Bleach: Ultimate Alien

Chapter Four: A day in Las Noches

Aizen sat in his throne, thinking about the recent events that had occurred yesterday. Even he had not predicted the sudden arrival of Ben Tennyson and that was saying something. It was almost enough to make Aizen believe in providence. A boy with shape-shifting powers and no apparent knowledge of Hueco Mundo, Hollows, Arrancar, Shinigami, or Soul Society. How perfect was this?

While Aizen was curious as to how Ben came to Hueco Mundo in the first place, he already saw potential in Ben the moment he saw him turn into Humungousaur. His interest only increased with each new form he saw Ben turn into.

"Hello, Aizen," Gin said as he walked into the throne room.

"Good evening, Gin," Aizen said. "What brings you here?"

"Just thought I'd tell you that little Ben is making everybody antsy."

Aizen smiled. "I believe Ben's been doing that ever since he first came here."

"True," Gin said with his own grin. "But now that everybody knows what he can do, he's the talk of the town. Why, even Luppi is in the mood to fight him. He told me so."

Aizen gave a light chuckle. "And he's far from the only one, isn't he?"

"As if you didn't know," Gin laughed. "But the two we really need to worry about is Szayel and Aaroniero. Szayel would love nothing more than to experiment on Ben and I'm pretty sure Aaroniero's been wishing Ben was a Hollow so he could eat him. I wouldn't be surprised if he asked Szayel to fuse Ben with a Hollow so he could."

Aizen gave out a dramatic sigh. "It would seem that Ben is just too tempting for them to control themselves. I'll have to make a point that Ben belongs to Harribel now and is off limits."

Harribel watched from a balcony as Ben and her Fraccion were sparring with each other. She knew that it would be best for the four of them to train. It wasn't going to be easy, since Apache, Mila-Rose, and Sun-Sun were all used to it just being the three of them Having a fourth member, as well as a guy, was completely unexpected. But Harribel knew that if she was to ever have male Fraccion, it would be Ben.

Harribel and her Fraccion told Ben that Hueco Mundo was an afterlife place. They told him Ben about soul chains and that certain people winding up having their soul chains withering away to nothing. The unfortunate souls to have such a thing happen to them become things called Hollows. Hollows were mostly mindless creatures. They then explained to Ben what Arrancar were. Arrancar were Hollows who succeeded in regaining human forms and rationality. And it was thanks to Aizen that so many Hollows were able to become Arrancar. Curious, Ben asked if Aizen planned on turning all the Hollows. Harribel managed to go on without answering Ben's question.

But at that moment something else caught her attention.

"Come out of hiding, Szayel," she ordered.

Stepping out of the shadows was none other than Szayel Aporro Granz himself. He had that irritating superior smile on his face.

"I should have known I'd never be able to sneak past you, Harribel. Nothing less from the third Espada."

"Why are you here, Szayel?" Harribel asked without looking at him.

Szayel's smile turned mischievous. "Isn't it obvious, Harribel?" he asked. "I came here to see Ben against your Fraccion. Though I am a little sad. I was hoping that Ben would use a new form, but he's only using forms that he used before. Pity."

"It does not matter what you have," Harribel told him. "It's how you use it."

"I know that old human speech, thank you," Szayel said with a roll of his eyes. "But think of it. A boy with the power to take the form of monsters that are not even Hollows. He's like a scientist's dream."