There's no such thing as sleep really. When one lives in a world of perpetual night, sleep kind of becomes a dream. It slips away and you never think about it. Only your subconscious remembers when you used to lay down and drift away to somewhere nobody really knows because you usually wake up, not remembering a thing. Since I'd arrived in Hueco Mundo, it hasn't been sleep, but periods of rest.

My room has no light, save for the glow of the moon through the large, rectangular window over in the corner of the room. It looked like a full-length mirror, but instead of seeing yourself, you see the endless night. For privacy purposes, I had it covered with drapes of a sheer material. There was just enough light to make things out.

My arm was behind my head and I was staring up at the ceiling, re-living things. All kinds of things. People say your life flashes before your eyes just before you die. For me, no danger needs to be present. I remember almost everything. It helped to remember, or else I'll forget who I am. Can't have that happen.

My door opened gradually, letting in a white beam of light. It struck the wall I laid against and traveled over my covered legs. I didn't see who it was. Didn't have to.

Ba-dum… ba-dum… ba-dum…

The door clicked back into its closed position. I could hear the rustling of clothes, and as my eyes began to re-adjust to the darkness, I felt a pressure in my lap. Something very soft - like flower petals - brushed the side of my mouth. I realized - embarrassingly too long into the act - that she was kissing me. Little, gentle ones, like she didn't know what she was doing or if she was doing it right.

My hand found the back of her neck and weaved through her hair again, this time with no intention of harming her. I pulled her head towards me, forcing her to shed her gentle pecks, replacing them with something a little more provocative. She tasted like… wedding cake.

Her little hands closed against my chest. We were quiet in the darkness there. I was afraid any noise would bring hordes of hollows to my door, all to drink in this weakness that had appeared in my bedroom.

As I rolled her onto her back, she hung her arm around my neck and raked the other hand back through my hair, falling down my neck and back, playing my skin like a harp, her nails tickling my flesh and causing goosebumps to rise. I buried my face into the curve of her neck, and both of her arms closed around me, holding me tight, protecting… me… Me. Protecting me. She held me like she knew something about me, and pitied me for it. And, in the privacy of this inky blackness, I let her. I let her because I couldn't see myself doing it.

We kept it dark. It kept me blind. It was like when you blindfold and animal. Never dangerous until you take it off, you know? I was as harmless as a fly in that blackness. I think she knew it. I think she took advantage of me…

----------

I must have blacked out because I don't sleep. But, when I woke up, I heard chaos in the halls as well as the steady-beating heart of the girl beside me, dozing on my pillow. I slid from out beneath my covers and, clad in just my pants, opened the door enough to stick my head out. The light blinded me.

"Grimmjow!" an underling dashed up to my door. I looked down on him, grumpy and annoyed from being woken from whatever it was that I was doing. He shrank back some under the pressure of my gaze, "…Sir. Inoue Orihime has escaped. They've sent search teams out to retrieve her."

I raised a hand to my face and rubbed it, suddenly becoming extremely exhausted.

"Who authorized…"

"Ulquiorra."

"…F---. …Uh…. Hang on a second…" I closed my door and turned to see the thing in my covers still slumbering. I grabbed up my shirt, socks, and shoes, quickly donning everything I had laying around before stumbling into the hallway to go find Ulquiorra.

After asking around some, I found him in one of the conference rooms with a couple of the other Espada. Oh, this would be an absolute joy to explain to all of them. I opened the door and they all stared at me. My face melted in a perturbed, half-lidded, un-amused frown and I promptly shut the door again without entering. F--- that.

"Aizen-sama," I bowed low, unprepared to handle the punishment I was sure I'd receive.

"She's in your room, isn't she?" he sighed, already knowing what I was about to declare. "Honestly, Grimmjow, I didn't think you'd be that friendly towards her."

"In my defense…" I pointed a finger towards the ceiling, "…she came on to me."

The crisis was adverted. Aizen-sama didn't end up doing anything to me besides telling me to inform somebody next time. I'm sure Ulquiorra shit a brick.

I think everybody assumed we had sex. We didn't, actually. In fact, she was still sleeping in her clothes. No, I could never taint something that pure, even if she begged me. We didn't do anything in my bed but enjoy each other's company.

I will admit… It was something I had needed for a long, long time.