green light, and Ultimate Grey Matter now stood before the two groups. Now two inches shy of being two feet tall, muscle-bound, and having the skin texture of a bullfrog, U. Grey Matter was not one to be taken lightly. On his chest was the Capricorn symbol, and his body suit now left his arms bare.

"AW, YEAH! Brains and brawn baby!" he happily cried out as he decked a Nukekubi head that flew close enough for U. Grey Matter to hit. It span around in a sickening speed as it crashed into its body, knocking the monster out of the fight. Flexing his arms like a buffoon, he couldn't help himself to make a corny pun at the EVOs' expense. "Look at it this way. You're losing right now, but you haven't lost your heads yet," he quipped, his mouth forming a cocky smile.

Julie knew that this was now a losing battle and teleported from this fight in an angry haze of dark power. The Nukekubi were lost without their leader, but they still had a job to do. Of course they were rather dumb and just attacked U. Grey Matter one at a time, which proved to be their downfall.

The first one reattached his head and charged at Ben with all of his hate and rage. U. Grey Matter just tripped the EVO down, jumped onto his chest, and punched him with all of his might. The mutant was soon out cold, and Ben turned his attention to the remaining three. The second placed his head back and shot at Ben with his heat beam. He could not really be blamed for failing to take into account that Galvans are quite tricky to really pin down, and after a baker's dozen of these blasts, fell down from exhaustion. The third had the common sense to have his head go after U. Grey Matter, and let his body hunt down Yuuichi, Jun, Nayuki, Mishio, and Kaori. The fourth soon joined him in their joint attack on Ben, and their heat beams and savage strikes began to wear the Ultimate Galvan down.

This is bad. If I don't end this soon, everyone's going to die. I can't let that happen! Ben thought as the battle began to take its toll on Ultimate Grey Matter's body. Using the last of his adrenaline, he jumped onto the fourth and just started to punch him nonstop. His gamble paid off when the third's head flew into that of the fourth, knocking them both out as Ben returned to human form, wiped out from the harsh battle.

With Ben unable to fight, the others were on their own now.

With our other heroes...

Yuuichi would be the first to admit the town was as strange as could be, but EVO's, demon gods, and aliens? That was the sort of nonsense Jun would had loved to be a part of, if his life wasn't in danger right now.

The five teenagers were now running for their lives from a headless beast that was once a man. Even though they were nearly out of breath, stopping for a second meant death at the hands of a mutant beast.

Luckily there was a trailer that was, for the most part, empty. Climbing in and slamming the door shut, they were finally able to catch their breath.

"We…we should be safe here for a while," Mishio said, her voice worn out from all the heavy breathing while running from the EVOs.

Jun was near his breaking point as he rocked back and forth in a little ball, too terrified to even think of uncurling from the fetal position. "We're all gonna die," he sobbed as his tears flowed freely. "We are so dead. Killed by Ben's jilted lover, of all people. I should have never saved his life."

Nayuki was not pleased to hear this from Jun. "We would have been in danger either way. You did the right thing by saving his life. He's... a little awkward to be with, but he means well," she retorted in an annoyed way. "Ben's not the monster Julie says he is. He's polite, kind, and he might be kind of funny, if we could understand his jokes.

"Even though I've only known him for a little bit, Ben is willing to fight for us, even if we barely know each other. He's certainly a hero in my book," Kaori added as her eyes started to sparkle with newfound hope.

"Does this mean you want to be my boyfriend again, Kaori?" Jun pleaded in the vain hope Kaori will take him back.

"It's still too soon, Jun."

"AAWWW! Kaori, don't leave me hanging like this!"

However Yuuichi turned his attention to Mishio. "Was that who we thought it was?" he inquired as Mishio nodded to show she knew who the fox was.

"I sensed Makoto's presence during the latter part of the battle. Even the foxes know Ben is here to save us," Mishio whispered. She had a way of sensing what is not what other people can see, and it is this spiritual power that has both brought her joy and suffering. Though thanks to Yuuichi, the former is coming up far more often, and she was quite pleased with that fact.

But something was bugging Yuuichi, and he had to let the others know. "It's too quiet now. Something's amiss here," he stated in his usual, deadpan manner. "I'll go out and see if this 'EVO' is gone for good." Signing for the others to hide, he opened the door and saw a sight he thought he would never see.

All four EVOs were down for the count, though they were still alive. Standing in front of it was a tall, purple furred alien with white facial markings and an odd tan and orange tool on his back. He wore blue and black armor with the Plumber's symbol on his back. "I am Rook Blonko. I serve as Ben Tennyson's partner," he told them in a friendly and earnest way. "When Ben recovers, we shall see if we can cure these people of their mutations." Yuuichi was speechless! Here was another 'hero', and he knocked out an EVO with no trouble at all!

This is getting too damn weird, even for this oddball town, he thought while looking at the strange sight. But if there was any hope for a cure, then they may have a fighting chance.

Later in the day...

It was amazing how little time it took to round up all four EVO's and bunch them together so Ben could cure them all. With a beam of white light, Ben cured the EVO's, turning them human again. "You mind telling me what you guys were up to before you kept losing your heads?" Ben inquired with a puzzled look in his eyes.

"We were just enjoying the sights, man! But some red-eyed chick didn't like us peeking at her fine can, so this white-haired jerk injected us with some silver crap. Next thing we know, we're half naked and looking at some ugly gaijin," the leader of the foursome said.

Ben frowned a bit after being called ugly, but they really meant Rook. "I think community service would do you a lot of good. Why waste time up-skirting girls when you can help make your town even better?" he suggested. He was glad when all four nodded their approval and ran off to be better citizens.

"Hm. I didn't think it would that easy," Ben said with a hint of amusement. "Still, there's no point in looking a gift horse in the mouth-"

"There is no horse here, Ben. Please don't change the subject like that," Rook interrupted, making Ben a tad annoyed at Rook's lack of understanding of idioms. "We should go home. I'll need a place to stay and there are few planets that allow people to sleep on the streets without-"

Now it was Ben's turn to interrupt. "First off, where were you, dude? I've been worried sick about you."

Rook rubbed the back of his head nervously. "I'm embarrassed to tell you this, but I was lost. I was forced to live off of food thrown away and sleep in cardboard boxes," he admitted to his deep shame

Ben was blown away by what Rook told him. "Dude, that sucks! I think we may have to rework how things work around here if we're going to live here." His words helped improve Rook's mood and when he said that he could stay with him, Rook lit up and beamed a bright and happy smile.

Well, Ben found his partner, but we're still in danger from EVO's and his jilted lover. We may have been better off with Duke Nukem, Yuuichi thought to himself. Ben had so far proved himself as a capable fighter, if a little unorthodox.

Back at the Minase household...

The overall mood in the house was bittersweet at best. Ben found his partner and learned that he could cure EVOs, but now he knew for certain Julie was too far gone to save. Worst, Albedo was still alive and helping her with her dark plans for this world. Does it really take your life to make a miracle come true here? he thought as he scraped ice off the gate. The very idea of having to give up one's life for dreams was unsettling to him, and everyone there knew it.

Unbeknownst to all but Jun, Kaori had problems of her own. Her life had gotten a bit worse when it became public knowledge that not only was Shiroi her sister but also that she was ignoring her because she didn't want to face the fact that she could very well have died.

A week earlier...

"Sayuri found out about what you put your younger sister through, and she doesn't like it one bit," Sayuki scolded Kaori with a look of anger unlike her normally cheerful mood. While Sayuki was as cute as could be, with her intelligence, light grey hair held up with a green bow, and cute way of speaking, she had her own tragic past.

When she was younger, she gained a little brother, but his health was never all that great. Things normal people took for granted he was almost unable to do, like talking, for example. To Sayuri's eternal shame, she took her father's orders of making her brother tougher too far and was overly harsh on the little guy. It was just a day before he died did Sayuri show that she really did love him. The loss of her brother weighed heavily on Sayuri and one time, she tried to kill herself over how much grief she was in.

The attempt thankfully failed, but Sayuri would have the scar on her wrist the rest of her life. Sayuri also took to referring to herself in the third person as she could no longer see herself as a good daughter. As it's not uncommon for girls to refer to themselves in the third person, this was not seen as abnormal. She became more caring of others and when she found out that Kaori was giving her ill sister the cold shoulder, she could not stand by and let this be unpunished. There was no yelling, but her stern tone left Kaori in tears.

Back in present time, Kaori's house...

It had been only a week since that day and Kaori and Sayuri had not really gotten along well since. They were civil with each other, but there was no love between them. The stress of dealing with this and her breakup with Jun was finally getting to her.

As she sobbed into her pillow, she asked, "Why can't I be a better sister? I try to be kind and witty, but I end up just pushing people away for me." Soon all attempts at talking were drowned out by her loud sobs, muffed by her pillow.

Could she ever learn to forgive herself? That question has yet to be answered...

Next time: Ben and Rook go shopping and bump into Mai. However her aloof attitude sets off Ben, making dealing with a new EVO harder than it needs to be.

Are Ben and Rook up to the challenge?

Special thanks to darkin520 for beta reading this chapter. You rock!