Disclaimer: As usual, I do not own Bleach or Ben 10
Have Time Will Travel Part 3
From the entrance of the cave, Ben had seen the past versions of his friends chase away some kind of Hollow that had been lurking a little too close to their territory. Harribel had told him to remain hidden for the time being despite Ben's assurance that he could handle himself. Apacci, Mila Rose, and Sung-Sun were still a bit skeptical that he had the power to change into monsters but Harribel had told him the reason being hidden was that if Hueco Mundo found out that a human was here, then all the Hollows in the area would be after him. She explained that even then she and the others would not be enough to protect him.
The Hollow, some large, brownish creature with long arms, had been easily chased away from the cave by the three girls but after they chased him up to a certain distance, they stopped. Judging from the way Apacci was looking at Harribel, she must have stopped them from finishing the guy off. It looked like Mila Rose and Sung-Sun were arguing again...he could hear Mila Rose's shouting from here. Harribel on the other hand had turned around and was walking. Apacci stared at her for a moment before following. Ben looked around. Since he couldn't see anymore Hollows, he decided to go and socialize with the girls. Since Mila-Rose and Sung-Sun were still arguing, he thought it might be better to start with Harribel and Apacci.
"Hey, Tier!" He called to her as he caught up.
Harribel looked at Ben but did not reply to him as she continued walking. Having been used to Harribel always willing to engage in conversations with him.
"Why are you being so familiar with Harribel-sama!" Mila Rose shouted as she charged at him.
Ben involuntarily flinched despite possibly being more than a match for Mila Rose thanks to his newfound abilities. Once he calmed himself down he looked at his lioness friend.
"I...I just really trust her," Ben replied lamely, unable to think of a decent explanation without revealing he was from the future and that he was the love interest to all four of them.
"That's no excuse, human!" Mila Rose snapped. "You have no right to just call her Tier as if you and her are friends."
We're a lot more than that, believe me. Ben thought. He couldn't exactly say he was in love with Tier but...she did feel a lot more than just a simple friend.
"So let's get something straight, human," Mila Rose said. "I don't trust you and I don't like you. If you think of trying to pull anything on Harribel-sama, I'll chomp off that thing between your legs!"
That really did get Ben scared as gruesome and horrific images filled his head at the thought of such a thing happening.
"Y-yes ma'am," He mumbled weakly as he wanted very much to keep his manhood.
"My, still so vulgar," Sung-Sun remarked snidely as she slithered up to them. "Honestly, Mila Rose, you're going to revolt the boy with your vocabulary. As if looking at you wasn't enough suffering for him."
"What did you just say, Sung-Sun? You little..."
"Okay, break it up," Ben interrupted. He had enough of that in the future and wasn't in the mood to deal with it in the past either. "Look. You guys don't really need to fight. Why don't you guys be nice to each other? I mean, you guys are friends after all."
"And who are you to try and tell us what to do?" Mila Rose snapped at him before stomping off.
Ben sighed. Mila Rose was never this mean to him when he first came to Hueco Mundo.
"Don't let it get to you," Sung-Sun said kindly to Ben. "She's like that with everyone she meets."
"So I've noticed," Ben muttered, greatful that at least Sung-Sun was still nice to him. "How come you're not snappy with me?"
"Well, I'll admit, I am highly skeptical about all those things you've told us but...you seem like a nice person. For a human that is. So, I'm at least willing to give you the benefit of a doubt. Nonetheless I do agree with Mila Rose on one thing." She brought her face right in front of Ben's. "Try to harm Harribel-sama in any way and I will strangle you to death."
Ben cringed as Sung-Sun slithered away to join the others. Ben scratched his head as he sadly watched them walk away.
Back in the future, everyone was tending to Harribel while Yoruichi forced the Hollows to return to Hueco Mundo until Ben came back. If he came back. Gwen had brought Harribel into one of the military bunkers around Los Soledad while using her spells and mana to tidy the place up. Kevin was following whatever orders that Gwen was giving him to help tend to Harribel. The others were watching her in concern. Yes, even the usually stoic Starrk and the emotionless Ulquiorra showed hints of concern for their comrade. Of course the ones most concerned were her Fraccion.
"What's wrong with her?" Apacci demanded from Gwen.
"I don't know," Gwen told her gently as she looked at Harribel lying on the bed they had placed her. She tapped her chin before looking at the girls. "Has Harribel showed any signs of being ill?"
Mila Rose shook her head. "No. Harribel-sama's been in perfect health. I can't understand why she would suddenly collapse."
"Maybe she's just stressed out," Dondochakka offered. "That's possible, right?"
"This whole thing's got on us edge, Dondochakka," Pesche, who was being rather serious, told him. "But none of us have fainted."
"Something's up."
Everyone looked at Kevin when he said this. He crossed his arms.
"Harribel collapses as soon as Ben disappears to who knows where? Come on, there's no way this is all coincidence."
"Before she became unconscious, she said that she remembered everything," Ulquiorra reminded everyone. "What is it that she remembered? And how does it coincide with Ben disappearing?"
"Time..."
All eyes were immediately on Harribel, the one who had just spoken.
"Harribel-sama!" Apacci, Mila Rose, and Sung-Sun were instantly at her side.
"What is it, Harribel-sama?" Apacci asked.
"I think she spoke out in her sleep," Gwen told them. "She's in her own world now."
"Entire time," Harribel whispered softly. Words were very confusing.
"Entire time?" Nelliel repeated. "What does that mean?"
Gwen shrugged her shoulders before looking back at Harribel. She wasn't sure if the Arrancar could hear her, but at the moment, anything was worth a shot. "What do you mean, Harribel?"
"You were there the entire time," Harribel whispered. Whether she was replying to Gwen or just speaking out loud, nobody was sure.
"Who was there the entire time, Harribel?" Gwen coaxed. But Harribel did not say anything more.
"What's going on?" Lilynette asked Gwen.
"I don't know, Lilynette. I really don't know."
Back in Hueco Mundo, the girls had all gathered around in the sand resting. Mila Rose and Sung-Sun had both curled up in different spots while Harribel simply sat near by them. Apacci was lying there but she wasn't sleeping.
As for Ben. Well, he had asked if he could join them too. He was met with distrust from most of the girls but Harribel conceded. To a normal person, Harrible may have looked relaxed. But Ben, who had spent so much time around her in the future, was able to tell that she was on full alert for any trouble. And he had a feeling that she didn't trust him. Sighing for the umpteenth time, he simply laid down in the sand. For a while it was just silence as Ben tried to sort out his thoughts. Paradox must have needed him to go to the past for a reason but for what? It couldn't be to change some kind of future was it? If so, what was it? And if he wasn't here to prevent some kind of disaster, was there another reason?
"What's wrong? Couldn't sleep?"
Ben thought that Harribel was talking to him but when he turned his head, he saw that Apacci was looking at her. Although Harribel was still looking ahead, Ben could tell that it was Apacci she was addressing, not him.
"Um, it's not that..." Apacci said to Harribel. "Why do you kill all those guys and never eat them? In Hueco Mundo, the only way to defend yourself is to keep growing stronger. That's why everyone eats weaker Hollows and Adjuchas in order to grow. So...why don't you?"
Ben had noticed that. Harribel and the girls had gone up against several Hollows lately but she would never allow him to take part in the fighting. Normally Ben would have defied her but he needed to earn their trust. But that aside, Ben did notice that Harribel never actually devoured any of the Hollows she had fought. Was it because she was a Vasto Lorder and didn't need to consume Hollows anymore?
Harribel closed her eyes as she gave her answer. "We kill others, but...I don't believe that the power we gain from sacrificing them truly makes us stronger. If we can't defeat them on our own, then we just need to defeat them together. That's all there is to it."
Apacci stared at Harribel as she took in the latter's words.
"There's no such thing as a world without sacrifice," Harribel continued. "But if we force others to make sacrifices, one day we are certain to have sacrifices forced upon us as well."
Apacci felt greater respect and awe as she gazed upon Harribel.
Ben looked up at the starry night sky as he took these words in. This was the life that one of his dearest friends had to endure...before Aizen came along and turned her into an Arrancar. Sacrifices. He knew all that pretty well.
Even when you were a Hollow, you were a good person, Tier. He thought tenderly as he looked back over at her. Caring, brave, dedicated, willing to sacrifice yourself so that others wouldn't have too...I think that's what you were saying. Even though you still killed other Hollows, still...
Ben suddenly sat up right, startling Apacci and causing Harribel to look at him.
"What is it?" She asked.
"I'm going for a walk," Ben replied.
"What?" Apacci exclaimed. "Are you crazy? If other Hollow spot you..."
"Then I'll deal with them," Ben said with a surprising firmness that surprised even Harribel. "These guys are nothing compared to the things I've faced before."
"But if they find out that Harribel-sama's been keeping you here..."
"Then I'll protect her," Ben replied with that same firmness. "I'll protect all of you."
"You!" Apacci snapped. "You're just a human! What can you do? And why would you want to protect us? You don't even know us! And we're Hollows!"
Ben spun around and faced her. His face was so full of determination and resolve that even Harribel was taken aback by it.
"I don't care." Ben said. "Humans, Hollows, Aliens, it doesn't matter. I'm a lot stronger than you think I am, Apacci. A lot stronger. And I will protect all of you. No matter what."
Having said his piece, Ben walked off to do some thinking, leaving Harribel and Apacci completely baffled by this sudden change in attitude.
As Ben continued walking, he began thinking some more.
Besides whatever Paradox wants me to do here, I've gotten to learn more about what Harribel's life was like before Aizen came along.
Thinking of Aizen made Ben's blood boil.
"Looks like Harribel was right. Aizen was gonna force her to make a sacrifice...her own life. Just to suit his stupid goals of replacing this Soul King guy." He clenched his fists angrily. "What did you say to get her to join you, Aizen? What lies did you tell her to get her to join your side?" He grit his teeth now. "You're despicable, Aizen. You really are."
Ben looked at his Ultimatrix and began violently fiddling with it. "Come on! Come on! Just start working already!. I don't care if you don't give me Clockwork or not. I just want to be able to use my aliens to help my friends!"
The sound of loud footsteps stopped him. He turned around to see a Four-Arms sized Hollow walking towards him. This one had a long, long tail and the face of a rat. It gave a squealing like laugh as it stomped towards Ben. But the Hero of the Universe just glared at the Hollow. He was not in a good mood.
"What's this? What's this?" The rat Hollow chuckled as stood over Ben. "A tasty human has someone come to Hueco Mundo. Oh, how wonderful."
Ben's glare never left. "Do you mind? I'm a little busy right now."
The rat Hollow was really caught off guard by this. The little human wasn't afraid of him? "Listen here, you little snack! Don't you realize that I'm about to eat you."
Ben smirked at the Hollow now. "No. You're not!"
Now the Hollow was really shocked. This human wasn't afraid of him and now he was backtalking him. "I don't know who you are, stupid human. But you have no idea who you're dealing with!"
Ben still smirked as he assumed a fighting stance against the Hollow. "Actually...you don't know who you're dealing with."
With his new super speed, Ben was right in front of the Hollow before the latter had a chance to do anything. Then, Ben unleashed a power punch to the guy's stomach. His new superhuman strength caused the Hollow to fall to his knees, clutching his stomach in pain.
"H-how..." The Hollow weakly looked at Ben in both shock and amazement. "You...you can't possibly be human."
Ben grinned as he pulled back his fist. "I just happen to be really really tough."
Fearfully, the rat Hollow swung his tail towards Ben, but the young hero caught the tail with ease. Grabbing the Hollow's tail, Ben spun around, spinning his attacker for a loop. Once he had built up enough momentum, Ben released the rat. The ugly Hollow went flying through the air before crashing down to the sand below.
Ben started walking over to him. "Had enough?" He asked. "I've got no reason to fight you. So if you want to scram, I won't stop you."
The rat Hollow started getting to its feet when it saw Ben coming towards him. It didn't know what to do. This human was nothing like regular humans. Should he flee? But if he fleed, the other Hollows might find out that he ran from a measly human. But if he tried to fight it out with the boy, would he be able to win? Maybe tricking the boy could work. He didn't have to worry about this boy trying to eat him like other Hollows. If he begged the human for mercy, he might appeal to the boy's soft side, get him to lower his guard, and then have him.
But just then the rat Hollow was cut in two before he could do anything else besides those last thoughts. Ben froze in surprise for a moment before Harribel was suddenly next to him.
"Tier?"
"That little beast was attempting to catch you off guard," Tier told the surprised Ben.
"Oh. Um...thank you."
Harribel looked at him. "I saw what happened. You...you really aren't a normal human, are you?"
Ben grinned. "I haven't been normal for a long, long time."
Harribel did not reply, just looked at him. Finally "I underestimated you. It seems that you can take care of yourself...against weaker Hollows at least."
"Heh. You haven't seen what I can really do. Trust me."
Harribel said nothing. She simply started walking back. "Come with me,"
Ben followed after her. As the two of them started heading back to the cave, Ben began thinking about the Harribel in the future. The Harribel that loved him. The more he thought about her feelings, and the life that her past self lived, Ben thought that maybe, when he returned to the future, he might...
But then Ben's train of thought was debunked when he nearly lost his footing at the stairway to the cave. Ben managed to regain his balance in time and resumed walking. Harribel noticed his stumble and eyed him curiously. How could one who had such potential also be such a klutz?
When the two reached the bottom, Ben saw that Apacci, Mila Rose, and Sung-Sun had all scattered around the cave sleeping.
"Guess they were pretty worn out."
"They were," Harribel admitted. "I had them return here while I went looking for you. I was afraid of some scavenger attacking them while they rested."
Ben smiled at her thoughtfulness. Both towards her girls and towards him. "You didn't have to come after me, you know. I am just a human."
"After what I've seen, you are more than just a human," Harribel looked at him now. "What else are you capable of?"
"By myself? Just super speed, super strength, and regeneration."
Harribel's eyes widened for a brief moment. "I see. And that device on your wrist can truly let you transform into monsters?"
"Yep. Problem is, it's not working right now." Ben grabbed the watch and struggled again to activate it. "Come on! Work! I promise I won't leave yet!"
"Do you usually have trouble with that device?" Harribel asked.
"Not this bad," Ben told her as he resumed struggling. "Come on! Work with me here!"
Suddenly the Ultimatrix opened up. But Ben had still been struggling so he hadn't noticed it until he accidentally pressed down on the dial and was engulfed in green light. Harribel brought a hand up to shield her eyes. When the green light faded, Harribel removed her hand to see a colossal lizard like creature standing in front of her. On its chest was the symbol that had been on Ben's device.
"Humongosaur!" The creature roared. Then it looked down at itself as if just realizing what had happened. "Oops. Sorry about that."
Harribel was struck dumb. The boy really could turn into monsters. She was about to comment on it when
"What is that thing?"
Apparently when Humongosaur yelled out his name, he accidentally woke up the girls. Now the three of them were giving him looks that could kill. "Uh-oh."
"Don't worry, mistress!" Mila Rose told her leader. "We won't let him harm you!" She pounced at Humongosaur, who managed to grab her before she could take a chomp into him.
"Mila Rose!" He shouted. "I'm not trying to..."
But what he tried to say didn't get through as Sung-Sun wrapped her body around his legs and Apacci rammed him in the chest. Being caught off guard, the combined effort caused him to fall to the ground. Though he wasn't actually hurt from the attack. He quickly put Mila Rose down and tried to untangle Sung-Sun from around his legs. Mila Rose and Apacci were about to gang up on him when
"That's enough, girls," Harribel ordered them, causing the three to pause and look at her.
"But, mistress," Sung-Sun tried to explain.
"This creature is none other than the human Ben Tennyson," Harribel answered.
"What?" The girls all looked at him in shock.
"He was telling the truth about being able to transform into monsters," Harribel explained to them. "He had just transformed and found the need to...shout out this form's name, I believe. Humongosaur, am I correct?"
Humongosaur grinned sheepishly. "Yeah."
"Can you change back?"
"Sure can. Give me a moment." Humongosaur hit the dial on his chest. In a second flash of green light, Ben was back to normal. Apacci and Sung-Sun were both wide-eyed when they saw this. Mila Rose's eyes always had that same expression but Ben was pretty sure that she was just as shocked as everyone else.
"Exactly how many of these monsters can you become?"
"Let's just say a lot," Ben said. "I've lost count by now."
Apacci, Mila Rose, and Sung-Sun were all uneasy at hearing this. From the sound of this, he apparently could transform into a large amount of these monsters. Harribel narrowed her eyes, wondering what all this boy was capable of.
"What will you do now that your device is working again?"
"Well, if it's alright, can I stick around with you guys?"
This hadn't been what the girls had been expecting. Why in the world did this boy want to hang around them? Even if they bothered to try and think of some reasons, they'd never be close to the truth.
After a moment's pause, Harribel closed her eyes. "Very well. You can stay with us."
Apacci and Mila Rose creaked their necks turning so fast to face Harribel. Sung-Sun didn't have this problem as her whole body was kinda like a long neck. But she was just as speechless as the other three.
"He has proven capable of defending himself," Harribel told the others. She looked at Ben again. "Do you have any monsters that would allow you to blend in with the Hollows of Hueco Mundo. You would have a better chance of survival if you could at least fool them."
Ben tapped his chin. "I'm sure I've got something in there that I can use."
Back in the present, the group's majority was gathering around Harribel. Aside from that previous outburst, she hadn't said anything new. At least she looked peaceful, which was the only comfort to her Fraccion.
"At least Harribel's still here," Gwen said. "We still need to figure out what happened to Ben."
"Did Paradox know this was gonna happen?" Mila Rose asked. "From what Ben's told me about the guy, he knows just about everything. Could he have known that Ben would disappear if he used that Clockwork alien?"
Worried for her special someone, Nelliel looked at Gwen and Kevin. "Paradox would never have something bad happen to Ben on purpose, would he?"
"He's got a habit of not telling us everything whenever he sends us on his little quests," Kevin admitted. "Not to mention that he left us completely in the dark about Soul Society and Hueco Mundo."
This did little to comfort the girls, who all shared worried looks with each other.
Starrk was worried too. Ben was his first ever friend and he didn't want to lose that. Trying to think of some way he could help, he spotted Ulquiorra looking off in the distance. "What's on your mind?"
Ulquiorra turned his head towards Starrk. "Excuse me?"
"I've known you long enough to recognize that look in your eye. That's the look you get when you've got a theory about something."
Ulquiorra looked straight ahead again. "You're correct, Starrk. I have been doing some guess work about this whole predicament."
"At the moment, I'd think we're willing to go with anything. Come on, Ulquiorra. What have you got for us?"
Ulquiorra closed his eyes before a moment before opening them and turning towards the whole group.
"Did it not strike anyone how odd it is that Harribel just happens to collapse shortly after Ben disappears?"
Everyone was stunned by this statement. "You think there's a connection?" Findor asked.
"Most certainly. I believe that Ben is in the past."
That really stunned everyone.
"Not only that, but I believe that Ben is in the past, meeting Harribel."
While this next statement shocked everyone, it was Mila Rose, Sung-Sun, and Apacci whose jaws dropped.
Gwen shook her head in disbelief. "Ben...in the past?"
Kevin cupped his chin as he looked at the floor. "That...actually makes sense. I mean, Clockwork does have time powers so I guess it would make sense if he was in the past."
"But how do you know that he's in Harribel's past?" Nelliel asked.
"What Harribel's been saying lately," Ulquiorra stated. "Before she collapsed, she said that she remembered everything. Then, just now, she said that "He" was there the entire time. Taking into account that Clockwork allows Ben powers over time, this was the most likely conclusion."
Apacci narrowed her eyes at Ulquiorra. "That can't be true."
Ulquiorra looked at her now. "Why?"
"If Ben was in the past, doesn't that mean that Harribel-sama would have remembered meeting him when he first showed up in Hueco Mundo and...and..."
"Heh," Mila Rose sneered. "Don't try and use complicated logic, Apacci. Your brain's not smart enough for it."
Apacci rounded on her. "What was that, Mila Rose?"
"Enough," Ulquiorra said abruptly. "I believe I understand what Apacci was asking. If Ben and Harribel had met in the past, then the present Harribel would have recognized Ben when he was first introduced to the Espada that fateful day."
"But she never met him until then," Sung-Sun pointed out.
"But apparently with Ben's disappearance, she has remembered. The only possible explanation is that something was done to Harribel's memories that made her forget who Ben was until now, when he would travel into the past and would, in Harribel's timeline, first encounter her."
Kevin shook his head with a groan. "Time travel hurts my head."
"But how far in the past did he go?" Apacci asked. "It couldn't have been after she met us. I mean, if that happened, then we would have met Ben, and we would have remembered him."
"It's possible that he will meet Harribel at a time before she met you girls...or something happened to your memories to make you forget Ben too."
The girls opened their mouths to say something else but instead their mouths snapped shut.
"But if that is the case...what was the cause of your altered memories?"
Nobody said anything as they took in Ulquiorra's words. This was a lot to try and comprehend.
But then the silence was shattered by a light noise. Ulquiorra reached into his pocked and pulled out a cellphone. He looked at the caller id, opened his cell phone, and brought it to his here.
"This is Ulquiorra Cifer," He answered. "How may I help you?" His frown seemed to deepen on his normally impassive face as the caller talked to him. "I see. Hello, Mr. Harangue."
Barragan's fraccion didn't know who this Harangue guy was but Nelliel, Harribel's fraccion, Kevin, and Gwen knew all to well who that was.
"What does he want with Ulquiorra? And why now of all times?" Kevin asked.
Ulquiorra covered the phone with his hand and spoke to the others. "I'd better see what Mr. Harangue wants. I'll let you know why he has decided to call me." Releasing his hand from the phone, Ulquiorra brought it to his ear again and spoke into it as he started leaving the bunker. "What do I owe the pleasure of your call, Mr. Harangue?"
Kevin and Gwen shared a knowing look. Since they knew Harangue the longest, they were not thrilled that he was sticking his nose into Ben's business again. But why did he want to call Ulquiorra of all people? Did it have something to do with Ulquiorra's new job as a private detective?
"Well, wherever Ben is," Kevin said. "I hope he's doing better than we are."
Back in Hueco Mundo, Ben was scrolling through his Ultimatrix to find a suitable alien that could help him blend in. The girls had all gathered around him, gazing at the images of the different creatures that Ben browsed through.
"All these creatures," Apacci murmured as she looked at them. "You can really turn into them?"
"You bet," Ben told her absentmindedly as he continued looking through his aliens. He started getting frustrated that he couldn't find any useful alien. Ben could have used Clockwork to try and return to the future, but he resisted the temptation and decided to stick around just a little bit more. So he decided to find an alien that at least be convincing enough to fool the locals. Sadly none of them really looked monstrous enough. Ben had considered using Benviktor or Benmummy. They were monster-like aliens and might have a chance. But then the image of the latest alien popped up. Ben paused when he saw it.
"Ghostfreak."
"Ghostfreak?" Harribel repeated. "Is that the name of this monster?"
Ben nodded as he narrowed his eyes at Ghostfreak's image. Ghostfreak could work. In fact, it could possibly work better than Benviktor or Benmummy could. Ghostfreak was spirit-like.
"This form looks like it could work," Mila Rose suggested.
Ben nodded. "Yeah. Only trouble this guy's given some problems lately."
The girls looked at him. "What do you mean?"
"It's a long story," Ben answered truthfully. "Now the question is...will this guy actually work this time...or not?"
"If it is too dangerous, then it would be better not to use it." Harribel offered wisely.
Ben didn't reply back. He just couldn't help but wonder if this time he'd finally get full control over Ghostfreak like he did when he first started out with the Omnitrix. He knew that he was taking a big risk by doing this but...
"Well, cross your fingers, everyone!" He shouted before slapping down the dial.
The cave was once again filled with that green light. The girls went temporarily blind by the sudden flash of light but it soon passed. Once they could see again, they saw Ghostfreak floating in front of them.
"Ghostfreak," The creature said in such a soft and eerie voice that it caused the other four present to fear a chill run up their spines. Ghostfreak looked at himself for a minute...then he let out a sigh of relief. "Looks like I'm in control."
Harribel looked at him in disapproval. "It is foolish to try something that you don't have any control over."
"Yeah...I guess I should have thought that one through." Ghostfreak said sheepishly.
"By the way," Apacci said, walking towards him. "Both times you transformed, you shouted out your forms' names. Why do you do that? Is it kind of like how Shinigami release their Zanpakuto?"
"Uh, not exactly. I shout the names of my monsters to strike fear into my enemies."
The others all looked at Ben with deadpanned faces. Then Apacci, Mila Rose, and Sung-Sun started to laugh. Well, Sung-Sun was giggling softly to herself while the other two were laughing their heads off.
"Seriously?" Apacci asked between laughs. "That's the reason you shout out their names? To scare your enemies?"
"Sure that Ghostfreak spooked me a little," Mila Rose added. "But I wouldn't say I was struck with fear."
Ghostfreak let out a groan. "I'm so glad that I amuse you."
Harribel decided to speak up for Ben. While she too found the idea of shouting one's name to scare enemies rather ridiculous, the boy wasn't a complete idiot and deserved some defending.
"That's enough, girls." Immediately the girls stopped laughing. When they had calmed down, she turned her attention over to Ben. "Are you certain that you can defend yourself with that form? It does not look very strong."
"Oh, don't worry," Ghostfreak reassured her. "This form will be more than enough."
Harribel just looked at him for a moment. "Then we shall see how you fare with this form in battle."
Harribel started walking up the stairs again. Since he now longer needed to walk, or could since he lacked legs, Ghostfreak floated after her. The girls shared an uneasy look at the sight before they cautiously followed. They couldn't deny that Ghostfreak's appearance did make them feel a little uneasy.
Once the gang had left the cave, Ghostfreak looked around. "So, uh, I've been meaning to ask...is sleeping and fighting the only thing you guys do?"
"We are in a wasteland where we must kill or be killed," Harribel told Ben. "What else can we do?"
If he had a mouth, Ghostfreak would have grinned. "I think it's time for me to show you girls how to have fun."
The female Hollows all looked at each other. Fun? What did he mean by that?
Back in the future, Kevin was starting to pace.
"Will you cut that out?" Ggio asked after awhile. "All that pacing is giving me a headache."
"How about you shut your mouth and do something useful for once!" Kevin snapped angrily. Ggio growled. He was about to retort but Nirgge stopped him. Ggio relented but he gave Kevin an ugly look.
"If Ben is in the past," Findor said. "Is there any way we could get him out?"
Gwen said nothing as she tended to Harribel. There was that time spell she once used to try and fix Kevin. But she didn't know where in the past Ben was, or how to teleport to Hueco Mundo. Not wanting to get anyone's hopes up she instead said "Paradox is the only person we know who could do it. And we have no way to contact him."
Ulquiorra walked back into the bunker.
"So what did that Harangue guy want with you?" Mila Rose asked him.
Ulquiorra remained silent. The others waited for him to answer Mila Rose but he didn't say a word. Just as Kevin was about to rudely demand he answer, Ulquiorra responded.
"Harangue wishes to see me for a meeting."
"But why?"
"I can only guess," Ulquiorra replied. "But considering that this man holds a vendetta against Ben, it is possible that I am being hired to, as the humans say, did up some dirt on him."
"Why's this Harangue guy have it out for Tennyson?" Ggio asked.
"We don't know," Gwen told him. "Ever since the world found out about what Ben can do, the guy's been a total jerk to him."
"Lucky for us he decieded to call you," Kevin told Ulquiorra. "If he had hired some other PI, and they found out about all the girls staying at Ben's house, who knows how Harangue would twist it around."
"And since Harribel's a teacher," Nelliel realized. "She'll suffer too."
"I'll go and see what Harangue wants," Ulquiorra stated to the others. "Once I found out what his actual intentions are, then I shall plan accordingly."
"Either way, Harangue's made the biggest mistake of his life...aside from the whole bashing Ben on nation-wide television."
"But what about Ben and Harribel?" Nelliel asked Kevin. "Harribel's collapsed and Ben's possibly stuck in the past. Isn't there something we can do?"
Gwen gently patted her shoulder. "For now, Nelliel...all we can do is wait. And hope things get better."
"If things get better," Pesche added sadly.
As for Ben, well fun had to wait. Just before he could up with something for the group to actually do for fun, they had been found out by a strange Hollow that shot energy blasts from it's finger tips.
Ghostfreak lazily used his intangibility so the blasts went right through him. The Hollow's attention was focused solely on him that it didn't realize Apacci was there until too late. Apacci slammed into the Hollow before it had the chance to figure out what was going on.
"Nice work, Apacci," Ghostfreak complimented. "My turn now!" Using his intangibility again, Ghostfreak disappeared into the ground...popped out of the ground right in front of the Hollow. Pulling his fist back, Ghostfreak punched him right in the face. The blow knocked the Hollow on his back.
"You're...you're pretty strong," Apacci hesitantly complimented Ghostfreak, who chuckled at her.
"There's always more to people than meets the eye, Apacci." He told her. "Now, before we were so rudely interrupted...let's try and find something fun to do."
Mila Rose, who had been sitting on a nearby rock, turned her head towards him. "Like what? What could we possibly do in a place like Hueco Mundo?"
"Well...we could...um..."
"See what I mean? The only things we can do in a dump like this is to fight, run, and sleep. Not a whole lot of choices."
No wonder the best thing Pesche and Dondochakka could think of was that Eternal Tag game.
"Then...how about we just get to know each other better?"
Mila Rose growled lowly. "And what does that mean?"
Ghostfreak held up his hands. "I just want to get to know you guys better. Nothing strange about that."
Mila Rose's growl softened but he could faintly hear it. He sighed.
"You still don't like me, do you?"
"You're a human who works with Soul Society and can transform into a whole bunch of monsters. Why in the world should I trust you?"
Ghostfreak gently floated over to her. Mila Rose flinched.
"Mila Rose," he said softly. "You can trust me. I could never hurt you or any of the other girls. I care about all four of you."
Mila Rose was caught off guard to hear that someone cared about her. "But why? We're just Hollows. Monsters. Why would you care about us?"
"Because to me, the four of you are a lot more than just monsters." Ghostfreak floated off, leaving Mila Rose to just stare at him as he left.
Why is he so nice to us? He knows what we are, what we're like. So why does he care so much about us?
"My," Sung-Sun said from behind Mila Rose. "Cat got your tongue? Actually's that's kind of redundant since you are a cat."
"Baka!" Mila Rose snapped. "Mind your own business, Sung-Sun."
"I will admit," Sung-Sun went on, completely ignoring her companion. "The human is an odd one. But at least we can't say he's a jerk. He's a lot nicer to us than the other males around here."
Mila Rose snorted. "Doesn't make a shred of difference. There's something wrong about that guy. And I don't like it. What about you, Apacci?"
Apacci was sitting in the sand, her head lowered in thought. She too was thinking about the bizarre human, if they could call him that. She quickly shook her head.
"He's just messing with us!" She said finally. "As soon as we start to trust him, he's gonna stab us in the back. We can only rely on each other. That's all."
"My," Sung-Sun giggled. "You two are actually agreeing with each other. It's so nice to see you get along."
"We're not getting along! Butt out, Sung-Sun!"
Unknown to them at the time, Ghostfreak was still there, invisible, hearing all the things they said about him. He understood why they doubted him...but he was still sad that his future friends really didn't like him right now.
"This is gonna be harder than I thought." He whispered to himself.
End of Chapter
Next time: Ben gets a nasty reunion with an old foe. In the future, Ulquiorra meets with Harangue. And the reason for Harribel's memories may finally come to light. See it all in the next chapter of Bleach: Ultimate Alien.
Well, everyone. I apologize for taking so long. For some odd reason, after posting the last chapter, my creativity for the story blew a fuse. I know that doesn't make much sense but it's apparently obvious that I have to plan ahead before writing chapters otherwise I get nowhere and take even longer than usual to upload a story. Maybe I should see someone or something.
And by the way, I've got something to say to the people who've bashed me in any of the reviews. If you don't like me, I'll just block you. My life's been bad enough without any of you bashers and flamers making it worse. I am sick and tired of it. I have a life. I have my own choices to make and I'm not some stupid robot who should obey every command that I am given, especially not about my own stories. However, I do apologize to all the people who have been supportive of me.
But before I go completely off topic I have decided to give Ben 10: Omniverse the benefit of a doubt. I will wait and see how the series turns out. If it should fail to meet my expectations, I don't know what I'll do.
Also, the voters have decided and they want my story to be a harem fic. Expect less enthusiasm from me about writing this story now but I'll still see it through to the bitter end. Also, there's not gonna be any lemons in this story, I hope you all know. And I'm gonna be blunt about this. Just because this is going to be a harem fic does NOT mean there's gonna be any of that group lemon stuff. No threesomes, no group sex, none of that. So in case anyone was actually hoping for that, it's NOT going to happen.