Chapter Twenty Nine: Festivities segment 3 -Benson's Perspective-

"no matter what happens, or how far you travel in your life, remember two things... firstly: you can't do it alone, you need friends to help you when you need them most. secondly, and more importantly: never forget where you began... Never forget that, and life's difficult struggles are made far easier. trust me, i might be young, but i know i'm right about that."

-emperorwolf.

Benson, Lily, and their sons were on the bullet train across the ocean.
Lily sat on the fox's shoulder, smiling "thanks for doing this, ben."
he forced himself to smile back, hiding his nerves behind it "no trouble... Campaigning's tough, visiting your parents... will be a nice change."
Ciril, currently Buki sized upon the table of the booth with his brother, noticed his father's hesitance on mentioning their grandparents "dad, are you aright?"
Virlan picked up on his brother's line of thought "is there something about gran and gramps we don't know?"
Benson sighed "they don't exactly like me... and this is the first time we're going there instead of them travelling over to Virada..."
Lily stroked at his neck "ben... it'll be okay."
he glanced at her with another forced smile "i'll be Homunculised, and your dad's already intimidating... i guess i'm just nervous, i'll be so tiny... he might--"
he stopped himself, realising that to continue would mean insulting Lily's father, and therefore Lily herself.

she hugged his neck "i know what you were saying, and dad wouldn't do that."
he sighed despondently "i know... but--"
"hey, if it bothers you that much you can stick with me," she giggled, looking up into his eyes with affection "i'll protect you, don't you worry~"
Benson felt himself blush, but raised his paw to hug Lily to himself "thanks."
she giggled at his touch "big crypuppy."

a laugh rang out from nearby "figures, you two never change."

Benson looked around, spotting a little blonde human in the baggage carrier above them.
he smiled "Ian, what's up? ... besides you, of course"
the 'human' snickered and floated down to the table "well, Amelia and Velian should already be there, i just came to give you directions."
Lily raised an eyebrow and cocked her head "directions?"
"yep, they moved the meeting place... to their home."
Lily' eyes widened "home... i was too young to remember it..."
Benson's ears drooped "Lil?"
she shook her head "nevermind, hey Ian, how's ammie been?"
Ian sighed, but answered "she's been great, she found somethin' out about our old friend, too."
Benson leaned in closer.
"remember the wolf? well, i'm sure you've heard he's back,"
Benson nodded "spoken to him, too."
"well, you know that kid that's supposed to be his reincarnation?"
they listened closely.
"i think we've worked out why he's still in a coma. and it has to do with that kid."

he recapped the passage from the compendium to them, making Ciril and Viran cringe.
"so... he's hurt because he and Zenef touched?" Ciril asked, concerned.
"not exactly hurt ... after he fought with Sillias inside his head, his mind fell out through a crack where the bonding of body and soul was..."
Benson looked at Ian curiously "what's that mean, exactly?"
Ian went steely eyed "his mind's still connected to his body... but it's not inside him anymore."
Lily gasped.

Virlan rubbed his muzzle "so where is it?"

Ian turned to him "my guess... the Astral Plane."

Virlan stood up quickly "i know that place!"
Ian's jaw dropped "you do?!"
the smiling foxcat nodded "yup. there was a grey Ciril there. then it broke..." he scratched his head "then it went into his brain, i think."
Ian stared at Benson "he beat his shadow... at this age?!"
Lily chuckled "at three, actually."
Ian blew a laughing sigh "jeez," he turned to Ciril "remind me not to get on your bad side!"

the conductor announced their arrival at the station over the intercom ""Renbi station...""

soon, they were standing on the platform, looking at the collections box, waiting for Benson to emerge.
"what's taking him so long?" Ian grumbled "he was fine last time."
Lily sighed "last time he didn't have 'being ten times smaller than my father who dislikes him' hanging over his head..."

Don't remind me...

Lily straightened up "Ben c'mon, enough with the telepathy."
the now tiny fox emerged from the box out onto the collections platform "alright... it's just nerve wracking..." he said as Lily gently picked him up "like i said before, your dad's pretty intimidating."

Lily smiled kindly "well, if he starts getting crazy at you, i'll make him stop, don't fret."

on the bus ride over to her parents home, Lily couldn't help but notice Benson's recent loss of confidence at his minimised size; last time it had been just with friends, but her father was someone Benson feared even at his full size... it was actually understandable that he felt this way.
"Ben," she whispered to the little fox on her shoulder, making his ears perk to listen "don't worry, nobody's going to hurt you. i'll protect you."
a loving look gleamed in his eyes "you mean it?"
she kissed him gently "just like you do for me."
he pressed himself against her neck "i love you... and... i'll try not to make him mad--"
she gently tapped his muzzle with her index finger "and, i'll make sure he keeps from hurting you, count on that."

Ciril smiled back at his parents in the seat behind them.
"mum and dad... they're awesome, aren't they?"
Virlan smirked "yeah, they make intersize stuff seem cool... not so scary."
Ciril nudged his brother "oi, what about me, then?"
Virlan rolled his eyes "don't take it that way, bro... i just know i'm safe with you is all, after all, we're twins, what reason you got to hurt me?"
Ciril sighed and rubbed his eyes "i'll take that, i guess."
Virlan's ears dipped "y'contacts stinging again?"
Ciril nodded "i know they're supposed to be better than my glasses, but they're just too itchy..."
Virlan dipped his paw into his pocket and withdrew a pair of round-lensed perscription glasses "i always carry your spare, if y' wanna use them."
Ciril removed his contact lenses and put them in a grey box, then took the glasses and put them on "thanks, Vir, i so owe you one."
Virlan smiled and took the contact box, putting it away in his pocket "i'll hold you to that, Cir."

soon, they were outside a well-kept victorian-era home, edged by verdant gardens.
Lily knocked on the door, and her father opened it, the yellow feline smiling happily until he spotted Benson on his daughter's shoulder.
"ah..." he said, blank faced "... fox... hello..."
Benson fidgeted "hello sir..."
Lily eyed her father curiously, he seemed... nervous?
"please," her father stepped aside "uh... enter."
the others went in, but Lily kept eying her father on the porch "dad?"
he looked at her, flustered "y-yes Elilabetha?"
she smirked "how come you're speaking Viradan? you even greeted me in it..."
now it was her father's turn to squirm "i... uh... your mother... said it was... impolite to... cut the fox... out of the... uh..."
suddenly, Benson interjected "you're trying to be polite?"
he nodded "i... i am, yes."
Lily walked inside "both of you be nice to eachother."

Benson nodded "okay."

Her father nodded hesitantly "y-yes..."

once inside, everyone was chatting and laughing in Gentikan, Benson couldn't help but be impressed at the massive crowd gathered inside.
"shit..." he said in awe "extensive family..."
Lily laughed "yeah, it's pretty big." she almost burst out in laughter at the word 'big' "kinda funny, nobody apart from us, mum, and dad, know just how big our family really is"
she noticed he blushed as she mentioned that fact.
"Ben, wait..." she made a sly face "you aren't nervous because nobody really knows you're a giant, are you?"
"no no," he sighed "that's not it... i just want your family to accept me is all... but it seems the only way that'll ever happen is if Draco's machine never blew up on me."
she sighed "Ben, remember what i said; i love you as you are, be that ten times one way or the other."
he snuggled against her "smart, beautiful, kind, and you know just what to say... aren't you just miss perfect?"
she gigged "then you must be mister perfect."
he laughed "oh no, i'm far from perfect!"
she shrugged and smiled "coulda fooled me."

Lily's father watched her chatting with the fox on her shoulder, and sighed "i just don't understand. what does she see in the fox?"
Frel, his brother, shrugged "dunno reece, dunno... but he seems like a nice guy... even if he's really small."
he sighed again, he'd been told to keep the fact that the fox was a homunculised giant a secret, for some reason, everyone assumed this was his normal size.
"yes, but i just don't understand."
Frel pursed his lips "you're scared of him 'cause he's different, aren't you?"
"i..." Reece went wide eyed, that triggered a thought, was that why he felt so defensive around the fox, because he feared him?! "i never thought about it that way..."
"maybe if you talk to him you'll understand him better... maybe then you won't be afraid?"
"you may be right..."

later, as Lily's aunts and uncles chatted with her and benson, Lily having to translate, her father approached her.
"Elilabetha, may i speak to you two in private?"
she apologised and followed her father out to the balcony on the upper floor.
"so," she asked in Viradan, with a hint of annoyance "what's the problem this time?"
Reece fidgeted "no... no problem..."
"then why ask us here in private?" she groaned
"i... i wish to speak... to the fox... but i thought... you would not... see it same way..."
she shook her head "i'm not leaving you alone with him."
he raised his paws defensively "i know this... it is why i... asked you both..."
Lily groaned again "how's it gonna go this time? another angry triade? the only times you've ever said anything to Ben are when you first met him and when you showed up drunk last year."
he looked at the fox "and... i am sorry... i believe it may... be because..." he stopped "i fear him..."
Lily stared blankly.
Benson tugged at her fur "Lil, what'd he say?"
"he said... he thinks he might be scared of you..."
the fox recoiled slightly "i guess i can understand that... but, wow."
Lily smiled "yeah, total shocker..."
Reece was confused "um... what?"
Benson fidgeted "sir... i'm scared of you!" he ended up laughing.
Lily started, too "oh my! you're scared of eachother and neither of you had a clue!"
Reece grinned "word is... ironic, yes?"

after that, Benson and Reece chatted awkwardly, eventually getting into how the fox became a giant and then into the way he protected Lily against any dangers, and finally... just how much they meant to one another.

Reece was relaxed by this point "so, fox... you two still... wish to marry?"
they both nodded and replied in unison "we do."
Reece smirked "look."
he showed them an article on his phone.
"Xlenari worldwide cybervotes to lift intersize marriage ban, voters of 'no' identified as crusty old senior citizens. all 'yes' voters identified as under sixty years of age."
Benson's jaw dropped "they switched to an online vote? ... and they want it lifted?!"
Reece scoffed "not just... this."
he showed another article
"Benson Appollo Palmer favourite in Viradan presidency polls"

"everyone wants... these things..." Reece bellowed with laughter "and maybe... i do also!"
"how?!" Lily asked, utterly shocked and happy.

"how? because i come through for my friends, that's how."

they turned to see Ian had appeared in the doorway with Amelia.
"by the way..." Amelia smirked "Ian's far holier than any priest..."
Benson caught on, and went to speak, but Lily silenced him with a gentle tap on his muzzle.
"wait, Ben... i want you to be your real size when you ask."
"aww, i have to wait until we get to the terminal tomorrow?" he asked with mock-sadness.
Lily laughed "you won't even wait 'til we're home?"
Benson sighed, and when he responded, his voice sounded a bit more serious "well, i think we've been waiting long enough already..."
she raised him from her shoulder and gazed at him lovingly "i agree... i'm just trying to sound mature!"

everyone laughed.

Ian thought of something "hey, come to think of it, didn't the whole size thing happen 'cause of Draco's crazy machine and your old technomagic?"
Benson thought about it.
"well, that thing was sucking out my energy... but i don't think that's the only part to this..."

he thought hard, his study of magic told him when two powers from similar types converged, they often mutated into a new power... a 'fusion spell' some might say, and the machine had drained away the Shay brothers' powers when it arced to them... that explained his eyes and...
"wait a minute... it arced out to them..." he looked to Lily "didn't Kevin's imprint vanish that day?"
she nodded "we never found out why."
he gasped "i just did."

he explained his theory, and that it had not only arced to the Shays, it had also arced out to Kevin!
"it drained their power into me, gave me these eyes... the size must've come from Kevin's imprint!!"
he beamed at his new discovery "the Adept-type magic i got from the shays cancelled out my particle-molecular powers, and mutated into these eye-powers, so the imprint cancelled out my Technomagic itself, and synchronised into giving me the size of it's owner, because that size was stored as the default!"

Lily gasped "and since you're not a technomage anymore, it locked itself into that size!"
Benson pumped his fists in the air "five years, but mystery solved!"
Amelia stepped forward "hey, maybe if you... 'unbind' those powers... you could get your old ones back?"

while they discussed, they knew not that they were being watched.

a short distance out of sight, were two foxcats, they appeared to be adolescent, and bore flourescent orange fur with white on their paws and down their fronts, as well as having black ears.
"damn, it's starting!" one of them gruffed
"i know!" said the other one "if this keeps up, that friggin' digital murderer will...!"
the first one adjusted a pair of glasses on his eyes "we can't let that happen..."
the second one whimpered "do you think we should reveal ourselves, bro?"
the glasses-wearer sighed "what good will that do?"
"argh!" the second grabbed his head "why'd that wolf go and die? we could really use his help here!"
a third appeared, a yellow feline with large white wings potruding from his back.
"yeah... crazy isn't it?"
the first two nodded.
"well," the winged one sighed "why not reveal ourselves... to ourselves?"
they all stood.
"worth a shot." the glasses wearer admitted.

they snuck closer, and made their way into the ground floor area.
the party was taking place on the second floor.
"okay, we gotta get up there without gettin' seen." the second foxcat said.
they slowly moved forward... but...

"who're you guys?"

---

Ciril, Virlan, and Velian had been playing downstairs when these three strangers had snuck in, they smelled like family, but there was something 'off' about the trio.
"who are you?" Ciril repeated the question.

Velian looked and saw that one of them was an ancat like himself.
"hey, they're like us; one ancat and two foxcats!"
"weird" Virlan commented.
the glasses wearing stranger crouched, now eye level with them "my name is..."
suddenly, the door across the other side of the room swung open, revealing the three young ones' parents.

Amelia and Ian stared "Velian?!"
the young Ancat looked confused "what'd i do?"
Ian strode forward "not you...."
he tapped the teenage ancat on the shoulder "him."

the intruder trio groaned.
"guess we've been caught, Virlan." the glasses wearing foxcat griped
"guess so, Ciril." said the other.
the young trio stared at the teenagers as the next words were said by the first foxcat.
"Ciril, Virlan, Velian..." he spread his arms to gesture to his cohorts "we're you guys from ten years into the future!"

(Next Chapter: mix of Kevin's perspective and the future trio.)