"You know I didn't think the first thing I'd be doing as soon as I decided to join you guys was-"
"Hold still would you!!"
"We have to get these measurements right, we can't have you fighting in baggy clothes as one of Lord Aizen's generals."
Ben at the current moment was experiencing a type of torture he hated with a passion.
He was being fitted for a uniform.
After surprising everyone at the meeting with the Espada and Aizen, Ben was informed of Aizen's enemy the Soul Reapers, a race of spiritual beings who governed the balance of souls between the physical and spiritual realms. He was told by Aizen about the experiments, culling's and the truth of afterlife, the poverty that existed, the unrestrained authority of the five great noble clans and their original sin.
Ben had to take in a lot of information in a short time. It was hard for him to know if what Aizen said was true or not, or if he himself was being too hard on him. He remembered Michael Morningstar, he was a man who thought just because he had power he had the right to whatever he wanted. He tricked Ben and his gang but was stopped before any harm was done.
Ben sighed and unconsciously leaned forward.
Which resulted in him receiving a bonk to the head by the black haired pigtail sporting Loly Aivirrne as her partner Menoly Mallia tightened the measuring tape around Ben's waist to the point it felt like a python was constricting him.
"They warned you."
Coyote Starrk spoke in a lazy tone from his position on several cushioned stools he turned into a makeshift bed. The four of them were in a room that resembled that of a clothing designer however every roll of fabric that was seen on the square shelves of the room were only black and white. Ben thought it was a little depressing but considering that they were in a desert hellscape he couldn't complain.
Ben was 'T' posing as the two girls took their measurements.
Menoly Mallia was a blond haired tomboyish girl, her hair slicked back, but left a fringe that covered her right eye which was the remnants of her hollow mask, her left eye was like Ben's green.
She wore a white white dress with short sleeves ,her cleavage was slightly exposed thanks to her choice of zipping the front down. A black sash hung loosely around her waist above her tabi.
Her partner in crime was Loly Aivirrne, a girl with black her sole pink right eye, her left being covered by the remains of her hollow mask.
She wears a type of black lined white material that ties around her neck and reveals a fair portion of her stomach and chest. Her uniform is topped off with a short frilled skirt, short sleeves which extend from her elbows to the wrists and thigh high black boots with white lines on the sides.
Ben was taken aback by the latter's outfit at first but brushed it off after he felt his gut tell him not to comment.
"Okay that should be all, we can have it ready for you in a few hours." Menoly spoke as she stood up from her kneeling position, she checked over the measurements she made sure they were cemented into her memory.
"I'll drag you here when the entire thing is done." Loly told Ben as she seemed to tighten her grasp on the tape measure in her hand. And Ben swore he saw her blush for a second. However he disregarded that for a more pressing concern.
"What do you mean by drag? Also why drag?" Ben's questions went unanswered as the pink eyed girl seemed to walk with a little bounce as she followed her partner into a section of the room cut off by a shelf.
"Don't mind her, she's just a little sick." Coyote Starrk finally decided to get up from his improvised bed, the man had shoulder length brown hair like Ben himself. However his hollow mask remnants were a jaw that was stuck to his collar bone like a necklace. A faded goatee and blue grey eyes helped to wrap up his lazy appearance.
He wore standard Arrancar clothing; he had a white jacket out lined with black, with an upturned collar. Like Menloly he had a black matador sash around his waist and wore a set of white gloves. Ben was really shocked to find out this man who looked ready to fall over for a nap was the strongest Espada. Aizen made him Ben's 'caretaker' while he stayed with the group Ben had doubts but followed along simply not to make a fuss of things.
"Yeah maybe we should leave so I don't catch whatever bug she has." Ben gestured for them to head to the exit.
"Hmm, if I remember correctly you seemed extra happy while you were that tiger guy when you met Harribel." Starrk spoke as he continued to walk in front of the younger man.
Said younger man stopped and then an emerald flash occurred and then standing behind the Primera Espada was the over two meters tall crystalline humanoid Diamondhead. Whose light green-blue colours were replaced by a bright red-pink.
"I-I don't know what you are talking about! Exit please." The diamond man tried to speak in his usual deep voice, but was incapable due to his embarrassment causing his voice to take on a squeaky pitch.
The Espada chuckled, then yawned midway through.
'Lazy bastard at least put in effort to laugh at my humiliation properly!' The alien thought in his mind.
The Espada snapped his fingers and like the jaws of a beast opening, Stark opened a portal the very space in front of the pair split in half then moved up and down in neat rectangles.
"Cool." The diamond man muttered.
"I doubt this warrants praise, any Arrancar can do this, sigh, let's go." The older let no room for debate then hopped through the portal. The alien followed suit and hopped through, as the portal sealed itself behind them.
...
The alien stepped through the portal and noticed two things right away, the firmness of the ground beneath him and the brightness of the area. He reacted in the most appropriate manner once he realized his location.
"We're in the desert! The actual desert! How!" The tall alien who just returned to his normal colours, yelled to the brown haired man who stood a few feet away from him.
Said man covered his ears due to the volume of the alien. "We're in the neutral zone just outside my territory." The Primera espada said to the alien, as if he was talking about the weather.
The Petrosapien stared on with large yellow eyes that darted from the man before him to the environment around them.
"You said that as if it answered all my questions which it didn't!" The alien screamed at the lazy arrancar.
"Crap I'm not good at explanations so just don't be mad at me if later down the line you get mixed up in something." The arrancar told the crystal being before him.
'Aizen, why did you leave me with him of all people?!' The alien yelled in his head expressing his frustration.
"Ok, for starters we're in Las Noches we're just under the dome or canopy I don't how, but Lord Aizen manipulated space to the point where the inside of the castle is as big as a continent. Each of us, yawn, Espada have a castle and control a sector of the place. The neutral zone is basically like a border between our territories that separates us like countries, we can observe everything from our own palaces at the center of our countries. You understand?" Starrk asked the alien in front of him who looked shocked.
"Yeah, I think I got it. Just one question: why not just send us to your front door, instead of here?" The alien asked out of curiosity.
"Yawn, didn't want Lilynete to freak out when she sees you." The arrancar spoke without hesitation.
"And who is she?" The alien asked again.
"My Fracción is basically my subordinate." He quickly answered.
"Oh cool." That was all of the aliens' questions.
"Alright let's get to it. You got a guy that can fly in that watch of yours?" Starrk looked to the sky before laying his eyes on the alien again, who had an excited smile on his face.
"Do I?!" A crystal fist met the badge of the omnitrix and an emerald flash overtook the alien's form.
Starrk tried his best to force him to adjust to the flash, after all they were going to live with each other.
Soon in place over a two meter tall diamond man was humanoid manta-ray, he was primarily red in colour with his webbing being a bright yellow. He possessed three green eyes, two in their normal places and one at the center of his forehead. His face was segmented by a crown-like protrusion, he had three toed feet and wore a black material that covered his shoulders and upper legs. The omnitrix badge was on the center of his chest.
"Jetray!" The mantra-ray humanoid shouted in a voice that sounded as if he was underwater.
The Arrancar in front of the alien cocked his head to the side before asking.
"Why shout out your transformation name?"
The manta-ray revealed his crooked teeth before answering.
"Simple it it to-" However the Aerophibian was silenced by a raised hand from the number one Espada.
"Stop, I just realized how tired I am, yawn, and I'm pretty sure Lilynete would get worried for me. Let's go." The Primera Espada tried his best to sound enthusiastic, however his attempt failed and he continued to sound like his usual lazy self.
'Lazy bastard!' The alien cursed in his head as the man before him rose into the air and stood there waiting for him to join. Which he did in the next few seconds.
"Hey, Starrk, which direction is your castle in anyway?" The alien hero asked.
"Oh just dead-a-head." The Arrancar pointed in the general direction for his newest guest to have a better understanding.
"Cool, thanks, I'll see you there!" Before the brown haired man could say anything the alien manta-ray broke the sound barrier and flew into the direction of his home. The Arrancar only shook his head before he flared up his spiritual energy, and kicked off the foot hold he made in the air and followed his strange guest.
To the average observer the two beings would seem like two meteorites that streaked across the bright blue sky of the desert. One red the other blue that moved with monumental speed as they attempted to reach their destination.
Starrk was impressed to say the least by his latest guest, he was keeping with him the number Espada while he was barely trying to use his real speed. He could also feel that his guest was the same as him someone who concealed their full power, Starrk hated his power, there was nothing for him to gain from it because-
"Hey, Starrk is that it?" The red manta-ray asked the brown haired man. The two saw a blue and green and grey Spanish castle. The exterior was made of grey stone the roof were tilled by blue scale like tiles, with green stained glass windows. Many wolf statues were placed on the balconies that seemed to overlook the world.
"Yup, home sweet home." The two soon arrived and landed on one of the balconies on the upper floors, Jetray returned to his human form after landing, walked in after stark and saw a large room with a grey color scheme a large ben and green pillows. And a closet that appeared to be made out quartz crystal. A standing mirror was opposite to the bed, and a door to the right of the bed which Ben pointed to.
"What's in there?" He thought it was a broom closet or something similar.
"Bathroom of course." Starrk responded as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"There's plumbing here!?" The young man expressed his shock at the revelation.
"Yeah, why would there not be?" Starrk asked in return.
"Because-forget it. Who's room is this anyway seems nice." Ben complimented the appearance of their current location.
"Oh, glad you like it, it's yours. Let's go see Lilynete before she crashes in here looking for us, yawn." The older man said as he made his way to the door in search of his subordinate.
"Huh? Wait- screw it, be right there." Ben followed the older man as they made their way through the castle and once they made it to the entrance there by the door stood a short green haired girl who seemed to wear a horned helmet.
Who turned around quickly she spotted Ben with her singular visible eye and then she noticed Starrk who was waving to her, but was cut off by a kick to the stomach from his tiny subordinate. Ben dodged out of the way before it happened and soon witnessed the green haired girl repeatedly stomp on the older man.
"Where the hell were you?! Do you know how long I've been waiting for your dumb butt?! There's nothing to do here?! What took you so long?!" A kick to the gut followed every word of the tiny girl.
"New...cough...guy." The brown haired man struggled to stay under the assault of the Fracción.
"Oh, nice to meet, ya name's Lilynete Gingerback." The little girl stomped on her superior one last time before going to greet their new guest with a hand shake. Ben reciprocated in kind before stating his name.
"Ben, Ben Tennyson or Ben 10 don't really mind whichever. Wait, did you say Gingerback?" The green eyed young man.
"Yeah, got a problem with it." The little girl folded her arms and bore a scowl on her face.
Ben chuckled. "No, it's not anything like that. I just noticed that you and Starrk have names linked with different types of wild dogs or wolves so I just thought of the fact that we're sort of a little wolf pack." Ben explained himself which seemed to lighten the little Arrancar's mood.
"Ha, guess it does welcome to the pack, Ben." Lilynete said as she patted him on his back.