Disclaimer: Ben 10 and Bleach do not belong to me

Thank you for editing, Vandenbz and Pyromania101

Bleach: Ultimate Alien

Make your Move

"No way! That seriously happened?!"

When Ben finally returned, he found Lilynette, Mila Rose, Apacci, and Sung-Sun waiting for him in Starrk's chambers. He had just finished telling them what had happened in the throne room since they were bound to find out sooner or later.

"She fixed Grimmjow's arm out of thin air?" Mila Rose asked.

"That's what he just said, Mila Rose," Apacci said with a roll of her eyes. "'Rejection of Fate' though. How does a human get an ability like that?"

"How should I know?" Ben asked playfully.

Apacci blushed as Mila Rose, Sung-Sun, and Lilynette snickered behind their hands. Apacci shot them a short glare before facing Ben again.

"Still, why exactly did Lord Aizen have her brought here?" she mused. "Keep her from aiding the Soul Reapers? Is she supposed to be our own healer? I mean if she can fix Grimmjow's arm from nothing, think of what else she could do."

"He didn't say," Ben said honestly.

"While those powers would be helpful," Mila Rose said, cupping her chin, "Surely Lord Aizen would want her powers for more than just healing?"

"I think he's doing it for the Hogyoku."

Everyone turned to Starrk, who was gazing up at the ceiling from his heap of pillows, arms behind his head.

"She can reject whatever she wants, right?" He went on. "Lord Aizen must want her to reject the seal on the Hogyoku. Once that's gone he can make Arrancar faster than ever."

Ben wanted to smack his forehead. The Hogyoku! It all made sense: if Orihime could remove the seal, and Ben didn't see any reason why she couldn't…

So now Ben had another mission: take the Hogyoku when he rescued Orihime. If he knew where it was at least. Knowing his luck, Aizen probably kept it on his person. Better to just get Orihime out of here. At least that would delay him.

"Are you alright, Ben?" Sung-Sun asked.

Ben shook his head. "Yeah, Sung-Sun. Just thinking."

"About that girl?" Apacci teased with a smirk.

"I don't even know her, Apacci."

"Did you think she was cute?"

"Lilynette!"

"What?" Lilynette shrugged. "I was just curious if you found her cute."

"How did we get to this topic?"

"Alright, alright. So, Grimmjow's back in the Espada huh? Luppi must've been pissed."

"Oh he was but after Grimmjow nearly killed him, I don't think he's gonna try anything."

Apacci smirked. "You did say Grimmjow was better than him, Ben. Guess that proves it."

"I'm surprised Grimmjow didn't kill him right then and there," Mila Rose noted.

"I'm pretty sure he was about to but Aizen stopped him." But was it for Orihime's benefit? Or Ben's?

"Where's this Orihime girl now?" Sung-Sun asked.

"Ulquiorra took her to a room."

Lilynette rubbed her helmet. "Why didn't Lord Aizen have her unseal the Hogyoku right then and there?"

"Must've wanted to accommodate her," Sung-Sun figured. "She is a guest here after all."

Ben stopped himself just short of snorting. As the girls talked amongst themselves, doubt clouded his mind. Would the girls listen to him after he got Orihime to safety? Or would they see him as an enemy? One step at a time, he reminded himself. One step at a time; and that first step would be figuring out where Orihime was.

"So, Ben," Apacci said suddenly, "Think you'll run into that masked guy again?"

"It's not impossible," Ben said neutrally. "If there's one thing I learned from my stay here, anything can happen."

The girls all chuckled and Ben smiled at their laughter, hoping that things would work out.

"So," Ben said. "What do any of you plan on doing after this war is over?"

All four girls froze at those words. Even Starrk seemed to sit up just a bit.

"We…" Apacci started to say but closed her mouth.

"We never thought about that," Mila Rose replied. "We were just focusing on the war itself."

"I guess we'll just do what we've always been doing," Sung-Sun said. "Serving Lord Aizen. Once Soul Society has been dealt with we can improve things here in Hueco Mundo. We've already made so much progress with the Oasis."

"It will be nice," Apacci said, stretching her arms. "Hollows not having to kill each other to survive."

"And they'll be so powerful!" Lilynette looked over her shoulder at her counterpart. "Won't it be great, Starrk?"

Unlike Lilynette, Starrk had a contemplative frown as he gazed at the ceiling.

"I said 'won't that be great, Starrk?!'"

"I heard you already, Lilynette. Don't get me wrong, I was actually impressed with the Oasis."

"Was? Why would you not be impressed now?"

"I'm not a fan of Hollows eating each other to survive or evolve either," Starrk said, shifting to a sitting position. "But it did keep the population under control. Odds are there's still going to be some Hollows who'll eat others to make themselves more powerful, but give this place some time and it could potentially be overpopulated."

Even Ben's eyes widened. "Hueco Mundo could become full?"

"It'll probably take a long time but not even Hueco Mundo is infinite. Even if it takes millennia, eventually there won't be room for new Hollows."

"S-surely, Lord Aizen would have thought about that. He wouldn't have allowed the Oasis if he hadn't taken overpopulation into consideration."

"He probably has," Starrk said. "But if he's got a plan for it, he hasn't told me."

Those words confirmed Ben's suspicion that Aizen was just using the Oasis as a way to power up his army. Another mistake he had to correct.

Just then, the doors opened. Everyone immediately looked up but relaxed when they saw it was Harribel.

"Lord Aizen has called all the Espada for a meeting, Starrk."

Starrk scratched his head. "All the Espada? Must be serious. If I had known I wouldn't be getting much sleep…"

"Oh go to the meeting, Starrk," Lilynette snorted. "And tell me what Lord Aizen called you all for."

"If I feel like it," Starrk mumbled as he followed Harribel.

"You better tell me!" Lilynette yelled as the doors closed.

"Huh? A meeting that requires all the Espada," Mila Rose scrunched her face. "It must be pretty serious indeed."

"Maybe that Orihime girl removed the seal off the Hogyoku," Apacci suggested.

"Possibly," Sung-Sun said. "But we won't know until Starrk and Lady Harribel come back."

Ben however couldn't believe his luck. All the Espada in the same place? This was the perfect opportunity. While there was a chance that Orihime did remove the seal off the Hogyoku, if that was why Aizen wanted her powers, but Ben was certain Aizen would've wanted him there too. Whatever the reason for the meeting, it meant Orihime was hopefully alone. Now came the tricky part:

"I'd like to know where Orihime's room is."

Predictably the girls all blinked as one. "Why?" Lilynette asked with a tilt of her head.

"I feel bad for her," Ben said. "All alone in this place, surrounded by strangers. I know how that feels. She could use someone to talk to."

Apacci scratched her head. "Yeah, I guess that makes sense. But what if she's at the meeting?"

"No, I don't think so," Ben said. "I think it's about something else."

"Well, if you say so. Guess you want us to locate her by sensing her spiritual energy?"

Ben smiled apologetically. "Yes, please."

The heterochromatic Arrancar stuck a finger in her ear, earning scowls of disapproval from both her teammates. "Alright, alright. We might as well get a good look at the girl who 'steps on God's territory.'"

"If she can reject anything, she could even reject Baraggan's power," Sung-Sun realized as they started heading out.

Mila Rose grinned. "His majesty would love to hear that." Then her face became serious. "Baraggan might not bother us again but he might go after her."

Ben almost grit his teeth at that realization. He had to get that poor girl out of here ASAP.


Ben committed every twist and turn to memory as they made their way to Orihime's room. So far none of the girls reacted as if they were about to run into someone else but Ben kept his arm on the Ultimatrix. If anyone asked, he would say he was rubbing his arm because he was nervous about meeting another human. Whether or not anyone would buy that was another story.

"Well, we're here," Mila Rose, stopping at a door in the middle of the hall. Unceremoniously, she pushed the door open.

The room certainly looked like a holding cell: it was almost completely bare except for a large couch on the left side of the room while the high window on the furthest wall had bars on it. The room Ulquiorra had him wait in when he first came here was more welcoming than this place.

Orihime had been kneeling on the ground, looking up at the high window on the far side of the room. She turned her head sharply when she heard the door, her eyes widening as Ben and the Arrancar girls filed in. Instead of the clothes she had been wearing when Ben first met her, she was now wearing a long, white form-fitting dress and cape.

"Hey, Orihime," Ben said gently. "We didn't get a chance to be properly introduced. As Aizen said, my name is Ben Tennyson."

Orihime collected herself and gave him a small smile. "Pleased to meet you, Ben."

"Name's Apacci," said Arrancar leaned against a wall and crossed her arms. "This is Mila Rose, Sung-Sun, and Lilynette."

Mila Rose groaned, crossing her arms. "We can introduce ourselves, Apacci."

Apacci shrugged. "Just wanted to save time."

As Orihime stared at the two, Lilynette stood right in front of her, leaning forward. When Orihime turned her head, she fell back with a squeak at the sudden proximity.

"So you have godlike healing powers, huh?" the small Arrancar asked.

"That's what Aizen said," Orihime answered quietly.

"Ben said you healed Grimmjow's arm," Sung-Sun said "We believe it of course, why would Ben lie to us?"

Ben felt his stomach turn at her words.

"But be warned," Sung-Sun said softly. "Grimmjow is not one who likes being indebted to others. Either he'll brush off what you have done for him, or try to 'repay' his debt as soon as possible."

Now it was Apacci's turn to groan. "Come on, Sung-Sun! Ben wanted to make sure she was comfortable and you had to go and say that."

Sung-Sun frowned at Apacci but it didn't last. "You're right, Apacci. I'm sorry, Orihime Inoue. I merely wished to warn you that Grimmjow is one to watch out for. But rest assured if he tries to do anything, we won't let him."

Orihime blinked in surprise. "Uh… thank you."

"I can see you're still a bit overwhelmed," Sung-Sun said. "Perhaps we should allow you and Ben some time alone. The presence of another human may put you at ease."

Ben shot Sung-Sun an appreciative glance. The others gave the two one last glance before following Sung-Sun out of the room. Once the door was closed, Ben knelt to Orihime as close as he could. The orange haired girl's eyes widened again at the closeness.

"Sorry about this," he whispered to her. "Do you know Ken?"

Orihime nodded.

"Then you know who I am?"

Orihime nodded.

"You were forced to come here, weren't you?"

Orihime flinched before she became downcast, wringing her hands and looking down at the floor.

"The one called Ulquiorra," she said so softly that Ben had to strain to hear her. "He said he would kill my friends if I didn't go with him."

Ben fought down a growl. Once he steadied himself he put a hand on her shoulders, surprising her.

"Don't worry," he said, giving her a reassuring smile. "I'm gonna get you out of here."

Orihime gasped. "What? How?"

"First we gotta get out of here," Ben answered. "Once we do, I'll see if I can make a Hollow take us back to the Living World." Ben thought she would be relieved but instead she looked doubtful. "Ken told you about me, that means you know what I'm capable of. I can get you out of here easily. Once you're safe in the Living World, I'll see if I can at least get Soul Society to help me take down Aizen."

"Ken told me what you could do," Orihime said softly, giving him a smile. "I believe you could get us out of here, but…" she became downcast again. "I can't leave yet."

Ben did a double take. "Why not?"

Orihime said nothing for a moment. Then she took a deep breath and when she spoke again, there was fierce determination in her eyes.

"Earlier, Aizen had me called to another throne room."

Multiple throne rooms? Now that he knew what the Soul Reaper was really like, Ben could honestly say Aizen's ego could put all of his enemies' own to shame.

"He showed me the Hogyoku," Orihime said, causing Ben's eyes to widen now. "He wants me to use my power on it."

So Starrk was right.

"My power can reject events and return them to a previous state? Then," Orihime's hands clenched into fists. "I intend to return the Hogyoku to a state where it never existed!"

Ben's eyes bugged out at this declaration. "You can do that?"

"I… admit I've never tried something like that before," Orihime confessed. "But Aizen wasn't the only one who believed I could do such things. So yes, I believe I can."

Ben gulped. Her power really was god-tier. "Okay, change of plans. I bust you out of here, we get the Hogyoku, then we get back to the Living World so you can do your thing. Don't suppose you remember where this other throne room is, do you?"

"I do," Orihime said. "Aizen kept the Hogyoku in this small pillar near the throne."

Ben nodded. "Alright, you'll need to guide me there."

Orihime nodded back, pumping her fists. "You can count on me!"

"Hey, Ben!" Apacci called from outside. "I can sense Ulquiorra coming. He's not close yet, but I'm not in the mood to put up with him if he wants to play interrogator."

Ben wanted to smack his forehead. Of course Aizen would have Ulquiorra guard her. He wanted to grab Orihime and make a break for it right now but could he risk it?

Seriously, could he? For all Ben knew, Aizen had something planned in case he ever found out the truth. Ben blanched; was Aizen expecting him to try and free Orihime?

"Ben, hurry up!" Lilynette hissed.

"Go," Orihime said softly, smiling again. "I'll be alright."

"I'll come back for you, Orihime," Ben promised, returning the smile before heading for the door. Once he made sure it was closed, he joined the girls as they made their way back to Starrk's chambers.


By the time they returned, Harribel and Starrk were already there.

"And where did you five go?" Harribel asked.

"We decided to go see that Orihime girl, Lady Harribel," Apacci answered.

"Ben figured he'd be the best person to help her," Sung-Sun added.

Harribel and Starrk shared a glance, causing Ben's stomach to churn again. The others merely gave the two Espada curious glances.

"How was the meeting, Lady Harribel?" Sung-Sun inquired. "What did Lord Aizen want all the Espada for?"

"We have intruders making their way to Las Noches," Harribel replied, causing the other five to stare at her.

Starrk leaned back on his pillows. "It all started like this…"


One by one the Espada entered the meeting room.

"It seems we have intruders again," Szayel said with a pleasant smirk upon his face.

Barragan eyed the Eighth Espada sharply. "More intruders? How do you know this?"

"The twenty-second underground passageway has just collapsed," Zommari told him.

Barragan relaxed as they approached the table. "The twenty-second? Why should we be concerned? That's pretty far from here."

"I agree," Szayel said as he sat down. "Now maybe if they had entered the throne room instead…"

Nnoitra couldn't resist chuckling as he too sat down. "If only. So… what are we dealing with? Soul Reapers… or something like Ben?"

Szayel pouted. "Unfortunately I don't know. I certainly wouldn't mind if others from Ben's universe came. I find them fascinating."

The rest of the Espada sat down quietly. No one commented on Grimmjow's presence in place of Luppi; they all knew about the girl who brought back his arm from nothingness.

"Good morning, ladies and gentleman of the Espada," the Espada turned as one to see Aizen, Tosen, and Gin standing before them. "Not so long ago we gathered here like this and gained an ally. Unfortunately this meeting bears less pleasant news; for this time we are indeed under attack. But first, let us have some tea."

The Espada said nothing as tea was served to them by one of the Numeros. All of them awaited what Aizen would say regarding these new intruders.

"Has the tea been served?" Aizen asked, giving a look over all the Espada. Each one had been served a cup. "Good. Listen as you drink. Kaname, visual please."

"Yes, sir." Tosen pulled the lever on the left wall. The center of the table opened up, projecting an image of the intruders. There were three in total, all male: one was an orange-haired boy dressed in the black uniform of a Soul Reaper, a large sword resembling a meat cleaver on his back. The second was a bespectacled boy with short black hair and dressed in white. The third was a muscular boy with dark skin and wavy brown hair that covered the upper half of his face. His attire, much more mundane compared to the other two, consisted of tan pants and a dark, long sleeved shirt with a rose emblem on the left side. Grimmjow's eyes widened and he let out a short gasp.

"As you can see," Aizen said after taking a sip of his tea, "There are three intruders: Uryu Ishida, Yasatura Sado, and Ichigo Kurosaki."

"These… are our enemies?" asked Aaroniero, clearly unimpressed.

Szayel cupped his chin. "Lord Aizen, isn't the one with orange hair the boy you sent Ulquiorra and Yammy to test?"

"Indeed, Szayel, it is."

Baraggan snorted as he eyed the three. "Some intruders. I thought Soul Society would be sending an army but these three are youngsters. What are they supposed to be? A scouting party or something?"

Aizen chuckled. "Don't take those three lightly. They were known as the Ryoka who, just the four of them, breached Soul Society and battled the Thirteen Court Guard Squads."

"Four? If these are three of the Ryoka, then where is the fourth?" Zommari asked.

Surprisingly, the answer came from Ulquiorra. "The fourth one is Orihime Inoue."

Nnoitra threw back his head and cackled. "A rescue mission? Just the three of them? More like a suicide mission; they look so weak."

"Lord Aizen said not to take them lightly," Harribel said sternly to the Fifth Espada. "Or have you learned nothing, Nnoitra?"

Nnoitra's amusement died instantly as a snarl escaped his lips, his eye full of hatred as he glared at Harribel. "You little bitch…" he muttered.

Just then everyone's attention was drawn to Grimmjow, who had risen to his feet and started to leave.

"Where do you think you're going, Grimmjow?" Tosen asked evenly.

"To kill them," Grimmjow said plainly. "What else?"

Tosen frowned. "Lord Aizen has not given any orders yet."

Grimmjow growled. "These guys aren't like Tennyson! It's obvious they're enemies and I will crush them for Lord Aizen!"

Tosen looked like he was about to say something when…

"Grimmjow," Aizen said softly from the table, freezing the Sixth Espada.

"...Yes, sir?" Grimmjow replied, slowly turning toward Aizen.

"I'm flattered you wish to act on my behalf, but I wasn't finished talking. Would you please return to your seat?"

Grimmjow did nothing, neither returning towards his seat nor leaving the room. He just stood there, looking at Aizen warily. Was it fear keeping Grimmjow in place? Anger? Pride?

"What's wrong?" Aizen said casually. Suddenly a pressure began to build up in the room. "I can't hear your answer, Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez."

Grimmjow had just enough time to widen his eyes before Aizen aimed that pressure at him. Unable to put up a resistance, Grimmjow fell to his knees. Aizen looked at him with that little smirk upon his face, holding Grimmjow down for almost a minute before finally releasing the pressure.

"It seems we've come to an understanding." As Grimmjow panted for breath, Aizen rose from the table before addressing his warriors. "Ladies and gentlemen of the Espada, while I say do not underestimate these three, there is no need to be overly concerned with them either, especially with the assistance we received from our dear ally, Ben Tennyson. Please return to your chambers and go about your business; don't come to them for I am certain they will come to you. Do not fear, for even if something should happen; as long as you walk with me there will be no enemies. Incidentally, is everything ready, Szayel?"

That drew confused looks from the Espada, who turned as one towards the Eighth Espada. Szayel himself interlocked his fingers and rested his chin on top of them.

"Nearly finished, Lord Aizen," he said, a knowing smile on his face with his eyes half-closed. "I just need a few more components to complete it. Gathering them, however, shall not take me long."

"Excellent, Szayel. I'm happy to hear it. For now you are all dismissed."


Ben leaned back as Starrk and Harribel finished their recollection.

"A Soul Reaper and a couple of humans are coming to get that girl back?" Apacci recapped. "Soul Society must really want her powers if they're willing to send someone to rescue her."

"They're doing it because she's their comrade," Sung-Sun argued. "Surely if Soul Society was involved in this, they would have sent far more forces than just a single Soul Reaper and two humans."

"I bet Soul Society doesn't even know they're here," Mila Rose added. "Nnoitra was right about one thing though: those three trying to save her by themselves is a suicide mission. They can't possibly think they can take on all of us, can they?"

"All that matters to them is saving their friend," Harribel spoke up, her arms folded. "Nothing else matters to them. I commend them on their loyalty, but their lack of forethought will be their downfall."

While everyone else was discussing these intruders, Ben saw a golden opportunity. It was time to make his move. "Hey, I'm gonna go stretch my legs for a bit."

"Oh! Are you feeling better, Ben?" Lilynette asked.

Ben smiled, patting her helmet. "Sure am, Lilynette. A lot better now."

"So, what was bothering you, Ben?" Apacci inquired. "You were so out of it."

"I wasn't used to fighting Soul Reapers that weren't Gin or Tosen," Ben said smoothly, closing his eyes to prevent twitching. "And that masked guy had some pretty crazy powers. I'll need to step up my game if I ever run into him again."

"Well, we could always train with you," Mila Rose said, hand already on her sword hilt.

"Girls, give him some space," Harribel lightly reprimanded them.

All three girls smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, Ben," they said simultaneously.

Ben smiled at them. "It's alright. I appreciate the help but I just need to walk around. I'll be back soon!"

"Wait!" Lilynette cried. "Are you sure it's a good idea to have Ben be out by himself?"

"Lord Aizen told all the Espada to return to their chambers," Starrk said. "After all the crap Grimmjow, Nnoitra, and Baraggan have pulled, they should know better than to disobey Lord Aizen again."

"Yeah, 'should,'" Lilynette huffed, with her hands on her hips. "Telling Nnoitra and Grimmjow to do anything outside of killing someone is like talking to a brick wall. Odds are one of them or both are going to do something stupid."

Ben stiffened. She was right, who's to say they weren't already planning something right now?

"Well, sounds like I won't have to worry about anything. See you guys later!" Ben moved out of the room as fast as he dared without arousing suspicion.


Ben kept on walking and he didn't stop until he put as much distance between him and Starrk's chambers. Someone coming to save Orihime made perfect sense, though Ben was surprised that her personal friends were doing it without any backup from Soul Society.

Then again, if Aizen was telling the truth about these guys wanting to kill a Soul Reaper for giving her powers to a human regardless of circumstances… then maybe they had decided to cut their losses and-

"Left her to fend for herself," Ben said to himself quietly. The thought made his fists shake in anger before he shook his head. "No, no, I don't know the full story, I can't jump to conclusions. Right now I need to focus on helping Orihime's friends get here. Then we're gonna make so much racket Aizen won't know what hit him!"

"Oh, Ben."

Ben spun around at that familiar smug voice in the air. "What?! Szayel?"

"Lord Aizen already knew."

Ben felt the floor open out from under him and everything went black. Ben couldn't even see his hand in front of his face but he could feel himself tossing and turning through the darkness like on a roller coaster. Finally he could make out a sliver of light coming towards him before finding himself flung into a wide and empty hallway.

"Ah, Ben. So lovely that you could drop in like this." Szayel chuckled, his distorted voice coming from some kind of intercom.

Groaning, Ben pushed himself to his feet. "Leave the jokes to me, Szayel. What's going on here?"

"Didn't you hear me, Ben? Lord Aizen always suspected that you might have a falling out with us and entrusted me to plan accordingly."

"You?"

Szayel chuckled. "Not quite what you were expecting, hmm? No doubt you thought you'd be going up against one of those brutes like Nnoitra or Grimmjow. No, no, no-those barbaric oafs wouldn't do the job right."

"…How long?"

"Oh, Lord Aizen had a feeling that you might turn against us sooner or later, but he knew the kidnapping of that Orihime girl would almost guarantee you acting out. The moment she arrived and we heard of those intruders, I knew it was time to make my move."

Ben wanted to smack himself upside his forehead, it was just as he feared.

"Don't beat yourself up too much, Ben," Szayel said with clear mockery. "Why do you think Lord Aizen had you spend so much time with those sentimental fools, Starrk and Harribel?"

"…What?"

"Lord Aizen took advantage of your Good Samaritan nature and used it to keep you focused on helping those who held on to worthless concepts like loneliness and avoiding sacrifices. Honestly, powerful Arrancars like them, caring about such garbage, it's embarrassing. Although, those wonderful fruits we created together are some of my finest creations. I sincerely thank you for your help."

"You're not welcome," was the only thing Ben could think of.

"Aww, come now, Ben, where is that witty repertoire? Don't tell me you're that upset. After all, you were suspicious of Lord Aizen it seems. You just underestimated the depths of his intellect, as all those who oppose him do. Even someone with your power is no match against the likes of him."

Ben wanted to see Szayel keep that claim after witnessing a shot from Way Big's cosmic ray. "So what happens now?"

"Now? Why Ben, now we play a little game."

"A game?"

"Meatheads like Nnoitra and Grimmjow couldn't beat you in the long run. Your variety of abilities and creative usage of them could easily overcome their simple strategies of hitting you till you die. No, only one of intelligence could overcome you. And my little funhouse is the just the thing for the job."

"Yeah, I'm not playing your little game, Szayel. The fact that you want to do this instead of facing me directly tells me you couldn't beat me with your own powers."

"That remains to be seen," Szayel answered, seemingly unbothered by Ben's taunt. "But while I'm excellent at multitasking, there are other matters that require my more immediate attention, which is why I can't face you personally… yet."

"Yeah, uh, in case you forgot, I can just turn intangible and get out of here." Ben activated the Ultimatrix, turned the dial towards Big Chill, and hit it. Green light and there the Necrofriggian stood. He unfolded his wings and prepared to fly when…

"I wouldn't do that if you care about the human girl's wellbeing."

Big Chill faltered just before takeoff. "What did you just say?"

"Alas, I failed to find an effective way to counteract the intangibility of your aliens like Big Chill. However, I don't need to when I hold the life of Orihime Inoue in my hands."

Big Chill let out a hiss. "You're bluffing. Aizen needs her to unseal the Hogyoku; he wouldn't sacrifice her for anything."

"Ben, Ben, Ben, Lord Aizen is a master of plans, and plans within those plans. As amazing as Orihime's abilities are, do you really think he would risk his success on one individual?"

Big Chill lowered his head as his wings folded around him again. Would Aizen be willing to sacrifice Orihime if necessary? Hadn't he hinted as much when she had healed Grimmjow's arm? Was Ben willing to take that kind of chance?

"Well, Ben? What do you say?"

Big Chill resisted the urge to punch the wall. Aizen had been so thorough but the hero forced himself to calm down. He still had a few tricks left up his own sleeve and as smart as Aizen was, there was no way he could prepare for every single situation, especially involving Ben and his aliens.

"Alright, Szayel," He transformed back to his human self. "I'll play your little game."

"I knew you would." Ben could practically feel the smugness like it was oozing off the Eighth Espada. "Just go further down the hall, Ben. Once you do, then the game truly begins."

"I can hardly wait," Ben said under his breath as he made his way down the hall. He was going to beat what Szayel had in store for him as soon as possible and then help Orihime and her friends. He just hoped they could hold out for the time being.

To Be Continued…

Having done further research on Szayel, especially in the light novels, I realized this guy had some decent potential despite being one of the weaker Espada. I'm still working on some of the challenges Ben will have to face in Szayel's game, but I've got an overall idea how it will play out.