The door had been closed for a while now, and the quiet in the room felt heavier than before. Grimmjow hadn't come back—not yet, at least—and that left me alone with my thoughts.

I let out a shaky breath, pulling myself up to sit properly on the edge of the bed. My body still ached from earlier, a dull reminder of Aizen's pressure and whatever it was that had flared inside me. My clothes were dirty, torn in places, and my skin felt clammy from sweat. It was uncomfortable. I felt disgusting.

I looked around the room, scanning it more carefully this time. It was larger than I'd realized before—a stark white space, cold and empty except for the massive bed, a chair shoved against the wall, and what looked like a narrow side door off to one corner. Grimmjow's room was as sparse and uninviting as the rest ofLas Noches,but that door caught my attention.

A sudden thought crossed my mind.A bathroom?

I hesitated, staring at the door as if it might vanish. It wasn't like Grimmjow would care whether I used it or not—he'd probably just call me pathetic again for wanting something as simple as a shower. But he wasn't here, and I didn't know how long that would last.

I stood shakily, my legs stiff as I tried to move. For a moment, I had to pause and steady myself, but I pushed through it. My bare feet hit the cold floor as I walked slowly toward the door. The sound of my own breathing was unnervingly loud in the empty room.

When I reached the door, I turned the handle carefully, half-expecting it to be locked. To my surprise, it opened with a faint creak, revealing a small, surprisingly clean bathroom.

I blinked, taking in the space. It was plain—white tiles on the floor, a narrow sink with a cracked mirror above it, and, at the far end of the room, a shower. My heart gave a small leap of relief.

It wasn't much, but it was something.

I stepped inside, shutting the door behind me softly. For the first time in what felt like forever, I was alone in a space where I didn't feel like someone was watching me. No Grimmjow. No Aizen. No oppressivereiatsubearing down on me. Just me.

I moved to the cracked mirror, staring at my reflection. I hardly recognized myself. My hair was a mess, tangled and dull. My face was pale, smeared with dirt, and my eyes looked hollow, dark circles forming beneath them. My clothes were torn and stained—evidence of everything I'd been through since being dragged toHueco Mundo.

I turned away quickly, unable to look anymore. My throat tightened as I exhaled, trying to shake off the wave of emotion that threatened to rise.

You're not breaking,I told myself firmly.You're still here. You're still alive.

I moved to the shower, twisting the handle and wincing as the pipes groaned loudly. After a moment, a stream of water came sputtering from the nozzle. It wasn't warm—it was icy, chilling my skin when I reached out to test it—but I didn't care.

I quickly stripped off my filthy clothes, tossing them aside into a corner of the room. The cold air against my skin made me shiver, but I stepped under the spray of water anyway, gasping quietly as it hit me.

The freezing water was a shock to my system, but I didn't care. I stood under the weak stream, letting it rinse the grime and sweat from my skin. The water wasn't warm—of course it wasn't—but it was clean. After everything I'd been through, it was the closest thing to relief I'd felt in days.

I ran my hands through my hair, trying to untangle the knots that had formed over time. The chill of the water seeped into my bones, but I didn't mind. For a moment, it felt like I could breathe again. Like I wasn't inHueco Mundo—trapped, hunted, and constantly waiting for the next horrible thing to happen.

The room was quiet except for the steady patter of water against the tiles. I closed my eyes, tilting my head back and letting the water run over my face as I tried to clear my mind.

I don't have any powers,I thought stubbornly.Aizen's wrong. I'm just me.

Before I could drift any further into my thoughts, the bathroom door suddenly burst open with a loudcrash.

"Oi!What the hell do you think you're—"

The voice froze me in place. My eyes flew open, water streaming down my face as I turned sharply, arms instinctively crossing over my chest.

Grimmjow stood in the doorway, his hand still on the handle, his sharp blue eyes locking onto me.

For a moment, everything stopped. The sound of the water seemed deafening, my pulse roaring in my ears as the realization hit me:Grimmjow was staring at me.

His usual scowl was gone, replaced by something I couldn't quite place—his eyes widening slightly, his gaze lingering longer than it should have. It wasn't the same predatory look he gave his enemies when he fought, but something else.

My face burned, and I shouted, "Get out!"

Grimmjow blinked, as if snapping out of whatever trance he'd fallen into. His sharp smirk returned, though it didn't hide the faint flicker of interest in his eyes.

"Well, well," he drawled, leaning a little too casually against the doorframe. "Didn't expect to walk in on this."

"What is wrong with you?!" I shouted, pressing further against the back of the shower, trying to shield myself behind the thin curtain. "Get out of here, youjerk!"

Grimmjow didn't move. If anything, the smirk on his face grew wider, and his eyes gleamed with amusement. "You've got a mouth on you, don't you? You're lucky I'm not one of the other Espada. They wouldn't be so... polite."

"Polite?!" I spluttered, my face burning hotter as I glared at him. "You barged in on me while I'm showering! What part of that ispolite?"

Grimmjow shrugged, unbothered. "Didn't think you'd be dumb enough to wander off and start washing up in my bathroom. I leave you alone for five minutes, and you're acting like this place is a spa."

"Because I feel disgusting!" I shot back, my voice trembling with anger and embarrassment. "And maybe if you weren't such a psycho, you'd knock first!"

Grimmjow snorted, his gaze lingering on me just a second too long before he finally turned his head away. "Tch.Calm down, I'm not here to watch you scrub dirt off yourself."

"Could've fooled me!" I hissed, hugging my arms tighter around myself.

Grimmjow's shoulders shook with a low, rumbling laugh. "You're something else, you know that?" He tilted his head back to glance at me again—just briefly—and I caught the way his smirk faltered, his gaze lingering for half a second longer than it should have.

I didn't miss the way his blue eyes darkened just slightly before he turned fully away with a growl, running a hand through his teal hair.

"Just hurry up and finish," he muttered, his voice rougher now. "You're wasting time."

"Then get out!" I shouted again, my voice breaking.

"Fine," Grimmjow snapped back, stepping out of the bathroom. "But if I have to drag you out of there, don't blame me."

He slammed the door behind him, leaving me alone once more, but the damage had been done.

I stood there in the freezing water, my heart pounding as I tried to process what had just happened. My face was on fire, and I could still feel the weight of his stare lingering on my skin.

What the hell was that?

I scrubbed a hand over my face, groaning loudly. "Unbelievable..."

Grimmjow was insufferable, and his timing was somehow always the worst. But as much as I wanted to scream at him, I couldn't ignore the way he'd looked at me—that flicker of something in his eyes before he'd turned away.

I shook the thought from my head quickly.It doesn't matter,I told myself firmly.He's still Grimmjow. He's still dangerous.

I turned off the water and grabbed the rough towel from the hook near the sink, wrapping it tightly around myself. My legs still felt shaky, exhaustion weighing me down again, but I forced myself to move.

I pulled on the clean white clothes I'd found earlier, which hung loose on my frame but were warm enough. I ran my fingers through my damp hair, trying to make myself look at least somewhat put together.

When I finally stepped back into the room, Grimmjow was sitting on the chair against the wall, his arms crossed and one leg propped up lazily on the other.

His sharp gaze flicked toward me immediately, though his face was unreadable.

"You done?" he asked, his tone gruff but less biting than before.

I scowled, crossing my arms as I moved back toward the bed. "Thanks for the privacy, by the way. Really thoughtful of you."

"Don't push it," Grimmjow shot back, though I didn't miss the way his eyes flickered—just for a second—over my clean appearance before looking away. "You're lucky I don't throw you back in that cell for pulling crap like that."

"I didn't think I needed to ask permission to shower," I muttered, sitting down heavily on the edge of the bed.

Grimmjow didn't respond immediately. He leaned back against the chair, his expression unreadable again as he watched me from across the room. "You should get some rest," he said finally, his voice quieter this time. "You'll need it."

"For what?" I asked, though part of me already knew the answer.

Grimmjow's smirk returned, though it lacked its usual bite. "Aizen's not done with you yet. He wants to see what else you're hiding."

I swallowed hard, my chest tightening at his words. I looked away, my mind spinning as I tried to fight back the unease building in my stomach.

Whatever Aizen thought he saw in me—whatever power he believed I had—I wasn't ready to face it. But it didn't matter.

In this place, I didn't have a choice.