Greetings, loyal readers! It's been a long time. I haven't posted anything in a year. Well, I think you'll end up thanking me. I've spent the entire year honing my craft, in order to give you guys the stories you deserve. Well, you're not here to listen to me, right? So let's get to it!

Nelliel turned in her bed, the lavish furnishings doing little to ease her churning stomach. She could scarcely believe her actions. In spite of her morals, in spite of her distaste for senseless massacre, she had laid with the being her fellow Hollows had dubbed the 'Monster Fox'. To further cement the shame, it had not even been just once. No, she'd offered her body to the murderous being several times.

Had it been anyone else, she was certain that her discomfort would surely be outright revulsion. As it was, she was having trouble reconciling her morals with sleeping with a being whose entire existence was almost dependant on slaughtering his own kind. The one saving grace to his many massacres was that he seemed to loathe himself for them. Indeed, when she'd first met him, he was visibly, and audibly, fighting with himself over whether or not he should slaughter her traveling companions, Pesche and Dondochakka. When he caught sight of her, however, his conflict seemed to vanish altogether, allowing her to see that beneath the monster, he truly was just a charming, hilarious man. It had been that side that won him her affection, that allowed her to present herself to him.

From that day onward, they were inseparable. Apparently, her mere presence mitigated his desire to murder other Hollows. However, in that saving grace was a horror; if she were harmed, or even threatened, he would not stop attacking until the offender was a bloody smear on the ground. In all the time that she'd known him, she'd seen him do just that only once, when her life was in genuine peril. It was also the only time she hadn't tried to stop him.

On that particular day, they'd wandered a bit too close to Las Noches, and, thanks to the many warriors under Baraggan Louisenbairn's command, were separated. Baraggan had been intrigued by Nelliel's human appearance, and intended to force her to tell him how she did it. Her companion… wasn't pleased to learn this. On his own, he slaughtered at least half of Baraggan's forces, not to mention entirely annihilating Baraggan himself. Once freed, Nelliel had personally ended the conflict, by way of destroying Baraggan's throne room. He'd objected to sparing the rest of the Hollows, but she'd managed to convince him to see things her way.

After that, word had began to spread that he had taken Baraggan's throne. In truth, he was the most powerful being in Hueco Mundo, and would quite rightly be able to do whatever he wanted with Baraggan gone. She had honestly been shocked when he proclaimed Las Noches to be her palace.

Now, she laid in a bed worthy of royalty, next to a being that only spared her his wrath because he had some sort of fixation on her. This was not the first time she questioned the wisdom of her decision to stay with him. She questioned it often, nearly every day, in fact. Of course, this did not keep her from lying with him nearly every night. He never tired of her, and, though she was reluctant to admit it, she rather enjoyed it. It was the realization afterwards that she disliked.

"Nel-chan?" she turned around at the sound of his voice, gravelly from his sudden waking. "You alright? You keep moving."

"Sorry." she lowly responded, hoping that he wouldn't inquire as to the reason for her constant movement. To her dismay, her hopes were unrequited.

"What's wrong?" he sat up, momentarily distracting her with the sight of his bare chest. His chest was quite toned, its only flaw being his hollow hole, curiously located on his right pectoral. Her gaze then drifted to his cheeks, where she was easily able to see the six fragments of his mask, giving him white whiskers. She often found them interesting, primarily because they enhanced his features regardless of his mood. When he was happy, they made his grin seem to shine. When he was angry, however, they made him a demon in human form. Either one was quite a sight. "Nel-chan?" she blinked at the sudden sound of his voice, interrupting her examination of his form. She could feel heat rushing to her face, embarrassed at the fact that she was ogling him. "Come on, Nel-chan, talk to me." for just a moment, she contemplated telling him about her mixed feelings. She swiftly quashed that idea, however. He was not very good at controlling his temper. The likelihood of the news upsetting him was extremely high, and when he was upset, things tended to get destroyed. Nonetheless, she had to tell him something; he wasn't the type to let things go, and he most certainly wouldn't let the subject drop.

"Just… bad memories, I suppose." she finally decided. It wasn't exactly a lie. She'd merely neglected to tell him that the memories were of him. "It's nothing you need to concern yourself with." she tried. Much to her surprise, he frowned at her.

"You're upset. Of course I need to be concerned." his tone was surprising. If she didn't know better, she'd think there was actual care in his voice. "Try thinking about some good memories. That works for me."

"You?" he nodded.

"Yeah. I have nightmares all the time. Nightmares of all the things I've done, all the people I've killed. Whenever it starts to get to me, I just think about you." he continued to supply her with odd behavior by giving her a genuine smile, rather than the bright grin she was so accustomed to.

Much to her own surprise, her mind began to follow his instructions, supplying her with many memories of their time together. As she looked back at their relationship, as she was reminded of his better traits, she slowly felt her stomach begin to settle. Sometimes, she forgot about his more gentle side, the side only she and her companions saw. With it now fresh in her mind, she smiled. "Thank you." his smile brightened quite noticeably. Then, as if to add to her positive mood, he kissed her.

"Get some rest, Nel." he laid back on the bed and closed his eyes, swiftly returning to peaceful slumber once more. Nelliel found that invite rather enticing, coupled with her new state of mind, so she laid down with him, even snuggling into his bare chest. The action brought his arm around her shoulders, which in turn brought a gentle coo from her.

She still didn't know who this being truly was, but for now, she was content with the knowledge that he cared about her. At the end of the day, even monsters had hearts.

And that's that! I know, it's short, but I figured another Naruto/Bleach oneshot was the most appropriate way to announce my return. You'll be pleased to know that I'm currently working on revisions of Shinigami Ninja, Heart of a Devil, and Kitsune Vampire. I tried, but I can't take them in the direction I want them to go as they are. I'll leave the old ones up, for you guys. Keep a close watch on my profile. I'll try to get one out by this time next month. Keep reading!

Forever in the Sky,

The Red Star