Chapter Fifty One:

Heartless II

Seren woke up. Ulquiorra's green eyes peered down at hers.

"Whoa- when did you-" Seren started.

"You need to come. Now."

Seren flash-stepped unsurely through the flashing halls of Las Noches as Ulquiorra sped ahead of her. The two of them passed many other arrancar. The others only blankly stared at a well-known and well-feared face, followed by a strange woman with glowing violet eyes.

Bip, bip, bip, Seren counted every time they turned a corner. There had been at least ten now. And they were going very fast.

Don't trip, don't trip, don't trip Seren, Rabaeth snickered in her head.

Shut up, shut up, shut up Rabaeth, she replied.

Maybe you should concentrate on what you're doing instead of arguing with me, replied Rabaeth slyly.

Seren looked up and ducked just in time to avoid the door way as she flew down the stairs.

Stupid, stupid, stupid, she thought.

Ulquiorra stopped suddenly at a doorway. Seren shrieked and she dug her heels in the ground as she halted abruptly right behind him.

"Stop," Ulquiorra said dryly.

Thank you, captain obvious, Seren grumped.

Ulquiorra opened the wide door, and sunshine burst into the room. Seren looked around, wide-eyed. It was bright… it was light-! Light didn't exist in Hueco Mundo. With the brightness came a thousand mortal memories, and tears started to wet her eyes. She quickly wiped them off with her sleeve.

"Good morning," Aizen said warmly. He was actually not on his throne- what do you know, he was standing on his own two feet on the floor! Who would have thought he actually had legs?

"I have to actually say good night, because it's dark outside- what is this light?" Seren asked.

"Oh, a little spell of mine." Aizen smiled. "Today, Seren-chan, I have a special assignment for you."

Well, that didn't seem so bad.

"What is it?"

"There is a man I need you to kill- a man who has been a slight thorn in my side, if you will. His name is Kisuke Urahara."

Compose your face Seren, compose your face. You don't know him. Aizen must not know that you remember your past life. Seren's heart plummeted through dimensions. Her stomach fell through the floor. For a moment, she lost feeling in her body.

"K-Kisuke Urahara? Who is that?" Duh. Of course she knew. She knew Kisuke Urahara more ways than she knew herself.

"He is a shinigami- he has blonde hair. You will use sh'chi to travel to his store, where you will wait until he appears, and then you will kill him."

"But won't he attack me?" Please, let Aizen think that the trembling in her voice and limbs was from fear. Fear, yes, that was it.

"He won't attack you."

"Why?" Why? Of course she knew why! Kisuke wouldn't attack her because he'd think that Valencia had finally come back to him-! He would let his guard down for only a moment- and at that moment she would strike! Why, why, Aizen, would you make her kill the only man that she truly loved? For a moment her eyes shifted to her side. No, not the only man she truly loved. There was a stiffness about Ulquiorra. His hands were ice cold. There was something like worry in his eyes.

He was worried about her.

He was worried for her.

"You'll see." Aizen had a sly look about him, almost like he wanted to wink at her.

"S-sure," Seren gasped. She felt as though she had just been shot right between the eyes.

"Good. Ulquiorra and I are coming with you."

Oh shit! She didn't have time to think of an escape plan. She furiously scrolled through all her ideas- summon sh'chi and be gone before anyone could do anything. But that was futile- Aizen would have her still-beating heart in his hands before she could finish deciding what to do. Suddenly faint on the floor and pretend to be too ill to work while she thought of a new plan.

"Seren, I am waiting."

Unthinkingly, she pulled out Sh'chi. "Come closer to me." Aizen stepped closer.

"Ichi." One. The earth below the floor shook once.

"Nii." Two. The wind outside whistled twice. The wind whipped her eyes, bringing more tears there.

"San." Three. The tears in her eyes trembled thrice.

"Shi." Four. The room heated up. The cool tears slipped down her burning cheeks.

"Go." Five. The air turned colder. Seren could see her breath in a room that was previously warm. The tears seemed to freeze on her face.

"Roku." Seren almost stopped; the clashing storm and lightning in her heart manifested itself.

She paused. "Sh'chi," she whispered softly.

The color fled toward the edges of the circle, slipping out of it. The elements stopped, choking, like her heart. The air was still, slowed, comatose, like her soul.

There was a slight pull as the three of them were transported to Kisuke's shop. "Stay here," she told the two of them as she stole out of the circle. She pulled Sh'chi out of the ground and lifted the sword up, ready, resting, on her shoulder.

Her foot tested the real ground, timidly, unsure. Eventually all of her appeared. Her dark hair wavered behind her, as unsure as she was.

"Seren?"

She whipped around.

Kisuke was there, just as shady and ruffled and messy and beloved as ever.

Seren stared at him, eyes wide, her heart in her throat.

She couldn't speak, she couldn't shatter this silence, this peace, this love. "Kisuke," she managed to choke out, as tears fell down her face freely now.

In a second she was in his arms, smelling him, touching him, crying him. "Kisuke, Kisuke, Kisuke," she kept repeating.

"Seren, Seren, Seren," Kisuke breathed.

The rest of the world lay forgotten in the past.

Kisuke dropped to his knees to hug Seren closer to him, in the way that he used to, shortening the distance between them.

He closed his eyes, peaceful there.

Seren's heart shuddered with renewed life. "Kisuke, I love you." She sobbed. Sh'chi was heavy in her hands, steady and sure, awaiting her command.

She realized that Ulquiorra was watching in the background. She could feel Aizen's urging stare through her back.

She lifted Fuerda as if to strike.

She turned to them, her face frozen in horror, as she put her hands against the bubble that only she could see that held the two of them. She shoved the bubble, sending it back to Las Noches, with all of her might and spirit. Ulquiorra was worlds away before the final tear had fallen off of her cheek.

"I- I need to go," she whispered to Kisuke.

"No!" Kisuke grabbed her robe. "I don't beg, but I'm begging. Valencia, don't go, don't go!"

Seren felt her heart shrivel and die in her breast as she pulled his hands off of her dress and turned away. To her racing mind, the world was slower. She watched as Kisuke's face contorted in an expression of such sorrow that she had to look away.

"Sh'chi," she barely breathed.

She disappeared.

"Well," Aizen sighed and rubbed his head. "That didn't go as I expected." He looked the Ulquiorra, who was shell-shocked and still.

"Ulquiorra, you know what to do," Aizen continued easily.

"Yes, Aizen-sama," Ulquiorra replied. He turned on his heel and disappeared, following Seren's reiatsu, which had suddenly appeared, not far away to the north of Hueco Mundo.

Seren collapsed on to the white sands. Don't let it hurt anymore, don't let it hurt anymore. She clutched at her chest as she sobbed, lungs heaving, spirit shattering.

She gurgled and choked, tears streaming, as pure as true love itself. Her insides contorted. She coughed on the sand, blood coming up from her melting heart.

"Oh… I… I…" she sobbed. "Love… this pain…" I know it's not right, but I refuse to fight-

He had snuck up on her.

Ulquiorra glanced down at her. There was a broken look in his eyes.

Seren struggled to her feet. She fell. She sobbed. She stood up yet again.

"Ulquiorra," she whispered.

"Seren," he replied.

Seren motioned to the ground. "Go ahead, kill me. I know what you're supposed to do. I won't fight." She spread her arms out, leaving her open.

"I can't kill you." Ulquiorra replied.

"No, NO, NO NO!" Seren cried, covering her ears. "Don't ruin yourself for me- I'm not worth it! Ulquiorra, I was already broken. Just end it. End my suffering."

There was a shocked look in his eyes.

"I will have a new start, a clean slate- Ulquiorra, that's all that I want!" Seren sobbed. "That's all that I can have. I can't go back with you, Aizen will kill you! And I can't go back to Kisuke, Aizen will kill Kisuke! Damn him! Damn him!" She screamed, tearing at her hair.

Ulquiorra approached her, coming closer.

He wrapped her in a hug. "I love you," he whispered.

"I love you too."

The sword ran through Seren. There was one last shudder-

And then a heavenly smile. Seren smiled as at last she was released. Her spirit shattered and splintered as her soul drifted away on the Hueco Mundo winds, back to earth, back to a new life.