Disclaimer: Bleach and Ben 10 do not belong to me.

Once again, I would like to thank Vandenbz and Pyromania101 for proofreading my work. Thank you so much you two.

Originally I had split this into two separate chapters: As the Dust Settles and Picking Up the Pieces. But then I realized that, while it would make the chapter longer, the content I created could easily be covered in one big chapter.

I don't intend on making the other chapters nearly as long as this one though.

Aftermath

Part One: When the Dust Settles

Aizen was finally defeated and Karakura Town had been saved. Yet there was no joy, no celebration. Ben's hands were in his pockets as the group made their way back to Karakura Town, having decided to walk. The wielder of the Ultimatrix kept glancing over at Ichigo, whose attention was only on his home. A couple of times Ben opened his mouth, only to snap it shut and resume staring at the ground as they continued trekking.

This action was immediately noticed by both Ken and Harribel. The latter spared a glance back at where Aizen's seal stood. Urahara had stayed behind to oversee it for the time being. As much as she wanted to confront him about the seal, Ben needed her right now.

"Harribel?"

The Third Espada's head shifted back up from the ground she had been contemplating. Ben was standing directly in front of her, looking at her in concern. "Hey?" He asked gently. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Harribel answered softly. "Are you alright?"

Ben turned his head towards Ichigo, who was still facing forward as he walked ahead. "I don't think that really matters right now."

"Ben," Harribel started to speak up but Ben had already resumed walking. Seeing the brave and determined hero so crestfallen again tore at her.

As they got closer to the town, Orihime ran up to them with Nelliel galloping behind. Seeing everyone unharmed brought a smile to Orihime's face, yet it quickly fell when she sensed the melancholy atmosphere. Nelliel, also noticing it, gently put a hand on Orihime's shoulder as the group approached. Harribel didn't know how but they would make this right.

/*/

The majority of the group were all gathered around the outskirts of the town. Ichigo was sitting on a rock, staring off into the distance. Orihime and Nelliel were both glancing at him. Much like Ben before her, Orihime opened her mouth quite a few times, only to backpedal before she could even make a sound. Nelliel put a hand on her shoulder again, smiling as she gave the other girl a comforting squeeze. Orihime smiled back, but it slowly began to drop as she looked back at Ichigo.

Ken sighed at the sight before turning his head back to the alternate version of his father. The downcast expression Ben had been sporting was replaced with an intense gaze as he stared at the ground, fist under his chin. Ken smiled, suspecting Ben was already coming up with possible ways of restoring Ichigo's powers. On that note, Ken spared a glance at Orihime, her gaze still fixed on Ichigo. Would her powers be able to restore Ichigo's?

Like father, like alternate timeline son, Ben was also thinking the same thing. Another possibility was the Hogyoku, surely Urahara could find a way to remove it from Aizen now that he was sealed. Ben's hopes were almost immediately dashed, however, as he remembered Aizen saying that the Hogyoku just brought out the power that was already inside you… or something like that. The Spirit Fruits were the only other option he could think of… if there was even any left by now.

"Everyone."

The silence was finally broken by an approaching Urahara, a small smile on his face. Ichigo rose to his feet. "Hat-n-Clogs, where did everybody else go?"

"Your other friends? They were all sent back. I think they wanted to talk to you, but saw you might not be in a talking mood right now."

Ichigo felt his body stiffen. "Don't tell me you erased their memories?"

Ben blinked at the revelation and might have commented if Urahara hadn't answered.

"No, I didn't tamper with their memories this time."

Ichigo felt himself relax, smiling. "That's good. I don't want to keep this a secret to them anymore. When I go back, I'll tell them myself."

"Can I help?" Orihime finally spoke, smiling shyly as Ichigo turned to her in surprise.

"Inoue-Orihime," Ichigo had flinched when he saw Nelliel narrow her eyes at him. Once he called his friend by her first name, the Arrancar nodded in satisfaction. "You don't have to."

"Please, Ichigo. After everything you've done for us, I want to help."

Ben looked back and forth between the two. Ichigo sighed and smiled. "Okay, Orihime." Orihime smiled back and the mood seemed to have lifted, if only by a little. Was there something going on between them?

"That reminds me; Aizen was taken to the Seireitei along with Gin," Urahara announced, gaining everyone's attention again. "The Central 46 will decide their fate soon."

"Will they try to find a way to remove the Hogyoku?"

Everyone turned to Ben now. Taken aback by his question, Urahara scratched the back of his head.

"Hard to say. If Gin's words are anything to go by, removing it is easy. It's keeping it away from Aizen that's the tricky part."

"But didn't the Hogyoku reject him as its master?" Ken questioned.

"All the more reason to keep it inside Aizen where it'll be relatively safe." Urahara stated.

"The only sentence I can think of with both Aizen and the word safe in it," Ben couldn't help saying as he crossed his arms. "Is 'safe from Aizen'."

"I know what you mean but if the Hogyoku is fused to someone who it no longer serves, it'll prevent anyone else from trying to become the Hogyoku's master."

"But why not let me reject it then?" Orihime volunteered to Urahara, her fists clenched in determination.

Urahara's expression softened and his smile returned, albeit melancholic. "Thank you, Orihime, but you've been through enough on account of Aizen."

Harribel frowned. "You have a potential means of destroying the Hogyoku for good. Why not allow Orihime Inoue this opportunity?"

"I don't know if the Hogyoku might do something to Orihime once she began using her powers," Urhara answered evenly. "I don't want to expose her to further risk. Better to leave it with its rejected master."

Harribel furrowed her brow at Urahara but said nothing. Noticing Ben looking at her in worry, she relaxed her stance. The Third Espada would let the matter go… for now.

"I've been wondering about that, actually. Did the Hogyoku really reject Aizen?"

Everyone stared at Ichigo, who was sitting back down and staring up into the sky.

Ben unfolded his arms and tilted his head. "What do you mean, Ichigo?"

"Remember what you told me about the Hogyoku granting people their desires?" Ichigo reminded him. "Well, I'm starting to think that maybe… Aizen wanted to lose his powers."

Urahara's eyes narrowed, Orihime's jaw dropped, Nelliel nearly dropped her lance, Ken felt his body slacken, Harribel looked completely unconvinced, and Ben's arms hung at his sides.

"How did you come to that conclusion?" Harribel asked, with a hint of incredulity.

"It happened when I was finally able to feel his sword during our fight."

"…Huh?"

"Let me explain," Ichigo said with a chuckle at Ben's raised brow. "I can get a read on my opponent when our blades touch in battle. When I finally became strong enough to fight Aizen equally, I only felt loneliness in his blade. If he had all this power when he was born, maybe he was looking for someone he could relate to. After he had given up on looking, maybe… deep down, he wished he could be like everyone else instead."

If we had met under different circumstances… could we have been friends?

Ben felt as if a lightning bolt was surging through his body, rendering him numb. Had Aizen been serious? No, Ben decided as he shook his head fiercely, even if Aizen had been honest, that would never justify everything he had done.

"I-ichigo?"

"Ken!"

"Ben!"

"Lady Harribel!"

"Your majesty!"

Looking over their shoulders, the group saw the Teen Titans, Starrk, Charlotte, and Harribel's Fraccione walking towards them. Accompanying them were not only Renji and Uryu, but also a female Soul Reaper with short black hair and a muscular, dark-skinned young man with short, messy hair. The female Soul Reaper had her left arm in a sling and bandages around her chest. The unnamed young man had his left arm covered in bandages, along with several more wrapped around his head. Renji, Uryu, and the girl were all smiling.

"Uryu? Rukia? Chad? Renji?" Ichigo got back up to his feet. "What are you guys doing? Should you really be walking around right now?"

"You're one to talk," The female Soul Reaper, most likely Rukia, spoke. "You're looking-"

Apacci shoved her to the side, running towards Ben eagerly. "You did it? You really beat Aizen?"

"I knew his majesty would prevail!" Charlotte put his hands on his hips proudly. "There is no obstacle King Benjamin can't overcome!"

Renji scratched his head. "That reminds me, what's with all this King Ben stuff?"

"It's a long story but I can't take credit for beating Aizen," All the newcomers were taken aback by the hero's solemn tone. "Ichigo was the one who-"

Ben nearly choked on his words when Ichigo suddenly collapsed face-first to the ground. All of Ichigo's friends paled, gathering around their friend and screaming his name in concern. Ichigo's body seemed to convulse, grasping his throat as if he was choking. Struggling for breath, Ichigo's eyes seemed to grow twice their size as he howled in agonizing pain.

"Ichigo!" Orihime, Rukia, and Nelliel all screamed. Orihime's eyes were watering and Nelliel's weren't far behind.

"What's wrong with him?!" Uryu asked Urahara, not bothering to hide the panic in his voice.

"Ichigo's body is reacting to the loss of his Soul Reaper powers."

"WHAT?!"

Urahara lowered his head as those who hadn't witnessed the final battle stared at him, shock and disbelief on all their faces.

"In order to counter Aizen's new power, Ichigo used a technique called the Final Getsuga Tensho," the Soul Reaper explained softly. "It gave him the power to fight Aizen… at the cost of giving up his powers at the end."

"Ichigo," Rukia whispered, staring down at her convulsing friend.

Seeing Ichigo like this, it was bad enough that he would have to lose his powers but for him to literally suffer for it? Ben felt that a stab to the chest would be nothing compared to what he was feeling right now. Which in itself was a poke compared to the pain Ichigo was in.

"How could you let this happen?!"

Ben winced before raising his head to stare in the blazing eyes of Renji.

"Hey, back off!" Apacci yelled as she, Mila Rose, and Sung-Sun crouched, prepared to attack.

"Renji!" Rukia snapped at him.

"No, if he was as powerful as everyone built him up to be, then Ichigo shouldn't have had to give up his powers to stop Aizen!" Renji rounded on Ben. "So what happened?"

"It wasn't his fault!" Orihime interjected. "One of the other Espada, Baraggan, had another form like Ulquiorra did and was going to kill everyone. Ben was the only one who could stop him. He didn't know what Ichigo was going to do, none of us did."

Uryu's eyes widened at Ulquiorra's name but Renji was too busy fuming to notice.

"Well maybe if he wasn't stupid enough to fall for Aizen's lies in the first place, we wouldn't even be in this situation! No matter how you look at it, this is all his fault!"

Knives couldn't cut deeper than Renji's words were.

"That's not fair! Aizen deceived all of us for years and we never knew any better!" Rukia argued. "Renji, I know you're upset but that sounds like the kind of thing Ichigo would do. You know how he acts like he has to do everything on his own."

"If anyone is to be blamed, then that would be me!" Harribel stepped forward, standing between Renji and the wielder of the Ultimatrix.

"Harribel, don't!" Ben said firmly.

Harribel's glare was fixed on Renji. "I hid Aizen's true intentions from Ben! Ichigo Kurosaki losing his powers is my fault, not his! Take your anger out on me if you wish!"

Her Fraccione gawked at their leader, Apacci stammering. "L-lady Harribel.."

"I chose to hide Aizen's plan from Ben too," Starrk said, stepping forward. "Go ahead and hate me for it but leave him alone."

"Alright, enough!" Ken shouted, amplifying his command with his sonic powers. "Look, what's done is done, there's no point in playing the blame game. What matters now is finding out what we do from here."

Taking a deep breath, Ben nodded. "You're right, Ken. Urahara, what can we do to help Ichigo?"

"First thing's first, we need to get Ichigo help. Pick him up and follow me."

Ben, Ken, Chad, Uryu, Renji, Cyborg, and Superboy all gathered around Ichigo who had passed out shortly after his scream. Renji said nothing as he stood beside Chad and Uryu, putting aside any remaining hostility for the sake of his friend. Needless to say, they all picked Ichigo up with ease. Urahara made his way further into the town, the guys following immediately after him. Orihime, along with the rest of the Teen Titans, were right on their heels.

Harribel looked back at the rest of the gathered Arrancar. Starrk was scratching the back of his head now. Charlotte was staring off into the distance, his joyous mood having completely evaporated. Harribel's own Fraccione still seemed to be wrapping their heads over what had just happened, dazed and confused.

"I-I don't get it," Apacci mumbled. "We beat Aizen. We won. What-what just happened?"

"I didn't know what the Final Getsuga Tensho would do. If I had known, I would have done anything I could to talk Ichigo out of it." Nelliel clenched her teeth so hard that Harribel swore she could hear them straining. "I could have convinced him to just keep Aizen at bay until Ben arrived."

"But Ben didn't know! That Orihime girl said as much!"

"Is it because of what that Soul Reaper said? Is Ben blaming himself for listening to Aizen?" Mila Rose questioned in worry.

"Originally Ben blamed himself for not making it here in time. After what that Soul Reaper said, however, I would not be surprised if Ben agreed with him."

A snarl hissed through Apacci's teeth. "That bastard…"

"All we can do now is try to find a way to make up for our mistakes."

Nodding at the Primera Espada, the rest of the Arrancar followed after the others.

/*/

Urahara led them to a small shop near a lot in the town. They would have made quite the sight but the shop owner explained that the entire town had been put to sleep before being swapped with the fake town. He slid the door open before standing aside to let the group carry Ichigo inside. Ben noticed shelves of various candies but paid them no mind as Urahara maneuvered around them. He weaved through the store till he led them to a small room with a round table. Urahara walked into a closet and pulled out a futon.

"Alright," he said after laying the futon out. Due to the cramped nature of the room, Ken and Superboy were the ones to bring Ichigo into the room and gently place his body on the futon.

"What now?" Cyborg asked.

"I'm assuming the time lapse he experienced while spending three months in the Precipice World will start to reverse on him."

"Three months?!" Renji exclaimed. "That's why his hair was so long?"

Urahara nodded. "While his Soul Reaper powers are gone, he still has some remaining spiritual energy. Soon it should stabilize and eventually wake him up. Once that happens, all his remaining spiritual powers will disappear."

"How long will that take?" Chad questioned the shop owner.

"Difficult to tell. Days? Weeks? Months?"

"There must be a way to restore his powers," Harribel spoke up, the crowd parting as she made her way inside. The Third Espada looked Urahara square in the eye. "Surely someone as brilliant as you has experimented with the possibility of restoring Soul Reaper powers."

Without a word, Orihime entered the room and knelt down beside the futon, casting her shield over Ichigo. She closed her eyes in concentration and everyone held their breaths. As the seconds passed, however, Orihime started to squeeze her eyes tighter and nearly bit her lip. After a minute passed, Orihime dispersed the shield and hung her head.

"It's not working."

"But why? Why isn't it working?" Apacci called from the hallway.

"There are numerous possibilities as to why," Urahara answered. "I highly suspect it's her inexperience but the bottom line is that Orihime's unable to restore Ichigo's powers*."

Orihime dug her fingers into her knees. Rukia walked into the room and knelt down beside her. Ben could feel his gut starting to wrench at how defeated she looked. "What about the Spirit Fruits from the Oasis? Can they do anything?"

"The what?"

"Ben created food enriched with spiritual energy, that can not only replenish the eater's own but increase their spiritual pressure," Uryu spoke up. "If any of them still remain, can they restore Ichigo's powers?"

"I mean, Baraggan said eating them was how he got that Segunda Etapa form," Ben added, unable to suppress a rising feeling in his chest.

"We would have to wait until Ichigo awoke before we can test that," Urahara told him. "Not to mention with how miniscule Ichigo's spiritual pressure will be, the fruits may not be enough, if they work at all."

"Well can't you boost his spiritual pressure or something?" Superboy asked. "Maybe transfer spirit energy into him?"

"Really doubt you can just jumpstart him like a car battery, Connor," Cyborg said.

If Superboy had a problem with his real name being used, he didn't show it.

Urahara's body had become rigid, his eyes slowly widening and his mouth hanging open.

"Umm, Urahara?" Ken asked.

"I wonder…"

"Yes?" Ben asked eagerly.

Urahara scratched his chin. "I'll have to check to be sure but maybe, just maybe…"

"Are you doing that on purpose?" Lilynette shoved her way into the room, putting her hands on her hips. "If you've got an idea, then tell us."

"Lilynette? When did you and Starrk separate?"

"On the way here," Lilynette responded softly.

"Like I said," Urahara spoke up, "I'll have to check first but there might be hope after all."

Orihime looked up at the shop owner, the edges of her mouth attempting to become a smile. Rukia was not that far behind.

"In the meantime, I suggest keeping an eye on Ichigo just to see if any unexpected developments happen."

Chad nodded. "We will."

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Ben asked as Urahara started heading towards the door.

"There's nothing I require at the moment," Urahara said before shooting the hero with an apologetic glance. "Unfortunately I do have a bit of news I was saving until after Ichigo was taken care of: The Thirteen Court Guard Squads wish to speak with you in the future."

Everyone was staring at Urahara now.

"Most likely they want to hear your side of things and what you plan on doing now that Aizen has been defeated. I might have also suggested that, considering how many Arrancar support you, talking could be beneficial to both Soul Society and Hueco Mundo."

"A peace treaty between Soul Society and Hueco Mundo?"

Everyone began sharing glances with each other, even the Teen Titans. Incredulity was the most prominent expression but Ben could make out a gleam of hope in the eyes of Harribel and her Fraccion.

"Will they listen?" He couldn't help but mention.

"You did play an important part in stopping Aizen," Urahara gave a brief glance at Renji, said Soul Reaper tensing for a moment before lowering his head. "At the very least they will want to hear your side of the story and see where it goes from there."

"That reminds me," Everyone's attention was on Starrk now, "Who knows what state Las Noches is in, if there's anything left of it?"

"You're right," Ben muttered as he remembered Kurotsuchi showing interest in the Spirit Fruits.

"Then if that's the case, I should probably come with you." Urahara had his fan out now. "I can establish communications between Las Noches and my shop. That way I can let you know when Soul Society is ready to talk to you without dropping in unannounced."

"Would you let us know about Ichigo's condition in the meantime?" Nelliel inquired.

Urahara smiled as he gave his fan a slight wave. "Of course."

"If that's the case, we'd better get back to Soul Society too," Renji said, casting a glance at Ichigo again. "Come on, Rukia."

"Right," Rukia rose to her feet, gently patting Orihime's shoulder before heading towards the door.

"Ben," Renji said, causing Harribel, her Fraccion, and Lilynette to eye him warily. The Soul Reaper rubbed his head. "For what it's worth, you did help and if Baraggan was as powerful as everyone said he was, you saved Karakura Town from a threat just as bad as Aizen."

"Renji…" Rukia said.

"So, I'm sorry I got mad at you, and thank you for your help."

Ben put his hands in his pockets, trying to find the words to say. Renji, however, was already out of the room. Rukia gave Ben a polite bow and followed after him.

"Guess it's off to Hueco Mundo," Ben said.

"Can we come?" Ken asked. "Haven't gotten a chance to actually see Hueco Mundo and Soul Society before. Might as well look at where you've been staying all this time."

He gave Ben an encouraging smile, showing his intent to support the alternate version of his father. Ben looked at the Arrancar, who all nodded their heads.

"Any friend of Ben's is welcome to Las Noches, though I'm afraid most will not be as hospitable as we are."

"Do not worry, we are quite capable of defending ourselves," Starfire reassured Harribel.

"So I have witnessed," Harribel complimented. "Then come. We shall open a Garganta outside."

One by one, the Arrancar began piling out. Ben spared one last glance at Ichigo before following them. As he exited the room and headed towards the shop entrance, he noticed that Harribel and Nelliel were still behind everyone. He looked into the room and noticed her approaching Orihime, Chad and Uryu eyeing her with curiosity and some reflexive caution.

"Orihime Inoue?"

Orihime looked up at the Third Espada, blinking curiously. "Yes?"

"Ichigo Kurosaki is very important to you, isn't he?"

Orihime's cheeks darkened before she turned her head, gazing at her knees. "Yes," She answered softly.

"Even though he willingly sacrificed his powers, I cannot believe such an action will be so easily shrugged off," Harribel now knelt beside the orange-haired girl. "He will need someone to lean on more than ever, regardless of whether or not his powers can be restored."

Chad and Uryu looked at each other, the former coughing into his fist as they both shuffled away to leave the three ladies alone. As they entered the hallway, they paused to see Ben scanning the various shelves, shrugging at them with a sheepish smile. Nodding in understanding, the three hurried out as quickly, and quietly, as possible. Ben held the front door open for the other two, both nodding in thanks. As Ben started to slowly close the door, he looked at the back room.

"Hopefully Urahara's idea can work," he said to himself as he slowly closed the door. "We'll get your powers back, Ichigo. Somehow."

/*/

Back inside, Orihime's eyes were fixed on Ichigo, his chest rising and falling with steady breaths.

"I'm not telling you to confess your feelings," Harribel said gently when Orihime looked up at her with widened eyes. "Merely be there for him and show him that you are."

Orihime wrung her hands for a moment before setting them back on her knees. Her nervousness was now replaced with determination and she rose to her feet, pumping her arms. "I will!"

Harribel couldn't help feeling bemused at how the girl was acting like she had been given an order rather than advice. As she rose to her feet, Orihime spoke again.

"Could you do something for me, Nelliel? Miss Harribel?"

Briefly surprised at how formally she was addressed, Harribel quickly regained herself. "What is it you need?"

Orihime smiled at her. "Could you be there for Ben? He really needs someone too."

"Of course, for we already planned to do so."

"We promise," Nelliel added with a smile.

Orihime's hair swished as she nodded. Her smile became a little smaller as she turned back to Ichigo, his chest slowly rising and falling with each breath.

"Would you like us to leave you two alone, Orihime?" Nelliel inquired.

"Yes, please," Orihime said, still keeping her eyes on Ichigo.

Nelliel patted Orihime's shoulder as she and her successor headed towards the door. As the former and current Third Espada vacated the room, Nelliel slowly closed the door behind her.

"Nelliel, did you…?"

Nelliel simply smiled at Harribel and made her way to the shop's entrance. Harribel simply crossed her arms and followed her predecessor.

/*/

Ben turned his head as Harribel and Nelliel stepped outside the shop, deciding to pretend he hadn't heard part of their conversation with Orihime. "So… time to return to Las Noches?"

"Indeed," Urahara said, walking towards them. "I just contacted Soul Society. Some Fourth Squad members will be here shortly to see if there's anything that can be done for Ichigo. They were also hoping for Orihime's assistance in looking after the wounded so that's two birds with one stone."

"How did you contact them already?" Ben asked.

Urahara pulled out what appeared to be a regular phone, waving it back and forth. "A Soul Pager. This gadget enables Soul Reapers in the Living World to contact those in Seireitei."

"Is that how we're going to communicate?" Lilynette asked, looking at the Soul Pager with interest.

"That's the plan!" Urahara said cheerfully. "Course, we never tried establishing connections with Hueco Mundo. Once I confirm we have a signal, I can easily set you up with a Soul Pager of your own. I could even acquire some for your friends."

"You're really willing to travel to Hueco Mundo just to see if you have phone reception?" Superboy asked.

"Peaceful relations between Hueco Mundo and Soul Society are very important," Urahara pointed out.

"Shouldn't we wait until friend Ichigo gets picked up?" Starfire pointed out.

"I'm sure it will be fine," Urhara said. "By now they should all know he's the one who defeated Aizen, so I'm pretty sure they'll treat him with the care he properly deserves."

"I hope so," Ben added to himself, looking back at the shop. Ken patted his shoulder, trying to reassure him with a smile.

"Besides," Urahara said quickly, "The sooner we have a connection with Hueco Mundo, the better. Best be on our way then."

"We should probably get going home too," Uryu said, adjusting his glasses with his index finger.

"Good luck," Chad said.

Ben nodded before he turned to the gathered Arrancar. "Ready whenever you guys are."

"Oh right." Sung-Sun produced Ben's green jacket from her sleeve and handed it to him. "I apologize but we had nowhere else to keep it safe."

"Thanks, Sung-Sun," Ben smiled in appreciation to her as he slid his jacket on. His mood slowly changed to become serious and somber once more. "Wonder how Las Noches is going to look… or if anyone else is still alive?"

"We'll soon find out," Starrk answered as a Garganta began to open in front of him. Ken's team watched in fascination as the tear expanded large enough for them all to fit through.

"Bye you two," Ken waved to Uryu and Chad, who returned the gesture in kind. "We'll keep in touch."

"Take care, Ken," Chad said.

"Well," Ben said as he started to approach the Garganta, "All aboard."

/*/

"Are you kidding me? Are you kidding me?!"

In a purple void, a man was raging. The man was the one responsible for sending Ben Tennyson to the universe of Soul Reapers and Hollows. His black trench coat was flung to and fro as he stomped around, his sunglasses threatening to pop off his head. His name was Thorn.

"This wasn't supposed to happen!" Thorn raged as he grabbed his head.

"Well, what did you expect to happen?"

Behind his glasses, Thorn glared as he turned towards Professor Paradox, the latter with his hands in the pockets of his lab coat.

"What do you mean what did I expect, Paradox?! I thought Ben and Ichigo were going to take down Aizen together! Then Baraggan shows up out of nowhere and then…"

"Did you honestly think everything would go smoothly?" Paradox asked with a frown.

"How could it not? Ben was supposed to be the game-changer, the one to make a difference!"

"And he has," Paradox countered. "You know what would have befallen Starrk and Lilynette if Ben wasn't there. Not to mention that Oasis and Charlotte-"

"But that's all! Those are the only changes he made! What about Aizen? Ichigo? I swear Paradox if this is one those stupid fixed points in time deals I'm gonna—"

"Perhaps if you had bothered telling Ben what he was up against. Quite ironic considering the lecture you spouted to Azmuth and myself before all this happened."

"I didn't think I had to!" Thorn stomped his foot in aggravation, which would have been hilarious due to the lack of ground in the void. "I thought the nicer Arrancar were going to choose Ben before all this happened! Why did they stick with Aizen until it was almost too late?"

"You underestimated their loyalty to a charismatic manipulator of Aizen's caliber," Paradox said calmly. "Ben's kindness, no matter how great, was not going to overshadow that loyalty so easily. If he had been informed of Aizen's true nature from the beginning, Ben could've actively tried winning the Arrancar over."

"But even so…" Thorn said, already starting to sound drained.

"But not only did you send him to another universe completely unprepared, you sent him while he was emotionally vulnerable. Or had you honestly forgotten that you approached him shortly after what had happened between him and Miss Yamamoto?"

"But what…"

"Did you honestly expect Ben to be in a proper state of mind to foil Aizen's plan after everything that happened in such a short time? You practically sent him to that megalomaniac on a silver platter."

Thorn slumped his shoulders, his sunglasses sliding off his face, revealing sapphire blue eyes. "So—it's my fault?"

"Yes!" Paradox shouted in a rare burst of anger. "You simply chucked an unprepared and still healing Ben into an unfamiliar universe with no allies, no resources, and yet expected everything to work out flawlessly! You should be grateful events worked out as well as they have because trust me, they could have easily played out far worse! Azmuth and I warned you but that blasted ego of yours prevented you from listening to reason. I sincerely hope Ben doesn't have to suffer more for you to finally learn your lesson!"

Thorn crossed his arms, fingers digging into them as he felt his anger fester within his gut.

"But despite how things have happened, Ben has and will continue to make a difference, you'll see. When the time is right and you meet him again, however, you will explain things to him."

"I will," Thorn said begrudgingly, finally releasing his ways. Taking a steady breath, he readjusted his sunglasses. "I owe him that and more. Way more."

/*/

"I didn't know what I was expecting the inside of a Garganta to be like," Ken commented, his team having long since entered the portal alongside Ben, Urahara, and the Arrancar.

"Sure took me by surprise," Ben admitted as they traversed the pathway provided by the Arrancar.

"Prepare yourselves for any hostility," Harribel cautioned them. "I would not be surprised if certain Hollows were drawn to Las Noches by all of the fighting."

"You think we're really gonna have trouble considering that two of the strongest Espada are with us?" Superboy asked.

"I highly doubt the Hollows will be a threat," Harribel admitted.

"But who knows how many will come and cause further damage to Las Noches?" Starrk pointed out.

Ben started reaching for the Ultimatrix. "Think we should get ready?"

"Harribel and I will go first to see if there are any trespassers."

"If there are trespassers, then they shall learn better than to tread on his Majesty's kingdom."

Ben rolled his eyes. "Yeah, about that, Charlotte…"

"We're here," Harribel announced as a tear opened in front of them, everyone shielding their eyes from the sudden light pouring in.

"Come on y'all, head toward the light," Cyborg said with a chuckle before flinching. Rubbing his head, he shot an apologetic glance at the Arrancar. "Uh, that's not in bad taste is it?"

Lilynette and Harribel's Fraccioné all shrugged nonchalantly. Starrk and Harribel were focused on the opening of the Garganta. Charlotte, well…

"Come, your Majesty. Your kingdom awaits!"

Ben gripped his hair, looking ready to yank some strands out. Taking a deep breath, he made his way towards the exit, Charlotte not far behind.

"You'd think after what just happened, that idiot would learn some tact," Mila Rose began to draw her sword. "Maybe we should step in."

"As much as I hate to say it, I think Charlotte's actually trying to cheer Ben up."

"That's cheering him up?" Apacci stared at Sung-Sun.

"He did spend most of his time praising Baraggan," Sung-Sun pointed out. "This might be the only thing he really knows how to do aside from fighting. Nonetheless, he does still need to tone it down."

"How about we get out of here first?" Raven called to them. On that note, everyone began making their way to the end of the path.

/*/

"Well guys, welcome to Las Noches," Ben said, arms spread to show off the view.

"Don't let the appearance fool you," Harribel added. "We are in fact inside Las Noches. The light comes from a false sun and sky Aizen had created."

They had found themselves in the courtyard of Las Noches, the Teen Titans looking around at the vast sand before them.

"It's… sandy," Superboy commented.

"That is to be expected," Urahara spoke for the first time since they departed. "A fake sun, eh? I can only imagine what the interior looks like. I'm honestly surprised you didn't bring us there."

"We wanted to see how bad the damage was to the dome," Starrk said.

"If other Hollows start coming, we should focus on fortification," Harribel told them.

"Dome?" Miss Martian inquired.

"Yeah, the outside of Las Noches basically looks like one big dome," Ben looked up, seeing a gaping hole in the top. "How did that happen?"

The others raised their heads, the Teen Titans blinking at the hole and realizing how big Las Noches must truly be.

"That was Ulquiorra's doing," Nelliel said, frowning at the opening. "He used it so he could leave Las Noches and use his Resurreccion."

"One of the rules here is that the top four Espada can't use their Released State inside," Ben explained to the Titans. "Or they might wind up destroying the place."

As the Titans reeled back from this information, Ben looked back at the hole, wondering if Ulquiorra was in fact responsible. "You think he's still alive?"

"We'll have to find out," Starrk said before turning to Nelliel. "What happened to him before you left?"

"He was alive the last time I saw him. What happened after we left, I don't know."

"I guess Ulquiorra did something," Ken said, noticing the way that Nelliel's brow furrowed and her frown deepened.

"Yes, but I don't want to talk about it right now."

"Sure thing, Nelliel," Ben said comfortingly. "We'll worry about him later. Next we should find out what happened to Grimmjow and Yammy."

Just then Superboy tilted his head. "Does anyone else hear that?"

"Hear what?" Starfire asked.

"We've got invaders already?" Apacci asked as she and her teammates began readying their weapons.

Superbody shook his head. "No, it—it sounds like a dog barking."

"A dog Hollow?" Miss Martian wondered.

"Probably one of the more animalistic Hollows stumbling upon Las Noches by sheer curiosity," Harribel reasoned, then her own brow furrowed. "Wait, I recall that Yammy had a dog Hollow as a pet."

"Yeah, I remember; Kukkapuro," Starrk shook his head. "Why that poor thing chose to stick with Yammy of all people is beyond me."

"I take that this Yammy is… not nice?" Starfire asked hesitantly.

"To put it mildly," Sung-Sun answered dryly.

"But what is Kukkapuro doing out here?" Lilynette asked. "Yammy never brings him to a fight."

"Well then, perhaps it would be best if we investigate," Urahara said.

"No need," Harribel closed her eyes. When she opened them again, she sighed. "As I suspected; Yammy too is dead."

"So that just leaves Grimmjow."

"That will be unnecessary."

Everyone gasped to see none other than Ulquiorra himself walking towards them, hands in his pockets and his face in its usual stoic expression, even as he noticed the appearance of Urahara, the Teen Titans, and Nelliel.

"So you are still alive, Ulquiorra," the latter said.

"As are you," the Fourth Espada responded coolly before looking at the other current Espada. "Harribel, Starrk." His eyes landed on Ben. "So, Lord Aizen has been defeated."

"We were deceived, Ulquiorra," Harribel said. "Aizen was using us all along."

"You're surprised by this?" Ulquiorra asked, shocking everyone.

Ben took a step forward, looking the Fourth Espada square in the eye. "You knew?"

"No, but should that matter? Our lives were always meant to serve Lord Aizen's purposes, regardless of how he personally viewed us. So what if he decided to cast us all aside when he deemed us as worthless?"

"What did you just say?!" Apacci snarled, ready to pounce if Mila Rose hadn't locked her arms around her teammate's own.

"Well, he sure has a sunny disposition," Raven said dryly.

"He's even gloomier than you," Miss Martian teased.

Starfire looked back and forth between the Arrancar and her magic-wielding companion. "I can see some similarities."

"You're both hilarious," Raven muttered, giving her teammates a flat look.

Ulquiorra ignored the commentary. "Lord Aizen has been defeated and you are all alive. Was it you, Ben?"

"It was Ichigo who beat Aizen," Ben said as he put his hands in his pockets.

"Ichigo Kurosaki," Ulquiorra mused. "I see. I truly did underestimate him."

"Coming from you, that's quite the compliment," Nelliel said, a hint of spite in her tone.

"Are you still upset about our battle? Ichigo Kurosaki is still alive, isn't he? Or did he die in order to stop Lord Aizen?"

"He's still alive," Nelliel said, narrowing her eyes at the Espada. "And if you even think of going after him…"

"Don't confuse me with the likes of Grimmjow. I accepted my loss to Ichigo Kurosaki and he is away from Las Noches, what reason would I have for going after him?"

"Is Grimmjow still alive?" Ben asked.

"Last time I saw him, yes. He left Las Noches some time before you returned."

Lilynette tilted her head. "Left where?"

"Out into the vastness of Hueco Mundo," Ulquiorra replied in an almost bored tone. "Las Noches has fallen, the Espada are less than half their numbers, and Lord Aizen is gone. What reason was there for him to stay?"

Ben looked into the distance, even though he knew the horizon was fake. "He just up and left, huh?"

"What do you think will happen to him?" Miss Martian asked.

"No doubt he will run into Hollows who wish to gain more power by feeding on one of the Espada," Ulquiorra said with unconcern. "Though I highly doubt they will succeed, Grimmjow is tenacious if anything."

"So why are you still here?" Raven asked.

Ulquiora turned to the Titans and there was a flash of recognition when his eyes landed on Ken. "The masked man. So you were in league with Ben after all."

"Something like that," Ken said. "But Raven asked a good question; why are you still here?"

"I decided to wait until Lord Aizen returned or, however unlikely, learned of his defeat and possible death. I expected to be disposed of since I had been defeated but accepted my fate."

"The Soul Reapers were willing to leave you alone after your loss?" Starrk asked.

"There was no point in trying to oppose them anymore. Since I was no longer a threat to them, they saw no need to attack me."

"So you do not intend to oppose his Majesty?" Charlotte asked tensely.

"Baraggan still lives? Why didn't he accompany the rest of you?"

"Ben defeated Baraggan so Charlotte sees him as the rightful King of Las Noches and Hueco Mundo," Lilynette explained.

That made Ulquiorra's eyes widen, even if by a slight margin as he faced Ben once more. "You defeated Baraggan?"

"Even when Baraggan followed in your footsteps and gained the power of Segunda Etapa." Charlotte puffed his chest proudly.

Now that got a reaction out of Ulquiorra, his eyes having grown much wider now. "Baraggan achieved Segunda Etapa… and Ben still defeated him?"

"Harribel and I defeated him together." Ben gave said Espada an apologetic smile. She nodded before looking directly into Ulquiorra's eyes.

"It's true. I may have delivered the final blow but I could not have done it without Ben's help."

"Still, the fact that you defeated Baraggan despite his Segunda Etapa is nothing short of miraculous."

"Was that an insult or a compliment? It's really hard to tell with you."

"Take it as you will. So, Ben, you are now the ruler of Las Noches and Hueco Mundo."

"Charlotte just keeps saying that but we all know I can't be the ruler. I'm obviously gonna stick around to make sure things work out between you guys and Soul Society but—"

"Soul Society?"

"Of course," Urahara stepped forward now. "They wish to speak with Ben here and I convinced them that they should consider peace."

"Peace? With the Soul Reapers? Do you honestly think they'll wish to talk about peace?"

"It couldn't hurt to try, right?" Ben said to Ulquiorra's skepticism.

"Why are you still choosing to aid us? You obviously know by now that we were deceiving you."

"Like I already told everyone else, I get why they chose to follow Aizen's plan. Now we're going to find a different, and hopefully better, way. Oh yeah, we need to get to the Oasis and see if there's any fruit left."

"Ah yes, this notorious Oasis," Urahara said eagerly. "I'm quite curious about it myself."

"Shouldn't we do something about that dog?" Superboy asked. "He's stopped barking but I don't think anything's happened to him."

"Good idea. Where did you hear him?"

Superboy pointed to the east and Ben was already making his way there. Their little ensemble began to move one by one. Ulquiorra, with nothing better to do, walked beside them.

"He's no doubt by Yammy's body. That idiot had all that power and from what I sensed, his opponents didn't need much effort to end him."

"I may not have been fond of Yammy but I'm certain he fought with all his might, Ulquiorra," Harribel said sternly.

"Were any of the Soul Reapers killed in Karakura Town?" Ulquiorra abruptly asked.

Starrk shook his head and the revelation made the Fourth Espada scoff.

"So in the end the Espada were complete and utter failures. How disappointing."

"What's done is done, Ulquiorra. It's time to focus on what comes next."

"Have it your way, Harribel. I have not decided what I'm going to do now. My battle with Ichigo Kurosaki has given me much to think about."

Lilynette glowered at him. "So what, you're just gonna stay here like some kind of freeloader?"

"I already said I haven't decided what I'm going to do and I don't see what it should matter to you."

"It's funny," Ben said suddenly, smirking at Ulquiorra. "This is the longest I've ever heard you talk. Who knew you were actually a chatterbox?"

Ulquiorra's frown deepened, earning Ben various grins of amusement from all except for Starrk and Harribel, who were focused on what may lie ahead.

"It wouldn't be a bad idea for the remaining Espada to remain united," Urahara said idly. "You may not have the numbers you used to but your combined power could still help keep Hueco Mundo in line."

Ulquiorra looked at the Soul Reaper with disinterest and opened his mouth, no doubt to give a rebuttal, only to pause. Slowly his mouth closed and he stared off into the distance in contemplation. Ben was about to respond when the sight up ahead made his mind skid to a halt. "Is that… Yammy?"

Lying on the ground was a massive creature, with the upper half of a muscular but slightly rotund man and a lower simian-like half with red fur. Multiple white horns adorned its head.

"Even after gaining a more powerful form, he still lost," Ulquiorra noted.

"Higher form? What did he—"

"Yammy is a unique case among Arrancar," Ulquiorra cut Ben off. "Although he is ranked as the 10th Espada, when he enters his Resurreccion he becomes the Zero Espada."

Ben and the Teen Titans kicked up bits of sand as they whirled to Ulquiorra.

"Seriously?" Ken looked over at the fallen warrior's body. "That guy?"

"Yammy had the power to become stronger the angrier he gets. He was even capable of changing his form when he built up enough rage. Unfortunately, he was too much of an idiot to properly utilize his abilities."

"But why can he use his released state in Las Noches even though he's the Zero Espada?" Raven asked. "We were just told the four strongest would risk destroying this place if they did that."

"All the more reason for us to check for damage," Harribel said.

Ben then caught everyone by surprise when he activated his Ultimatrix and began scrolling through his aliens. "First thing's first." He slammed down the dial, transforming into Armodrillo. "We're going to give Yammy a burial."

As the Talpaedan approached the slain Arrancar's body, he became aware of a tiny figure beside him. A small puppy with white fur and long, droopy ears. It wore a mask with large eye sockets and two small horns. The puppy did not bark, nor flee when Armodrillo took a tiny step forward. It just looked at him curiously.

"Hi," Armodrillo said gently, reaching out a massive arm. The only reaction the puppy gave was a slight tilt of its head. Armodrillo gently stroked the puppy with his index finger. "Kukkapuro, right?"

Kukkapuro sniffed Armodrillo's finger as he pulled his arm back, tilting his head one way, then the other.

"I'm sorry about your owner, little guy. I'll make sure he gets a decent burial."

"Honestly, it's too good for him," Ulquiorra said. "He was among those Lord Aizen wanted to make sure you avoided unless necessary; if you knew of the things he had done—"

"Then I'm doing this for Kukkapuro's sake!" Armodrillo snapped. "He doesn't deserve to have his owner's dead body just lie here."

Ken patted his alternate father's shoulder. "It's okay, Ben. We'll help."

"As will I," Harribel declared, looking at the other Arrancar. "I will not blame any of you if you don't wish to help."

"Of course we'll help, Lady Harribel," Apacci said.

"I thought we told you not to speak for us, Apacci," Mila Rose said, frowning in annoyance. "Even if we are going to help."

"I will too," Lilynette announced.

"Well since you're all doing it, I might as well," Starrk said.

"I shall assist his majesty," Charlotte stated.

"I won't stand around while you're all working," Nelliel threw in with a smile.

Ulquiorra shook his head but remained silent as the group gathered around Yammy.

/*/

The group's assistance, combined with Armordillo's digging skills, enabled them to bury Yammy in no time at all. The group shifted Yammy's body as best they could, noticing that his right arm had been chopped off. It had taken some effort in moving Yammy's left arm and long hairy tail onto his chest but the Arrancar, assisted by everyone's strength along with Raven's magic, succeeded. Armodrillo then dove into the ground, digging a colossal hole under Yammy's body. Once the huge Arrancar fell in, everyone began blasting sand into the hole, Armodrillo then switching to Terraspin for faster effect.

"Alright, Ben!" Ken shouted. "You're good."

The Geochelone Aerio slowed to a halt, lifting his head out of his shell to inspect his word. Yammy's body was completely covered, a shattered tower his head had been lying beside serving as a crude marker.

"Well," Ben said, reverting back to his regular form. "All finished."

"Should someone say a few words?" Cyborg inquired.

"He fought the best he could," Harribel said. "I'm afraid that's the only pleasant thing we can truly say about him."

"Better than nothing, I guess," Lilynette said with a shrug.

Apacci spotted Kukkapuro, sitting beside the mound of Yammy's grave. "Still gonna sit there, little guy?"

Kukkapuro gave Apacci a quick glance before resuming his vigilance on his master's grave.

"Come on, Apacci," Mila Rose said, standing beside her. "Let him mourn his master."

"Alright, alright," Apacci relented. As the two solemnly returned to the group, Ben was speaking to the group.

"Considering how big Las Noches is, maybe everyone who can fly should take a look at that hole in the roof. We should get a better view from the sky."

"If that's the case, then we should probably check on the Oasis first," Starrk suggested.

"Lady Nelliel! Lady Nelliel!"

Everyone turned to see Pesche and Dondochakka running towards them. Nelliel's face lit up in excitement when she saw her Fraccion approaching them.

"Pesche! Dondochakka! I'm glad you two are alright!"

"Lady Nelliel, we were heading towards you the moment we sensed your spiritual pressure, you know what I'm talking about!" Donodchakka called.

"But then we spotted an intruder lurking nearby!"

Shock and apprehension surged through everybody.

"Did a Soul Reaper stay behind?" Nelliel wondered. "Perhaps that Kurotsuchi captain?"

"He surrendered without a fight," Pesche went on as they got nearer. "We think he snuck in through one of the holes in the dome to steal some of the fruits!"

Harribel closed her eyes. "So it's already begun. We must seal off all potential openings now."

"I've never seen a Hollow like this guy before, you know what I'm talking about!" Dondochakka and Pesche moved aside, revealing the intruder had been behind them all along. A collective gasp sprung up from the group.

"Diamante?!" Ben exclaimed.

Yes, the Hollowfied clone of Diamondhead trekked behind the two Arrancar. The shard that Baraggan had impaled him with had long since been removed and there were no signs it had ever been there. His eyes were focused on the ground, dragging himself behind his "captors".

"I assume he is Szayel's work," Ulquiorra said, eyeing Diamante as he made his way closer to the group.

Ben ignored the Fourth Espada as he started making his way toward the Hollow. Diamante lifted his head, only to lower it back down when he saw who was approaching him.

"It's okay, guys," Ben said to Nelliel's Fraccioné. "Let him go."

The two shared a glance before tilting their heads as they faced Ben. "R-really?"

"Yeah," Ben walked right past them. Diamante had completely halted, gaze still fixed at the ground. It was not out of defiance, but defeat. All fighting spirit within the Hollowfied Petrosapien was gone, he was no doubt waiting for his progenitor to finish him off.

"I'm sorry," he said tenderly. Diamante's body trembled and he gritted his teeth. "I know that won't bring your friends back. If I could, I would do it right now; none of you deserve what happened to you. Aizen's locked up and Baraggan's dead. They can't hurt you anymore."

Diamante's head shot up, his eyes blazing and his teeth fully bared. Behind him Ben could hear the sounds of Zanpakuto being drawn.

"Aizen was just using you and your friends like everyone else," he went on even as Diamante's body shook faster. Diamante's hands opened and clenched multiple times and Ben feared that he was going to lunge out anyway. Then his hands fell to his side and the crystalline Hollow fell to his knees. He looked so empty, more a statue than a living being. Taking a breath, Ben stepped forward and placed a hand on the Hollow's shoulder.

"Please. We don't have to fight anymore. Let's work together."

Diamante rose to his feet, shrugging off Ben's hand. He then turned around and began walking away.

"Hey! Come back here!" Pesche and Dondochakka moved to pursue him but halted when Ben held out his arm. Shaking his head at them, he turned around to address his alien's clone.

"Where will you go?"

Diamante just ignored him and continued walking.

"It's safer here," Ben urged. "Strength in numbers and stuff."

Diamante just kept walking, the only sound was his footsteps in the sand. Harribel then stepped forward and called out.

"Diamante! If you insist on leaving Las Noches, then I know a place where you can stay instead."

Diamante halted once again, looking over his shoulder at the Third Espada curiously.

"The cave my Fraccioné and I used to live in before we became Arrancar; you are more than welcome to have it."

Everyone, even Ulquiorra, turned to the Third Espada in surprise, none more so than Diamante himself.

"But Lady Harribel," Apacci started to object.

"Apacci, please," Mila Rose, patting her comrade's shoulder. "Let him have this."

"But-"

"She's right, Apacci," Sung-Sun said, looking at Diamante sadly. "He's suffered enough."

All objections died on the tip of Apacci's tongue. She rubbed her head and sighed. "Yeah. Yeah, you're right."

"Please, let me take you to it."

Diamante mulled over Harribel's words, tilting his head in one direction, then the other. With the exception of Ulquiorra, the group waited with bated breath. Finally Diamante turned his whole body back around to face Harribel and bowed his head toward her.

Harribel bowed her head back as the rest of the group relaxed. "Let me take you there."

"Hey, Harribel? Is it okay if I come with you?"

"Of course," Harribel answered Ben. "You have every right to be there."

"Are we leaving right now, Lady Harribel?"

Mila Rose coughed into her hand, scowling at Apacci. "I think this is something the two of them should do alone." She whispered into her teammate's ear. Apacci's eyes widened and she shifted across the sand sheepishly.

Harribel looked over at Starrk. "Would it be better for them to wait until Ben and I have returned? To make sure that Las Noches is well defended?"

Her Fraccion looked up at her as Starrk waved a hand.

"We'll be more than capable of defending Las Noches," Starrk patted Lilynette's shoulder. "I can create an entire army of wolves if we need them."

"Course I don't think it'll come to that," Urahara said pleasantly, planting his cane in the ground. "We'll have several powerful Arrancar and Ken's team with us. And I'm no slouch in combat myself."

"You held your own against Aizen," Starrk grumbled. "No slouch, my ass."

"Bottom line is," Ken cut in, smiling reassuringly at his alternate father, "Las Noches should still be standing when you get back." The rest of his team gave the same reassuring smiles as their leader.

Ben returned the smile. "Thanks guys. Well, ready to go?"

"Ready," Harribel replied.

/*/

The hole in the roof at least made it an easy exit out of the dome.

"Alright, Harribel," Jetray said the moment everyone's feet were back on the desert sand. "Where is this cave, anyway?"

"In the further regions of Hueco Mundo. I believe it was once used by previous Hollows as a form of colony. It was long abandoned by the time I made it my home."

"Just point me in the right direction and I'll get there lickety-split. Something funny, Apacci?"

Said Arrancar had snorted into her fist, feelbly attempting to control herself.. "Did you seriously say 'lickety-split'? Who even says that anymore?"

"I do, obviously."

"Do yourself a favor," Apacci smirked. "Don't do it again."

"Ha-ha," The Aerophibian muttered dryly. "So, where exactly do we go?"

"Actually," Harribel's posture straightened, inspiration flashing in her eyes, "Once we have put some distance between us and Las Noches, could we walk?"

"Uh, walk?" Jetray repeated as her Fraccion all raised a brow at their leader.

"I understand that there is much we must do once we return to Las Noches. Out here we can at least discuss things without any immediate pressure… or Charlotte constantly singing your praises."

"O-oh," Jetray blinked. "Sure."

Harribel turned toward Diamante. "Will that be alright with you?"

Diamante just gave a slight shrug. Harribel sighed softly before addressing Jetray again.

"Allow us to take the lead. Be on your guard, though, our journey may draw unwanted attention."

Jetray grinned reassuringly at her. "Don't worry. Pretty sure it won't be anything we can't handle."

"Then let's be off."

/*/

Their dash across the desert led them to a rocky area that reminded Jetray a little bit of the spot where he had clashed with that jackal Vasto Lorde. Various, long and large pinnacles stuck out of the ground like jagged teeth. Instinctively the Aerophibian looked around. "So uh, anybody here?"

"No," Harribel said after a few seconds of her Pesquisa. "Which makes things more convenient for us."

Nodding, Jetray hit the Ultimatrix dial and transformed back into his human form. Immediately the group continued their journey on foot. Despite Harribel's prior suggestion, there was nothing but silence from their little group. The most anyone did was give the others a quick glance out of the corner of their eye. Was everybody waiting for someone else to make the first move?

Ben decided to take a chance and spoke. "So, uh, what should we talk about first?"

"It would probably be best to discuss leadership," Harribel said. "I'm sorry to put this on you but since Charlotte is telling everyone he can that you are the king, you may have to choose a 'successor' to lead in your place."

"Really? But why would anyone else really believe him? He doesn't have any proof that we beat Baraggan." Ben's eyes widened. "And we just left his body back at that fake town!"

"I say leave it there to be Soul Society's problem," Apacci growled. "After what he planned to do, his body can rot there."

"Ben does have a point though, we can't actually prove his role in Baraggan's defeat, but still…" Sung-Sun mused, tapping her chin.

"What's up, Sung-Sun?" Mila Rose asked.

"Well, forgive me if I'm being rather bold, but Ben and Lady Harribel defeated Baraggan together, not to mention it was Lady Harribel herself who dealt the finishing blow. By Charlotte's logic, would that not make them both King and Queen of Hueco Mundo?"

Ben skidded to a halt, paying no mind to the sand he had kicked into his own shoes. His cheeks started to pinken as his tongue felt glued to the top of his mouth. Apacci and Mila Rose's jaws dropped, staring dumbfounded at their teammate; their eyes became marginally wider as the implications of her words started registering in their brains. Harribel slowly turned towards her subordinate, eyebrow raised.

"What exactly are you getting at, Sung-Sun?"

"Only that you are both the rulers of Hueco Mundo. Since you are both an Arrancar and one of the top Espada, the Hollows should listen to you. Yes, Starrk's still alive but let's be honest, he'll have no motivation to rule. Therefore Lady Harribel is the only suitable candidate."

"Hey, yeah!" Apacci exclaimed. "Lady Harribel is the ruler of Hueco Mundo!"

"As if there was anyone else worthy," Mila Rose smirked as she crossed her arms.

"Would that be alright, Ben?" Sung-Sun asked, looking at the hero out of the corner of her eye.

"Well, um," Ben said, avoiding eye contact as the other Fraccion turned towards him. "The whole king and queen thing aside, if Harribel is fine with being ruler, I'm cool with her calling the shots here."

"No." That little word sent a jolt through everyone as they stared dumbfounded at its source. Harribel shook her head, eyes on the ground.

Ben flinched. "Sorry, Harribel. I should've thought about what you wanted and…"

"It's not that," she said in a much softer tone "Thank you for having confidence in me but I cannot rule."

"Why not?" Apacci asked worriedly.

"I am unfit to be ruler of this place." She looked upon the starry sky, the moon shining bright as always.

The expressions of her Fraccioné changed from shocked to crestfallen, though whether it was because she had turned down the chance to be ruler or the meaning of her words was hard to tell. Ben stepped forward, puzzled.

"Why do you think you'd make a bad ruler?"

Harribel looked up at him. "What?"

Ben smiled warmly at her. "You're always looking out for the people you care about. You're powerful, brave, smart…"

"You really think that highly of me?" Harribel asked in such a low voice that Ben almost missed it.

"Why wouldn't I?" he asked as casual as could be, smiling encouragingly to show his sincerity.

All three of her Fraccioné, even the composed Sung-Sun, were beaming at the hero's words. Harribel herself however felt as if her body had locked up, staring at the hero like he was the 8th Wonder of the World. A warmth spread through the Third Espada's body yet at the same time, her guilt began clawing at her, as if to tear her insides apart. Her tongue seemed stuck in her mouth and her mouth felt as clamped shut as her mask remains. Her staring caused Ben to fear he had somehow goofed again. Fidgeting for a moment he waited for a reaction.

As the seconds passed and becoming worried he had gone too far, Ben hastily went on. "Uh, but if you don't want to be in charge, maybe we could do something like a council and…"

Harribel said nothing, walking past him at a quicker pace. Groaning in frustration, Ben smacked his forehead.

"I just had to open my mouth. Let's see how many other screw-ups you can do before today's over, Tennyson."

Harribel almost turned around right then and there but she willed herself to keep going. Almost there, she told herself. Almost there.

Her Fraccioné looked at each other, trying to make sense of what had transpired. "Why did Lady Harribel act like that?" Apacci whispered.

Mila Rose shook her head helplessly. "I-I don't know."

"I think I do," Sung-Sun said soberly, watching as Ben followed after Harribel, albeit allowing a distance of several paces between them. She too had heard what Ben said and seeing them like this was twisting her gut into knots.

"Well?" Apacci urged. "Don't leave us in suspense, Sung-Sun! What's going on?"

"Later," Sung-Sun answered.

"What? Why do we have to—?"

"Apacci, please!"

Apacci and Mila Rose were taken aback by Sung-Sun's pleading tone. The fact she was pleading at all brought their minds to a halt.

"Alright," Apacci said once her mind caught up with her. "Alright, I'll wait."

Mila Rose simply nodded before casting an eye at Diamante. He was looking around, though not showing any particular interest in his surroundings.

"Come on, Diamante," she called out softly. "We're almost there."

Snapping back to attention, Diamante resumed his pace towards them. Apacci then looked back to see that their leader had gained quite a lead. Sharing a glance with her teammates, they continued walking as well.

/*/

The rest of the journey had been made in complete silence; not that anyone was in much of a talking mood. Harribel seemed to be walking as fast as she could without resorting to Sonido and Ben keeping what he hoped was a respectable pace behind her. Looking over his shoulder, he saw her Fraccioné a few feet behind, sharing a glance amongst themselves. Diamante was keeping a further pace behind the rest of them.

"So much for discussing stuff," he whispered.

"We're here."

Harribel's announcement brought the party to an immediate halt. Towering before them was a particular large pinnacle that resembled a small mountain. All along the surface were several openings, giving the pinnacle the impression of an ancient apartment.

"Well, here we are," Apacci muttered.

"It's actually a little strange being back here after so long," Mila Rose admitted.

"It's no Las Noches, but it was a shelter," Sung-Sun said.

"So, uh, anybody home?" Ben asked as he looked around some more.

"At the moment we are completely alone," Harribel informed him.

She made her way to an opening at the foot of the pinnacle, the others following at her heels. As soon as they reached the mouth of the cave, Ben spotted a flight of stairs descending further downward.

"Everyone. Before we bring Diamante inside, I would like to speak with Ben alone, please."

Diamante sat down, shifting the sand as he crossed his legs and closed his eyes. Ben and her Fraccioné were gazing at Harribel, confused and worried.

Apacci licked her lips a few times. "Um, Lady Harribel–?"

"Apacci," Harribel said, surprising her subordinate in a softer tone than they had expected. "Please."

Apacci looked to her teammates but all they did was nod solemnly. Defeated, Apacci bowed to her leader. "Yes, Lady Harribel."

Harribel turned her attention to Ben now, who looked at the sand in resignation. Inhaling through her nose, Harribel turned back to the mouth of the cave. "Follow me." And she entered her old home.

Sighing, Ben was right behind her. While the moonlight illuminated most of the stairs, he saw they curved in a downward spiral.

"There are several torches down here," Harribel called. "But they've long since been extinguished. Could you reignite them with Swampfire or Heatblast?"

"Sure thing!" Ben said, activating the Ultimatrix. A quick flash and the cave's interior was a little brighter thanks to Heatblast's flames. Nodding in approval, Harribel continued further down with Heatblast right behind her. As they descended the stairs, Heatblast made sure to ignite the various torches hanging on the walls, purging the darkness completely. Reaching the end of the stairs, Heatblast spotted a wide room, completely bare except for a large stone in the center. Flat and smooth on top, the stone resembled a makeshift table. The room lit up with another flash of green light. Putting his hands in his jacket's pockets, Ben walked around.

"So this is where you lived, huh?" He couldn't help noticing how empty the cave was. Of course, Hueco Mundo did not have much to offer in terms of entertainment beyond fighting.

"Yes," Harribel said gently, using the smooth stone as a makeshift chair. "As Sung-Sun said, it's not as luxurious as my palace in Las Noches, but I had shelter and I had my companions. Before Aizen came along, it was more than I could hope for."

Ben nodded in understanding and silence hung between them once again. Ben lightly kicked his foot and took another look around. Harribel was just sitting there, gazing at the ground. Deciding to tear the bandage off, Ben opened his mouth–

"I'm sorry."

–And snapped it shut as Harribel looked up at him.

"I'm sorry for everything."

"Harribel," Ben took a chance and sat down on the stone next to her.

"You have been wonderful to my Fraccioné and myself." Harribel balled her hands into fists. "Even when the truth was revealed, you risked your life for us, for me, so many times. The one person who truly cared about us and all I've done is take advantage of your kindness. I never should have followed Aizen's plan."

"You didn't think there was another way," Ben said gently.

Harribel shook her head. "That is no excuse. I was nothing but a coward; a coward and a fool."

"If that's the case, I'm a fool too," Ben said, gazing at the sand. "No matter how suspicious I was, I never really tried to figure out the truth about Aizen. No matter how skeptical I was, I wanted to believe in him."

Harribel turned her head to him as Ben slapped his knees in agitation.

"I wanted to believe Aizen was honestly helping you guys. So the best I did was wait for him to slip up, and look where that got me. If I had bothered to act sooner, I could have found out what he was doing and stopped him. Renji was right; if I wasn't so stupid, Karakura Town would never have been in danger, you never would have been hurt, Ichigo would never have lost his powers, and nobody would have died. This is all my fault!"

"No!" Ben nearly jumped as Harribel leaned forward, her eyes blazing. "You were just being yourself: a caring and brave soul helping others. We are the ones at fault for not telling you the truth."

"But I could've–"

"You could have tried harder, but yet so could I, so could Starrk, so could any of us," Harribel pointed out. She and Ben both paused as her words sank in.

"Then we all messed up?"

"It would appear so," Harribel answered slowly.

Ben sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Still…"

"All we can do now is what everyone's been saying: move forward. We cannot bring back the dead but we can ensure everyone else can live. Urahara seems to have an idea to return Ichigo's powers."

"Yeah," Ben stood up. "I hope so."

"Agreed," Now Harribel rose to her feet. "I'm sorry for everything getting out of hand just now."

"I'm sorry too. I probably shouldn't have kept everything bottled up like that."

"After everything that's happened, you're not at fault. I have no right to say this but if you ever need to talk about something, please let me know. I promise I will help you however I can."

Seeing Harribel still punishing herself made Ben sigh again. "First, how about this? We start over."

"Start over?"

Ben smiled at her. "Yeah, clean slate, new beginning. And that goes for everybody else too."

Harribel blinked in amazement. "A-are you sure?"

"I wouldn't ask if I wasn't." Ben held his hand out to her. "Hi. My name's Ben, Ben Tennyson."

Harribel stared at his hand, then up at his smiling face, then back at his raised limb. Then she began lifting her own hand and reached out slowly. The moment their hands connected and fingers grasped each other's appendage, she spoke gently. "Tia Harribel."

Ben's smile grew as they shook hands. "Nice to meet you, Harribel."

"Tia."

"Huh?"

"Please," Harribel said quietly, looking back into Ben's eyes, "Call me Tia."

Ben blinked several times, his arm slacking. "Uh, oh. Sure thing Tia."

"Thank you," Harribel said as they released each other's hand. "Come. The others are no doubt wondering about our absence."

"Good idea."

"Ben?"

Ben turned around just as his foot touched the first step. "Yeah?"

"Thank you for what you said earlier."

"Just stating the facts." With another grin, Ben began ascending the stairs. Harribel followed after him, the warmth from before returning as they traversed upward.

/*/

"Sorry for the wait," Ben called as they reached the mouth of the cave. Harribel's Fraccioné were sitting around in the sand near the pinnacle while Diamante stood off to the side, doing another impression of a statue. The girls rose to their feet.

"No problem," Apacci said as she swatted the sand off her pants. Mila Rose's eye twitched as some specks landed on her own legs. She raised a fist to deck her teammate until Sung-Sun cleared her throat loudly.

"Are you ready, Diamante?" she asked.

The Hollowfied Petrosapien snapped to attention, walking towards the group and stopping once he reached the cave's entrance. Harribel and Ben both stepped aside to let him pass. He gazed at Ben and then at Harribel. Ben indicated the spiral stairway with an encouraging smile. Shifting his eyes to the stairway, Diamante seemed to study them for a moment before descending downward.

"So, what did you think?" Apacci asked earnestly as she and her teammates gathered around the cave.

"No doubt you weren't very impressed but like I said, it was shelter," Sung-Sun said. "We had a home and we were capable of driving off any threat. Well, almost any threat."

"So yeah, we considered ourselves very fortunate," Mila Rose smiled at Harribel. "And we will always be grateful for that."

Ben smiled as Sung-Sun and Apacci nodded, only to turn his attention back to Diamante as the Hollowfied alien disappeared from view. Quickly he followed back down, nearly leaping off the steps to catch up. When he turned around the corner, he found Diamante circling the stone table. He finally stopped, raising his head as Ben heard footsteps behind him.

"Is there anything else we can do for you?" Harribel inquired, her voice indicating she was directly behind Ben.

Instead of responding, Diamante sat down against the right side of the room, taking care not to have his shoulder spikes stuck, and brought his knees to his chest.

"I understand but know that if you ever change your mind, you are always welcome in Las Noches."

Diamante did not respond to Harribel, content to stare at the table.

"Good luck, Diamante," Harribel turned around and began ascending the stairs once again. Ben and her Fraccion turned as well when–

"Thank you."

Everyone spun at once at the low, raspy voice behind them. Diamante was looking up at them, slowly turning his head away at their attention.

"You're welcome," Ben said, smiling kindly. "Let us know if you do change your mind. Take care of yourself, Diamante."

Diamante said nothing. The group resumed their trip back up the stairs. Ben looked over his shoulder one last time before the inner chamber disappeared from view. Diamante was still staring at the stone, holding himself tightly. Then Ben continued walking to the entrance.

/*/

"Wish there was something more we could do," he said once their party was outside.

"As do I but this was the most he was willing to accept from us," Harribel said quietly as they started walking away from the pinnacle. "Perhaps we could check on him from time to time until we can come up with a better solution."

"That sounds good. So, back to Las Noches?"

Harribel nodded. "Let us be on our way."

"Could we still walk for a little bit, Lady Harribel?" Sung-Sun asked.

"Of course, Sung-Sun. Though we mustn't take too long now. No doubt the others will start to wonder what's taking us."

"We understand, Lady Harribel."

As the group started to depart one by one, Ben glanced once again at the pinnacle, hoping Diamante would be alright.

"I understand how you feel," Harribel said beside him. "But for now, leave him be. I believe he would like some space after everything that's happened to him. We will check on him though, I promise."

"Yeah. Yeah, you're right."

Ben turned around and power-walked over to where Harribel's Fraccion were waiting.

/*/

"Ben?"

"Yeah?" Ben asked, curious as to why Apacci kept shifting her weight from one foot to the other. Beside her, Mila Rose was fiddling with her sword, causing it to swing back and forth on her belt. Sung-Sun was particularly fixated on the ground. He glanced at Harribel who looked just as confused by her subordinates' behavior. "Um, what's–"

"We're sorry!" All three cried, bowing simultaneously.

"Ladies?"

"Forgive us, Lady Harribel," Apacci raised her head. "But we overheard what you two were talking about earlier."

"We're just as much to blame," Mila Rose said. "We're sorry for lying to you, Ben."

"You've done so much for us," Sung-Sun said quietly.

"You three," Ben started.

"You are our cherished friend," Apacci declared.

"And we'll do whatever we can to make up for our actions," Mila Rose stated.

"I'm certain that if Starrk and Lilynette were here, they would say the same thing," Sung-Sun added. "We know things are hard right now but we're here for you."

"We believe in you just like Lilynette does," Apacci stated firmly. "We'll always have your back."

"We promise!" Mila Rose said, standing proud.

"Ladies," Harribel said softly.

Ben looked back and forth amongst the three.

"Well, if you overheard us talking then you know I suggested all of us start over."

"We did and we would like that to," Mila Rose stepped forward, holding out her hand. "Franceska Mila Rose."

Apacci raised her hand next. "Emilou Apacci."

Sung-Sun rolled up her sleeve, revealing a slender hand. "Cyan Sung-Sun."

Ben looked up from their outstretched hands, their earnest faces peering at him hopefully. Deciding to lift the mood, he smiled.

"Ben Tennyson." Then quicker than they could react, he pulled the three into a big group hug, all three pairs of eyes widening. It wasn't until they were grouped together Ben remembered who he was hugging. He stammered as he started to remove his arms "I'm so sorry! I should have thought…"

Much to his own surprise, Apacci and Sung-Sun pulled him back into the hug. "Pretty sure we can make an exception," the former grinned. "Just this once."

Ben smiled in relief and chuckled. "Got it."

As they released each other, Sung-Sun spoke up. "So you had mentioned something about a council earlier?"

"Well, I was just saying that maybe instead of one leader, why don't all the Espada lead together? Like you all discuss ideas and make an agreement on which one's best?"

The girls looked amongst each other then at their leader, who seemed to be mulling the suggestion over.

"The idea of a council isn't a bad one," Harribel admitted. "The question is whether the other Espada will go along with it."

"Starrk might add his thoughts but I feel in the end he'd be fine with someone else calling the shots anyway," Apacci said.

"Ulquiorra just did whatever Aizen told him and he doesn't seem that keen on maintaining order since that Kurosaki guy beat him. Since Ulquiorra also has that Segunda Etapa, I wonder how he pulled it off anyway."

"The only one that might be interested in a council would probably be Nelliel," Sung-Sun said, cutting off Mila Rose's musing. "If Grimmjow was still around, he probably wouldn't care anyway. In the end, Nelliel and Lady Harribel would probably be making all, or at least most, of the decisions anyway."

Ben crossed his arms as he scrunched up his face. "Well, Starrk might be more motivated than you think. I'll try and see if I can convince Ulquiorra somehow. There'd be no point to a council if Harribel and Nelliel had to do all the work anyway. And I don't want to just dump ruling Hueco Mundo on them, that's not fair."

"We will worry about that when we return to Las Noches," Harribel said finally. "We should also be discussing rebuilding and strengthening our defenses."

"What about that Runuganga guy?" Ben asked.

"He was defeated in battle with Kurosaki's group," Mila Rose informed him.

"Isn't he sand though? Can't he just reform or something?"

Even for a being like Runuganga, it will take some time for him to pull himself back together."

"We were so focused on the remaining Espada, we hadn't checked if any of the Numeros survived. Like Luppi, Menoly, or Loly."

"Or Rudbornn!" Apacci pointed out to Sung-Sun.

"Who?"

"Rudbornn Chelute, leader of the Exequias," Harribel answered Ben. "They are in charge of… executing rebels and intruders inside of Las Noches."

Ben's jaw dropped. "Wait, how come I'm just now hearing about these guys?"

"Rudbornn very rarely interacts with the other Arrancar unless his job requires him to. With Aizen himself dealing with the more rebellious Arrancar, most likely to maintain his facade to you, there was no need for you to meet him." Harribel rationalized.

"I heard he was a little bitter about not being an actual member of the Espada," Mila Rose said.

"Is he strong?"

"He's capable. His true strength lies in his ability to create a seemingly infinite amount of clones. The entire Exequias are composed of his own copies."

"Whoa."

"If he is still alive, Rudbornn could be a great help in defending Las Noches."

"Oh yeah, I remember! Earlier I had to fight these three Arrancar named Patros, Menis, and Aldegor."

Apacci scoffed. "Oh those three. Those idiots always thought they were a big deal."

"Still, if they survived, they could be a nuisance if they want to take over in Aizen's place," Sung-Sun said. "Not a threat, of course, just a nuisance."

"As for repairing Las Noches, I could have Diamondhead cover up the holes or something."

"We could always have Rudbornn use his copies to patch them up," Apacci snorted. "The dreaded Exequias, now doing home repairs, that'd be a sight to see."

"Remember, we still need to talk to the others and hear what they have to say," Harribel informed everyone.

"Full speed ahead back to Las Noches?"

"Anything else you wish to discuss before we return?"

Ben shifted his weight to one foot as he racked his brain. "Only thing I can think of is how this meeting with Soul Society will go."

"Do you really think we can make peace with them?" Apacci asked their leader.

"I would like to believe so," Harribel confessed. "But as much as I want to believe, we must be prepared for the worst."

"And if the worst happens?" Mila Rose asked, a hint of trepidation in her voice.

"I don't know," Harribel said with grim honesty, her eyes downcast.

Her Fraccioné became despondent, looking at each other worriedly.

"Then I'll have to make sure it doesn't happen," Ben said, his determination building up at the sight of his disheartened friends. He was going to make sure something went right.

"Then it's time we return to Las Noches and discuss these ideas with the others."

Ben nodded, hitting the Ultimatrix dial and transforming into Jetray. No sooner had he changed did the group shoot back to Las Noches at full speed.

/*/

Quite fittingly, the trip back was a giant blur and the group soon reached Las Noches, launching up into the air and diving right towards the hole in the dome's top. Just as the others passed through, Jetray hit the Ultimatrix dial and transformed into Diamondhead. Slamming with a great thud onto the roof's surface, he thrust a palm down and soon shards formed, jutting out and spreading all over the hole. While the diamond shards stuck out figuratively and literally compared to the rest of the dome's top, at least the opening was covered now. One down and who knew how many more were left. Hitting the Ultimatrix dial again, he transformed into Big Chill and phased down inside.

As he descended he saw the others gathering around, already greeting Harribel and her Fraccioné. Big Chill blasted himself forward, drawing all of their attention towards him.

"How'd everything go?" Ken asked the moment Big Chill transformed into his human self.

"Well, he's okay for right now. Hopefully it says that way."

"He was pretty resourceful. He should be fine." Starrk glanced at Harribel, giving her a small nod that she returned. He must have suspected what else they had been doing out in the desert. He patted Lilynette's shoulder and nodded to her now, which she returned vigorously. When the time was right.

"So did anything happen here?" Ben inquired.

"I was able to contact the Soul Society," Urahara announced, waving the Soul Pager. "So yes I do have a signal here. Though to be honest, I expected it to work."

"What did they say?" Harribel questioned.

"Well, the Soul Society has some business to deal with before they're ready to meet with you. Aizen and Gin's fate aside, it sounded like they're finally dropping the charges against the Vizards and hoping they'll take up their old ranks."

Ken smiled. "That's good."

"Any update on Ichigo?" Ben asked.

"No change, I'm afraid," Urahara confessed sympathetically as Ben hung his head. "They'll transport him back to Karakura Town once the rest of the wounded have been tended to. Fortunately no one seems to have suffered any permanent injuries."

"Considering Orihime's there, wouldn't that be obvious?" Superboy pointed out.

"All in all, Soul Society predicts they should be ready to talk to you in about ten days," Urahara said.

"Why ten?" Lilynette asked.

"Probably trying to make themselves look as presentable as possible," Starrk said dryly.

"You think they'll try to trick Ben?" Apacci asked tensely.

"I recommended they should be as honest with him as possible," Urahara spoke up. "Take it from me."

"No kidding," Ken said flatly, gaining Ben's attention. "This guy suspected Aizen was gonna go after Orihime but you know what he did instead of telling her that? He was telling her that she shouldn't fight because she would just get in the way."

Ben gawked, making a face at the now ashamed shop owner. "Dude, seriously?"

"Not one of my proudest moments, I assure you," Urahara cleared his throat. "Now, while Soul Society is willing to provide you with Soul Pagers so you can keep in contact with them, they were thinking about making Karakura Town neutral territory for you to occasionally meet up with a liaison."

"Sounds more like they wish to keep Ben under surveillance," Ulquiorra noted, his words riling up Lilynette.

"What the hell?! Ben helped save their asses, they don't have the right to ask anything of him!"

"I understand how you all feel," Urahara said placatingly. "It's possible they wish for some of the Soul Reapers to interact more with Ben and get a better feel of his character outside of combat."

"Did they say he had to be alone?" Starrk asked, eyeing Urahara warily.

"Not at all. Of course, I may have also recommended that the Arrancar accompany him to Karakura Town as a sign of trust."

"So they just want us to pop up in town once in a while until the meeting?"

"Pretty much. I'll happily provide gigai for your friends alongside the Soul Pagers."

"Fake bodies that the Soul Reapers use in the Living World," Ken explained.

"If we are allowed to accompany him to Karakura Town then we can attend the meeting too, right?" Nelliel wondered.

"I actually asked the Captain-Commander about that," Urahara smiled. "He seemed fine with the Espada attending."

"Wait, he wants the Espada to go to Soul Society?" Sung-Sun frowned. "Why not meet up in Karakura Town if they want it to be neutral territory?"

"It's possible they want Ben Tennyson to see their side of things," Ulquiorra rationed, hands in his pockets almost lazily.

"Sounds more like a trap," Mila Rose was scowling at Urahara now. "The wielder of the Ultimatrix and the Espada in one spot? This is rigged way too much in Soul Society's favor. I don't like it."

"I can assure you, the Soul Society can be stubborn when it comes to their traditions but Ben played a major part in defending Karakura Town and by extension Soul Society. They owe him as big a debt as they do Ichigo. This won't be a trap."

"I hope you're right, Urahara," Ken said before turning to Ben. "Well, what should we do next?"

"On the way back here, we talked about some ideas for Hueco Mundo. First though, we need to find some of the other Arrancar, especially this guy named Rudbornn. If the Espada are going to Soul Society then he would be a big help in keeping watch on this place. Also, I need to check on the Oasis and see how bad it looks."

"I showed them the Oasis," Nelliel said, a contemplative look on her face. "Surprisingly, there weren't as many fruits missing as I expected."

"That was actually a pretty impressive spot," Ken complimented. "Fruits that the Hollows could eat instead of human souls? Sounds like a good idea to me."

"Pesche and Dondochakka did mention Kurotsuchi had been ransacking Szayel's lab," Starrk threw in. "Chances are he had some fruits preserved there and the Soul Reapers took them to compare."

"I'm surprised it's still standing at all," Harribel commented. "I thought for sure the Soul Reapers would destroy it. It seems I was mistaken yet again."

"Tia, please," Ben started to say.

"Tia, huh?" Urahara suddenly spoke up, waving his fan. Ben narrowed his eyes as the man waved it faster. "That reminds me. Before anything else happens, perhaps it would be best if everyone was introduced to each other. I'm sure you're all curious to know who these kids are?"

"Kids?" Superboy and Cyborg both scowled at Urahara.

"Compared to me, you're certainly kids," Urahara said idly.

"Yeah, you're right," Lilynette squinted at the Titans. "In all the excitement, I forgot we don't know anything about you guys. Who are you anyway? Where did you come from?"

Urahara eyed their leader with a grin. "Ken, how about you go first?"

Ken rolled his eyes with a sigh. "Alright, alright." Clearing his throat, he smiled at the Arrancar. "My name is Ken. Ken Tennyson."

Apacci looked back and forth between him and Ben. "Yeah, you do really do look alike. Are you another cousin or some distant relative? I think Ben would have mentioned it if he had a brother."

Ken watched Urahara out of the corner of his eye, who returned the look expectantly. If Ken wouldn't do it, the Soul Reaper certainly would. He looked over at Ben now, who just shrugged. Facing the Arrancar again, he braced himself. "I'm his son."

Even though the ground was nothing but sand, a pin drop could have been heard from the silence that followed that revelation. Starrk, Harrribel, and Nelliel's wide eyes were the most generous reactions. Apacci, Mila Rose, and Lilynette's jaws could have swung in the wind with how low they were hanging. Sung-Sun's hand was pressed so hard against her mouth as if she was trying to see how far she could go before it actually went inside.

Ben just shrugged again and gave them a sheepish smile. "Surprise."

"YOUR SON?!"

Ben was amazed he wasn't launched off his feet or rendered deaf from the collective scream. Off to the side, Superboy and Cyborg were both grinning, Starfire and Miss Martian were giggling, while Raven appeared disinterested.

"How?!" Lilyentte's head shot back and forth between the two Tennysons that she started getting dizzy. "How is he your son?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Ulquiorra stepped forward now, studying Ken's face so critically that the half-Kryptonian was starting to get irked. "Time travel. You're from the future."

Several of the Arrancar gasped in amazement. Apacci, Mila Rose, and Sung-Sun crowded around the other Tennyson.

"How did you travel from the future? Why did you travel from the future?"

"Did Aizen win? Did you come back in time to help stop him?"

"Who's your mother?"

All eyes were on Lilynette.

"Seriously? That's what you're asking?" Apacci asked incredulously.

"I'm curious," Lilynette told her.

Urahara then chuckled rather loudly. "Isn't that obvious too?"

Ben and Ken raised a brow at each other while Lilynette and Harribel's Fraccion titled their heads at the Soul Reaper.

"Obvious? How?" Mila Rose looked Ken over.

"Yeah," Apacci joined her. "I mean, how are we supposed to figure out who his mother is?"

"Well, what makes him different from Ben?" Urahara urged.

"What? His appearance?" Lilynette asked. "His blonde hair or something?"

Harribel's Fraccioné froze, resuming the same gobsmacked looks from earlier.

"B-blonde hair?" Apacci sputtered.

"It's not possible," Mila Rose whispered.

Ben mouthed the words "Oh no," but no sound came out. He looked over at Urahara, who just flapped his fan back and forth but his shaking shoulders gave away his quiet laughter. Ben ran a hand down his face while Ken was now snorting into a fist. Harribel's Fraccioné all turned towards their leader, complete and utter disbelief on all three faces.

The realization started to spread amongst the Arrancar and Ben could only hang his head in his hands. Soon the rest of the Titans seem to have made a connection or maybe Miss Martian shared it telepathically. Either way, Superboy and Cyborg were snickering while Starfire had covered her mouth with both hands which only slightly muffled her giggles. Amongst all this, everyone's eyes were now on Harribel. She raised a brow only for a couple of seconds before both shot up and disappeared into her hairline.

"You think that—?"

"It's obvious Ken's mother isn't here!" Urahara suddenly called out, lifting his fan high into the air.

With the exception of Harribel and Ulquiorra, all the other Arrancar tripped over themselves, kicking up sand as they face-planted into the ground. Ken threw back his head, clutching his stomach as he laughed. Starfire and Miss Martian were floating in midair in their own laughter. Cyborg clutched his knees while Superbody continued snickering. Only Raven looked annoyed at the scene. Ben wondered if anything got a reaction out of her.

Apacci shot up, glaring daggers at Urahara. "You bastard! What was the point of all that?!"

Urahara had the gall to look affronted. "Is it my fault you don't have a sense of humor?"

Apacci lunged at him, hands outstretched to tear him limb from limb. Urahara easily stepped to the right and Apacci sprawled into the sand again.

"Okay, okay, that was pretty good," Ken said, gaining everyone's attention before Apacci could do anything else. "Anyway, let me explain. See, I'm not just from the future, but I'm also from an alternate universe and timeline."

"Explain," Ulquiorra said curtly.

And so Ken told the Arrancar the exact same thing he had mentioned to Ben. The Arrancar listened with rapt attention as Ken informed them of alternate timelines, the Justice League, and of course his mother, Kara. He told them of aliens like Kryptonians and Tamarreans, of which Starfire belonged to. He told them of magic, citing Raven as an example, and of metahumans and people powered with technology like Cyborg.

Starrk rubbed his forehead. "And I thought Ben's universe was complicated."

"Other universes and other timelines," Ulquiorra scratched his chin, gazing into the distance.

"So," Lilynette turned towards Ben, "Does that mean there are more versions of you out there?"

"Possibly having adventures in other universes besides ours and the one this Justice League are from?" Sung-Sun asked.

"I don't know for sure," Ben confessed. "I mean, with what I've seen of time travel, I honestly wouldn't be surprised. Sounds pretty cool actually."

"Sounds confusing," Apacci grumbled as she rubbed her head before facing Ken. "So how exactly did you get here?"

"Well, a fight with some bad guys caused a teleportation accident that launched me out of my own universe. I wound up in this one thanks to Professor Paradox."

"Who?" Apacci, Mila Rose, and Sung-Sun all asked.

"That would be me."

Everybody turned as three brightly glowing portals materialized beside them, the group stepping back in shock. The first portal was sapphire blue, the second portal was emerald green, the last was ruby red and to Ben, the first and last portals were very familiar. Any pondering was cut short at the figures that stepped through the portal.

"Hello, Ben!" Paradox said kindly as he exited the blue portal, Azmuth stepping out of the green one and none other than the man responsible for sending him stepping out of the red portal. "It's good to see you again."

End of Chapter

Sorry for the late post. Shortly after I got back from Colorado, my dog's health wasn't doing too good. In short, she was an old dog (17 years old) so her body just wasn't what it used to be. Sadly, despite doing all we could for her, she eventually passed away back in late June. I hoped that she could at least stay with us for one more year but it wasn't to be; I was not in the mood to do any writing then. I'm honestly surprised I could even write this much.

-I always intended on Diamante and Ulquiorra surviving. Details on how the latter survived will be addressed in a future chapter.

*-In the expanded material Orihime tried to restore Ichigo's powers but was sadly unsuccessful. The most obvious reason is that Kubo didn't want her to so that we could have the Lost Agent/Fullbringer Arc. In my story, restoring someone's powers is a giant leap from healing injuries and restoring limbs, so it's just her lack of experience.

-Originally I had planned on killing off Aizen but after learning more about Can't Fear Your Own World, I also wanted him to team up with Ben in the future. Course, since this is Aizen we're talking about, just because I'm having them team up doesn't mean I'm going to redeem him. Nor do I plan on Ben forgiving him.

Aside from Aizen's fate, some of you feel that Ben hasn't really made much of an impact in the story. Again, I understand how you all feel that way too. I actually intend to explore that notion within the story itself as Paradox told Thorn in this chapter.

I did Ken and his team dirty, though. It was fun to write about them but in the end, their presence didn't make a difference either, even worse, due to the sheer amount of characters a lot of them didn't really do much aside from some attacks and commentary. I want to apologize to both Incredible Muffin and Chidoriprime for not doing their characters justice and will work on handling multiple characters better.

That aside, would anyone be interest in doing other Ben 10/Kamen Rider challenges? I'll leave the exact details to the individual writers but here's a few I have in mind:

-Ben 10 x Kamen Rider Agito: Count Ten to Zero. When news spread to America about monsters murdering people in Japan, Ben goes to investigate potential alien activity. Instead he clashes with supernatural monsters called the Lords, teams up with the police and their own warrior G3, while at the same time crossing paths with a mysterious armored figure known only as Agito.

-Ben 10 x Kamen Rider Den-O: Ultimate Climax. Paradox takes Ben to the DenLiner, a train that can travel through time. He learns monsters from the future called Imagin are trying to destroy the past. After being given a Chrono-stabilizer that will prevent him from being affected by timeline changes, Ben must seek out Den-O, a warrior who is naturally immune to changes in the timeline. This leads him to the friendly but unlucky Ryotaro Nogami.

-Ben 10 x Kamen Rider OOO: Anything Goes for Heroes! After Ben's hero identity is made public, he is approached by the Kougami Foundation to help stop a mysterious group of monsters called the Greeed. Doing so, he teams up with Eiji Hino, aka Kamen Rider OOO and a rogue Greed named Ankh. Unfortunately, the Greeed learn about Ben's own enemies and see plenty of desires to work with.

-Ben 10 x Kamen Rider Zi-O: Hero Time! Paradox warns Ben that Eon has teamed up with another group of time travelers known as the Time Jackers. To stop them and their plans to take over time and space, Ben is arranged to meet a guy named Sougo Tokiwa, who has his own dreams of being a king. With Sougo, Ben learns of the heroes known as the Kamen Riders. But who is the man known as Decade and why is this other guy in blue armor calling Ben's Omnitrix a treasure?

Of course if people want to use other Kamen Rider series like Gaim, Drive, Ex-Aid, Build, etc, that's okay with me.

That's really all I can say for now. See you all in the next chapter.