Chapter 2
A new day dawns on Bellwood as its local hero waits for his flight out of the country for a change of scenery. He was informed that he will be staying with one of the residents who also teaches at the school he will be attending. Very convenient and great if he ever needed help with homework.
"Are you excited?" Gwen asks her cousin who was staring into space
"Oh, uhh yeah" Ben responded his mind was elsewhere as he was still thinking about what happened in his dream. Right now he is with his family as they see him off before he heads off to Japan.
"Relax Ben, I did some research and found out that most of your heroics barely make it past Europe. Most governments prefer not to acknowledge alien activity and that includes you." Grandpa Max said, reassuring his grandson. He was always Ben's sage for much-needed advice when things got rough on his adventures.
"And you only need to do a minimum amount of school work and you're basically a native with your Japanese," Gwen pointed out. Thanks to the hours of studying she dragged him through and the usage of the Ultimatrix's Translator, Speaking and understanding Japanese will be no issue. Also Ben had a decent amount of spending money on an international bank card which everyone, even Kevin, pitched in for anything Ben wanted to buy on his trip.
Ben gave everyone a Thank you, they all wanted to help him and that reminded the hero that he was never alone. An announcement calls for the passengers to start boarding the flight and Ben starts to say his goodbyes.
"Good luck, my boy," Grandpa Max said to Ben as Gwen hugged him,
"Be good Ben?" His mom said after giving him a bear hug. So proud of her son for taking charge of his education. Unfortunately, his dad had to go fix something for work but he paid for a nice breakfast for Ben before he flew out.
"Never Fly on an empty stomach, the food sucks on planes." His dad said with a smile before heading for work.
"Hey don't do anything I wouldn't do" Kevin said and everyone including himself started laughing.
The hero of Bellwood then said his last goodbyes before boarding his much-anticipated flight. When he got on he noticed there seemed to be a lot of empty seats even though the plane was about to take off…
'Eh, I must've gotten lucky.' Ben took his seat.
"Man this is gonna be nice..but why can't I shake the feeling something's gonna happen." Ben looks down at his watch and gives it a look over. Fragments of the strange dream filled his mind as he struggled to put the pieces back together.
He then shook his head.
"It's just a dream dude, relax. I highly doubt I'll be Going Hero anytime soon. Ben leans back in his seat.
"Wish I had first class though" He complains quietly as he spends the next eight hours in the plane until he finally lands in Japan at the Fuyuki airport.
As Ben was alone with his thoughts, they drifted towards the emptiness in his heart now that he was no longer with Juilie.
That moment when he decided to break up with Julie was still fresh in his mind even months after.
It was right after he convinced Ship to go back to Julie rather than be sold to some alien weapons dealer after saving his master.
"Hey, Julie. I know and can be a jerk sometimes." Ben said
"Sometimes?" Kevin and Gwen said in unison.
"I got this." Ben said to his friends.
"But, you're the only person in my life, Besides them, Who isn't impressed with all that other stuff. You know the real me, Faults and all and that's okay with you…Kinda. But…It's not fair to you at all, and maybe…I don't deserve you the way I am now." Ben said with a heavy heart.
"So, you're saying…" Julie couldn't muster up the words but she was understanding what Ben meant.
"...It's hard for me to say this…I need to figure things out with myself and I don't want to hurt you anymore. So it's probably for the best if we just stayed friends…If you even want to be friends that is" Ben said, bringing a shock to Gwen.
"W-wait Ben what are you-" Gwen was stopped by Kevin placing a hand on her shoulder and shaking his head.
"...I wouldn't mind that, Ben. It's difficult, but I understand why you are doing this." Julie said with a smile. She was proud of him for admitting his faults to her, even though it hurt her on the inside to break up with him.
"Ship?" The Mechamorph symbiote perks his head up.
"Ship, watch over her for me? Will ya?" Ben asked while petting Ship's head.
"Ship. Ship!" The blob nods.
"Thanks for getting Ship back for me." Julie said truthfully.
"Hey, it was those two doing all the work while I was being a complete doofus." Ben said, causing everyone to laugh.
He thought he would be ready to try again after a few weeks of getting his head together. But then his childhood hero, Captain Nemesis, turns villainous out of jealousy. He Kidnapped Julie and Jennifer Nocturne, an actress Nemesis had his eye on to force Ben into a choice of who lives or dies. Both were rescued thanks to Gwen and Kevin joining in the fight against the false superhero.
After Ben got angry at him for getting lost in the fame, he noticed that the man was almost a reflection of his ego as of late. Seeing this Ben knew he still wasn't ready to try again with love.
Even though his heart ached for the warmth of another…
Now here he was, going abroad to see new horizons.
After a very lengthy flight, Ben finally reaches his destination: Fuyuki, Japan.
"Man...The Rustbucket was more comfortable than that flight" Ben said while stretching his back. He then grabs his luggage and checks in his passport at the terminal desk. According to the extra credit document his school sent to him, he was to be rooming with another guy about his age, Emiya Shirou whose guardian is Taiga Fujimura. There are also notes of another person named Sakura Matou who was mentioned in additional information included in the document.
"Hopefully my Japanese doesn't sound rough. I'd hate to look like a doofus now." Ben said while he exited the terminal building and looked around for those mentioned in the document.
After a bit of walking, he saw a group of three holding a sign with his name on it. An older woman with light brown hair, a striped shirt and a green dress. Beside her was a guy redhead wearing what he guessed was the school uniform he was told they wore at the school. Finally, a girl was standing beside him with purple hair and eyes dressed in what must be the female school uniform.
Ben gave them a wave to get their attention and walked over to them to finally test if he passed the language barrier.
"Hello, are you Miss Fujimura, Shirou Emiya and Sakura Matou?" Ben spoke in clear Japanese which surprised them a bit before smiling as they didn't expect him to be so fluent in their language.
"And you I assume are Ben Tennyson" Taiga asked,
"Yep, that's me. Thanks for having me while I do this program." Ben said politely with a bow remembering what Gwen taught him.
"Here, let me help you with your bags" Shirou offered and Ben let him take his suitcase but he decided to look not too selfish and held onto his backpack.
"Thanks. Sorry, My mom overpacked a bit." Ben said, rubbing the back of his head.
"Oh that's no issue. I would do the same if Shirou was going off somewhere far." Taiga said as she ordered a taxi on her phone.
A gust of wind blew through them causing Ben's green jacket's sleeves to flap about. Ben quickly adjusted to avoid revealing the Ultimatrix before he busted his newfound privacy. He hoped that no one spotted it and breathed a quiet sigh of relief believing he was still in the clear.
"Tennyson-Senpai, how was your flight?" Sakura asked with a slight blush.
"Well let's just say my Grandpa's RV was better than that" Ben had to pause himself as he wasn't used to the term Senpai used by younger students. All of them got out of the terminal and into a taxi cab. Ben was relieved that no one seemed to recognize him as Ben 10 but just some foreigner. During the drive, Ben looked through his window into the city, it looked amazing when they reached the bridge.
"I have to fly around the city as Big-chill or Jetray at some point. Been around Bellwood for so long that a new city will be nice for once." Ben thought to himself as he took in the sights. So far he was having a good time, it's like his travels with Grandpa Max.
It was around late afternoon when they arrived at Shirou's home and Ben was led to his room by Shirou. The place was way beyond Ben's expectations, it was a small mansion with a heavy traditional Japanese look to it.
"Your room is a detached cottage with a western-style bed. I hope this helps to adjust to our home" Shirou says, leaving Ben to settle in.
"Thanks, I appreciate you having me. It Shouldn't take me long to adjust, I am used to travelling." Ben responded and grabbed his things.
"You travel a lot, Ben?" Shirou asked.
"Well, Mostly within America, it started out when I was ten and my grandpa dragged me and my cousin along for a summer trip across the country." Ben answered partially honestly as it wasn't his first time being out of the country but that was mostly due to his heroics.
"Ah, cool. Well, I'll let you settle in then. Dinner should be soon so I'll call you."
Shortly after he got up to look around the estate. Ben was amazed that only Shirou lived here while Taiga and Sakura came for daily meals whenever they were free. Ben sat at the ledge of the back entrance killing time before dinner. He pulled out his phone which was also a Plumber officer Issue com unit to text his family that he landed and the people he was living with are very nice. He checked out the veranda and took in the cool night air, it was well into the fall season and the air had a nippy chill. Alone, his thoughts turn towards the strange dream he had last night as he looked up at the full moon.
"Who was that girl? Why was she crying?" Ben ponders.
"Ben? Dinners ready!" Shirou popped in from down the hall
"Gonna have to admit...THIS FOOD IS AMAZING!" Ben declared as he chowed down on his dinner. His taste buds were greeted by the pleasant taste of high-quality home cooking by Shirou and Sakura.
"Thank you Emiya Senpai taught me everything" Sakura gleefully accepted praise for her cooking.
"Nah, we both have skills we traded and learned." Shirou tried to play off the praise as nothing much. Ben was surprised that he enjoyed the food, especially the tofu.
Ben looks up to find Taiga receiving a fourth from Sakura. Ben held back a small chuckle thought Upchuck's race had an appetite.
"So Ben, what did you do at home as a pastime?" Taiga asks Ben.
"Well, when I'm not watching TV or playing games I do…" Ben had stopped himself since they don't know anything about the Ultimatrix or the enemies he fought.
"I've done a lot of..volunteering for the neighbourhood watch that my grandpa managed" He wanted to be honest but he also didn't want to freak out his new housemates so he told a half-truth about him working with his grandpa. To Shirou, Ben sounded like a person who liked helping others.
"So why do you volunteer?" Shirou asked
"Because it just felt right. Protecting others without asking for much in return" Ben answered truthfully. Shirou understood what Ben meant, Protecting the innocent is the right thing to do.
"You remind me of Shirou, especially the time wrote an essay about him becoming a hero" Taiga brings up out of the blue
"Oh Fuji-nee, I was a kid back then!" Shirou snapped back, fighting her teasing.
"Senpai was like this when he was younger?!" Sakura asked with amazement.
Sakura was overloaded with the idea of a cute young Shirou presenting this essay. From seeing this Ben knew that the time he was here was gonna be interesting. Then he saw that most of the food was gone, taigas plate was full of food. If Ben learned anything from Shirous' guardian, it is that she has an inhumane appetite that could challenge Upchunk. Now that he was settled in smoothly at Shirou's place it made him interested in what school was like here since now he wasn't going to be spotted.
The next day comes after a stress-free sleep so now Ben was following Shirou and Sakura to school the morning after. Ben was glad that the school uniform jacket had a long enough sleeve to cover the Ultimatrix because he could not wear his regular green one due to the dress code. Unfortunately, it did not cover the bruise on his left hand that appeared when he woke up.
"So, Sakura, I guess hang around out at Shirou's a lot," Ben asked, trying to make light conversation.
"Yes, Years ago Senpai got injured so I was asked by my Brother to help him out. I have been visiting Senpai most of the time since then." Sakura answered.
"It got so common I ended up giving her a house key just to make things easier. Speaking of which. Sakura, I'm sure you have your own activities so you don't have to come over everyday." Shirou said to his Kouhai. He appreciates her helping at his place with the cooking and cleaning but he didn't want to take up all of her free time.
"No, I don't have much to do. I don't go out to have fun on weekends unless I have something planned or personal matters." Sakura said while still smiling. Ben found it a little odd for her to smile while admitting she doesn't go out much. He just guessed she must be a little introverted outside of school then.
"Well, you got a new friend to hang out at his place then. I hope you don't mind that then." Ben said.
"Hehe, Of course Tennyson-Senpai." Sakura said as they reached the school grounds.
"Here we are Ben" Shirou stated their arrival. They did not look that much different from his school at home other than it looked like students were allowed on the rooftop with the visible safety fences on top. So nothing really out of the ordinary, not that he was looking for anything strange in the first place.
"Senpai. Your hand!" Sakura pointed out that Shirou was bleeding a bit from his left hand.
"You ok?" Ben asked.
"Odd. I don't remember cutting myself. Maybe it was from me fooling around with the junk in the shed." Answered as Shirou rolled up his sleeve.
Sakura looked at both boys concerned. First Ben got a bruise which she saw even though he tried to hide it and now Shirou got a cut.
"It doesn't hurt or anything, and it'll heal by itself, it's nothing to worry about." Shirou rolls his sleeves down.
"Alright, if you say so, Senpai." Sakura said with a smile as someone else entered through the gate behind them.
"G'morning Emiya!" Another female student with brown hair and hazel eyes called out.
"Oh, it's you, Mitsuzuri." Shirou said, greeting his friend.
"What do you mean, 'It's you.' Still flat out cold as usual, Emiya." Mitsuzuri said, causing Ben to chuckle a bit since she wasn't wrong.
"I'll be going then." Sakura said before excusing herself from her Senpai's.
"Oh who is this Emiya?" Mitsuzuri asked, noticing the brunette boy standing beside him.
"Ah, He's the student from America that is staying at my place for the semester." Shirou answered.
"Hiya, I'm Ben Tennyson." Ben said with a wave as Mitsuzuri got a good look at him.
"I see, Welcome to Fuyuki then, Tennyson. I hope you enjoy your time here. I'm Ayako Mitsuzuri, Captain of the Archery Club here at Homurahara Academy." She said
"Hey, that's pretty cool. I'm a bit of an athlete myself. Did a bunch of sports then settled on being a goalie for my school's Soccer team. Won a few medals over the years" Ben said, welcoming the fellow athlete.
"Oooh! That's awesome. Maybe you should stop by the Archery Club then and give our sport a try, eh? Maybe it'll piss off Shinji enough to actually focus for once." She said Ben did ponder the idea for a bit since he was pretty good at shooting thanks to his experience with all his experience as Aliens.
"I'll think about it, I gotta get through my first day here." Ben said.
"Ah then feel free to stop by during lunch if you are still interested. We are in the Dojo over there." The Archery Captain pointed towards one of the smaller buildings.
"Is Shinji still giving you trouble?" Shirou asked, noting the comment about Sakura's Brother: Shinji Matou.
"Ah him…He's been going overboard lately. The second my eyes are off him, he starts doing whatever he wants. A while ago, he made guys that were complete beginners shoot arrows in front of the girls…" Ayako explained as they entered the main building and swapped their school shoes.
"He made them look like complete fools until they could hit the target." She finished her story which gave Ben a very sour first impression of Shinji. Sounded like you typical sports blowhard only doing it to impress girls.
"Don't tell me you're just going to let him go on like that." Shirou asked, slightly annoyed by the news.
"Of course not! But being the captain really keeps me busy; I can't always be around in the dojo, so I can't catch him in the act. Even if I question Shinju, he just runs away laughing. Damn it, it's pissing me off." Ayako said, clenching her fist.
"Not to sound too harsh but that guy is really just a regular jerk and a show off. Lucky for you their ego's are very fragile so all it takes is one slip up for them to come crashing down." Ben said while winking at Ayako.
"Hehe, I see. Makes sense, he did get rejected by Tohsaka Rin. So that must be why he's acting out. Anyways, Emiya, you must be busy showing Tennyson around so I'll see you guys later" She said before heading off to her class.
"You're interested in Archery, Ben?" Shirou asked after shaking his head at the thought of a particularly mentioned girl.
"A little bit. Never really got the chance to try it out at my school so why not? My Grandpa and Cousin are always bugging me to try new things." Ben said as they headed for Homeroom with the teacher being none other than Taiga herself.
She burst into the room right as the bell went off and fell over. Looking completely passed out. It concerned Ben a bit, but Shirou told him to wait a moment before acting. The rest of the class then all said "Wake up, Tiger!"
After she did her Homeroom duties the first-period teacher stepped in. He wore a green suit, glasses, and had dark hair all topped with a very chilling stoic expression.
He took the attendance sheet from Taiga as she left and gave it a once over. He then stares directly at Ben with an intense stare briefly before starting the class.
'Man this could give Big-chill a cold from that stare…Does he know who I am?.' Ben thought to himself as began his classwork. Lunch break started afterwards and Shirou decided to lead him to the roof where a lot of students tended to hang out in case Ben wanted to go there for lunch in the future.
"So this is the rooftop, it's a common place for people to hang out for some peace," Shirou said as Ben took in the view. He was right, it was a nice place to chill during free time while at school. They both then heard footsteps walking by them as a noir-haired girl with teal-coloured eyes walked past them.
"Friend of yours?" Ben asked as Shirou seemed to give her a look of respect.
"N-no, Not really. That's Rin Tohsaka, one of the top students here." Shirou stammered talking about the target of admiration.
"Got a crush on her?" Ben asked with a sly look on his face that seemed to only fluster the redhead more.
"Well…I-I guess but I'm in the same boat as every other guy here. I only have a slight admiration for her." Shirou stammered as Ben giggled.
"Dude, Relax. I ain't one to judge. Anyways, back to the tour?" Ben said.
Now he was following Shirou to the student council room to eat lunch with a friend of his and Ben accepted feeling quite hungry.
"Hello Shirou and Ben Tennyson right?" Ben was introduced to the navy-haired student that was the head of the student council.
"Yeah that's me you must be Issei" Ben answered. After introductions, Ben opened the lunch that Sakura made for him.
'Man, That girl is gifted. She could teach my mom a thing or two' He thought as he started to enjoy his lunchbox. As the trio ate Ben could see that Issei had something on his mind but was choosing not to talk about it.
"Something on your mind? I can step out if it's personal." Ben asked politely.
"Oh no it's not like that ...Well I hate to tell you that once school is done for the day you should head straight home…There have been incidents recently in town" Issei said and Ben was confused.
"What incidents?" Ben asked as he thought this city was pretty calm when he arrived.
"Well I'm not gonna sugarcoat it: there has been a case of murders going around town," Issei said honestly which caused Ben to stop eating. Someone was going around killing people and that's a big No-No in Ben's book as a hero.
"Little to no evidence was found and the one thing they could point out that the murders were done with a blade or spear" Shirou grew quiet, he hated this he thought the police would catch him
"I'm sorry about this Ben, I should've warned you earlier," Shirou said, quelling his frustration on the matter.
"Don't worry about it. I'll be careful and head home right after school. Taiga would have my head if I didn't" Ben assured as got back to eating his delicious lunch and suppressed the urge to talk about it further. He can be Going-Hero just yet, he needs a few days to think things out and Maybe give Gwen a call about it.
"Alrighty, I think I'll go check out the Archery Club. Ayako invited me earlier." Ben said while cleaning up.
"Ahh, thinking of joining up for the semester? That's nice to hear. Shirou himself used to be in for a while. He was at the top of his team during those days." Issei mentioned while sipping his tea.
"You kid yourself, Issei, I am not that good. You good to head there yourself Ben?" Shirou said not too into his accolades.
"Yeah I remember which building it was. Worst case scenario I'll just chill on the rooftop instead." Ben said while heading out.
"Well then, Perhaps in the meantime you could provide your services once again? I got another piece of equipment on the fritz again." Issei asked and Shirou instantly agreed to help out.
After a few moments of walking Ben found his way to the Archery Club where they were doing a lunch period practice session today. He wondered if was going to look rude just waltzing in as an outsider but luckily he spotted Ayako talking to the girl Shirou mentioned earlier, Rin Tohsaka.
"Hey! Ben, Decided to come and check out the club?" Ayako spotted and called him over.
"Yeah, I figured why not. Sounds like fun." Ben answered before taking a Glance and Rin who seemed to be politely minding her own business eating her lunch.
"Nice. Come on in! Sakura is in and knows you might be coming. she'll handle showing you around since I got lunch to eat and Captain stuff to deal with." Ayako said.
"Thanks a lot, Ayako. See you around." Ben said and he entered the Dojo.
"Who was that?" Rin asked now that they were alone.
"Oh, that's Ben Tennyson, The foreign kid from America here for an extra credit program our school is a part of. He's living at Emiya's during his stay and seems like a real nice guy so I doubt he'll cause trouble" Ayako said before returning to her lunch break. Rin just nods before doing the same.
"Tennyson-Senpai!" Sakura said waving at him and Ben quickly walked over to the purple-haired kouhai.
"Hey, Sakura! Nice to run into you here. I didn't know you were into Archery." Ben said happy to see a familiar face here.
"I joined during Senpai's time here as a part of the team. I've been here ever since then." Sakura answered while wearing her Archery gear.
"Well then. Feel free to show me the ropes." Ben said and Sakura cheerfully accepted and took him to an empty range. She showed him some of the basic techniques and the gear they used. Sakura then lands a shot at a near bullseye, proving her skill at the sport.
"*Whistles* Nice. Is it alright if I take a go at it? As long as it's not breaking any rules or anything." Ben asked politely.
"That won't be a problem. I am experience enough to guide-"
"Guide this foreigner to humiliate himself?" A male voice interrupted Sakura. Ben turns around to find another male student still in uniform with blue hair and matching eyes. His whole vibe seemed to give a sense of narcissism and an over-inflated ego.
"...and you are?" Ben asked with a raised brow.
"Shinji Matou. One of, if not, the best Bow-men here at Homurahara Academy. Surely you must be impressed?" The man said. Ben did a double take as he realised that Shinji shared the same last name as Sakura. Meaning that they were most likely brother and sister, and he started to feel bad for Sakura if Ayaka's words were true.
"Ben Tennyson." The green-eyed teenager offered his name but Shinki just seemed to be even more uninterested.
"Whatever. Why is this Foreigner here Sakura? I am getting tired of these unskilled whelps waltzing in." Shinji demanded, causing the younger Matou to stutter.
"B-because...I-I..."
"Ayako, The team CAPTAIN, invited me here, who if I recall you are one thin ice with. Sakura here is just showing me the ropes and is doing an amazing job at it." Ben said, Standing up for his friend and giving Shinji an unimpressed stare to mock him. This guy was now identified as a bully in Ben's eyes so he was going to do what he could to kick his ego down a notch.
"So, you think you are a hotshot eh? Well then, prove it. Hit a bullseye then! Or are you too much of a coward to even try" Shinji said and Ben smirked.
"Alright, Bet: I win then you have to be nice to apologise to Sakura. If I lose then I won't come back here. Deal?" Ben said, offering what seemed to be an easy win for Shinji.
"Hah! Deal! Just don't come crying to me when you lose!" Shinji Laughed. Everyone else in the club started to crowd around them as they overheard the bet.
"W-wait, Tennyson-senpai. You don't have to…"
"Hey, it's okay. I got this." Ben assured Sakura with a wink.
"Okay…" Sakura then set him up with a bow and a single arrow. Ben then walked up to the firing line. Copying the techniques Sakura showed him he easily got into position and eyed up his targets. He knocked an arrow onto his bow and drew it back with ease, Taking a few more moments to line up his shot.
"It's Hero Time" Ben whispered to himself and let the arrow fly.
Everyone went silent as the arrow flew and then landed on the target…Right at the centre of the Bullseye.
Ben then turned around and the crowd started to clap while Shinji was left to seeth.
"You little…How did you make that shot? You must've done this before in your home country and are lying about being a beginner. Thus you cheated!" Shinji tried to proclaim.
"Nope. I am a Goalie back at home. Won a few tournaments for my school's sports team. Sakura must be a really good teacher to help me land that shot." Ben said, with a smug look on his face.
"Oi, Shinji!" Ayako then approached them through the crowd, causing him to freeze up.
"I saw the whole thing. You were trying to pull your usual crap, but this time I caught you." She said furious with him.
"Mitsuzuri, I-I was just kidding around." Shinji stammered.
"I have had it! I should have you kicked out." Ayako said, furiously.
"I wouldn't go that far," Ben said getting confused looks from Both Ayako and Shinji.
"All he needs to do is apologise to Sakura, then we're good. Right, Shinji?" Ben said, giving him an olive branch out of this situation.
"Y-yeah! I am Sorry Sakura, I won't bother you again about this!" Shinji said reluctantly but it was Good enough for Ben.
"There we go. I doubt it's going to be an issue again, Ayako. You can relax now." Ben said, giving her a wink and Ayako smiled.
"Very well, Shinji. Take this as a warning then. No more showing off or I will kick you out of the team. Oh, and you are in charge of cleaning up the place after school today" The team captain ordered.
"Gah…Fine!" He then left humiliated but still on the Archery team.
"You okay Sakura?" Ben asked.
"Y-yes! Thanks for not being too hard on my brother." She said with a blush on her face.
"No problem. Sometimes people need to be taught a lesson. Now, shall we get back to Archery stuff?" Ben said. It felt really good putting that jerk in his place. While yes he had no experience using a bow, his time with his long-range aliens gave him an edge.
"Of course!" Sakura said cheerfully and was surprised to hear that he still wanted to continue. However, a deep concern grew within the back of her mind. She knew Shinji wasn't to take what Ben did to him kindly.
'I hope Tennyson-Senpai is who I think he is…' Sakura thought as she continued her lesson. Ben hung out at the Archery club for a little longer, spending time with Sakura and Ayako who were impressed with his aim. They all had some fun before lunch was about to end and Ben headed back to class.
When he exited the building he heard some rustle of the trees near the building and turned around. He found nothing but he couldn't shake the feeling he was being watched…deciding to keep the peace he heads to his next class and figure it out later.
The rest of the day goes by without a hitch and now Ben was walking home with Taiga Sakura went home because she needed to do something and Shirou was probably doing something for the student council.
"So, Ben, how was your first day at Homurahara Academy?" She asked as they walked.
"It was a pretty nice change of pace from my regular school and I met some nice people along the way.
"That's good to hear. I heard you were at the Archery club today, Considering joining up?" Taiga said welcoming the idea.
"Hehe, While it was pretty fun, it would be a little odd for a foreign student to join up when they are only here for a semester." Ben said but Taiga came up with Idea.
"Well then, how about you join in the fun during the holiday festival? The archery club hosts a small tournament during it and it's all for good fun." Taiga offered. Ben did like that idea would be a fun thing to do near the end of his visit.
"That sounds fun. I'll keep it in mind." Ben said truthfully.
They arrive at Shirou's home Taiga explains to En that she had to go home to finish marking assignments.
"Shirou should be home soon, if you get hungry Sakura made sandwiches just in case none of us were here" Taiga then leaves. Ben did like the hospitality but it felt like maybe he was getting treated like a kid with a babysitter.
He decided to spend the rest of the afternoon getting his homework done since he was here to improve his grades.
As the sun set on the city, Ben was still at Emiya's family home alone and the thoughts of what Issei said were beginning to linger in his head...Part of him wanted to go out and find the murderer but that would be difficult with the curfew and without any help.
"UGH ...I hate this. ". Ben groaned as he went to the kitchen to grab some food. He opens the fridge and spots the sandwiches Taiga mentioned earlier. He began to chow down until he heard the front door slide open so he stopped raiding the fridge to greet his friend.
"Shirou must be home," Ben thought and went to greet him. However, he didn't expect him to have bloodstains on his uniform…
"What the….Shirou! Are you okay!?" Ben asked as he rushed to his friend who looked like he was stabbed in the chest. Both of them went to the kitchen and Shirou explained what happened.
"I was cleaning the archery range when I heard fighting and ran outside. What I saw were two men fighting: One with twin swords and other with a spear" Shirou said as he placed a hand over his wound.
"The spear guy heard me so I ran but he caught me...I think he killed me." Shirou said, confusing Ben as he saw that his wound was fully healed and his friend was still very much alive.
"Well, thankfully you're not dead. Anything else you can tell me?" Ben asked.
"I think someone helped me…Everything was all fuzzy until I left the school grounds." Shirou said. Ben then and there decided that he needed to figure out what the heck was going on
Then the wind chimes shook causing Ben to raise a brow but Shirou knew what that meant, the Magic boundary field in his homestead was signalling an intruder.
"Man, I never thought that I would be killing the same guy twice," the blue spearman said as he phased in out of nowhere. Then he looked towards Ben and let out a sigh as now he has another witness to kill.
"Sorry kid looks like it's the end of the line for you" he spoke with an Irish accent.
Ben was about to go, a hero when Shirou deflected his weapon with a magically reinforced rolled-up metal poster.
"We gotta get out of here! Ben! Down the hall!" Shirou yelled and the boys ran to the backyard. As both boys reached the backyard Shirou was kicked across the yard by the man while trying to protect Ben.
"SHIROU! Ok that's it!" Ben powered up the Ultimatrix and a hologram of large beings made of crystal and stone appear on the face of the device.
"IT'S HERO TIME!" Ben Stated and slammed his hand down on the watch engulfing the area in a green light. When the light dies down Ben was no longer human but he was the Petrosapien crystal Alien form he named Diamond head
"DIAMOND HEAD"! He shouted, ready to fight the spearman.
"Shirou get the shed I'll deal with Tights over here" Ben told Shirou to run, Shirou could only nod due to the shock from what he just saw. The guy he just met transformed into a monster made of crystal.
"OK let's dance." Diamond head challenged the spearman. Lancer didn't know what was going on but he welcomed an actual fight for once so he accepted the creature's challenge.
'Diamond head changed his hand into spikes to combat the man's spear as they clashed. Spear against alien crystals caused sparks to fly across the yard.
"Who are you!?" Diamond's head asked as he fought the intruder.
"Sadly I can't tell you my name but call me Lancer" he answered tauntingly.
Diamondhead slashed upward to parry away the spear and follow up with a jab to the chest but the Lancer dodged in and took another slash at his opponent causing sparks to fly. The diamond head was a very durable form for Ben so the spear's damage didn't hurt him.
"Got to say, whatever you are. I'm enjoying this but my time is limited" is jumped back and his spear was beginning to glow a deathly red.
"So I'll just take your heart now!" he glared at Ben with the promise of death. Ben was ready his spear wasn't affecting his stone hide he dashed at Lancer. Lancer smiled and unleashed his spear. Ben sensed something was wrong...like if he didn't do anything to block the attack it would kill him.
"GAE BOLG" Lancer shouted stabbing Ben toward his heart.
"Ugh!" Diamond Head was knocked back to the shed and slowly tried to get back up.
Diamond Head took a hit that blew a large crack in the right side of his chest where his human heart would be. The pain was immense, even for a Petrosapien it felt like his chest was ripped apart. Diamond Head tried to regenerate the crack but it was taking it's swell time to do it.
"Dang. Why is it so hard to heal up now?" Ben grunted as he got back onto his feet.
Lancer was stunned. This creature dodged...no he deflected his spear at the last second but even that should have killed him.
"Well, it's the end for you no matter what" Lancer walked toward the wounded Golem.
Shirou could only watch in horror as was in the shed hiding from the fight. Now Ben was wounded and the enemy was ready to finish him off.
"This can't happen.." Lights begin to trace a pattern on the floor…
"Ben's a hero, A champion of justice"
A symbol printed itself on his left hand.
"I have to do something!" Shirou was about to go out and save Ben when a light engulf the shed and knocked him down.
"I ask you, are you my master?" an oddly British-sounding voice said.
Back outside, Ben was in trouble; his wound wasn't closing fast enough Lancer was approaching him.
"I can't go out like this, I gotta think of something" He put all his willpower into regenerating. Then something dashed out of the shed and attacked Lancer. When Ben looked up he saw a girl in knight armour attacking Lancer with vigorous strength and skill. She made the Forever Knights look like kids playing Dress up with how she was fighting against the man in blue tights. Ben refocused and noticed crystal fragments on the ground and got an idea. He raised his hand and the crystal began to move to him like metal to a magnet. He then filled the cracks with the fragments and sealed the wound from the outside and he started to feel better.
The knight attacked the lancer and he clashed back.
"Cheater! How dare you conceal your own weapon" Lancer said, annoyed trying to deflect an invisible sword. The girls didn't react and continued her assault while Ben and Shirou watched. She sends Lancer sliding back across the yard with a mighty blow.
"What's the matter, Lancer? Standing around Idly disgraces the reputation of your class. If you are not attacking, then the pleasure shall be mine. " She said, calling out Lancer's defensive stance.
"Let me ask you this then: is your Noble phantasm a sword?" he guessed as he took a stance against his enemy with an invisible weapon
"Now, what could it be? A axe, a spear? No it could even be a bow, could it not?" She replied while hiding her eyes with her blonde hair.
"Spare me the jokes, Saber" Lancer wasn't falling for it, she was a Saber class servant. His spear began to glow red again and Ben knew what was coming next. He fires a burst of shards at the lancer, Forcing him to cancel his attack. Ben ran up next to the silver knight and gave her a nod while raising his fits. She was surprised at first but accepted the assistance and refocused on Lancer.
"Looks like it's two against one! If you are smart you will back down and tell me why are you
killing innocent people!" Diamond head said standing next to the knight ready for a tag team fight.
"Heh, I like you kid, I would never back down from a fight as interesting as this. Sadly my master is a coward and told me to retreat if I were to become outnumbered. Do chase me though, I need a reason to fight you!" Lancer leaves by leaping into the air with superhuman strength.
"Ugh, Figures. There is always someone pulling the strings." Diamond head commented.
"Yes, Unfortunately there is." She then looks over at the creature who assisted her.
"I took it then you were fighting him before I was summoned?" She asked.
"Yeah. Got me good for a second there when his spear was glowing. Screamed 'Gae Bolg'! and BAM I was on the ground." Diamond head mentioned, while being a little confused why she said 'Summoned'. Was his friend a magic user like Gwen?
"Wait? Gae bolg? That means he's Cu Chulainn! Ireland's son of light. You survived his spear?" The knight asked and the Alien nodded.
"Are you two alright?" Shirou said exiting the shed seeing that the fighting has ended.
"Mostly, yeah I am good. Who's your knightly friend, she kicks major butt" Diamond Head said.
"I um…She just appeared then she instantly went after that guy." Shirou said, still collecting his thoughts on what just happened.
"What I wonder now is what are you? Not to sound rude to anything." Shirou said.
"Oh, right. One sec!" Diamond head then taps the green hourglass symbol on his chest and one green flash later he reverts to human.
"Ok I'm not a monster, I just have this to transform me…." Ben said, revealing the ultimatrix and well something else...A red symbol on his hand
"That wasn't there before…" Ben and the others are staring at his hand. Shirou noticed that he also had a symbol on his hand as well. Causing even burning questions to pop up in his head.
"Master, do you have questions?" The armour lady asked, seeing the confusion on both boys.
"That would be appreciated." Shirou said.
"I am your servant for the Holy Grail War: Saber class, Master. Please address me as: Saber" She responded respectfully.
"I-I see: that's a weird name. I'm Shirou Emiya and this is Ben Tennyson," Shirou decided to give some proper introductions.
"Hey there and Thanks for saving my hide" Ben Thanked Saber with a smile. This for some reason made her less wary as she didn't sense any malice in his voice but Saber was still on alert.
"You are welcome and I appreciate the assistance Ben." Saber said, thanking him before addressing her master.
"Master your orders?" she asked Shirou.
"Hey, can you stop calling me Master?" Shirou said, detesting the title as it made it sound like she was his slave.
"Then I shall call you Shirou..Yes I prefer this" Saber accepted his request.
"I guess that leaves just what just happened here. I hope you can fill us in." Ben asks as he now understands there was something bigger going on here and Fuyuki can ignore it.
"I understand. You two are Masters, but appear to not be informed properly. Shirou is my Master for the Holy Grail War. Having made a pact with you, I will never betray you. Ben that leave you without-"
Shirous hand then tenses up as the red markings on his hand glow. Saber knew what this meant enemies were approaching their position.
"Master, there are intruders!" She jumped and scaled the wall to the front of the Estate. Shirou quickly dashed after her.
"Never a dull moment for a guy like me, eh?" Ben sighed as it looked like his downtime was over and now it was Hero Time once more. The boy was about to follow until a light radiated from the shed, stopping him in his tracks. Wondering what was going on in there, he entered the shed and took a look inside.
Who he saw was a complete shock to his being…The girl who was crying in his dream was now standing in front of him.
Ben just stared at her, speechless, as if this very moment he would remember for the rest of his life.
The rosy pink hair.
The curious golden colour eyes.
The very instant lasts for an eternity.
Standing there in the moonlight revealing her true nature.
The fox tail and ears...
"I am a servant Caster answering your summons." There was a long pause as Ben's words were stuck in his throat from the overwhelming beauty his eyes were taking in.
"My my, are you stunned by my beauty? Are you going to say anything?" She said, snapping him out of his stupor. Ben was still in shock at the sheer beauty of the girl now walking towards him. This girl was the girl from his dream, just without the hood covering her face.
"Judging By the command seals on your hand you must be my master" She continued.
"Master? Servant?" Ben thought in confusion before looking back to the symbol on his hand which was now glowing.
"As your servant, I will never betray you." She walked over to Ben causing him to blush up a bit as to him she was really cute. The girl looked at him up and down and nodded.
"Such strong soul energy coming off you. You must be someone special eh?"
Meanwhile in front of the Emiya estate
Saber charged at the man in Red and wounded him with a slash to the chest.
"ARCHER DISAPPEAR," a female voice said the red knight disappeared along with a command seal. The girl tried to fend off Saber with her magic but the knight's armour nullified it. Saber was going for the kill...And Shirou didn't want that.
"SABER STOP" the boy yelled and Saber did pause.
"Master this is an enemy and they are to be slaine in this war" Saber scolded her master.
"Look we just met you, We don't know what the heck is going on but you stop we will listen!" Shirou pleaded.
"I won't follow such orders," Saber responded.
"So a servant, Saber, won't obey her master?" The girl asked and made Saber realise something and stop her current actions. The voice stepped forward revealing a girl about Shirou's age with black hair, blue eyes and wearing a red sweater with a short skirt.
"Good evening, Emiya-kun" Tohsaka Rin.
Back at the shed, the emerald hero decides to finally speak up to break the awkward silence on his end to look less of a doofus in front of the very pretty girl.
"I'm Ben Tennyson, " he said.
"Hello, Ben Tennyson, I guess your nickname is Ben Ten?"Caster said to hopefully open up the conversation even more.
"Heh, yeah I get that a lot,'' Ben said.
"So…You said your name is Caster right?" He asked, trying to find bearing on who she was.
"Well, For now, it is. It's my title as your servant. I am your adorable and dependable Shrine Maiden Fox, Caster!" She said with a spin showing off her looks in a cutesy fashion. Ben had turned around to compose himself with how pretty she was and think about what kind of situation he had just been thrown into. He was just attacked by a warrior with a spear, a knight came to his aid and now a magical fox girl was calling him her 'master'.
"Is something wrong, Master?" Caster asked, tilting her head to the side causing Ben to blush a bit from her cuteness.
"I-It's just been a crazy evening for me. I just got home and found out my friend got attacked by some jerk with a spear. I fought him off to save him-" Ben was then interrupted by Caster's tail poofing up along with a worried look in her eye.
"W-what!? A Spear?! Did Lancer get to you already before you could summon me? Mikonnnnn, You need to be more careful, Master. Are you hurt?" Caster said dashing around Ben looking for injuries.
"Hey! Calm down. I only got hurt a little bit but now I am good. Besides, I know my way around a fight against bozo's like him." Ben said.
"Are you sure, Master?" Caster asked him, looking at him with her beautiful hazel-coloured eyes.
"Yes, I am alright. Anyways, can you please just call me Ben if that is not too much to ask? Calling me your master doesn't sit well with me." He said politely.
"Very well, Ben. I will respect your wishes." Caster said before her ears twitched as she sensed people approaching.
"Ben? You around?" Shirou called from outside.
"Oh man, I gotta go check on the others!" Ben said heading out of the shed. Caster remained in the shed as she sensed an immense magical presence nearby…Two of them.
"Servants…"
Ben walked out of the shed to greet Ben but was perplexed to find the girl they ran into at school standing behind him and Saber. She was wearing a red long-sleeve shirt with a short skirt. Her teal eyes looked very displeased at him which meant Ben was in for a headache of an explanation.
"Emiya-kun! You really let a witness see Lancer?! Do you know how much trouble he's in now!" The girl yelled at Shirou who tried to explain what he saw but she wasn't listening.
"Tohsaka, he was trying to protect me before Saber appeared. I know that magecraft has to be kept secret, but I think we can trust him." Shirou said with Saber standing stoically beside him.
The girl looks at Ben with a raised brow then looks back at Shirou.
"Saber, is this true?" Rin asked the silver and blue-wearing kight.
"I materialised and attacked Lancer. Ben later joined me in the fight which forced Lancer to Retreat.," She said while still on guard.
"Hey do I get a say in what's going on? I really am getting tired of getting left in the dark here." Ben asked, getting annoyed with the way he was being treated.
"No, You are an outsider. You are interfering with forces that you have no hope in comprehending. You are that transfer student correct? It's best if you return home before you wind up dead or worse" Tohsaka said with harshness in her voice and a threatening glare. Ben wasn't fazed as now he connected that what has been happening around town must be related to whatever Tohsaka was hiding.
"That's not going to happen. I am not going to run away when a crazy guy with a spear is running around attacking people." Ben said, unwavering from his stance.
"Ugh…Fine then, You forced me to do this…" The girl then pointed her finger at him and fired a dark magical projectile at him with the speed of a bullet. Ben flinched as he had no time to dodge, but he didn't feel anything.
"Tohsaka! Stop!" Shirou yelled trying to save his friend.
"What?!" The girl tried again, yet the bullets just dissipated before hitting Ben.
"Tohsaka! What are you doing? Are you trying to kill him!" Shirous said standing in front of her with Saber standing right beside him.
"I will not allow the person who assisted to come to harm's way. Stand down Rin." Saber warned.
"What do you take me for? I was just going to knock him out and wipe his memory of tonight." The noir-haired girl said deeply insulted by such accusations.
"Well then, I appreciate that you have some boundaries as a Magus…" A voice calls out from behind Ben. Caster then exited the shed allowing everyone to see her kitsune form in the moonlight as she walked up to her master's side.
"...What? Wasn't expecting a Caster to counter your spells? You shouldn't leave your guard down like that." Caster taunted with a dark look on her face before looking at Saber.
"Saber, Thank you for coming to my Master aid. I owe you one." She said, shifting to a cheery voice with the drop of a hat. It actually kind of spooked Ben honestly but he focused on the girl named Rin who looked like she had seen a ghost.
"WHAAAAAAAT?!" Rin shouted into the skies while pulling her twin tails.
"Alright! Time out! I call a ceasefire until I understand what the hell is going on!" Tohaska offered while freaking out. Ben and Shirou looked at each other, nodding in agreement. Their servants did the same and Rin approached Ben and studied him up and down before spotting the sigil on his hand.
"Uhh can I help you?" Ben asked.
"Tennyson, Are you a magus?" she asked in a demanding tone confusing him until Ben gazed over Caster for translation.
"She means can you use magecraft" Caster clarified for Ben.
"Oh, no but my Cousin and Grandmother are the magic users of the family if that means anything to you." Ben stated calmly and respectfully now the hostility was gone.
"So you know nothing? At least Emiya- kun can do some novice level stuff." Rin pinched the bridge of her nose and she couldn't believe what she was seeing.
"Caster, are you receiving mana from your master?" Rin asked the servant.
"Yes, of course," Caster replied. She might say she is getting too much mana from Ben which was odd since her Master said he wasn't a magic user.
"So I guess you really are an eighth pair. Well, as an apology for attacking you I'll take you both someplace to get some answers. I believe your servants would also like them to be informed, Correct?" Rin said, and both servants thought for a moment before agreeing with what she said.
"Good, My name is Rin Tohsaka by the way. I am Master of Archer, and won't have him attack you for now." She said
"'Names Ben Tennyson." Ben offered a handshake in good faith, Rin stared at him for a moment before accepting it as Caster was giving her the death stare.
Rin Tohsaka had to be careful here, as much as she knew that these two were too nice for their good, their servants may not think likewise. Especially now that her Archer was wounded by Saber and Now an eighth servant was summoned. She needed to play it safe for now and repay Shirou for stopping Saber from killing her.
"Any chance we could do some cleaning up first? I would rather not leave evidence that there was a fight here." Shirou asked and Rin nodded.
"Sure thing." Rin said as she, Shirou and Saber entered the main building.
"Ah! I better find those Diamond head crystals. Those will be a dead giveaway if someone finds them." Ben said.
"Diamond what now?" Caster asked, confused as she thought her master was a novice.
"I'll explain later. Can you give me a hand at finding them?" Ben asked with a smile.
"Of course! Caster is always ready to help!" She said cheerfully.
AN: Ahh the OG night of Fate. It is such a good feeling to redo this section of the story along with adding a little bit of Slice of Life before the action starts. I always hated Shinji so I figure why not have Ben put him in his place without using his aliens? Just like he did with Cash Murray during Alien Force. It was a great episode and I think Shinji deserves to get humiliated at school for once. Some might say it's a bit much for Ben to get a perfect shot with a bow but we have seen him do a bunch of amazing feats with turning into an alien. So it's easy to infer that some of his experience as an alien translates to his human self as well.
Now for some future plans:
The story will remain based on what I've done with the original version of the fic. Just with more details and redone pacing among other things to improve.
Next will be that Ben's Caster will be getting a nickname much sooner so that I don't have to juggle the word Caster around like a maniac. Those that know who she is might have a good idea of what it is.
I am planning to add a new Ultimate Evolution fight since I think they are one of the best things to come out of Ultimate Alien. It'll be a new ultimate form for one of ben existing aliens so look forward to that.
That's all for now and I hope you enjoyed this chapter. So again...
Have a MIKON day.
(Hehe I just had to at some point)