Alright, Kevin is all settled in at his new home. Let's introduce some more OCs shall we.
I do not own Ben 10.
Italics mean either thoughts or flashbacks.
Chapter 3: The Knight with Twin Blades
"So you're Kevin," a voice said from behind Kevin. He turned around to greet this new voice. He saw a girl standing there before him, in front of the door he had come out of. She looked only about a year younger than him. She had short blond hair that just touched her shoulders and her eyes were a nice shade of hazel. Kevin also quickly noticed the sword sheath strapped around her waist. If this girl was Gilliam's niece, who he had mentioned before, then she must also be a Knight like he was.
"Yeah," Kevin finally replied, "So who are you? I'm already guessing that you're Gilliam's niece," Kevin asked of her.
"That's correct. Since this is our first proper introduction, my name's Laura, Laura Cross," Laura stated to Kevin in a serious tone. Kevin smirked slightly. He leaned his back against the chain-link fence and crossed his arms.
"Okay then, Laura," Kevin began with an almost cocky smirk, "If this is supposed a 'proper introduction', then what's with the face?" Kevin questioned her. He had noticed he tone and attitude the entire time she was speaking to him. A face he knew all too well when living in New York.
"What are you talking about?" Laura asked in confusion.
"Don't play dumb," Kevin replied rather harshly, "I've seen that kind of look before. A look of distrust and suspicion. You don't like me being here."
"I never said that," Laura replied immediately, "I trust my uncle's judgment, so I won't go against his decision to let you stay."
"But?" Kevin questioned her again in a cocky tone that almost annoyed the girl.
"But, I will say I am curious about why you're he chose to immediately let you stay," Laura began to explain. Kevin's eyes narrowed slightly at her words and his smirk disappeared.
"While you were still asleep, my uncle had told me that you were now living with us and how he found you out in the city. Apparently beaten up in an alleyway," Laura stated matter-of-factly. Kevin scoffed at her words.
"You do realize that he found me there after I had beaten up a gang of thugs," Kevin added cockily.
"Beating up some wannabe street gang doesn't prove much," Laura replied with a chuckle. Kevin froze at this, annoyed at her jest. Laura just found it satisfying that she finally was able to get under the boy's skin.
"Well," Kevin began, trying to change the subject, "I still kinda believe that he took me in simply because of my father," he finished in an almost solemn voice. Laura shook her head in disbelief.
"Give my uncle some credit; I'm sure there it's more complicated than that," Laura told him in a reassuring manner. Kevin smirked slightly.
"I do know that they were good friends. He would always tell me stories about his days as a Plumber," Laura continued with an almost reminiscent look, but then it turned into one of concern as she looked at the ground, "However, from all I've been told, I'm surprised you were thrown into a place like this?" she wondered aloud. She heard Kevin scoff. Laura immediately shot her head back up. She saw that he now had a rather serious and almost saddened expression.
"Believe me, I'm nothing like my father," Kevin said to her. Laura noticed the way his face fell as talked about his father. She now felt almost bad that she brought the subject up.
"It's better that people don't compare us together. It's not like I'll ever do the things he has done. People should just remember him instead of focusing their attention on me," Kevin stated as he hung his head low to look at the ground. Laura's eyes softened a little as she listened to him. She closed her eyes and let out a quiet sigh.
"So…you basically don't want to be a disgrace," Laura stated sincerely, after all she knew how that felt. Kevin scoffed again at her words.
"I don't need your pity!" Kevin exclaimed angrily, misinterpreting her tone.
"It's not pity!" Laura shouted back, her tone now becoming irritated, "It's just...I can imagine how hard it must to live in one person's shadow; never being able to live up to certain expectations," Laura explained as she glanced back at the ground. Kevin's angry gaze did soften a little at this, but it still wasn't enough to change his attitude.
"So...you know how it feels, because you're also a disgrace to your own family. You're in here too after all," Kevin stated in an almost mocking tone. Laura's head snapped back up.
"I didn't say that!" She shouted angrily at him. Kevin still kept his calm composure at her outburst.
"Then why are you so angry?" Kevin asked in monotone. Laura fell silent for a few seconds. Her gaze once again turned towards the ground beneath her.
"It's none of your business," Laura said quietly but with agitation in her voice. She heard a quietly huff from Kevin as she looked back up him.
"Then that settles it," Kevin began. Laura was confused slightly at his statement. "Since you don't have to talk about your past, I don't have to talk about mine," Kevin stated matter-of-factly.
"So what, is this some kind of deal we just made?!" Laura exclaimed in utter confusion and irritation.
"Pretty much," Kevin replied with a quick nod and a smirk, "I believe in fair trade," he finished with humor in his voice.
"Unbelievable," Laura said while rubbing the bridge of her nose.
"I don't know why you would want to know that stuff anyway? What, do you think of me as some sort of threat?" Kevin questioned humorously.
"Please," Laura replied with an amused chuckle, "Right now you're just annoying more than anything else. Besides, why would I be afraid of you? There are worse people in this city after all."
"Then why do have your blade with you?" Kevin asked looking at the sheaths on her belt. Laura's hand came down to rest on the handle of the blade.
"I always like to keep them nearby when I can. I also usually come up here practice anyway," Laura explained to him.
"Practice? Oh, so you're still just a little girl in training," Kevin said mockingly. He stood up off the fence and shoved his hands in his pockets. He figured he had enough of this conversation and was ready to leave.
"Don't push me, Levin," Laura stated as she cocked a brow at him, "I am no amateur."
"Yeah well, I don't get impressed easily," Kevin said as he began to make his way towards the exit behind her, "Unless you can back up your boast…"
Before Kevin could finish and make it past her, he was stopped by a blade stopping right near his throat. It was close to his neck, but not close enough to kill him. Kevin looked to the side to see Laura holding the blade out with a confident smirk on her face. Kevin admitted the bold move startled him slightly. She was fast with the sword. He didn't even see her draw the blade. The blade itself was very peculiar, at least for a Forever Knight to have. It looked much like a katana and had the handle wrapped in what appeared to be red velvet clothe.
"You were saying," she stated confidently at him. Kevin kept his blank expression at her comment. It was impressive at just how quick she was to stop him. However, he wasn't about to give her the satisfaction.
"You should be more careful with this," Kevin said mockingly while tapping the blade carefully with his finger, "you could really hurt someone, you know"
"That's kind of the point isn't it," Laura stated obviously, "You should be more careful of your cocky attitude. That's what will get you in trouble or worse," she finished, raising the blade to Kevin's throat ever so slightly. Kevin backed off slightly at this.
"Don't push me, Cross," Kevin said, remembering Laura's earlier words. Laura smirked at this.
"You said that you were a good fighter. How about you back up your boast," Laura said to him in an almost mocking tone. A devious smirk appeared on Kevin's face.
"Alright then," Kevin said quietly. Then, in a split second, Kevin attempted a sweeping kick to Laura's feet. However, Laura was also quick to react. She jumped away just as Kevin reached her feet. She landed a few feet away from him and held out her sword in a defensive position. Kevin absorbed the stone underneath him to cover his arms. He stood up to take his own fighting stance.
"Okay, that wasn't too bad," Kevin admitted with a cocky grin, "but I'm still not impressed."
"I haven't even shown you anything," Laura stated with a proud huff. Gripping her sword firmly, Laura sped towards Kevin in a flash. She attempted to hit him in the head with the pommel of the sword's handle. Luckily, Kevin was just quick enough to block it with his stone arms. Kevin admitted to himself that this girl was definitely fast and the velocity of the impact made up for a lack of immense strength. With a grunt, Kevin pushed her back and away from him. Laura tried to regain her footing as she slid backward. Right as she regained her balance though, she quickly saw Kevin with his fist raised in front of her, ready to strike. She jumped back hastily to avoid his fist, stumbling back onto the ground as she did. She was breathing heavily with wide eyes.
"He's only about a year older than I am," Laura thought to herself in amazement. She saw the cracks left on the ground from the impact of his fist. Fog like dust clouds rose from the ground as he struck it. "But still, he has all that raw power to throw around. It's unbelievable," Laura pondered to herself. On the outside, Kevin was definitely, in her opinion, a cocky and smart mouth kid who seems to only act upon impulse. However, she could still see some kind of dark glint in his eyes that gave him the more dangerous feel to him.
"Come on, get up!" Kevin's shouts snapped Laura out of her momentary daze, "Don't tell me you're giving up now, princess," he mocked her with sneer.
"Yeah right, you jerk!" Laura exclaimed angrily. She was really annoyed now. Again she rushed him at top speed. She brought her blade down to strike, but Kevin successfully blocked it again with his arm.
"You can't expect to beat me with the same move, can you?" Kevin asked her in an amused tone. Laura simply flashed him a wicked grin.
"You know what, you're right," She stated simply, much to Kevin's confusion. Just then, he saw her pull out another sword from her belt sheath, identical to the one she already had out. It moved fast to strike at his mid-section. Quickly, he used his free arm to hastily block the oncoming blade.
"What the hell!" Kevin exclaimed in shock. True, he hadn't fought many Knights in the past, but he never even heard of one using two swords to fight. Kevin's confusion gave Laura a perfect opportunity. She then delivered a brutal kick to Kevin's stomach and effectively sent him back to hit the fence behind him, drawing out a painful grunt from the boy. He slid to the ground still groaning slightly.
"You can give up now if you want," Laura said with a confident grin as she stood over him. Kevin looked up at her with a sneer, growling slightly and rubbing the back of his head.
"Don't count on it," Kevin growled as he slowly stood back up. Laura backed away from the bay as he did, "You surprised me, that's all. didn't know Kight could carry two blades," Kevin explained to her.
"That's not surprising to me. Only a select few Knights have been trained to use two swords in a fight and I am one of them," Laura stated in a monotone voice. She looked down at one of her blades to see her reflection on the cold steel surface. Her eyes narrowed slightly at her reflection. Kevin saw this and seemed confused. Why did she seem so saddened by her own unique skills?
"I think we're both evenly matched," Laura stated as she looked back up at Kevin, "Why don't we stop now, or else this could go on all day," Laura finished while glancing away from her opponent. Kevin wasn't deterred. It seemed, to him at least, like she was trying to stop this because of her own personal baggage.
"I don't think so," Kevin replied with a huff. Laura was taken aback by his answer, "You see, I don't really believe in a draw. A fights' not over until there's a clear victor, that what I learned back in New York," he finished and lunged at her again with his fist. Laura hastily blocked him with her swords. Laura tried to push him away with her swords but Kevin was definitely much physically stronger than her as he used one hand on his forearm to push her defense back.
"You're so stubborn," Laura said in a strained voice, using all her might to push her opponent.
"At least I don't easily give up!" Kevin exclaimed back causing Laura's eye to go wide. "Why so eager to stop? You had the upper hand for a moment," Kevin asked her quite seriously.
"I…" Laura tried to give him an answer but no words formed in her head. She glanced to the ground wondering to herself about her own actions. Kevin's anger was rising at her silence. With one great shove, he broke through her defense and delivered a strong tackle that threw her to the ground. Laura was able to get up on one knee. She looked up to see Kevin looking sternly at her.
"I don't know what the deal was with your family or whatever, but I don't see the point of giving up like that. Stuff like that could get you killed," Kevin stated to her. His tone came out harsh, but there was still an underlining sense of sincerity in is words that shocked Laura. It was something that nobody had said to her before.
"All right, that's enough you two," a voice said to them. Kevin and Laura looked to see Gilliam standing at the doorway with his arms crossed, looking over the two.
"Uncle!" Laura exclaimed in surprise as she scrambled to stand back up.
"How long have you been standing there?" Kevin questioned the man.
"Not long actually," Gilliam answered, " It's nice to see you two getting acquainted," he explained with a grin.
"We're sorry uncle Gilliam. It was never our intention to really fight," Laura said in an apologetic manner as she sheathed her blades. Gilliam merely chuckled at her.
"It's fine, Laura," Gilliam said to her, "I've always believed that the strongest friendships can be formed from combat."
"Right," Laura said with a slight chuckle. She then felt a warm hand on her shoulder. She looked up to see her uncle smiling down at her.
"Why don't you head back downstairs, I'd like to talk to Kevin," Gilliam said kindly to her. Laura glanced back at Kevin. He was standing still of few feet behind her. He was looking off to the side as though he was in deep thought and had his hands deep in his pockets.
"Okay," she said as she looked back to her uncle and gave him an understanding nod. She then walked behind him to head to the doorway and back downstairs to her room. Gilliam watched her the whole way until she closed the door to the roof behind her. He then turned back to face Kevin.
"So, what do you think of my niece?" Gilliam asked the boy. Kevin shrugged.
"She nosy and annoys me," Kevin replied. Gilliam chuckled softly.
"Well, I just glad she can have an appropriate sparring partner now," Gilliam stated. Kevin let out an amused huff at this.
"You said you wanted to talk. What about?" Kevin questioned him.
"You're decent brawler," Gilliam replied.
"Thanks for noticing," Kevin said.
"A bit sloppy though. You've never had proper training have you?" Gilliam asked.
"Learned by experience," Kevin said.
"Well I could help you do better," Gilliam stated.
"You can?" Kevin asked.
"We'll see," Gilliam stated as turned away from Kevin. He walked a few feet away from him and then turned once more to face him directly, "I want you to charge at me," Gilliam stated as he stared directly at the boy. Kevin was a bit confused.
"Are you serious?" Kevin asked, confused at what the man meant.
"Completely serious," Gilliam replied, "Look, I don't even have blade to defend myself. I want you to come at me with everything you got. Don't hold back."
"Alright then, you asked for it," Kevin stated boldly, raising his still stone covered arms. He then charged at the man, fist raised, ready to strike. Gilliam stood motionless, with a calm expression on his face. He continued to watch the young Osmosian run towards him, analyzing his every move. Kevin had just reached him, swinging his fist. Before he could hit him though, Gilliam quickly moved slightly to the side to avoid the blow. Shock appeared on Kevin's face as he saw how his fist just barely missed. Time moved slowly as Kevin's eyes locked with Gilliam's dark orbs. Then, Gilliam shoved him hard; effectively sending him back and tumbling against the hard stone of the roof. Kevin was able to prop himself back up on one knee, still in shock from the blow he received.
"Get up! Try again!" Gilliam demanded. Kevin turned to face the man again. He had a very serious and almost threatening expression on his face that surprised Kevin. Kevin got back up. He felt his agitation rising, but he once again charged at the man to strike. He swung his fist at him again, but Gilliam easily caught his fist with his hand. Kevin could now feel how strong Gilliam actually was. Even though he was still struggling slightly at Kevin's enhanced strength, he could very easily hold the boy back.
"Is this really the best you can do," Gilliam stated in an almost mocking tone, "How were you able to get by this long?" Kevin felt his anger rise more at Gilliam's mockery. With an almost beastly growl, Kevin swung his other fist at the man. Gilliam successfully dodged. Gilliam was surprised a little at how ferocious the boy's attacks could be when pushed hard enough. He must have become like that from the mixture of experience from the streets of New York and from fighting in the Null Void. Kevin continued to throw strong punches at the man, which Gilliam was able to easily dodge every time. Kevin threw another punch. Gilliam dodged again and ended up behind the boy and delivered a strong shove to his back which sent Kevin to the ground again.
"I'm disappointed," Gilliam began, "Surely I had hoped that Devin's son would put up more of a fight, but this is just pathetic," that was the final straw. Kevin's anger was now reaching its boiling point at the mention of his father. With another rage-filled growl, Kevin lunged at Gilliam, throwing sporadic punches at the man. Gilliam now tried to dodge the random punches, but he left his guard for one quick moment. Kevin took that opportunity and landed a punch to his abs. the blow wasn't hard enough to send Gilliam back, but it definitely did hurt. With a grunt, Gilliam reached out and grabbed Kevin's shirt collar. He then threw him behind him and Kevin collided hard with the ground. Kevin lay on his back on the ground, panting hard, eyes closed, and feeling a tremendous amount of pain. He wanted to get up, but something kept him to the ground. Maybe it was Gilliam's earlier words. He knew it was true. Gilliam looked down at the defeated boy and he felt his gaze soften a bit.
"I'm sorry," Gilliam said softly to the boy. Kevin opened his eyes to look back up at the man, but he still didn't attempt to get up.
"I went too far. I shouldn't have brought up your father," Gilliam said apologetically, remembering how pained and angered the boy looked when he was fighting him.
"It's fine," Kevin said, turning his head to the side and staring off into space. Gilliam knew the boy was lying but decided it would be best to try and avoid the subject.
"The reason I did that was to prove a point," Gilliam explained, "The way you fight, you act merely on impulse with no thought put into what you do. As you have seen, that mode of thinking allowed you to be easily overpowered."
"That was the whole point of this?! To prove that I could easily get my ass kicked!" Kevin exclaimed as he sprung up into a sitting position, still looking at Gilliam.
"Yes," Gilliam said with a shrug and a grin. Kevin let out a heavy sigh at his answer. Gilliam chuckled slightly and continued to speak, "But it was important for you to learn. Acting on impulse is what get you trouble," Gilliam explained. Kevin took in all of his words. They were making sense to him.
"Strong human emotions such as anger, sadness, and pain can cause people to act purely on instinct, not giving into consideration as to what's right or wrong. Osmosians control and manipulate energy. If they absorb too much energy they lose control."
"I know that!" Kevin stated obviously.
"I'm sure you do!" Gilliam stated back, "My point is that you probably lost control is because, on top of absorbing energy, you let your anger control your thoughts, which in turn led you to where you are now!" Gilliam explained to him. Kevin was silent as he hung his head low, sitting in a cross-legged position with his hands on his knees.
"I will say, that I probably can't properly teach you how to use your power as might Devin might have," Gilliam said solemnly, "but I can say if you want to learn control, first practice and learn how to keep your emotions in check. That way, you will never slip back into the insanity you were in before," Gilliam explained calmly to him. Kevin still was silent and kept his head low, but he did give a slight nod in understanding. Gilliam smiled slightly at the boy and then turned to head back downstairs.
"Can I ask you something? Something I been wanting to ask for a while actually," Kevin asked the man. Gilliam stopped walking and turned his head slightly to look back at the boy.
"What is it?" Gilliam questioned. There was a brief moment of silence before Kevin spoke again.
"How…How did my dad die?" Kevin finally asked. Gilliam eyes widened briefly. He knew Kevin might ask that, but he didn't really know what to tell him.
"He was killed…while on a mission," Gilliam answered him honestly.
"Killed, huh," Kevin said softly as he tightened his fists, "Can you tell me one more thing?"
"Hmm," Gilliam responded.
"Can you tell me who killed him?" Kevin asked through his clenched teeth. Gilliam was silent for a second, gazing down at the boy. Finally he answered
"No," Gilliam said blatantly and he turned back to begin walking back downstairs. Kevin's head had shot up at his answer and he watched Gilliam walk down the stairs. Quickly, he scrambled back to his feet and ran to the doorway.
"Why the hell not?!" he shouted down the stairwell. Gilliam didn't flinch as he stopped walking for a second to answer back.
"What would you do if I told you anyway?" he asked calmly and continued to walk down the stairs.
"I…I…" Kevin stammered. What would he do if he knew? He didn't know, but he still felt angry that Gilliam wouldn't tell him. He raced down the stairs after him, following him down to the living room.
"It doesn't matter what I would do!" Kevin shouted as he entered the room behind Gilliam, "I have a right to know, don't I?!"
"It does matter what you'll do, at least to me!" Gilliam shouted angrily back. Kevin was taken aback by the man's outburst. "We just finished discussing controlling your anger! If I tell you who it was who killed your father, what would you do? Would you go out on a revenge filled rampage?" Gilliam asked the boy in a serious tone.
"Why wouldn't I be upset?!" Kevin shouted back, "Weren't you? You were his friend after all."
"Of course I was upset!" Gilliam exclaimed. Kevin watched as Gilliam's expression turned sad, "I had lost my friend, but he died honorably," Gilliam explained gazing at the ground. He then looked back to Kevin and his expression turned angry again, "Vengeful anger will not bring him back and it's not what he would've wanted from you," Gilliam finished. Kevin looked down at the floor. He was trembling with anger from both Gilliam and himself. He then let out a heavy sigh before speaking again.
"Whatever," Kevin said softly, not looking at Gilliam. He then turned and walked toward the door to leave.
"Where are you going?" Gilliam asked him.
"I'm going to take a walk," Kevin stated, still not turning to answer him and continuing to walk downstairs to the main level.
"Kevin!" Gilliam shouted to try and stop him. It didn't work. Kevin had disappeared from his view Gilliam let out a heavy sigh and went to sit on the sofa. He sat there rubbing his face in frustration.
"What happened?" Gilliam heard his wife ask him. He turned to see Vanessa walking towards him from the stairwell. She had been walking upstairs when she heard the argument and also saw Kevin march downstairs and leave.
"He asked me what happened to Devin and I told him," Gilliam answered calmly.
"Did you tell him everything?" Vanessa asked her husband as she sat next to him.
"He asked me who killed him," Gilliam said.
"And?" Vanessa asked.
"He doesn't need to know," Gilliam stated.
"You didn't want to tell him," Vanessa stated instantly.
"Don't be like that," Gilliam said solemnly to her, "I'm sure he'll find out one day, but he's just a kid right now." Vanessa smiled softly at her husband. She placed her hand on his.
"Do you want to go after him?" she asked rubbing his hand gently with her thumb. Gilliam shook his head.
"No, he'll come back," Gilliam said to her.
"You're sure?" She asked him. Gilliam turned his gaze to her and smiled.
"Yes. After all, he knows this is a home for him," he said softly as he squeezed her hand gently. Vanessa smiled and laid her head on his shoulder.
"You're right," Vanessa said softly to him.
"Aren't I always," Gilliam said with a chuckle. He listened to her laugh softly as he kissed the top of her head before laying his own head gently on hers. Outside the room, Laura was listening to the conversation as she stood next to the stairs. She too had heard Kevin and her uncle argue and was concerned with what they were saying. She then looked down the stairs where Kevin had left. After much consideration, she sped down the stairs to go after him.
Kevin had been walking around for about an hour now and had found his way to the park in the middle of the city. He was walking among the dense greenery that had grown there when he came upon a stone clock tower sitting in the middle of the park he carefully climbed up on it and sat down to rest. He looked over the people in the park. He saw families there. Fathers playing with their children as the mothers watched over them with a smile. A sad smile was clear on Kevin's face as he watched them, wondering what it would be like to experience such simple things. He looked up towards the sky, watching it begin to grow dark. He then leaned his head back and closed his eyes, as though he were going to fall asleep.
"Found you," a familiar voice startled him. He quickly opened his eyes and looked over to see Laura standing below him.
"Oh, it's just you. What do you want?" Kevin asked her, slightly annoyed.
"I heard you arguing with my uncle," Laura stated matter-of-factly.
"Oh," Kevin said softly as he looked away from her, "How much did you hear?"
"I heard enough," Laura said to him, her gaze softening slightly, "Listen, I am sorry about your father. He obviously was a good man; I can understand why you would miss him," she said sincerely to him. Kevin sighed heavily.
"Yeah, that's what everyone says," Kevin muttered.
You know, I'm trying to be nice. That's something you could learn," Laura remarked. Kevin rolled his eyes at her, "Not everyone's against you. My uncle isn't." Kevin chuckled at that, much to Laura's surprise.
"Your uncle's a big softie, you know that," Kevin said good-humorously. Laura also chuckled softly at this.
"I know, but he's usually right," Laura stated with a smile.
"Yeah," Kevin said quietly also smiling. Laura looked at the older boy in silence for a moment before letting out a heavy sigh and turning to leave.
"I'm going back home, you coming? Laura quickly asked him before leaving.
"Later," Kevin replied leaning his head back again. Laura looked back at him for another minute before speaking again.
"Okay, don't be late. I don't want you worrying my aunt and uncle," Laura stated to him and walked away, heading back home. Kevin merely chuckled at her words as he continued to sit there a look up at the darkening sky.
Laura continued her trek home. The streets were eerily quiet and empty that night. She was getting close, but she still walking slowly. She was still worried about Kevin. She might not know that much about him, but she can relate to him in a way. She knew how it felt to always be compared to her family. Always being expected to live up to certain expectations against her own will. Even after years of training not being appreciated.
"No I can't think like that anymore," Laura thought while shaking her head out of those old memories, "I left that world and I'm not looking back."
Laura kept her head down, staring at the sidewalk as she continued on her way. Doing so, she accidentally bumped her shoulder against a man walking the other direction.
"Oh, I'm sorry sir. I wasn't paying attention," she apologized to the man. The strange man was staring down at her angrily. He looked young but he had grey spiked hair and icy blue eyes. He was wearing a thick winter coat, which seemed odd to Laura since the city was technically in its summer season. He also had some type of cloth covering his mouth.
"Little girls like you shouldn't even be out this late. Why don't you scram and go home," the man said to her coldly.
"Jerk," Laura huffed quietly and turned to walk away. The man continued to stare angrily at her as she walked away. His eyes then widened when he noticed her two blades strapped to her back. Suddenly, he grabbed her wrist to stop her and pulled her two him to get a better look at the weapons.
"Let me go, dammit!" Laura yelled at him as she struggled to get out of his grip, but he was too strong. The man didn't even acknowledge her words as he continued to look over the blades. He pulled one out of the sheath slightly enough to show a small portion of the metal.
"These swords, they were made by the Forever Knights, am I right?" the man questioned her. Laura continued to stare angrily at the man and continued her struggle.
"And not just any group of Knights," he continued without loosening his grip, "the Knights belonging to the Cross family," Laura's eyes went wide at this. How did he know about her family?
"Well I'll be damned; you're the young daughter of Ely Cross," the man finally stated with what sounded like humor in his voice. The mention of her father finally drove her over the edge. She delivered a kick to the man's stomach which caused him to finally release his grip on her.
"Ah, I made the little girl mad," the man mocked.
"How do you know that?" She questioned him, keeping her hand at her sword to use them if needed.
"I fought many Knights when I was still in the Plumbers. I know a bit about them," he stated obviously to her.
"You're an Ex-Plumber?" Laura questioned.
"Yes, but I still remember enough from those days to know that those two swords would fetch a high price on the black market," the man explained to her.
"You're with the Splitters aren't you?" Laura spat, "I'm not letting you take these!"
"I just need the cash. Don't be difficult girl, just give me the swords and you go home without being hurt," he told her as he stretched out his arm, as though asking her to hand her the weapons. Laura merely took one of her blades out and held it out defensive in front of her. The man let out a heavy sigh.
"I really don't want to fight a little girl," the man stated aloud. Laura watched closely as the man reached up to the cloth around his mouth and pulled it down, "But you really leave me with no choice," he said menacingly to her. Laura was shocked by his sharp, shark-like teeth and how some kind of vapor puffed out of his mouth every time he spoke. The man then took in a big inhale of air. He then spewed out a large amount of vapor towards the girl. Laura quickly rolled out-of-the-way of the attack. She looked back and saw a sheet of solid ice where she once stood.
"Vapor that can produce ice? So he's a hybrid too. A Polar Manzardill, maybe?" she thought to herself.
"Come on now," the man said, breaking her out of her thoughts, "You can't be too surprised. I'm sure you've seen plenty of human-alien hybrids here." Laura merely sneered at his taunting. She then stood up and raced towards the hybrid with her blade raised to strike. As she swung it down, the man jumped out-of-the-way.
"Oooh, you're a feisty one aren't you," the man mocked. Laura took her and swung it at him again, but he moved out-of-the-way again. "But you're still too inexperienced," he said as he grabbed the back of her shirt collar and yanked her back, sending her tumbling against the hard pavement. The hybrid then quickly exhaled a blast of vapor. It hit her sword which was on the ground in front of her, freezing the steel blade to the ground.
"No!" Laura exclaimed as she tried to free from the ice by yanking at the handle.
"You should've have just handed the swords over. It would've been easier for you," he stated to her coldly. Laura still just stared angrily at him, "You should pick your fight more carefully, girl," he finished as he began to reach out to grab her. Then a decent-sized rock collided with the back of his skull.
"The hell!?" the man said rubbing the back of his head. He turned to see Kevin a few feet behind him throwing another rock up in the air and catching it when it came back down. Laura felt relieved when she also saw him.
"You know, Cross," Kevin said, "I figured you could handle a simple walk back home and don't expect me to save your ass every time. However, I'll make this time an exception," he finished, taking the rock in his hand and absorbing the stone to cover half his arm.
"An Osmosian, that's interesting," the man stated, seeing the boy's power. Kevin then charged at him. The man breathed another blast of freezing vapor at him, but Kevin dodged it easily and delivered a strong punch to the man's jaw, sending him flying back and colliding with the ground. Kevin then went over to Laura and, using his stone fist, freed her blade from its icy prison.
"Thanks," she said to him, looking over her sword.
"No problem, it looked like you could have used some help," Kevin said to her turning back to face the hybrid. The man was now standing back up.
"We need to be careful. His powers could freeze us instantly," Laura explained to Kevin. Kevin merely smirked.
"Then we finish this quickly," Kevin said. He then raced towards the man again. The man saw this and hastily moved past the boy to dodge. However, he was then kicked in his ribs by Laura, who had taken the opportunity to strike. The man stumbled back a bit by the force of the blow. He couldn't relax though, for Kevin had taken another opportunity to land a punch to his face. The man was sent back from the punch and collided with a building behind him. He fell to the ground.
"Do you give up," Kevin said as he walked up to him. The man didn't answer as he looked down at the ground. "You must be pretty pathetic to attack some kids? And then getting your ass handed by them," Kevin questioned him. The man didn't answer but shot his head up to exhale more vapor at the boy. Kevin quickly raised his stone arm in defense. The vapor hit his arm and froze it instantly. Kevin fell to the ground screaming in pain.
"Kevin!" Laura exclaimed as she watched him fall to the ground.
"You talk big, especially for some kid who doesn't know anything," the hybrid said menacingly as he glared down at the boy on the ground. Kevin glared back at him. "You can only look out for yourself in this place. Learn this kid. Don't go sticking your nose where it doesn't belong," the man finished.
"So that means you have to beat up and rob two random kids. Yeah, that makes perfect sense," Kevin snarled at him. The man glared angrily at him, vapor was seeping out of his mouth through his clenched teeth. Before he could do anything, Kevin saw the man's eyes briefly glance to the side and he jumped away from the boy. Kevin then saw what he was dodging as a shot of red lightning sped past him.
"You," Kevin heard the man say. Kevin turned his head to the side. He saw a man, about in his early twenties standing a few feet away. He was wearing very casual attire, jeans and a black jacket over a dark blue t-shirt. He had lengthy black hair, not as long as Kevin's though, and his bangs covered his eyes, but Kevin could still see them. They were as red as blood.
"Red lighting and red eyes," Kevin thought fearfully, remembering his nightmare.
"Fighting children, Zero," the red-eyed man said while shaking his head, "You're becoming pathetic."
"Well, I'll make up for that by beating that smirk off your face!" the man, Zero apparently, exclaimed as he rushed towards him with his fist raised. The red-eyed man stood motionless. Zero was just about to hit him when the man caught his fist in her hand. Zero then tried to breathe his freezing vapor on him, but the man stopped by using his free hand to cover his mouth. The man then forced Randall down to the ground hard, cracking the ground upon impact. The man then took Zero's shirt collar in his hand and threw him behind him. Zero tumbled against the ground. The man then shot a blast of red lighting at him from his hand. The lighting hit Zero square in the chest. Zero was sent back even more and collided with a streetlight, which bent upon impact. Zero fell to the ground, unconscious. Laura kneeled over Kevin watching the scene with utter shock and amazement. Kevin looked about the same as he held his injured arm.
"Who is that guy?" Kevin asked aloud.
"Victor," Laura answered him.
"You know him?" Kevin questioned further.
"My uncle does," Laura answered him again. Victor then walked over to the two. He kneeled down in front of them.
"Laura, are you and your friend alright?" Victor questioned the girl.
"Yes, we're fine…well sort of," Laura replied as she looked down at Kevin frozen arm. Victor looked down at it as well. He reached and grabbed hold of it as he continued to examine it. Kevin watched him carefully.
"Laura, show me your blade," Victor said to the girl. Laura did as she was told and extended her sword out to him. Victor took the steel blade carefully between two of his fingers and the two children watched as he absorbs enough of the material to just cover his hand. Duncan took his steel hand, and, with one hard whack, used it to break off the ice-covered stone from Kevin's arm.
"There you go," Victor said to the boy with a smile as he released his arm, "That should feel better."
"Thanks," Kevin said as he looked over his arm.
"Are you a friend of Laura's," Victor asked the boy.
"Actually, he's living with us now," Laura answered for him.
"Heh, your uncle's too kind," Victor said with a chuckle, "Name's Victor Delano. Nice to meet you," he said to Kevin as he extended his hand to shake. Kevin looked at his hand for a minute before answering.
"Kevin," he finally replied taking Victor's hand. Victor noticed the boy's expression towards him as he talked.
"What's wrong?" Victor asked him. Kevin was silent. Victor then chuckled at the boy. "It's probably my eyes," he said pointing to his red orbs, "The color often startles people."
"That's not it," Kevin said to him, "It's just, what you did to that guy…your powers. You're like me," he finished looking over to where Randall laid.
"Ah, there's that too," Victor said, also looking over towards the unconscious man, "People are often frightened by what they don't understand. However, I didn't expect it to bother you, seeing that you are an Osmosian yourself. Then again, you are still relatively young," he continued to explain. Kevin was a little bit surprised by the man's words. After all, Kevin knew what it felt like to be outcast by people because of his own similar abilities.
"Alright," Victor began as he stood back up. Kevin and Laura followed suit, "I should take you two back to Gilliam. He's probably worried."
"What about him?" Laura asked, motioning towards Randall.
"He'll be fine. We should leave before he wakes up," Victor replied and began to walk away. The two kids looked back at the unconscious man one more time before following right behind the red-eyed man.
Gilliam sat behind the counter of his now closed shop. He was leaning with his head against his hand and rubbing his brow with worry. Both Laura and Kevin had been out for a while now. He knew that those two were strong and resourceful enough to take care of themselves, but he still felt a sense of worry for them, much like a doting father.
"Have they not come back yet?" Vanessa asked him from the doorway behind him.
"I'm sure they're fine. Those two are strong," Gilliam answered her comfortingly.
"Still, being out this late at night, what if they get into trouble? The rioters of the Order love to prowl the streets at this time," Vanessa told him. Gilliam listened to her words as he played with the golden medallion that hung around his neck. He was about to answer her when the sound of the front door opening stopped him.
"We're home," Laura's quiet voice called out to them as she and Kevin walked through the door. Victor followed closely behind. Gilliam sighed with relief at the children's appearance, but his eyes immediately fell upon Victor as he walked in.
"Welcome back kids," Vanessa said as she walked over to them, "What happened to you two?" she then asked as she noticed the few scratches on them.
"We kinda got into a fight," Kevin answered her, rubbing the back of his neck nervously as he did.
"They ran into Zero while walking along the streets," Victor clarified.
"Jacob Zero? Haven't seen him on the streets for a while," Gilliam added at the mention of the name.
"I told you it was dangerous on the streets," Vanessa said to her husband. Gilliam shot a slightly annoyed looked at her. He then let out a heavy sigh.
"Kids, why don't you go upstairs? I'm sure you're tired," Gilliam told the two children. Kevin and Laura both nodded in understanding. Vanessa then took the two upstairs. Before he walked upstairs though, Kevin glanced back to look at Victor one more time. Victor stared back and the two Osmosian locked eyes for brief second. Kevin then turned back to walk up the stairs.
"That boy," Victor began after the three left the room. Gilliam turned to face him, "He's Devin's son, right," Victor finished. Gilliam stared at him in silence for a brief minute before speaking again.
"Yes," Gilliam answered, he step out from behind the counter and leaned up against the front of it, "I want to thank you for bringing them back home. However, I would also like to know why you were out wandering the streets and just happened to come across them," Gilliam asked him sternly.
"Pure luck I guess. I just decided to take a walk to clear my mind and I just so happened to come across them," Victor explained with a shrug and a smile. Gilliam continued his silent gaze at the younger man. Victor just chuckled at the older Knight.
"Come on, Gilliam. When are you going to stop treating me like a child and trust me?" Victor asked the man while shaking his head.
"Trust isn't the problem," Gilliam stated to him, "It's my job to watch you. You know that."
"Yeah, yeah," Victor said as he rolled his eyes, "The Plumbers can't let it go,"
"It's not that easy," Gilliam stated sternly to the man. Victor gazed down at the floor.
"I'm paying for all that now," Victor said blatantly, "But I live on my own, make my own means, I would think you could have more faith in me. Devin did," Victor finished and turned to head out the door. His final statement struck Gilliam hard as he gazed sadly upon the young man.
"Victor," Gilliam said loudly to him. Victor turned slightly at the open door, "Thank you, again."
"No problem, Gilliam. Good night," Victor replied with a smile and walked out the door. Gilliam let out a heavy sigh as Victor left. Why is whenever that boy comes over, Gilliam gets an unsettling feeling in the pit of his stomach? Outside, Victor was casually making his way home.
"Devin's own flesh and blood," Victor thought to himself as he walked, "What are the chances," he smirked at the thought as he continued walking down the street.
On the roof of the building, Kevin was looking down at the street through the chain-link fence, watching Victor leave. Kevin's eyes were narrowed as he continued to eye the man.
"Something wrong?" Kevin turned to see Laura standing behind him.
"Besides you constantly sneaking up on me," Kevin joked. Laura smiled and shook her head. She then walked up next to him to also look down at the street below.
"Do you not trust him?" Laura asked when she saw Duncan below. Kevin shrugged.
"It's not that," he began, "It's just…odd. I've never really met another Osmosian like me before," Kevin explained, deciding not to mention his nightmare.
"Really?" Laura questioned, slightly confused, "What about your dad? I thought he was an Osmosian too?" Kevin let out a slight chuckle.
"My dad died when I was only three. I didn't even know anything about the Plumbers or what an Osmosian even was. Plus, it's not like he was around to teach me," Kevin explained while wearing a sad smile and leaning his head against the fence.
"But you still admired him," Laura added as she leaned with her back against the fence.
"Yeah, mom would tell about what he did. I just figured that I would never be able to live up to him," Kevin said solemnly.
"That's why you left," Laura stated. Kevin shrugged again.
"That's partially why," Kevin began, Laura looked at him in confusion, "My mom married some other guy when I was four. Harvey, that's his name. He tried to be my father, but he wasn't, and I was angry at him and my mother for trying to replace him. When my powers appeared, I knew Harvey feared me, so that didn't really help anything. A few years later, I accidentally lost control of my powers and in turn, Harvey kicked me out in fear. That's it, I've been on my own ever since," Kevin finished explaining. Laura had listened carefully to his story. She did feel sad for him, but she didn't want to show it, knowing that he didn't want the pity.
"Life sure seems cruel, especially if it involves your family," Laura stated aloud.
"Surely your life couldn't have been as shitty as mine," Kevin joked. Laura chuckled a bit.
"Wanna bet," she stated abruptly to him, "Everything was expected of me since the moment I was born. There were standards that had to be upheld."
"Standards?" Kevin questioned.
"My family, the Cross family, we're one of the most respected and praised families within the Knights. I was constantly trained to meet those high expectations. I was taught to master our family's ancient art of wielding two blades and I was a natural at it. People praised me, saying how I was a prodigy at such a young age," Laura explained further.
"That's quite a burden," Kevin added. Laura nodded a little. "Is that why you don't really like fighting?" Kevin asked her.
"I don't hate fighting," Laura stated, "I hated not having the choice, whether to fight or not. Because of my family's legacy, I was never allowed to act like a real kid. It was just constant training and fighting and I began to hate every minute of it. In turn, I began to resent my own parents, because they were the ones that kept me in that place. My father was the worst, always yelling and punishing me when I didn't get one tiny thing right," Laura continued. Kevin saw how she was trying to hold back her tears at the memories.
"But you got out," Kevin stated to her to cheer her up.
"Yeah, I did," Laura said with a smile, "My happiest times were when my uncle would visit me. He saw how miserable I was and I guess there just came a point where he couldn't just watch anymore. He already knows the heavy burden our family has and how it feels to disappoint them since he abruptly left the Knights to be a Plumber. One day, he came over and managed to convince my father to let him take care of me from then on. Not like it was very hard to do, my father practically gave me away. So, I left my family to live with my aunt and uncle, and I never looked back," Laura finished explaining with a heavy sigh. Kevin stared at her in silence for a few minutes. He thought that it must have been hard for her to tell him all that without breaking down. He underestimated this girl. He then chuckled a bit to break the silence.
"Looks like we both got pretty messed up lives," Kevin joked as his gaze shifted back to look over the city.
"It would appear so," Laura replied with a smile as she turned her head to look at him, "But it's not so bad when you think about it now."
"How so?" Kevin questioned glancing at her from the side.
"Well, even though this place is technically a prison, it gives people with broken lives the opportunity to start fresh. I'm not saying that it's perfect, but it's just enough for people like us. I mean it can't be any worse than what we had before," Laura explained as she glanced out at the city.
"Did you quote those wise words from your uncle?" Kevin joked with her.
"Actually, I read it off of his desk calendar," Laura joked back. Kevin laughed lightly. "Anyway, it's getting late. We should head back inside," Laura said as she started to walk away.
"Yeah, yeah," Kevin replied.
"Oh, by the way, Kevin," Laura began.
"Hmmm," Kevin acknowledged her. Before he knew he felt her sweep his legs out from under him. He landed on the hard stone roof with a loud "ouch".
"What the hell, Laura!" Kevin exclaimed angrily as he rubbed his aching head.
"What? Now we're even," Laura said innocently as she looked down at him. Kevin just stared at her, annoyed. She only laughed and walked back towards the doorway and back downstairs. Kevin sat on the ground for a minute, watching the girl leave. He then shook his head and chuckled softly.
"Crazy chick," Kevin muttered to himself as he stood back. He turned his head to look out at the city one more time.
"A new home, new friends, a new family, and some decent excitement; Maybe this place won't be so bad after all," Kevin thought to himself. He then turned to walk back downstairs, to be with his new family.
Why do I keep making myself write such long chapters? Well, we got to meet some new character, learn some things about them, and got a bit of action in there too. You know what I'm happy. I'm already loving this story and I'm loving you guys for reading it. For those who don't know a Polar Manzardill in the Ben 10 universe is the species the Articguana is from Ben 10,000 and Freezelizard if you familiar with Omniverse.
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