Chapter 199 - 3-5

Chapter 3

Aizen

Ben couldn't fight his apprehension as he took in his surroundings. He was the center of attention to everyone in the room. Some eyed him with curiosity, others with contempt, and some with eagerness. It took everything he could to fight back a shiver. But what he really couldn't help but notice was that a lot of the people had holes in their body, including places that they shouldn't have been able to live with, such as in the chest where a person's heart was. How did they have those holes and how they were still alive? Ben didn't know, but he had a strong feeling he wasn't going to like the answer.

"Now," Aizen said, drawing Ben's attention back to him. "There is a lot we could learn from each other. May I ask you some questions first?"

While Ben was grateful that Aizen was willing to just talk things out, he wasn't going to immediately trust this guy. Still, he was in an unknown place and currently outnumbered. He decided to go along for now. "Sure. That sounds fair."

Aizen smiled. "Tell me about your transformations. I'm quite intrigued by them."

Ben wasn't surprised there. He pulled back his sleeve and held his arm up, displaying the Ultimatrix in full view. Everyone in the room gazed at it. "This is the Ultimatrix. It contains the DNA of different aliens." Ben decided he would be just open enough to earn Aizen's trust, but not tell him everything.

There was a collective gasp from the peanut gallery and even Aizen's eyes widened, albeit by a fraction. "Aliens you say?"

"Bullshit!" Nnoitra bellowed angrily, drawing everyone's attention to him. "Aliens aren't real! This guy's gotta be lying!"

"Nnoitra," Aizen spoke his name softly, but the Espada still flinched at being addressed by his master. "Please allow our guest to finish. I don't see any reason why he would lie to us. Besides, just because the existence of aliens hasn't been proven doesn't mean that they don't."

Nnoitra looked nervous. "Yes. Forgive me, Lord Aizen."

So aliens either didn't exist in this universe or their existence just hadn't been discovered. If that was the case…then who were these guys?

Aizen looked back at Ben now. "So this Ultimatrix allows you to transform into aliens through their DNA. Quite the impressive weapon."

"Well, it's not really a weapon," Ben said. "It's a device meant for peace."

Nnoitra looked like he was about to give another outburst but one look from Aizen quickly shut up. Nonetheless, everyone else present were murmuring amongst themselves and some were giving Ben looks of strong skepticism.

"Forgive me, Ben," Aizen said, as if voicing everyone's thoughts. "But considering the potential of such a device, I find it hard to believe that it is a tool for peace."

"Well, it can be used as a weapon," Ben admitted. "But the creator originally intended it to be used as a means of understanding others. It makes the 'walk a mile in someone else's shoes' very literal."

Several of the others now looked disinterested and disappointed, as if they were hoping the Ultimatrix was a genuine weapon. Others, like Szayelaporro and Starrk, looked at the Ultimatrix with awe and curiosity respectively.

"Really?" Aizen said. "I assume that, since you are in possession of it, you are some sort of peace-keeper where you come from."

"I do peace-keeping," Ben said. "But for the most part…I'm basically a superhero."

This earned him several guffaws and some more scoffs from the peanut gallery. Ben frowned but otherwise did nothing. He was used to this reaction by now.

"And where exactly are you from?" Aizen questioned.

Now came the dicey part. "I come from a town called Bellwood. It's on Earth…in another universe."

Aizen's eyes widened considerably more while the room erupted with talk. Everyone was yelling at the same time so their voices mingled together, but Ben could make out disbelief, shock, flat out refusal of his claim, and quite a lot of profanity.

"Everyone," Aizen's calm voice brought everyone to a halt. Once the room filled with Aizen eyed Ben. "So you claim to be from another universe? Do you have any proof of this? And if you are, then why are you here?"

Ben took a deep breath. Aizen was hearing him out but he had to make sure he could really convince them. "I'm really popular in my universe. Everybody knows who I am, but you've never heard of me. Plus," he activated his Ultimatrix and started turning the dial, showing the holographic images of his aliens. "You've never seen any of these guys before, because they don't exist here."

"Your reasoning is fair," Aizen acknowledged. "But there are other possible explanations for your Ultimatrix, your transformations, who you are, and where you are from."

Ben cringed. True, his proof was flimsy at best but it was all he had.

"However," Aizen continued. "I have witnessed many things in my life. The existence of alternate universes isn't impossible and if you were trying to lie to me, you would told me something far more convincing. I will give you the benefit of a doubt for the time being."

Ben was relieved.

"But, if you are indeed from another universe," Aizen went on. "How did you come here?"

Ben sighed and scratched his head. "It wasn't by choice. Things were really peaceful in my universe and I didn't have anything to do. Then some guy claiming he knew a…friend of mine showed up. Said he knew a way to kill my boredom and suggested I go to another universe. All I said was that maybe going to a different universe would be cool, so he opens a portal and sends me flying into it! Next thing I know, I land in some kind of desert and well…here I am."

There was nothing but silence as Aizen took everything in. Everyone else was silent, waiting to see what would happen next.

"Well," Aizen said finally. "It sounds like you've had quite the experience."

Ben shrugged. "That's one way of putting it."

"Indeed," Aizen said with a nod. "Ben? Could you please wait outside for a moment?"

Well this was it. Knowing that he had very little choice in the matter, Ben turned around and headed out the door. Figuring they probably wanted the door closed, Ben proceeded to do just that. Once the doors were close, Aizen went straight to business.

"Well, my dear Espada," He said to his warriors. "What do you think of this?"

"The boy has to be lying!" Baraggan said firmly. "Alternate universes? Aliens? Rubbish."

Aizen just smirked. "Are you truly one to say such things, Baraggan? After all, you were once convinced Hueco Mundo was the only realm in existence."

Baraggan narrowed his eye at Aizen but said nothing else.

"If what the boy says is true then he is a scientist's greatest dream!" Szayelaporro gushed. "Proof of alternate universes? Extraterrestrials?!" He moaned in ecstasy, deeply disturbing those closest to him.

"That device of his is of great interest," Ulquiorra commented. "From what I saw, he was able to hold his own against Cirucci Sanderwicci, even though he was merely defending himself. Furthermore, there is much we don't know about this Ben Tennyson, particularly how many transformations he has and what they are each capable of."

"Hard to believe something like that was created for something like understanding others," Starrk commented. This took everyone by surprise. Starrk hardly spoke his mind, being content to just stay quiet and let everyone else do the talking.

Aizen smiled. The fact that this Ben Tennyson managed to get Starrk to participate was impressive.

"Agreed," Baraggan spoke up. "A device that grants the wielder multiple transformations and it was intended as a means for peace? Hmph. Surely whoever made that thing should've known others would try to use it as a weapon. In fact, if the device has enough forms, it could grant anyone the power to conquer all."

If only Baraggan knew.

"All that potential power at his disposal and he cares more about being a hero," grumbled Grimmjow Jeagerjaquez, the Sexta Espada. He was a wild looking man with electric blue hair, an open shirt showing a muscular chest, a jawbone on the right side of his face, and a hole in his torso. "How pathetic."

"The fact that he uses his powers for justice is admirable," argued Tosen firmly, turning his head towards Grimmjow.

"But now that he's here," Gin threw in. "What do we do with him?"

"An excellent question," Aizen said. "And while the boy himself is fascinating, I am curious about whoever sent him here and why. Did this person send Ben here to disrupt my plans? Or is he trying to aid me by sending me a potential ally? Either scenario is possible but Ben himself knows nothing of Hollows or Soul Reapers. Surely if Ben had been deliberately sent here, his sender would have told him about where he was being sent to."

Nobody said a word as they took Aizen's words in. Even though they knew a little bit more about Ben Tennyson, there was still a lot of questions left unanswered.

"Still," Aizen continued. "I cannot overlook the prospect of a new ally. If Ben truly knows nothing of Soul Society or Soul Reapers, that works to my advantage."

This news shocked a decent amount of the room's occupants.

"You wish to recruit him?" Baraggan asked, not particularly thrilled.

"There is no reason why I shouldn't," Aizen said. "While I don't know the intentions, if any, of the one who sent him here, I cannot overlook such a promising addition to our army."

Some, like Szayelaporro, were thrilled. Others were shocked and some wanted to speak out against this, but Aizen looked at the naysayers and they immediately fell silent.

"But first," Aizen said, a smirk on his face. "Let us see if the boy will lend us his power willingly."

This took everyone, even Ulquiorra, by surprise. Aizen wasn't going to use his usual method? This was a first. But could he really get the boy to join them by choice?

…

Ben found himself sitting against wall again as he waited for news. Obviously there was a debate about what to do with him. Ben sighed as he looked at the ceiling. So far Aizen was at least willing to give him the benefit of a doubt and he seemed helpful enough. Still, Ben was on guard. Sure the guy seemed friendly but that didn't mean he was completely trustworthy. Ben had dealt with enough backstabbers to know that he needed to take whatever anyone said with a grain of salt.

Ben's thoughts drifted to other things. There was no guarantee this Aizen guy knew a way to get him home. Was there any way in this universe that could get him back to his at all?

Ben was snapped out of his thoughts when the doors opened.

"Come back inside," Ulquiorra, the one who opened the doors, said.

A bit irked at Ulquiorra's demand, Ben still picked himself and walked back into the room.

"Ben Tennyson," Aizen said. "I do not know how to send you back to your original universe."

Ben hadn't really expected Aizen to know a way but disappointment filled him all the same.

"However," Aizen said. "It would be cruel of me to not at least find a way to send you back home."

Ben raised a brow. "What? You think you can actually find a way to send me back to my universe?"

"I believe so," Aizen said. "But it will take time and effort to do so."

"Not surprised," Ben said. "These things usually are."

"In the meantime," Aizen went on. "Since you are here, I would to ask something of you."

Uh oh, here it comes. Ben had a feeling this wasn't going to be free.

"A war is coming," Aizen said. "And I could really use your help."

A war? Oh great. Ben just wanted a way to kill his boredom and instead he got dropped right into a war?! Some vacation.

"But first," Aizen said quickly. "There are some things you need to understand. Earlier I noticed the glances you gave my troops. No doubt you are curious over the holes in their bodies and the bones they wear."

Ben cringed as he looked down at his feet at being caught. "Sorry," he apologized.

"There is no need to apologize," Aizen assured him. "Your curiosity is perfectly understandable. But Ben, you must prepare yourself for what I am about to tell you. We…are spirits."

Ben's head shot up as he stared at Aizen. "What? You're…you're ghosts?!"

"We are," Aizen confirmed.

Ben's jaw dropped and he found himself at a loss for words. Ghosts? Actual ghosts? The dear departed? Sure he was used to dealing with a lot strange things, including aliens that were ghost-like in nature, but he had never encountered actual ghosts.

"I, along with Gin and Tosen," Gin waved and Tosen nodded as Aizen addressed them. "Are Soul Reapers."

"Soul Reapers?" Ben asked, repeated. "Is that like the Grim Reaper?"

Aizen chuckled, familiar with the livings' image of what a reaper looks like. "In a sense. The purpose of Soul Reapers is to guide souls to the afterlife, known in this universe as Soul Society."

"Soul Society," Ben said to himself before looking back at Aizen. "What about Hollows?"

"That requires a bit more to explain," Aizen said with a chuckle. " So I will give you the basic explanation. You see, when people die in this universe, their spirits have a chain that attaches them to their physical bodies. These chains, known as Chains of Fate, will keep them bound to their living bodies but they are capable of being broken. When the chains are broken, they start to corrode through a process known as Encroachment. The more a spirit lingers in the Land of the Living, the more the chain will corrode. When the chain has fully corroded, the soul will transform into a Hollow. Hollows are masked, bestial creatures who are guided by instinct to devour souls."

Ben felt his blood run cold. "E-eat souls?" He asked. Then he noticed that several of the occupants in the room were giving him dirty looks.

"Do not blame them, Ben," Aizen said softly. "Hollows are consumed by a void which forms when their transformation is complete. They wish to fill that void, symbolized by holes in their bodies, and will go to extreme lengths to have it filled."

It then registered in Ben's mind on why so many people in the room had holes in their bodies.

"As you may have guessed by now," Aizen said. "Those you see before you were Hollows."

Well that explained why they all looked really angry at him. But then Ben noticed something in Aizen's words. "Were?" He couldn't help but ask.

"They are now Arrancar," Aizen elaborated. "Hollows who have torn off their masks and regained humanoid appearances."

Well that explained what Arrancars were at least.

Ben opened his mouth to ask about what this had to do with a war, when Aizen raised a finger to stop him.

"You're wondering what this has to do with the war I mentioned," Aizen stated, shocking Ben. Okay was this Aizen guy a mind-reader or something? "Well, Ben. It is the job of Soul Reapers to guide souls to Soul Society so that they do not become Hollows and harm other spirits in the first place. But Soul Society has become corrupted over time. Numerous souls are ignored instead of guided, forcing them to transform into Hollows, who are then callously hunted down by the Soul Reapers instead of being helped."

Ben's eyes widened at this shocking revelation.

"Soul Society has also become corrupted within its own walls," Aizen said. "Despite being spirits, there are rich and there are poor. There are powerful and there are weak. The rich and the powerful bully the poor and the weak, forcing the latter to live in pathetic conditions while the former living in luxury, doing whatever they please and trotting on any who cross them."

Ben clenched his fists. He hated bullies and the corrupted.

"I couldn't stand by and allow this to continue," Aizen said firmly. "So Tosen, Gin, and I defected from Soul Society and made our way to Hueco Mundo, the land of the Hollows. Someone needed to help these souls and I was the only one willing to lift a finger to do so. I helped the Hollows become Arrancar and together we built the fortress of Las Noches. But Soul Society has not taken my betrayal kindly. They will do whatever it takes to destroy me and my forces while I intend on overthrowing them and making the world a better place." Aizen looked at Ben, almost imploringly. "Ben, I know this is not your universe and therefore not your fight, but I could really use your help in putting an end to Soul Society's corrupting ways and setting things straight."

Ben crossed his arms. He hated whenever he got dragged into a war. Usually he was asked to serve as peace-maker (with minimal success if any). Taking sides in one didn't really sound like a good idea.

"Have you tried talking with them?" He suggested, though he had a feeling he knew the answer.

"Soul Society's government and leaders are narrow minded fools, stuck in their centuries old traditions," Aizen said and there seemed to be a hint of disgust in his voice. "And they will go to extreme lengths to uphold these laws regardless of practicality or morality. Why, just recently, a Soul Reaper gave some of her power to a human boy in order for him to save his family, but because it is forbidden to give one's power to a human, she was to be executed."

"What?!" Ben exploded in shock and outrage.

"In the end, Soul Society's leaders do not care about saving souls," Aizen said, looking sad as he did. "They care more about establishing their authority by any means necessary."

Ben exhaled through his nose angrily. Soul Society reminded him of the governments back in his own universe, both on Earth and on other planets. But at the same time, if a Soul Reaper broke the law in order to save people, they couldn't be all bad.

"There are other Soul Reapers who don't agree with the state of things," Aizen said, once again apparently reading Ben's mind. "But trying to change the government from within is futile. Only by tearing down the old ways and starting anew will make a difference."

Ben frowned. He could relate to wanting to overthrow corrupted leaders and tyrants, but the question was…how far was Aizen willing to go to achieve his goal?

"You call yourself a hero, don't you?" Aizen added. "This may not be your universe but would you truly turn your back on people in need?"

And there Aizen went, striking Ben where it would hit him the most. Still, Ben judged his situation in his mind. He needed a way home, Soul Society's corrupted ways disgusted him, and he felt bad for all these Arrancar. Their experiences were no doubt horrible ones. And as Aizen said, he was a hero, he couldn't just turn his back on people who needed his help.

Buuuuut, what if this was all a ploy to get Ben on his side? Aizen was a very charming and charismatic person, Ben could tell. But at the same time, that reminded him a little too much of Michael Morningstar. Yet if Aizen was telling the truth, then Soul Society needed to be stopped or at least shown the error of their ways. This was the place people went to after they died for crying out loud!

Ben decided he would go along for now. But he could keep his eye on Aizen and prepare himself in case the Soul Reaper proved to be another backstabber.

"Alright," Ben said finally. "I'll help you. But I want to make one thing clear."

"Yes?" Aizen asked curiously.

"I'll help you but I'll do it my own way," Ben said, giving Aizen a stern glare. "I won't kill anyone in cold blood, I will try to reason with the Soul Reapers if I can, and I will not let innocent lives be endangered."

Aizen nodded with a smile. "Those are are perfectly acceptable, Ben."

Ben sighed. "Aside from that, I'll help you in any way I can."

Aizen's smile grew. "Thank you, Ben. I truly do appreciate this." He got off his throne. "Since you will be staying with us, I need to introduce you to my forces." He looked back over at Gin and Tosen. "This is Gin Ichimaru and Tosen Kaname. As I already mentioned they are fellow Soul Reapers who defected with me after seeing how corrupted Soul Society is."

"Nice to meet'cha, Ben," Gin said, giving Ben a look that made him feel like a snake was eyeing him. "You're really gonna liven up this place, I can tell."

"Greetings, Ben Tennyson," Tosen said with a nod of his head. "I am honored to meet another who fights in the name of justice. I look forward to fighting alongside you."

Ben just smiled awkwardly. At least he was making a good impression so far.

"The Arrancar you see before you are known as the Espada and their Fraccion," Aizen said, indicating all the Arrancar who were in the room. "Ranked from ten to one, they are the most powerful Arrancar in Las Noches. My…generals if you will. All of you, introduce yourselves to our new friend."

Yammy was the first to step forward and Ben was tempted to take a step back. The guy was huge! As big as several of Ben's best brawlers. Yammy smirked down at him. "Yammy Llargo, Espada No. 10, just like you."

Ben tilted his head before he realized that Yammy was probably referring to the 10 on his jacket. He briefly wondered what Yammy would say if he learned one of Ben's nicknames was Ben 10.

The next one to step forward had a rather…unique appearance. This person wore a dress-like robe that covered their entire body alongside a frilly jacket, and a glove over their left hand. The person's face was covered by a long mask with eight holes, though the holes were too small for Ben to see any detail of their face.

"I am Espada No. 9, Aaroniero Arruerie," the figure said in a deep masculine voice before it spoke in a high pitched, feminine voice. "Pleased to meet you, Ben Tennyson."

Ben stood there, blinking rapidly as Aaroniero moved out of the way and Szayelaporro stepped forward, bowing dramatically.

"I am Espada No. 8, Szayelaporro Granz," He gave Ben an intense look and seemed to smile lewdly. "I am truly happy to meet you."

"Um…" an unnerved Ben said. "Thanks?"

Szayelaporro moved out of the way for the next Espada but that gaze, almost a smoldering one, never left his face. Ben suppressed a shiver when the next Arrancar faced him. This one was a tall, muscular, and dark skinned man who wore an outfit reminiscent of a martial arts outfit. He had lines running down his bald head to his eyes, three triangles under his chin, what appeared to be a mowhawk made out of bones, a necklace made out of teeth, and skull shaped earrings.

"I am Espada No. 7, Zommari Rureaux," The man informed Ben in a deep voice. "Be honored, Ben Tennyson, to work alongside Lord Aizen."

Grimmjow was next and Ben felt warning alarms in his head ringing. Like the sinister, predatory grin Grimmjow was flashing wasn't bad enough.

"Grimmjow Jeagerjaquez, Espada No. 6," Grimmjow said, his grin growing. "I'm really looking forward to seeing what you can do with that gauntlet of yours."

Ben could already tell that this Grimmjow guy was going to be a handful in the future.

Nnoitra was up next. "Nnoitra Gilga," He stuck out his tongue to reveal a big black number 5 tattooed on it. "The Fifth Espada. Grimmjow's not the only one who's anxious to see what you can do."

Oh great. There were two of them.

Ulquiorra stepped forward next. "You already know who I am. Ulquiorra Cifer, Espada No. 4." And that was all he said before moving on.

Ben's eyes widened as his jaw dropped as the next person came. She was, without a doubt, one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen. And he had seen a lot during his adventures. She was tall, with dark skin, yellow blonde hair, aqua eyes, and thick eyebrows. Her 'shirt' had a high collar that covered the lower half of her face (sadly), while the bottom was short enough that the lower half of her very large breasts were exposed, with a zipper than ran from the bottom of the jack upward. The shirt's sleeves completely covered her arms, which were currently crossed underneath her chest, with black glove-like extensions at her fingers. There was also slits in her upper part of her pants, showing a fair amount of her shapely looking thighs. Was this woman some sort of exhibitionist? Realizing that she was looking right at him, Ben quickly snapped his jaw shut.

"Greetings, Ben Tennyson," the woman said in a surprisingly formal tone that really didn't match her lack of modesty. "I am Espada No. 3, Tia Harribel."

Feeling a bit awkward, Ben smiled at her. "Nice to meet you." With a nod, Harribel moved one. Ben couldn't help watching her as she did. Then he suddenly felt someone watching him. He turned his head and saw three female Arrancar giving him looks that screamed bloody murder. Ben didn't know who they were but he guessed they were close to Harribel and didn't like the way he had been eyeing her. Uh oh.

Next came Baraggan, who was eyeing Ben up and down though looking very unimpressed. "Baraggan Louisenbarn." And then he went back to the biggest group of non-Espada Arrancar. He hadn't said what his rank was but it was obvious he was Espada No. 2. He must not have been fond of his rank.

And last was Starrk. "Yo," he said tiredly. "Espada No. 1, Coyote Starrk." And then he walked back to a little girl Arrancar with green hair, a horned helmet, and an outfit not really suited for one of her age.

"Now you are familiar with the Espada," Aizen said. "I would like for you to work alongside one of them so that they can fill you in on the more elaborate details of this universe."

The Espada had various reactions to this. Szayelaporro looked thrilled, Grimmjow and Nnoitra had sadistic smirks on their faces, Baraggan looked like he was ready to explode if Ben was assigned to him, Aaroniero's expression was uncertain due to his mask, Yammy looked like he really didn't care while Starrk, Harribel, and Ulquiorra all had neutral expressions.

Aizen weighed his options carefully. While there were many ways he could easily force Ben to join him, he found it much more amusing to have the boy choose to join him. Szayelaporro, Grimmjow, and Nnoitra were out of the question, for obvious reasons. Baraggan: absolutely not. In all honesty, Aizen figured the best ones to partner Ben up with would be Ulquiorra, Harribel, and Starrk. Out of those three, Harribel and Starrk had the most tragic of pasts, which would increase their chances of making Ben sympathetic to their cause. At the moment though, it looked like Harribel's fraccion wanted to tear Ben apart so this left him with only one logical option.

"Starrk," Aizen said. "Ben will be under your supervision."

Starrk sighed and scratched his head. "Sure thing."

Szayelaporro deflated in disappointment while Nnoitra and Grimmjow scowled. Ben was a bit surprised. He was gonna be spending time with the most powerful Espada. Even though he didn't know much about the guy, the fact that he was the most powerful Arrancar in Las Noches was pretty cool.

"Now," Aizen said. "Everyone, please return to your chambers." He smiled. "I believe that's enough excitement for today."

And with that, the Espada dispersed, though many sent passing glances at Ben as they left, such as Szayelaporro, Grimmjow, Nnoitra, and those three girls who were with Harribel to name a few.

Soon, the only people left were Ben, Aizen, Tosen, Gin, Starrk, and the little girl Arrancar. She was wearing white briefs with a black line in the middle, arm warmers, fur-lined, knee high boots, an open vest with a high collar, and a hole in the center of her stomach. On her light-green haired head was a horned helmet with the left horn either broken or cut off. The left side of her helmet covered her left eye, with a flame design above the left eye hole while her pink right eye was still visible.

"Nice to meet ya," the girl said with a big grin. "The name's Lilynette Gingerbuck and it looks like you're gonna be sticking with us for awhile."

Ben chuckled. "I guess so."

Starrk sighed as he rubbed his head.

"What's with that attitude?!" Lilynetta snapped, suddenly kicking Starrk in the rear and shocking Ben. "Lord Aizen has given you a task! Show some motivation, you lazy ass!"

Aside from hearing a little girl use such language, Ben was baffled as to why Starrk was letting this little kid kick him around.

"Ow! Ow! Enough! Ow! Alright, already!" Starrk snapped.

Lilynette took a step back and put her hands on her hips. "Come on. Time for us to head back!" She turned on her heels and already headed off.

"I'm coming, I'm coming," Starrk mumbled, following after her. "Geez, what a pain."

Ben was too stunned to actually say anything, so he was content with following them in silence, starting to wonder if he should've been assigned to a different Espada after all.

...

Once they left, Gin turned toward Aizen. "Very well played," he complimented. "You're still a great an actor as ever."

"I hardly needed to act," Aizen said, suddenly becoming smug and aloof. "I never lied when I told Ben about the corruption of Soul Society."

"Though you did conveniently leave out our own little involvements," Gin pointed out.

"Ben won't need to know that," Aizen said confidently. "He only needs to know what will make him most useful to me."

"You're not worried of what will happen if he finds out the real truth?" Gin asked, unable to hide his curiosity.

Aizen chuckled. "Ben Tennyson is unique and I don't know the full extent of his abilities. But if he were to turn against me, then I shall deal with him."

Even though Aizen said this with confidence, he still couldn't help but wonder about Ben's full potential. For all Aizen knew, Ben was a literal one-man army. So the traitorous Soul Reaper decided he needed to learn everything he could about the boy, to be properly prepared if in the event they did face each other.

And Aizen already had an idea in mind.

Chapter 5

Settling In

"Stick with us or you'll get lost," Lilynette said as they walked along down the hallways of Las Noches.

"No kidding," Ben grumbled as he looked around the seemingly endless hallway. "Do you guys have a directory or something for this place?"

"Nah," Lilynette said playfully. "We just know our way around."

"Lucky you," Ben muttered. "How far is your room anyway?"

Lilynette grinned at him. "Room? Each of the Espada get their own palace!"

Ben blinked. "Palace? Really?" He looked up at the ceiling. "Well, this place is pretty big. Kinda cool that you can each have your own palace."

Starrk shrugged nonchalantly. "Yeah."

Lilynette glared at Starrk before sighing. "Good grief." She looked back over at Ben. "Don't mind, Starrk. He's a lazy bum but he definitely deserves to be the Prime Espada."

Ben just smiled and shrugged at her.

"So," Lilynette eyed the Ultimatrix. "How many aliens do you have in that thing?"

Ben grinned at her. "Plenty," he replied slyly. Lilynette scowled at him, though her young face made it look more like a pout.

"Come on!" she coaxed. "How many can you turn into?"

"Give it a rest, Lilynette," Starrk half-heartedly snapped at her.

"Oh come on, Starrk!" Lilynette whined. "I'm betting you're curious too."

"A little," Starrk admitted. "But it looks like he's not gonna tell us and it's too much work to try and get it out of him."

"You lazy ass!" Lilynette kicked Starrk in the back of his leg, causing him to stumble forward and fall over. Lilynette followed this up by jumping onto his back and continued doing so like he was a trampoline while Starrk protested.

Ben couldn't help raising a brow at the sight: the most powerful Arrancar and he was letting himself get kicked around by a little kid. Despite this, Ben had enough experience to know appearances can be deceiving. Still, he wondered just what Starrk was capable of to earn his rank.

After a few more jumps, Lilynette leaped off Starrk's back (said Arrancar let out a sigh of relief at this) and landed in front of Ben. The hero felt a bit uncomfortable with the scrutinizing gaze the little girl was giving him.

"What?" he asked with an awkward grin. "Do I have something on my face?"

"I'm trying to figure you out," Lilynette said, narrowing her eye at him.

"What do you mean?" Ben inquired.

"Humans usually can't see us because of their low spiritual energy," Lilynette said.

Ben tilted his head. "Spiritual energy?"

"Yeah, Shinigami, humans, Hollows, Arrancar, we've all got it," Lilynette said. "But like I said, spirit energy from humans is really low and they're not usually spiritual aware. So I'm wondering why you can see us."

Ben wanted to retort but he was too curious by Lilynette's words. So Shinigami, Hollows, and Arrancar were completely invisible to average humans? Then how was he able to see them exactly?

"Maybe it's because he's from another universe," Starrk said drowsily as he stayed on to the floor, his eyes closed.

Lilynette glared at him. "How does that make any sense?!"

Starrk gave a half-hearted shrug. "Maybe there's something about the nature of his universe that lets him see us while he's in ours."

Lilynette made a face. "That sounds completely ridiculous, Starrk." She said dryly.

"Hey, I'm not a scientist," A nonchalant Starrk said, turning over so that his back was to her. "If you want better answers, go talk to Szayelaporro."

Lilynette cringed. Apparently she wasn't any fonder of the Eighth Espada than Ben was.

Still, Starrk could be onto something. After all, spirit energy sounded like it was this universe's equivalent to mana. But…was that really all there was to it?

Ben decided he would stop worrying for now and tackle it at a later time.

"Alright!" Lilynette suddenly cried, startling Ben and making Starrk flinch. "Up and at 'em, Starrk! We're not even at our chambers yet and you're already lying down!"

"You're the reason I'm on the floor in the first place," Starrk mumbled. Nonetheless he pushed himself back on his feet and brushed himself off.

Ben chuckled awkwardly at the strange comedy playing before him. He just knew spending time with these two was gonna be interesting.

…

"And this is our room!" Lilynette declared.

Ben found himself in a wide, circular room. Although, the hero felt it was kind of underwhelming for the Number 1 Espada. All that was really here was a bunch of pillows thrown together in a big pile. Starrk made his way over to the pile and laid down.

"Make yourself at home," Starrk said nonchalantly. "Now if it's alright with you two, I'm gonna go back to sleep."

Lilynette rolled her visible eye. "He was having a nap before you came along and Lord Aizen called the Espada together." She explained to Ben.

Ben scratched the back of his head as he stood there awkwardly. "Uh…sorry?"

"Don't worry about it," Starrk weakly waved his hand before dropping it on the pillows. "Now…goodnight." Starrk closed his eyes. Ben stared at him for a moment when the Arrancar started lightly snoring.

"Huh," was all Ben could say.

"Yeah, that's usually what he does when there isn't something happening," Lilynette grinned at Ben. "I told ya he was a lazy bum."

"So...do you guys just lay around here?" Ben couldn't help but ask.

Lilynette grinned sheepishly. "Sorta."

"Sounds pretty boring," Ben commented.

Lilynette shrugged. "It is pretty boring but hey, it's bearable." Then her grin got bigger, almost Cheshire-like. "But things are gonna be more exciting now that you're here."

Ben chuckled weakly, thinking back to Szayelaporro, Nnoitra, and Grimmjow. "I guess so."

Lilynette smirked. "Yeah, I saw how eager Nnoitra and Grimmjow looked when they were talking to you. Those guys think they're better than everyone else so they like trying to pick fights to prove it."

Ben slumped. "And they're gonna try to pick fights with me, aren't they?"

Lilynette laughed. "Probably."

Ben pinched the bridge of his nose. Terrific.

"It also looks like you're already on the hit-list of Harribel's Fraccion." Lilynette laughed.

Ben raised a brow. "Fraccion?"

"Oh yeah, you don't know about that," Lilynette sat down on the floor cross-legged. Ben joined her. "See, Fraccion are weaker Arrancar the Espada take as underlings. Those three with Harribel are Apacci, Mila Rose, and Sung-Sun. They're really loyal and really protective of her."

"I noticed," Ben muttered, thinking of the death glares they had been sending his way.

"But they argue almost all the time," Lilynette threw her head back and her arms out for emphasis. "Usually Apacci says something stupid, Mila Rose chews her out for it, they start yelling at each other, Sung-Sun mocks them both, and then they both yell at her."

Ben blinked. "Wow. And they really do this all the time?"

"Yep," Lilynette nodded. "Just wait until you actually talk with them, you'll get the idea."

Ben gave her a weak smile. He felt it was best for his health if he gave those three a wide berth right now.

"So, how come Yammy, Aaroniero, Szayelaporror, Zommari, and Ulquiorra don't have Fraccion?" He asked. "Can an Espada choose not to?"

"Uh huh," Lilynette answered. "Oh and Szayelaporro has Fraccion. But he has over a dozen or something…"

"A dozen?" Ben parroted in surprise.

"Yeah, I think he experiments on them or something in his lab," Lilynette replied. The fact that she was so casual about it caused a chill to Ben down Ben's spine. "Anyway, aside from Harribel's Fraccion, the only other ones you should really watch out for are Grimmjow and Baraggan's Fraccion. Grimmow's Fraccion are a bunch of thugs, they might try to pick a fight with you if he wants."

Ben groaned, picturing Grimmjow's group trying to jump him while walking down the hallway or something. "What about Baraggan's?"

Lilynette scoffed. "Those guys are doormats, always kissing up to him and stuff. But if you do something to anger Baraggan and he orders his Fraccion on you, they'll do it in order to please him."

"Oh, this is going to be lots of fun," Ben grumbled.

"Don't worry," Lilynette assured him. "Lord Aizen can deal with them. Besides, as long as you're with us, there's no way they'll try to mess with you."

Ben looked over at the snoring Starrk. While he was still certain Starrk was probably hiding some crazy power, seeing him lying around like that wasn't exactly filling him with confidence.

"So," Lilynette said, getting up in Ben's face and causing the teen to reflexively lean away from her. "Mind showing me some of your aliens now?"

Ben scrunched his face up as he weighed his options. Since he was going to be working with these guys, they were bound to see more of his aliens sooner or later. Besides, he had plenty to show without revealing his whole hand and he had a feeling Lilynette was simply curious rather than trying to pry information out of him. Not like there was anything better to do anyway.

"Why not," he said finally. "Uh…" He cast an eye over at the still snoozing Starrk. "Know someplace we could go without disturbing him?"

Lilynette gave him that toothy grin again. "I know just the place. Follow me." She grabbed Ben's arm and made a break for the door, Ben having no choice but to follow her. Behind them, Starrk just slept on obliviously.

…

"Where are we going?" Ben asked as Lilynette dragged him down another hallway.

"You'll see~" Lilynette replied playfully, causing the wielder of the Ultimatrix to worry immensely. She laughed when she saw the concerned look on his face. "Relax, will ya? I'm not leading you to a trap. We're going outside."

"Outside?" Ben repeated. "What about Runuganga? Is he gonna be okay with us out there?"

Lilynette chuckled. "Oh, right. You don't know about the other outside yet."

"Other outside?" Ben inquired.

"You'll see when we get there," was all Lilynette said, leaving Ben puzzled.

"How far is it?" He decided to ask instead.

Lilynette frowned as she pondered Ben's question. "Hmm. Pretty far. We might need to speed things up."

"What are you…" Ben started to ask, when all of a sudden he heard a boom and the world seemed to speed past him; everything a great big blur not unlike whenever he used one of his speedy aliens. Ben tried to ask what was going on but he was so caught off guard by this development that the words failed him.

Suddenly another boom filled Ben's ears and he found his vision completely filled with light.

"Aaaah!" the hero cried, rubbing his eyes fiercely from the sudden brightness.

"Heh, sorry about that," he heard Lilynette say sheepishly. "Guess I got a little carried away with my Sonido."

"Sonido?" Ben asked, still rubbing his eyes.

"Yeah, all Arrancar can do Sonido," Lilynette said. "We can use it to go really fast."

"Huh. And all Arrancar can do this?" Ben inquired as the spots began fading.

Lilynette huffed. "Of course. It's one of our natural abilities."

"Hey, cut me some slack," Ben said as he shook his head. "I hardly know anything about you guys." Now that his eyes had adjusted, he took a look at his surroundings. He stared in confusion.

Just as Lilynette said, they were indeed outside. But it was extremely bright and sunny out. Ben looked around, the dome was nowhere in sight and instead there were several buildings he didn't recognize.

Lilynette grinned at Ben's baffled look. "Surprised?"

"Uh, yeah," Ben said as he looked around. "Where…where are we? Why is it suddenly day? This doesn't look anything like when I was outside the first time?"

Lilynette chuckled. "Because we're still in the dome."

Ben blinked at her. "We are?"

"Yeah, Lord Aizen created this fake sky and sun inside of Las Noches." Lilynette explained.

"So this is what you meant by the other outside," Ben figured.

Lilynette grinned. "That's right. I did say we were going outside. I just didn't say where we were going outside of."

Ben chuckled as he realized Lilynette's little trick. "Okay, you got me there." He looked up at the apparently fake sky and whistled. "Wow. Aizen sure did a convincing job. It looks so real." He looked back at Lilynette. "But why'd he make it?"

Lilynette shrugged. "Nobody really knows. Some think he simply created it to bring light to Hueco Mundo's darkness. Others think it's some sort of fancy surveillance system so that he always knows what's going on."

Ben frowned as he stared back up at the sky. A surveillance system even in this place, huh? Ben had to admit that was pretty clever.

"So," Lilynette said, turning towards Ben. "Show me some of your aliens."

Ben bit his lip as he looked at his Ultimatrix, Lilynette, and then the sky. Sure these guys would be seeing more of his aliens sooner or later but the idea of being watched while showing them off reminded him way too much of Harangue and his Stalker robot. He really needed to be careful.

"Alright," Ben said as he activated the Ultimatrix. Lilynette watched in awe as the dial popped up and a green hologram of Ben's aliens were displayed.

Ben scrolled through, deciding to settle on an alien Aizen would probably already know about. He slammed the dial down and Lilynette closed her eyes as Ben was engulfed in green light.

Once the light faded, Lilynette saw Cannonbolt standing in front of her.

"Whoa," Lilynette said as she looked the Arburian Pelarota up and down. "Who's this guy?"

"I call him Cannonbolt!" The newly transformed hero declared in a much deeper voice. Cannonbolt seemed like a good choice. Aizen already knew about him and despite being one of Ben's top powerhouses, the guy did have a limited move set. "Watch this."

Cannonbolt curled up into a ball. Lilynette, extremely unimpressed, crossed her arms and frowned.

"Is that all he can do?" She asked in disappointment. "Curl up into a..."

Her words died when Cannonbolt began spinning in place before shooting off with such force that the small Arrancar was blasted off her feet and sent sprawling onto the sand.

"Hey!" Lilynette yelled indignantly. "What was that for?!"

Cannonbolt chuckled as he uncurled. "Sorry about that. Got a little carried away that."

Lilynette grumbled as she got back on her feet and started brushing the sand off of her clothes. "So you just curl up into a ball and…shoot yourself at people?"

"Pretty much," Cannonbolt said, shrugging his massive shoulders.

"Hmm," Lilynette scrunched her face up. "I don't know. Not really impressive."

The hero smirked. "Don't underestimate Cannonbolt. Cirucci can testify to that."

Lilynette's eye widened. "You used this guy on Cirucci?"

"Yeah," Cannonbolt scratched his chin. "That reminds me. I wonder if Aizen let her off the hook."

Lilynette shrugged. "Probably. Lord Aizen can be really lenient at times. Besides, you put in a good word for her so I don't see why he wouldn't. You should probably stay away from her though. She's a really sore loser."

"Would it help if I said I was sorry?" Cannonbolt asked hopefully.

Lilynette scoffed. "Doubt it. I think the only thing that would satisfy her would be your death or something."

Cannonbolt gulped, unable to shake the feeling that Lilynette just might be serious. "Well that's just great. Is there any girl here who doesn't already hate my guts?"

"I don't," Lilynette said, giving him an encouraging smile.

Cannonbolt chuckled. "Well that's a start."

"Come on," Lilynette said suddenly. "Show me another alien. Oh, did you use any of them to get past Runuganga?"

"Sure did," Cannonbolt said before touching the Ultimatrix dial on his chest. In a flash of green light, Armodrillo stood in his place.

"Whoa," Lilynette stared at the Talpaedan. "Who's this guy and what can he do?"

"I call this guy Armodrillo," The wielder of the Ultimatrix replied. "As for what he can do." Armodrillo dove into the ground. Lilynette looked back and forth, trying to figure out where he went, when all of a sudden he burst out of the ground right behind her. The action startled the small Arrancar, who yelped in shock as she went diving headfirst into the sand.

"What?! Again?!" Lilynette snarled angrily at a chuckling Armodrillo as the Talpaedan shook sand out of his armor.

"Sorry about that," Armodrillo said as he shook some sand out of his helmeted head. "I couldn't resist."

Lilynette grit her teeth and she picked herself off from the ground yet again. "So this guy's specialty is digging? I can see why you used him to escape Runuganga. But is that all he can do?"

"Nope," Armodrillo said. "If you couldn't already tell by his physic, he's one of my strongest aliens. His fists are like jackhammers." He then chuckled at his own inside joke.

Lilynette stared at Armodrillo, then at his piston-packed arms. She had a feeling that when Armodrillo said his fists were like jackhammers, he meant it literally.

"So," Armodrillo said. "I've show you some of my aliens, why don't you show me some of what you can do, Lilynette."

The Arrancar blinked in surprise. "Really? You want to see what I can do?"

"Sure," Armodrillo said. "If we're going to be working together, it's only fair I know what my allies can do so I don't get in the way."

That and it would allow Ben to see what these Arrancar were truly capable of.

Lilynette smirked. "Alright. Just watch what I can do."

Lilynette turned her head away from Armodrillo, as if she was looking at something. Armodrillo looked in the same direction but couldn't spot anything. He was about to ask her what she was doing when a glowing orb of green light started gathering around her left eye. Suddenly that orb erupted into a beam that Lilynette shot off in the distance.

"Whoa," was all Armodrillo could say to that.

Lilynette smirked at him again. "That's my Cero. And yeah, in case you're wondering, all Arrancar can do that. We gather spirit energy and release it into a big blast."

Okay so Arrancar had super speed and energy blasts as part of their repertoire. Oh and swordfighters too. Hmm.

"Now," Lilynette said, interrupting his musing. "Watch this."

Her hand went over to her broken stub of a horn. Armodrillo's eyes widened as it seemed to be glowing and some sort of object that resembled a hilt was starting to emerge from it. Lilynette grabbed the hilt-like object and proceeded to pull. Sure enough, it was a hilt, attached to a wicked looking scimitar.

"I did not see that one coming," Armodrillo said.

"What? None of your aliens come with weapons?" Lilynette asked, stabbing her weapon into the sand and leaning against it.

"Nope," Armodrillo admitted. "Unless they're part of their body like this guy's." He flexed his arms for emphasis.

Lilynette scratched her chin at this, but then shrugged. "Eh. No big deal. A lot of Arrancar lose their weapons when they go into their released state."

"Released State?" Armodrillo asked. He tapped the Ultimatrix dial on his chest and was transformed back into Ben in another flash of light. Sure Azmuth said he stay as his aliens longer but why waste power if you weren't going to use it?

Lilynette, who had shielded her eyes from the flash, glared at him. "Do you always have to do that every time you transform?"

Ben shrugged. "That's just the way it works. If you want somebody to complain to, you'd have to complain to the guy who made it."

Lilynette grumbled before clearing her throat. "Anyway, did Cirucci transform when she fought you?"

Ben nodded. "Yeah, she said some sort of chant or something and suddenly changed into this birdlike creature."

"That's an Arrancar's Resurrecion," Lilynette explained. "See, when a Hollow becomes an Arrancar, their main Hollow powers get sealed into a weapon, usually a sword but there are some exceptions like Cirucci's giant yo-yo."

At least Ben wasn't alone in thinking that way about Cirucci's weapon. "So when an Arrancar wants to use their full power, they go into this released state?" Ben figured.

Lilynette nodded. "Yep. Gotta say though, I'm pretty impressed you were able to hold your own against even a Privaron Espada, let alone one in their released state."

"Privaron Espada?" Ben asked. "Is that some sort of rank before Espada or something?"

Lilynette laughed. "Oh no. Privaron Espada are Arrancar who got kicked out of the Espada for one reason or another. Usually because a more powerful Arrancar came along and took their place or they did something that made Lord Aizen demote them from the group entirely."

So there were Espada and then there were Privaron Espada. He wondered how powerful Circucci was compared to the rest of them. Plus, these Released States...

"So, Lilynette," Ben said. "What's your released State like?"

Lilynette suddenly frozen, her eye darting back and forth. "Uh, um…my released state is a little different from other Arrancar."

Ben was surprised at how suddenly hesitant Lilynette was being. Was her released state embarrassing or something?

"Okay, okay," he said soothingly. "You don't have to show me if you don't want to."

Lilynette's eye shot back at him. "Really?"

Ben chuckled as he held his hands out. "If it bothers you that much, I won't press you."

Lilynette seemed to relax at that. "You know what, Ben? I never thought I would say this about a human but…you're alright."

Ben chuckled again as he scratched the back of his neck. "I'll take it."

The two laughed together. Ben had to admit, it was nice to at least make a…semi friend in this unfamiliar place.

But then Lilynette saw something behind Ben that cut her laughter short. "Uh…Ben?"

"Yeah?" Ben asked as his chuckles started dying down.

Lilynette gave a nervous smile. "Remember when we were talking about Harribel's Faccione?"

Ben slumped. "They're standing right behind me aren't they?"

Lilynette slowly nodded. Ben turned around. And sure enough, Harribel's Fraccione were standing not too far away from where they were. Ben took this moment to get a better look at these girls.

The first girl had heterochromia, with an ice blue right eye and an amber left eye that also sported a red outline around it. She also had jaw-length black hair and a horned, band-like object on her head. Her uniform had shoulder-length sleeves with black cuffs and a v-neck line. Gloves and collars over her wrists completed her look.

The second girl was dark-skinned, with green-eyes and sporting long, thick, wavy brown hair as well as large breasts. Her Hollow hole was located right between her breasts and her navel. She wore a white necklace around her neck and a three-sectioned crown that wrapped around her head. The rest of her outfit consisted of a white skirt and multiple armor covering her breasts and upper arms, along with gauntlets on her forearms and a broadsword as her weapon. All in all Ben thought she looked like an Amazon straight out of Greek Mythology.

The last one was a slender girl with long, flowing, olive-green hair and lavender eyes with long eyelashes. Ben could spot three pink dots located just below her right one. On the right side of her bangs were three extensions that looked like hair-clips. She also wore a furry black necklace around her neck and her outfit consisted of a long white dress with long sleeves, which extended well past her hands. The sleeves both sported single slit, and she bore two thin belts that crisscrossed around her waist

Judging from the glares that all three were sending his way, they obviously didn't come here to strike up friendly conversation.

"Um…hey there," Ben said, giving them a small wave. "So, uh…come here often?" He joked, hoping against hope that a little humor would lift the mood up. Judging from the sound of Lilynette smacking her forehead behind him and the other girls narrowing their eyes, it didn't work.

The one with the horn stomped her way towards him and before Ben could do anything, he was grabbed by the shirt and pulled to where the two of them were just a few inches away from each other.

"You've got some nerve, human," the girl snarled. "Who do you think you are?!"

Ben held his hands out in peace. "Whoa, hey, hold on a second. I'm not looking for any trouble here."

"Oh, you're not looking for any trouble?" the girl mocked. "Well too bad! You should've thought of that before you ogled Lady Harribel the way you did!"

Sheesh, Lilynette wasn't kidding.

"Apacci," the Amazon said sternly. "Remember, we're only here to teach him a lesson. Lord Aizen still believes he can be useful to us."

"Shut up, Mila Rose!" the now named Apacci yelled at the also named Mila Rose. "I am just gonna teach him a lesson! I don't need someone like you trying to tell me what to do!"

"What was that?!" Mila Rose snarled. "Why don't you say that to my face?!"

"Gladly!" Apacci shot back.

"My, my," the third girl, obviously Sung-Sun, said as she covered her mouth with one of her sleeves. "Look at the two of you, yelling at each other and making complete fools of yourselves in front of the human. I know you two can't help it but please try not to make me look bad as well."

"Stay out of this, Sung-Sun!" Apacci and Mila Rose yelled at her simultaneously as Sung-Sun looked off the side, as if ignoring them. "This doesn't concern you!"

Ben stared in wide-eyed amazement at the scene before him. It was just like Lilynette said. He looked over at Lilynette, who grinned back at his reaction.

"See?" she said. "I told ya."

This drew the attention of the other three girls. "Told him what, Lilynette?" Apacci demanded. "I saw how chummy you were getting with this human."

"Oh, I just told him how you three always argue," Lilynette said with a smirk. "Including just how you argue. You three are so predictable."

Mila Rose scowled at Lilynette, who just smiled cheekily back at her.

"And it happened just like she said," Ben couldn't help pointing out. "Wow. So…if you three argue all the time, why are you even on the same team?"

Unfortunately, this brought him back on the receiving end of Apacci's anger. "That's none of your business, human! The only thing you need to know is that we're gonna make you pay for looking at Lady Harribel like she's something for you to slobber over!"

"Wait, what?" Ben's eyes bugged out. "Hey, wait a second. You've got the wrong idea. Yeah, maybe I think she's really attractive but I didn't…"

This turned out to be the wrong thing to say as he found the tip of Mila Rose's sword pointed right at his face.

"Watch your words carefully, human," Mila Rose warned him coldly. "We will not tolerate you speaking anything ill of our leader."

Yeesh. This was beyond just loyalty and protectiveness. These girls practically worshiped Harribel.

"Look," Ben said firmly. "I'm sorry if I came off as rude but I wasn't trying to be. Your leader is a really gorgeous woman. I couldn't help but notice that." Apacci's grip on his shirt tightened. "That's all! Honestly."

"It better be," Sung-Sun said. "No man is worthy of Lady Harribel so I suggest you get any sort of notions out of your head."

Okay, this was getting ridiculous.

"I wasn't thinking anything like that," Ben argued. "Just because I think she's good-looking doesn't mean I'm thinking about asking her out or something."

"Oh, so now you think she's not good enough for you, is that it!?" Apacci said.

Oh for the love of…

"No! That's not it at all!" Ben said. "Look, just because I think Harribel is…"

"That's Lady Harribel!" Apacci snapped. "Say her name with respect!"

"Will you let speak for just one minute?!" Ben shouted, taking all four girls by surprise. Ben took a deep breath before speaking in an even tone. "Now look. I am sorry if I was disrespectful to Lady Harribel. I didn't mean to and I'm not trying to be. It was all just one big misunderstanding."

"Heh. I don't see what the big deal is."

Everyone turned to see none other than Nnoitra standing behind them, watching the scene play out with great amusement. All four girls fixed a glare at him. Ben's eyes were more focused on the strange weapon Nnoitra had slung over his shoulders. Attached to a long, black handle were two huge blades that slightly resembled crescent moons, stuck together at their backs. At the other end of the handle was a large looped chain that connected to Nnoitra's waist. What kind of weapon was that?

"Nnoitra," Apacci spat.

"So," Nnoitra said as his eye rolled over each of them. "Getting acquainted with our new guest are we?" He turned his eye towards Ben now and it was all Ben could to suppress a shudder. Just being near this guy made him feel all kinds of wrong. "You're quite the ladies' man, aren't you?"

"Something like that," Ben muttered, Apacci still gripping his shirt tightly.

"What are you doing here, Nnoitra?" Mila Rose questioned, the grip on her sword tightening. Nnoitra just sneered at her, showing he wasn't intimidated in the least.

"I just wanted to see how our new teammate was doing," he replied, though that unsettling smile of his strongly implied other intentions. "And I couldn't help overhearing the bad rap you're giving him just because he was giving Harribel the eye."

Apacci ground her teeth.

"You can't really blame him though," Nnoitra chuckled. "I mean, with the way she dresses, she's begging for men to stop and stare at her. Showing off her legs and her boobs like that? Someone really wants some attention. Of course, if she wanted to, my door's always open."

Ben scowled at Nnoitra's lewd comments. Lilynette began moving back. She knew what was going to happen if the angry looks on Harribel's Fraccione were anything to go by.

"Watch your mouth, Nnoitra!" Apacci yelled. "Espada or not, how dare you badmouth Lady Harribel?!"

"Apacci," Mila Rose hissed fiercely. She too despised Nnoitra's blatant disrespect but she was also smart enough to know Nnoitra was way out of their weight class.

Nnoitra's toothy smile grew and his visible narrowed. Ben had a bad feeling. "It's not my fault she's a shameless slut."

Oh that did it. All common sense for those three flew right out the door as Apacci, Mila Rose, and Sung-Sun's faces screamed bloody murder.

Howling with rage, Appaci released Ben and lunged forward at the Fifth Espada. Mila Rose and Sung-Sun went from furious to panic-stricken, Apacci's actions snapping them out of their own rage.

"Apacci!" Mila Rose cried.

"Don't be stupid!" Sung-Sun shouted.

Apacci cocked her fist back, looking ready to deck Nnoitra right in the face. But with surprising speed, Nnoitra struck her with his strange weapon, knocking her to the ground.

"Apacci!" Mila Rose yelled while Sung-Sun's eyes widened.

Lilynette winced at the sight.

Ben froze, his mind still trying to wrap around what had just happened. Both at the fact that Apacci had been badly, and the fact that Nnoitra swung that…thing around like it was nothing. Guess Ben could add Super Strength to the list.

Nnoitra's blow had done a number on Apacci. The poor girl was in a lot of pain, her arm was possibly broken, and her body was too stunned to move as Nnoitra towered over her.

"Pathetic," Nnoitra hissed in delight. "Figures Harribel would have such weaklings as her Fraccione. But that's all you can expect from women."

Ben blinked rapidly. So this guy wasn't just a perverted creep, he was sexist too?

"Damn you!" Mila Rose yelled. She and Sung-Sun charged now. Mila Rose raised her sword high while Sung-Sun produced a sai from her sleeve. Nnoitra almost lazily battered them to the side with another swing of his weapon, sending them sprawling to the ground.

Even if they hated his guts, there was no way Ben was going to sit there and let them get knocked around like this. He quickly activated the Ultimatrix and began scrolling through, trying to find the best alien to put this jerk in his place. Luckily Nnoitra wasn't paying attention and he needed to take advantage of that as quickly as possible.

"This is just sad," Nnoitra said, looking at each of Harribel's Fraccion. "You three are all bark and no bite."

Okay this guy was really getting on Ben's nerves and spurred him on to scroll through his aliens faster.

Apacci weakly tried pushing herself back up. Nnoitra saw this and frowned. He raised a leg and proceeded to stomp on her, causing her to cry out in pain.

"Apacci!" Mila Rose yelled from her spot in the sand.

Nnoitra raised his foot to stomp on Apacci again. So caught up in his sadism, that he failed to noticed a green flash of light right beside him. He brought his foot back down…

Only for it to collide with a large, green crystal that suddenly erupted from the ground, shielding Apacci from any more harm. All the Arrancar stared.

"What the…" Nnoitra started to say until something rammed into him from his side. The blow was powerful enough to knock him flat off his feet and sprawling onto the sand just like his three victims. Angrily, Nnoitra sat up, determined to find out who had just attacked him. His eye widened as he stared at his new assailant.

Standing before him was a crystalline creature with an indigo body, with a face and muscular arms made of green crystals, along with two spikes that protruded from his shoulders and two smaller ones that protruded from his chest, and the dial of Ben's Ultimatrix in between.

"T-Tennyson?" Nnoitra wondered.

The alien grinned at him. "In this form I like to be called Diamondhead." Suddenly he shifted his body into a fighting stance. "And if it's a fight you're looking for, I can fill the part."

Apacci, Mila Rose, and Sung-Sun all stared at Diamondhead in shock. After everything they had done, he was defending them? Why?

As if voicing their thoughts, Nnoitra laughed. "You're protecting them? Why? They yelled at you, threatened you, why would you want to help them at all?"

Diamondhead narrowed his eyes as he held his fists up. "Because I'm a hero. And helping people is what I do."

Nnoitra laughed even louder. "That's right. Apparently you're a superhero." He clutched his side in amusement. "Well here's something you should know, hero. In Hueco Mundo, it's kill or be killed. There are no heroes!"

Diamondhead simply smirked at him in response. "Then I guess that makes me Hueco Mundo's first."

Nnoitra's merry attitude quickly changed into an annoyed scowl at Diamondhead's defiance.

"Lilynette!" Diamondhead called over his shoulder, startling the little girl.

"Uh, yeah?" she asked.

"Help get these three out of here," Diamondhead instructed her. "I'll deal with this guy."

"Are you insane?!" Lilynette protested. "He's the Fifth Espada! Cirucci was nothing compared to him!"

"Just do it!" Diamondhead yelled, startling Lilynette further. She was going to yell at the Petrosapien for assuming he could tell her what to do, but her rant died on her lips when Diamondhead turned his head slightly in her direction, giving her a fixed look that clearly showed he was not in the mood for arguments.

"Alright, alright," she said in resignation. "I'm going, I'm going." She ran over to where Mila Rose and Sung-Sun were, no doubt finding it easier to get them up than the much more wounded Apacci. "Come on you two, get up."

"He's…he's really going to fight Nnoitra," Mila Rose whispered, staring at Diamondhead. "For us."

"Yeah, yeah, I don't get it either," Lilynette said, giving the other Arrancar a slight kick, causing Mila Rose to yelp and glare daggers at her but Lilynette was nonplussed. "Well move your ass."

Mila Rose grumbled but knew better than to argue with Starrk's charge. She picked herself up just as Sung-Sun was doing the same. The three used their Sonido to appear next to Apacci, behind the crystal. Sung-Sun and Mila Rose picked up their battered teammate with a surprising amount of gentleness before fleeing.

Nnoitra paid them no mind. After all, he had a more interesting opponent to face now.

Diamondhead braced himself. He didn't know what Nnoitra was capable of and since this guy was the fifth most powerful Arrancar, he probably had some nasty tricks up his sleeve.

"I was hoping I'd get to fight you," Nnoitra said gleefully. "I honestly didn't expect it to be so soon but I'm not complaining!"

"Not complaining about losing?" Diamondhead taunted. "Works for me!"

Nnoitra's toothy smile grew, having a feeling that he was going to get a real fight on his hands. "Show me what you got, hero!"

And without further ado, the two combatants charged. Nnoitra raised his arm, aiming to his bring his massive weapon down his new foe. Diamondhead saw this and leaped forward, ramming into Nnoitra and knocking him down again.

The Petrosapien grinned smugly at this. "That weapon's pretty useless if you manage to get in close enough."

Much to his annoyance, Nnoitra just chuckled as he picked himself up. "Not bad, but a little disappointing. Come on, hero, try to make this fight interesting, why don't ya?"

Nnoitra charged again. Diamondhead braced himself for an attack when suddenly the Espada disappeared. Before Diamondhead could figure out where he went, a powerful force struck him and sent him sprawling across the sand. Shaking his head, Diamondhead looked up to see Nnoitra smirking smugly at him.

Right. That Sonido thing.

"Come on, hero," Nnoitra taunted. "That can't be all you can do."

Diamondhead looked around. No sign of Lilynette, Apacci, Mila Rose, or Sung-Sun. Good, they had managed to get away. Now to deal with this guy.

"You want to see what I can do?" Diamondhead grinned. "You got it!"

He slammed his hands onto the ground. The Espada was curious as to what he was doing when a crystal shot out of the ground and struck Nnoitra right in the gut. The sudden attack caused the Arrancar to keel over and Diamondhead saw that as his chance. He leaped into the air and by the time Nnoitra looked up, Diamondhead was coming straight at him.

"This is for Apacci!" Diamondhead roared as he cocked his fist back and socked Nnoitra right in the face. Even if he was a guest in Las Noches, there was no way he was going to let a creep like Nnoitra get off easy for his actions.

The blow knocked Nnoitra for a loop. Seriously, he actually spun in the air before hitting the ground. Growling, the Arrancar started picking himself back up, only for Diamondhead to clutch his hands together and bring them down on Nnoitra's back, making him face-plant into the sand.

"Now that's what I call a sandwich," Diamondhead laughed at his own horrible joke.

Nnoitra shook his head furiously, trying to remove the sand on his face. "Is that the best you can do?!" He yelled.

"Not really," Diamondhead taunted back. "I'm just getting warmed up."

"Really?" Nnoitra grinned. "So am I!"

Diamondhead was about to move, but at that moment, Nnoitra, swung his leg, tripping Diamondhead and causing the Petrosapien to fall flat on his back.

"I'll admit you've got some moves," Nnoitra chuckled as he stood straight up. "But my Hierro is the strongest of the Espada. You're gonna have to do better if you want to really hurt me."

Hierro? Now what was that?

Nnoitra prepared to attack again and Diamondhead prepared to defend himself…

Only for Starrk to appear behind Nnoitra and grab onto his weapon. Needless to say, Diamondhead and Nnoitra were shocked by his sudden appearance.

"Starrk?" Nnoitra stared at his fellow Espada.

"What do you think you're doing?" Starrk asked, a hint of seriousness in his normally casual tone.

Nnoitra snarled at his fellow Espada. "This doesn't concern you, Starrk."

"Lord Aizen put me in charge of watching over our guest, Nnoitra," Starrk countered. "I think it does concern me."

Nnoitra snarled again and tried pulling his blade out of Starrk's grasp. Starrk merely tightened his grip, causing Nnoitra to grind his teeth angrily as he failed to free his weapon.

"This is my fight, Starrk!" Nnoitra growled.

Starrk just looked at Nnoitra, looking sort of bored. "Leave, Nnoitra."

"What?!" Nnoitra exclaimed.

Starrk sighed as he scratched his head with his free arm. "I really don't want to use force, Nnoitra, but if it's the only way to make you go away, I might have no choice."

Both Diamondhead and Nnoitra were stunned by this declaration. But Nnoitra quickly recovered from his shock and smirked.

"Well now," he chuckled. "This human must be pretty special if you're actually willing to fight for his sake."

"Lord Aizen wouldn't like it if I let anything happen to him on my watch," Starrk said with a shrug as his free hand went to his katana. "Besides, Lilynette seems pretty fond of him. If I let him get killed, she'd never leave me alone about it."

"Gee," Diamondhead said dryly. "How thoughtful."

But Nnoitra didn't back off at the idea of the Primera Espada fighting him. In fact, he looked excited. Really excited.

"Alright, Starrk," he said gleefully. "If that's the way it's gonna be, bring it o…"

"That will be enough, Nnoitra."

Nnoitra, Starrk, and Diamondhead all quickly turned to see Aizen standing before them, Tosen and Gin standing on either side of him.

"L-lord Aizen," Nnoitra muttered.

Seeing that this fight was over, Diamondhead was engulfed in a flash of green light before being turned back into regular Ben. Everyone present gave him the briefest of looks before facing each other again.

Starrk let go of Nnoitra's weapon and the latter quickly put it at his side.

"I was informed of some very interesting news," Aizen said. "Aside from the fact that Emilou Apacci was badly wounded by Nnoitra, I also heard that he was fighting with our guest. I decide to look into the matter and now I find two Espada about to attack each other. What exactly brought this all this on?"

Nnoitra averted looking at Aizen directly, probably realizing he might be in serious trouble. "That bitch attacked me just because I said some stuff about Harribel, so I had to defendmyself."

Ben glared at Nnoitra's ridiculous excuse as he got up. Judging from Starrk's deadpan look and Gin's smile widening, nobody else really bought it.

"Defend yourself, hmm?" Aizen said. "That's very interesting, Nnoitra. Harribel must be training them really well if you had to defend yourself against three Fraccion."

Nnoitra winced as he realized what he had set himself up for. Ben couldn't help but feel a little smug at seeing his newfound adversary dig himself into a hole.

"He started kicking Apacci while she was down. So I stepped in," he interjected. Now Nnoitra was the one glaring at him. "I fought him so that the others could get away."

"How considerate of you, Ben," Aizen commented. "That was very brave and very risky, choosing to fight someone like Nnoitra, especially for the sake of those three. I was under the impression that Harribel's Fraccion weren't particular fond of you."

"I don't care," Ben said firmly. "Even if they hate my guts, I wasn't just going to sit there and do nothing."

Aizen smiled softly at the human. "You truly are a noble person, Ben. And considering that you don't look worse for wear, it seems you were able to hold your own against Nnoitra. The fact that he was still in his sealed state does not take away the impressiveness of this feat."

"Tch," Nnoitra scoffed.

"Is Apacci okay?" Ben asked, deciding to change the subject.

"She is currently in the medical room, undergoing treatment," Aizen said. "Starrk can escort you there if you wish."

Ben looked over at Starrk, seeing if he was up for it. The Prime Espada sighed, rubbing his head.

"Sure thing," he said tiredly.

Ben shot one last look at Nnoitra, who sneered at him once their eyes met. Aizen noticed the animosity between them.

"Ben," Aizen said, drawing the hero's attention to him. "I will deal with Nnoitra. You may go check on Apacci."

Nnoitra gaped at Aizen, shocked at the idea of his leader punishing him for anything. Ben was more than willing to go another round with this creep but he had a feeling that Aizen's word was final.

But he was definitely going to keep an eye out for Nnoitra from now on.

Starrk took that as their cue to leave. "Come on, Ben," he said as he put a hand on the hero's shoulder. The next thing Ben knew, everything was a big blur again. Obviously Starrk's Sonido.

The next, next thing Ben knew, he was back indoors.

"Come on," Starrk said, already walking off. "The medical room's this way."

"Right," Ben nodded, hurrying to catch up.

"Have to admit, that was a pretty bold move," Starrk said as they walked. "Taking on Nnoitra like that."

"I had to do something," Ben replied.

"Still, you should consider yourself lucky," Starrk told him. "Nnoitra's brutal and he gets worse when a fight excites him."

"I'll keep that in mind," Ben said, refusing to back down to somebody like Nnoitra.

Starrk saw the determined look in Ben's eyes and sighed. "Suit yourself."

The rest of the walk was done in silence but both paused when they heard the sound of someone running down the hall. They didn't have to wait long when the runner came into view from around a corner. And it was none other than Lilynette. Her eye went wide when she saw who was in front of her.

"Ben!" she shouted. "You're alive?!"

"Heh," Ben said as he crossed his arms. "Surprised?"

"Uh, duh!" Lilynette retorted, causing Ben to slump in annoyance. "I can't believe you're still alive, let alone standing, after a fight with Nnoitra!" Her eye completely bugged out. She pointed a shaky finger at the wielder of the Ultimatrix."Did…did you win?"

"I stepped in before things got heavy," Starrk said. Lilynette pouted, apparently disappointed that Ben hadn't actually defeated Nnoitra. "But…from what I saw, they were completely at a stalemate."

Lilynette stared at Ben in newfound awe. A human who not only stood up to the Fifth Espada, but was capable of fighting him to a standstill?

"Okay," Ben said. "To be fair, Nnoitra hadn't gone into that Released State thing."

"So?" Lilynette snapped at him. "The Espada are still pretty strong without using their Resurrecion." She grinned. "Oh, man. This is big. I wonder how everyone else is going to react."

Ben gulped as Lilynette's words weighed heavy on him. He had a feeling his skirmish with Nnoitra was going to be the talk of Las Noches. How would the other Espada react to this? Especially Grimmjow, who had shown an interest in him too?

"What were you doing anyway, Lilynette?" Starrk wondered.

"Oh, Harribel went to go check up on her Fraccion," Lilynette replied. "It looked like they wanted to be left alone so I decided to give them some privacy."

"How's Apacci doing?" Ben inquired.

"Not bad," Lilynette said casually. "Nnoitra got her good but it's nothing that can't be patched up. The nurse said she should be just fine."

Ben let out a sigh of relief. "Well that's good. What about the other two?"

"A little sore but that's about it," Lilynette informed him.

Ben smiled. "I'm glad they're going to be alright."

Lilynette huffed as she crossed her arms and stared in Ben with a scrunitizing gaze similar to the one she had used on before this whole happened.

"What?" Ben asked.

"I don't get it," The little Arrancar said. "Why are you being so nice to them after everything they did?"

"Well, I'm not gonna lie, it was really annoying the way they kept twisting everything I said," Ben admitted. "But at the same time, they didn't deserve to be treated like that."

Lilynette groaned. "I think you're a little too forgiving."

Ben laughed. "I guess I can be. I mean, my best friend's a guy who tried to kill me when we were kids."

Starrk and Lilynette both gawked at him. Their reaction was so priceless, Ben couldn't help grinning.

"Are you serious?" Lilynette asked.

"Uh huh," Ben said, still amused at the looks on their faces. "Of course, it's a long story and all but…"

"Ben Tennyson."

Ben paused at the sudden appearance of Tia Harribel, who was standing at the end of the hall. The Third Espada crossed her arms under her breasts and began walking towards the other three.

"Hello, Harribel," Starrk said casually.

"Starrk," Harribel replied civilly. She gave Ben a brief glance before looking back at her comrade. "I would like to speak with him alone."

Well this took Ben by surprise.

Starrk looked back and forth between Harribel and Ben. "Alright," he said. "Come on, Lilynette."

"What?!" Lilynette exclaimed. "What's the big deal? Can't we stay?"

"I said come on," Starrk said, a bit of firmness in his tone.

Lilynette glared at the other Arrancar but relented. "Fine, fine." She ran after him.

So now it was just Ben and Harribel alone in the hallway. The two said nothing, just looked at each in silence. For Ben it was an awkward silence but he didn't know what Harribel thought about it. Eager to end it, Ben opened his mouth to say something but Harribel beat him to it.

"I have some things I wish to say to you, Ben Tennyson," she told him.

Ben flinched, worried that she was upset with him for some reason. Was she as mad at him as her Fraccione were? Did she think it was his view fault they got hurt?

"First," Harribel began. "I would like to apologize on behalf of my Fraccione."

Well that took Ben by surprise. "Uh…"

"They had made it perfectly clear how much they hated you for your apparent disrespect towards me. I told them not to worry over such a trivial thing but it seems they, especially Apacci, refused to let it go. I should have known they would do something foolish and did more to rein them in."

Well now, Ben looked at the ground, unable to think of anything to say. It was nice to know that at least Harribel herself didn't hate his guts.

"Second," Harribel went on. "You had every reason not to help my Fraccione. Yet despite their treatment of you, not only did you protect them, you were willing to face one of the Espada to do so. I thank you for your kindness."

Ben couldn't help smiling at her words. Not because of the praise, but the fact that Harribel seemed to really care about her Fraccion's wellbeing. Maybe their zealous loyalty wasn't completely unfounded.

"I am also impressed you are still alive, let alone in perfect health, after facing Nnoitra Gilga," Harribel commented. "But be cautious, Ben Tennyson, for you have gained a deadly enemy. Nnoitra does not forgive and he will go to any lengths to settle a score."

Harribel was then taken by surprise at the sudden look of determination on Ben's face.

"Well you know what I say to that?" he said. "I say bring it on. I've faced tons of guys back home who've tried to kill me but I always came out on top. I'm not gonna back down from a jerk like him. He's just another name to add to the list."

Harribel just stared at Ben, amazed by his words and conviction. She closed her eyes. "You are either extremely brave or extremely foolish. Perhaps a bit of both."

Ben grinned. "Okay, I'll admit I am a little of both. But hey, I've gotten this far."

"Hmm," was Harribel's reply before she turned around and started heading back the way she came. "I am going to check up on Apacci and the others again. Then I'm going to remind Nnoitra why it is ill advised to attack another Espada's Fraccione."

The sudden coldness in her voice left a shiver running down Ben's spine. He did not want to be in Nnoitra's shoes right now. Not that he ever would on a good day.

Before turning around the corner, Harribel spared Ben one last parting glance.

"Thank you again, Ben Tennyson. And good luck." With that, she left.

Once she left, Ben let out a great big sigh. Well, this has been quite the eventful day. And he had only just gotten here.

Still, he couldn't get Harribel's words out of his head. While all the advice was appreciated, he already figured Nnoitra would be gunning for him. Ben had managed to hold his own but he had a strong feeling the Fifth Espada hadn't been going all out. Sure Ben himself hadn't gone all out either but with all these things Arrancar can do; Sonido, Cero, Resurrecion, Hierro and possibly much more, it would be risky to fight Nnoitra again unprepared. Now Ben was used to fighting new enemies blindly (especially when he was a kid) but it sounded like doing that here might get him killed. If he wanted to stand a chance, he needed to find out all he could about Arrancar.

Ben turned around and walked back the way he came. He hoped Starrk and Lilynette didn't go too far, he wasn't in the mood to get lost in this place. But it seemed he didn't need to worry because the two were walking right towards him. And the grin on Lilynette's face probably meant they had overheard his conversation with Harribel.

"Well look at you, making friends with Harribel," Lilynette teased him.

"I don't know if we're friends," Ben said to her. "If anything, we're just on positive…ish terms."

"That's more than any of us can say," Starrk told him. "Harribel and her Fraccione usually keep to themselves. The fact that you're on her good side is an accomplishment in itself."

"Hmm," Ben said as he crossed his arms. Then he remembered what he wanted to talk to these two about. "Hey guys."

"Yeah?" Lilynette asked.

"I need your help," Ben said.

"About what?" Starrk asked.

"I would like to learn more about Arrancar," Ben answered.

"Hmm. Want to be ready in case Nnoitra wants a rematch?" Starrk guessed.

Okay, what was it with people here knowing exactly what he wanted to do? First Aizen, now Starrk? It was scary. Or was he really that obvious?

Since Starrk wasn't bothering to beat about the bush, Ben didn't either. "Yeah."

Starrk sighed, acting more as if he had just been asked to move a mountain. "Well, I guess I can't always be there to bail you out and Lord Aizen would probably prefer you being able to handle stuff on your own. Alright. But let's get back first so I can least rest while I'm explaining."

Ben grinned at his good fortune. "Works for me."

With that, the three started on their way back to Starrk's palace.