Here we are, the fifth chapter of Bleached Bone Mask. It was a lot harder to write than I thought it would be, but I think this chapter should do pretty fine.

Anyway, John finally meets Aizen. Let's see how he fares.

Disclaimer's in the first and second chapters. I'm not saying that again.

Phase 4: The Tyrant's Hospitality

My head was pounding, and I could've sworn I heard a throbbing in my ears. I opened my eyes slowly, but my vision was blurry, and the light that poured straight into my eyes blinded me. Eventually, my eyes got used to the light, and the pounding in my ears began to clear up. Strangely enough, it almost sounded like words.

As soon as my eyes opened, I heard Montezuma shout, "Fucking finally! Do you know how long I've been waiting for you to get up?" I didn't want to hear anything from him, at least for now. I still had a headache from that attack, and having a voice yell at me in my head was the last thing I needed. I put a hand up to my face, feeling the mask still attached.

"What'd I miss?" I groaned out. My head was still pounding, so I closed my eyes to ease the pain. All I heard from Montezuma was a shrugging sound before he said, "Nothing much, except while you were out cold, they had their witch doctors cut your balls off and cook them in a stew."

"WHAT!" I shouted out loud, my eyes shooting wide open. I jerked straight up in the cot I was lying on, the thin blanket that was laid on top of me thrown off my body. I was about to check to see if he was telling the truth when I heard his trademark wheezy chortle. Of course, I mentally deadpanned. You just have to get a good laugh at my expense.

I heard Montezuma sigh contently, saying, "I don't care. That's just funny." Montezuma then made a noise like he was clearing his throat before adding, "In all seriousness, though, they didn't do anything. All they did was drag your giant ass in here so you could get some sleep. That Szayel Aporro freak wanted to cut you open and see what made you tick, but the doctors didn't let him. They said that this Aizen guy would be pissed or something."

I nodded, then turned and got a good look at where I was now. The room wasn't exactly exciting, just a white tile floor, a white ceiling and white walls. The only part of the room that was another color was the blanket that was originally covering me, which seemed to be stained with red blood.

I raised an eyebrow and was about to ask Montezuma if it was mine. He didn't give me a chance to say anything, as he answered, "Nah, it's not yours. Apparently, this doctor had a lot more patients in worse shape than you were." I shrugged at that as I pushed myself off the cot and stretched my legs a little. I took another look around before I noticed what looked like a clipboard sitting on a table by the door. Curious, I went over to the table, picked up the board, and read what was on it. Just my luck, Szayel Aporro wrote it, and it was about me.

"As a man of science, I was disappointed when I was told that I couldn't operate on Jonathan. I was tempted to disobey, mind you, but even then, Aizen's word is law here in Las Noches. Still, that didn't necessarily mean that I couldn't simply make a few observations."

"Now then, first things first, I have found out that Jonathan is actually a human, which doesn't surprise me as, even in the World of the Living, there are a select few humans who have special abilities. Even then, Jonathan is the strangest I've seen so far."

"For starters, he has an incredible amount of strength, and some knowledge of how to use it. He was able to kill Medazeppi, but that's not entirely exceptional; I only said that he was the most powerful of my Fracción just to see if I could shake him, perhaps lower his morale."

I ignored the blow to my self-confidence as I continued reading, "Another ability I observed – this being from watching his battle with the sand guardian, Runuganga – is that he was able to use blades made from, interestingly enough, his bones. It was incredible enough to see him incapacitate Runuganga long enough to make it to the base of Las Noches, but to see him turn his own body into even more of a weapon made it all the more interesting. I wonder if blades are the only weapon he can form."

"One thing that interests me is that, when he stepped in Medazeppi's blood, a portion of it seemed to slither up his leg. This leads me to believe that his abilities have something to do with the blood he absorbs from his kills. I'll have to make that note for if he ever crosses me again."

"His final ability, which happened to catch me off guard when I was speaking with Aaroniero, was that, like a Hollow, he possessed high-speed regeneration. I thought that I had the upper hand when I severed his arm with my zanpakuto, but my arrogance was what left me open to attack by Jonathan's hand, literally speaking. I made a note not to let my guard down, even if I do manage to sever a limb."

"What truly piqued my interest is that there seems to be a second entity living within Jonathan. I'm not sure who, or what, it is, but it seems to be the source of Jonathan's power. When I first saw Jonathan battle my Fracción, I first thought that his power was coming directly from his mask. When I got a closer look at his reiatsu level, however, I soon found that wasn't the case. Apparently, the mask is something of a vessel, while the entity inside lives inside Jonathan and gives him his abilities."

"I originally thought that the mask was actually a Hollow in control of a human vessel, but that seems unlikely. If a Hollow had actually possessed Jonathan, it wouldn't have given me the human's actual name–the Hollow would give me its own name. Another thing is that Jonathan's fighting style was fluid; if he were truly possessed, then his motions would be more inconsistent and stiff. There could be the chance that the mask attached to Jonathan's face is a Hollow, but there is still no convincing evidence. Still, the theory is still there that Jonathan has inhuman willpower and the ability to reverse a possession."

"I could be obsessing over nothing. For all I know, the power could be Jonathan's alone, and the mask is just something of an amplifier. I still wish to know: Is the mask on Jonathan's face a Hollow, or something else?"

As soon as I finished reading, Montezuma commented, "Well, that was nice of him, giving me most of the credit. He even put in a good word for you, too." I simply nodded as I set the clipboard back on the table. When I was reading it, it sounded as though Szayel was excited. That was bad news…for me, at least.

I was pushed out of my thoughts when I heard a cold voice say, "So, it seems you're awake." I flinched and twisted towards the doorway. Standing in front of the open entryway was the palest man I had ever seen in my entire life.

His skin was almost as white as his outfit, which was almost the same as Szayel Aporro's. The only part of him that wasn't white was his black hair, his emerald green eyes, and the green, tear-like markings under his eyes. On top of his black messy hair was what seemed to be the left half of a helmet with a horn sticking out from the top. On his waist was a katana, much like Szayel's, except the hilt and scabbard were both green. He would've passed for a normal human, had his coat not have been zipped down enough to reveal a perfectly round hold in the center of his chest. He didn't show a single emotion on his face, but there was something about him that made me feel uneasy, even more so than Szayel.

I was about to say something before I heard him tell me, "Aizen-sama has asked me to take you to the Espada meeting room. If you would follow me." He then turned around and made his way through the hallway. I stared bewilderedly for a second before following.

"Jeez," Montezuma started. "This guy doesn't seem very social, does he? No introduction, no beating around the bush, just blunt and straight to the point." I mentally nodded, not making any indication that I was listening.

The trip was fairly quiet, considering that my escort wasn't willing to make any conversation. Still, it didn't take us very long for us to get to the throne room. After what felt like half an hour of walking, we came across a large pair of double doors. They seemed to be made of stone, but the pale man opened them easily, almost like he was simply opening a book.

I soon found myself staring into a wide room. Unlike the other places I visited, this room was all the same color: a light shade of blue. The walls were aligned with towering pillars that were the same color as the rest of the room. In the dead middle of the room was a giant platform, on top of which I could just make out a throne.

Standing at the base of the platform was a small group of people, all wearing white clothing. I immediately felt myself sweat behind the mask; I could almost already tell that they were all staring at me, and it almost felt as though I was carrying a boulder on my back. I was broken out of my anxiety when my escort told me, "When you speak to Aizen, be sure to speak respectfully." That was all he told me before he stepped forward. Letting out a deep breath, I cautiously followed behind to the center of the corridor.

As I got closer, I began to see that the others were giving me different expressions. A few of them were giving sneers, almost like I made them look bad in front of their girlfriends. Others were just simply looking at me, not showing any emotion. Another one…well, to put it simply, he looked like he was about to pass out on his feet. Finally – and this is the one I was hoping I wouldn't see again – there was Szayel Aporro, giving me his usual conceited grin.

I soon heard Montezuma say, "Hey, Johnny. Remember when you said, and I quote, 'I don't care if you can only see things that have a XXX-rating?'" I mentally answered yes, wondering what he was talking about. He then said, "Well, I see a perfect candidate." I shifted my view around and noticed a woman with a deep tan, blond hair, green eyes, and one of the skimpiest outfits I've ever seen.

Seriously, her uniform showed off her flat, toned stomach, the sides of her shapely legs and thighs, and the undersides of her large breasts. The high-cut shirt she was wearing was just a wrinkle away from showing something provocative. Ironically, the only part of her upper body that was covered was her face and arms.

It was at that moment I was thankful that I was wearing a full-face mask, because I didn't want my burning, beet-red face to be made public to this world. Then again, it wouldn't help that Montezuma was trying his best at trying to flirt with the barely dressed woman, even though she couldn't hear him…hopefully.

I ignored Montezuma's attempts at hitting on the tan woman as I stood just in front of the platform and looked up to see whoever was on top of the platform. Standing in front of the throne was a man wearing pure white robes. His brown hair was slicked back towards the back of his head, with the exception of one bang in the center of his forehead. He looked familiar, but I couldn't put my finger on it at the time. Even then, the sense of deja vu tugged at the back of my head.

The man merely smiled warmly at me and said, "So you are Jonathan Hunt, am I correct?" I nodded, staying quiet, mostly because I didn't want to repeat anything Montezuma was saying, most of which was, of course, directed towards the tan blonde. Then man nodded, before introducing himself, "My name is Sosuke Aizen, the ruler of Hueco Mundo."

I bowed my head in respect, saying only, "It's nice to meet you." Aizen bowed as well, albeit it was a little unnoticeable. He then said, "Now then, from what Szayel Aporro told me, your mask seems to be the source of your power. Is this true?"

That apparently got Montezuma to quit with his fruitless flirting as he suddenly went silent. I nodded and answered, "In a sense, it is." Aizen raised an eyebrow, the smile still present on his face, as I continued, "I…I don't exactly understand it either, but it's what kept me alive here."

Aizen thought for a second before asking me, "Can you take your mask off and show us what you really look like?" I was silent for a second. I was a little iffy with taking off Montezuma for a couple of reasons, one of them being that I might wind up in as much pain as when I first put him on. That was something I didn't want to relive again. Still, ten powerful Arrancar who could probably kill me within two seconds were standing all around me, so I only had one choice.

I reached up to the back of my mask before Montezuma stopped me. "Before you do that," he started, his voice filled with caution. "Ask to be alone, as in no one else except you and him." I had to admit, it was a smarter idea than just taking off my mask and letting everyone in the room see my true glory.

I dropped my hands back down to my sides, looked up at Aizen, and asked, "With all due respect, I was wondering if it could be just you who sees my face?" That caused some of the Arrancar in the room to erupt into an angry debate. Of course, it didn't last long before Aizen waved his hand, silencing the noise.

He then looked down at me and said, "Very well then." He then turned to the others and said, "Please leave me and Jonathan here to our business." The others hesitated for a second before they left the room, some of them muttering curses as they passed through the doorway.

"Whoa, whoa, wait a second," Montezuma protested. "You could've at least let the chick stay." I inwardly groaned. For a mask, his mind was so far into the gutter, he was probably seeing mutants.

Once everyone was gone, I turned back to Aizen and let out another contained breath. I then reached behind my head to the edges of the mask and put my fingers between the mask and my head. Before pulling Montezuma off, I mouthed quietly, "One…two…three."

The next thing I felt was excruciating pain throughout my body. My bones began snapping in half once again, only to mend themselves and start all over. I was about to let go of the mask, but I held strong as the mask slowly separated from my face. Eventually, the pain subsided, and it felt as though my face could breathe once again.

I held Montezuma in one hand and clutched my aching head with the other. I stood up straight and looked up at Aizen, who had a more interested look on his face. Before I could even open my mouth to say anything, he suddenly disappeared from the top of the platform and reappeared right in front of me. I recoiled in surprise. How could anyone move that fast?

"So this is how you really look?" he asked, now eye level with me. I only nodded, not really sure how else to answer that. He then asked me, "Will you tell me how you managed to find this mask?"

I was quiet for a second, looking between Montezuma and Aizen. Then, letting out another sigh, I explained what happened up to this point. I told Aizen about everything that happened to me, from finding the mask, to being pulled into the portal, to making my way here to Hueco Mundo, and eventually, Las Noches. I left out a few details, such as Montezuma's name and the fact that he could talk to me. Aizen seemed to be listening intently, because he stayed quiet throughout my story.

When I finished, he then told me, "Well, I think I should shed some light of my own."

I nodded and asked, "I just want to know one thing. What exactly is Hueco Mundo?"

Aizen was quiet for a second before closing his eyes and answering, "To put it simply, Hueco Mundo is, essentially, the world of Hollows, creatures that consume human souls. There is a hierarchy of power in place, starting with the Gillians, the largest, most common, and, ironically, weakest of the Hollows. Then there are the Adjuchas, which are more powerful. Finally, there are the Vasto Lordes, the most powerful and rare Hollows in existence. Unlike the Gillians and the Adjuchas, most of which have monstrous appearances, the Vasto Lordes are the most human-like Hollows, just under the Arrancar."

I stayed quiet, absorbing the information, as Aizen continued, "The Arrancar, however, are on another level of Hollow. They are actually Hollows I recreated to be more than on par with the Shinigami, our sworn enemies. The other ten that had just left are Arrancar themselves, but they are known as the Espada, the most powerful of the Arrancar. Their power is measured from 1 through 10, with one being the strongest."

I nodded in understanding. I had learned that the hard way when I fought Szayel Aporro. If he was the eighth, and I barely landed a solid hit on the guy, I didn't want to know what would happen if I fought with whoever was number one.

I swallowed the lump that formed in my throat as I said, "Well, thank you for clearing that up." I was tempted to ask what a Shinigami was, but I decided to save that question for another time. I got my answer to the one question I really wanted to know, and I didn't want to push my luck.

Aizen nodded and replied, "It is no problem at all." He then looked me up and down before offering, "I assume you'll need a place to stay, am I correct? After all, even with the power your mask gives you, eventually, you will perish."

"Yeah, that's what you think, dick," Montezuma spoke up, sounding as cocky as ever. Even then, no one heard him except for me. I sighed to myself before asking Aizen, "Is there a catch or anything? I have the feeling you're not going to let me stay for free."

Aizen's grin didn't waver in the slightest as he said, "You're intelligent, I'll have to admit. As a matter of fact, that's correct. Since you hold impressive power for a human, I have a request for you."

"Oh boy, here we go," Montezuma scoffed, sounding like he was rolling his eyes. I made no other sound as Aizen said, "What I want…is for you to join us." As surprised as I was, I'll admit, I didn't know how to feel.

"Um," I stammered, blinking a few times. I tried to come up with something to say before Aizen interrupted my train of thought.

"I feel that you would be a great asset to us," he explained. "Your help would be greatly appreciated, not only by me, but by the others living in Las Noches."

I put my chin in my hand as I thought over his proposal for a few minutes. I didn't really trust this guy, whether he sounded friendly or not. Still, I didn't want to continuously fight for the rest of my life. Maybe, by joining him, I could find a way to go back home, or to the human world, at least. That settled it; even if it cost a few innocent lives, getting back home was all that mattered.

I nodded mentally as I brought my head up and looked Aizen straight in the eye. "Alright," I answered, my voice quiet. "I will." If I didn't know better, I could've sworn Aizen's smile widened.

"Very well," he replied. "You may want to put your mask back on." I looked at Aizen with a raised eyebrow as he deducted, "I assume you didn't want to show your true face to my Espada, didn't you?"

"Nothing gets past this guy," Montezuma commented. I nodded as he continued, "Still, take a chance with the pain. We all gotta deal with it." That was easy for him to say; he wasn't the one who was getting his body stretched out to its limit in the portal. Still, I didn't argue as I pushed him onto my face.

The pain lasted for about a minute before I was a lumbering beast again. Aizen just looked at me, not entirely fazed by my sudden transformation, as he said, "This way, Jonathan." He then made his way to the doorway out into the hall. I made no objections as I trailed behind him.

As I followed Aizen down the hall, Montezuma spoke up, "I don't think it was a good idea to trust this guy. He's got that kind of face."

I mentally nodded as I thought to him, I don't trust him either. Even then, we may need to follow along with him until he gives us a way to go back home. Besides, he's pretty much a safety plan for us if we're gonna stay here.

Montezuma sighed and said, "I get that, John. Still, we can't just completely give our lives over to this guy."

I got it, I replied. But for now, we're just going to have to roll with it. At least until we can go back home. After that, Montezuma stayed quiet, but not before uttering cautiously, "Still, watch yourself, Johnny."

A few minutes after my and Montezuma's conversation, Aizen led us to what seemed to be an average looking door. Before I could ask, Aizen opened the door and led me into what could've been called a one-bedroom apartment. It wasn't exactly huge, but it wasn't tiny room, either; it was just about the size of a huge living room. I stepped inside and soaked the place.

The room was colored a bright gray, almost enough to be called white. On one side of the place, there was sitting a large, gray sofa. In front of the sofa was a white coffee table standing on what seemed to be a dark, Oriental rug. At the back end of the room, I saw a white desk with a nondescript chair sitting right in front of it. Though I was getting annoyed with the same shades of color, I thought the place looked kind of homely.

"You will be staying here for the time being," Aizen told me. As I gave Aizen my attention, he added, "I will be sending one of my Espada to take you to the training grounds in the morning. For now, get plenty of rest." He then turned on his heels and, once again, vanished in the blink of an eye.

I sighed as I shut the door. I plopped down on the couch as Montezuma said, "Well, I gotta admit. This ain't a bad place."

Yeah, it is. I replied, leaning back into the chair. I thought it was kind of weird; I thought that, with all I've been through today, I would be wide-awake and waiting for something to happen. Actually, I felt the opposite. I felt like I needed a nap at that time, and not one where I was knocked out cold.

Without another thought, I shifted so that I was lying along the couch, with my feet propped up on one armrest and my head resting against the other. I closed my eyes and, for the first time since I came to Hueco Mundo, I fell into a peaceful sleep. At least, I had hoped it was peaceful.

There we go. Next chapter, John enters his mindscape and actually speaks to Montezuma face to face. What's going to be the major topic? Stick around and find out.