Chapter Forty Eight:
Scattered Pearls
Seren opened her bleary eyes. She blinked once or twice. The world was eye-shaped slit windows. Then the windows expanded. The room, white and large as ever, was the same. The sky was navy outside in Hueco Mundo's eternal dark. She rubbed her head.
"Mm, Ulquiorra," she hummed. She looked around, to realize he wasn't there. "Ul- Ulquiorra?" She asked cautiously, to the empty room.
No answer. Her almost whisper echoed in soft hisses among the silent walls. A strand of her dark hair fell over her shoulder, across her face. Her eyelids drooped. Her heart sank, as if two stones had been attached to it and now it was slowly drowning in an ocean. A crippling ache wracked her center.
Had it all been a dream then?
But, she realized calmly, that would be all right if it had. She had been at peace. She only wished she was still there now. She let herself collapse back onto the- bed?
Seren started, looking around, shocked. She was in a bed! Ulquiorra's! Well of course, they wouldn't have both fit laying down on the couch…
"Oh no, he had BETTER not have done what I'm thinking of right now!" She mumbled fiercely to herself between grit teeth.
Well of course not, Rabaeth made his presence known.
Oh, so NOW you show up, after I'm not in trouble anymore, Seren told him tartly.
Ouch, Rabaeth answered back.
You deserved that, Seren replied mercilessly.
I talked to you before this, he retorted.
AFTER you figured he wasn't going to slaughter me.
Ah, slaughter. Don't you think that's too strong of a word?
Stop avoiding your guilt. She retorted sharply. She looked around the room. Time to go to Grimmjow's, she decided.
Again, getting too excited too soon, Rabaeth said, like he had a secret she didn't know about.
Wha-
There was a slight knocking at the door.
"Who is it?" She called.
"It's Kiyoshi!"
"CHOMPERSSS?!?!?!" Seren cried delightedly. She threw open the door, to find Grimmjow, Kimi, and Kiyoshi, all waiting for her. "Oh my!" She cried.
"Ha, we came to visit you," Kimi said.
"Since that old toad Ulquiorra won't let you out," Grimmjow finished. Seren looked at the circle of friends, and her heart swelled with joy to bursting.
"I love you guys!"
"Seren, it's time for you to see Aizen-sama," Ulquiorra deadpanned behind them. Seren's face froze mid grimace.
"Okay," she thought, mentally berating herself, knowing it wasn't Ulquiorra's fault. But she still wanted to blame him.
After that make out session too, Rabaeth snickered.
Seren resisted the urge to try to set Rabaeth on fire.
