The cave was still dim, but day was well on its way to early afternoon. Neither Grimmjow nor Orihime had slept much the night before, each in separate agony within the cave. The weariness caught up with them.

She hadn't wanted to fall asleep. Grimmjow was new again to her and she wanted to explore that.

Well, maybe not explore exactly, she had decided as she drifted to sleep beside him on the fur-lined bed, but at least understand him better in his new form as a whole man. Sleep and exhaustion had won that battle and she did sleep, soundly and with peace of mind.

Her eyes opened to the low light of the cave chamber, her first sight bringing back all the promise of the night before, leaving out the terror of those hours Grimmjow had been gone. He was back, that was all that mattered, and that he was a whole man and no remnant of the cat-beast remained was something beyond her hopes.

She focused closer on the bed and for a moment a blush pinked her cheek on his chest. She lay at his side, in the comfortable embrace of his arm over her back and waist, her knees bent to his thigh on the bed. Her first impulse was to flinch away, but she made herself stay, waiting for the heat to fade from her cheek on his chest.

That warm blush seemed to take its time fading, however, and she realized she could hear his heart beneath her temple. It was a strong heartbeat and she could see the rise and fall of his chest. The blush returned in force.

She knew she should move away, even a little, before her blush-flaming cheek woke him up, but she was too content, too attached, to leave. She did let the fingers of her hand at his stomach ease out, feeling the smooth skin there. No pelt, no fur, no cat.

She sighed, eyes closing halfway before she heard his breathing change.

"I thought you were never going to open your eyes," he said lowly.

She flinched and turned to face him. His arm anchored her close, keeping her from moving too far away.

"Oh...I..." Another quick flush of her cheeks finished the thought.

He grinned, pulling her closer so she had no choice but to relax to his chest more, her arm crossing higher on him to prop her up better. He watched her hair fall over him, gaze going to her face as she settled.

"I always wondered exactly what color auburn was," he said, his hand sliding up her back. A different sort of grin came to him as the tresses of her hair covered his hand, seeing the soft smile form on her lips.

"I guess it's more orange than brown," she said, feeling herself want to lean to his hand as his fingers rubbed against the back of her neck. Her gaze went over his face, his eyes. It seemed to her they were bluer, maybe because they were now set against his skin rather than pelt.

"You're even prettier with colors, Orihime," he said bemusedly, and then cleared his throat at the sound of his thoughts aloud. "I mean, I knew you were pretty," he said, "but this..."

She smiled as the blush eclipsed her face, head dipping as his fingers embedded in her hair. She could feel his heartbeat beneath chest, even through her dress. She looked up suddenly, her thoughts racing ahead. "Color? You mean you couldn't see color before, Grimmjow?"

He shook his head, eyes not leaving the handful of hair he let strain through his fingers at her temple. "No. I haven't seen color...in a long time. But I imagined..." His stare sharpened on her face. "You, I guess. In my mind I knew what you looked like."

She let herself relax against him. "Really? Because sometimes I imagined you, too, Grimmjow. Sometimes I think I dreamed of you, as you are now. Dreams that were so real..." She was hesitant to ask her next question. "Is it over? Is the curse gone? Will you stay like this?"

He chuckled and nodded, sitting up and bringing her with him. He leaned to the cool stone of the cave wall behind them. "Six generations. I should be the last."

She sat on her knees, carefully over his thigh, and her gaze dropped to her fingers still on his chest. "You should be?" Her eyes slowly rose to his, wanting to see his face as he answered. "You may change again?"

He didn't let her sit back too far, making her remain close as she moved her knee a little to a less sensitive place over him. "I'm the last generation, Orihime. I think it's over."

She nodded, feeling strangely content despite their proximity. She'd never been so close to a man before, except Sora, and that was different. She liked it, liked the feel of his bare skin beneath her fingers, actually liked sitting on him. She let her hand run along his side to his back to where she'd seen the six small bumps earlier. The skin there was smooth, too; no sharpness at all.

"But I don't know for certain," he added as her eyes rose again. He frowned at the confusion in her face. "I don't know about the future. About," he said, seeing her expression change to expectation. "About children."

Orihime couldn't help but feel the emotional jolt reach her face, but she didn't recoil. She sighed slowly, nodding. "...Yes."

He took her chin in his fingers in a gentle hold and made her look him squarely in the eyes. "You would accept children that...children that might be half-cat?"

She realized she'd thought about it, on some level of thinking that she didn't access very often, the same place that imagined Grimmjow as a man and not a beast. "I would never spurn my child. Our child," she added with a small smile and slight pink to her cheeks. "I would love any child...we had."

He nodded. Reluctantly he looked away from her, watching the strips of sunlight thread through the cracks in the cave walls out of sight. The slants of light among the shadows were enough to let him see the chamber in color for the first time, and he realized there was very little color to be seen. Grays and shadows – not much color for a girl like Orihime. Not much for a child, either.

He scowled. Little color and even less light, unless she followed the roped passages he'd strung. It wasn't a life for a girl, a woman. Any flower would wilt in such an environment. His attention returned to Orihime.

She studied his face, more at ease as she sat across his leg, still within his hold, her fingertips soft on his chest. She blushed anew at being caught watching his gaze survey the room. She smiled a bit, nervousness evident in the slight pressing of her thigh against his.

"I...uh, are you hungry?" she asked, losing to the blush.

He watched her eyelashes lower and then lift slowly, seeing hesitancy in her eyes. "I'm starving."

They ate and discussed a few matters of the cave, the usual talk over water and visiting the ledge. The matter of clothing, for him this time, came up, and while he balked a bit at adding to his attire, he couldn't ignore the new feeling of nakedness he had being hairless. They made a trip into the lower caves.

Orihime was excited to see them this time. Her feet were warm and Grimmjow's hand over hers was that of a man, no remnant of a cat to the touch. He'd retied the passageway ropes to the wall as he returned that morning, and now there were more knots than before. She looked up at the back of him. He was tall and she couldn't see past him, but every now and then the cracks of light in other parts of the caves let her see his silhouette. Her fingers tightened in his.

"Can you see?" she asked.

"Yeah, I can still see," he said, "but not quite as well as before. Don't worry, I know the way well enough."

She nodded, confident in his answer. "How did it happen?" she asked after a few more moments of following the curving passages.

His grip on her hand tugged slightly. "I just woke up feeling too warm, and then...then it got worse. I didn't know what it was."

She guessed there was more, but it was enough of an answer. "I'm glad you're back and all right, Grimmjow."

He chuckled. "Better than ever."

She was about to say more when the floor took a sudden decline and she made several quick steps forward, right into his back to keep herself from falling. He swept an arm around her without dropping her hand, putting her at his side in a snug embrace.

"The entrance is right ahead," he said, bending to her ear. "I'll light a torch inside."

She nodded. Neither could see enough now, but she liked his proximity. For a moment she only stared up, knowing he was still close by the way his voice hung just over her head. The fingers of her left hand tentatively went to his right side, just where she knew the six points of glass were beneath his skin. They were gone.

"Did you take them out?" she asked, fingers still on the spot, feeling him turn more to her.

"No. They're just gone."

She nodded.

A moment later they stepped into the cave's entry, where the floor was still cold, but where different smells now met Orihime's nose.

Grimmjow released her hand. A moment later a torch was lit and the light danced along the cave walls. Inside it was just a cave chamber, but this one had barrels and chests against two of the walls and rolls of fabric and rugs against another. Beyond was an opening and from there came the distinct smell of game.

Grimmjow lit a second torch that was anchored to another wall and Orihime looked around more. One of the chest's tops was open and a few items of clothing had been pulled hastily out.

"Oh, this is where you got your pants," she said, going immediately to the chest. She opened the lid and took out a tan shirt. "Aren't you cold?" She turned to look at him as he went to the chest beyond her and righted a few rolls of canvas so that they were standing like sheaves of straw. She watched his back, seeing the muscles there tighten as he moved. She wondered if he was sensitive to the cold yet. She stood and stepped to him.

He straightened and looked down as she met him.

"Here," she said, holding up the shirt against his chest. She smiled as she smoothed the material over him, estimating its fit. "Are the sleeves long enough?"

He let her measure the shirt along his arm, watching the top of her hair as she stood close. "It'll fit."

She looked up, her hands stilling against his chest and arm. "Do you want to wear it?"

He took the shirt and pulled it on, gaze still on her as she watched the material fold over him.

"Go through the chests and get whatever you need," he said, settling the shirt over him better. He watched her eyes go to the chests and spare items washed up from shipwrecks. "There are all sorts of things here."

She was already looking at a few items in one chest that was open. It was crammed with metalwork that shone silver and gold in the flickering torchlight. "Grimmjow," she said slowly, "you have so much here."

He followed her attention. "Just wash-ups, Orihime."

She giggled and knelt at the chest, then picked out a silver candlestick. "This is real silver," she said, rubbing a bit of tarnish from the base. Her mother had taught her some knowledge of precious metals, although usually in the form of jewelry and coins. She used the hem of her skirt to shine the pedestal of the holder. "This ship had a wealthy passenger or merchant."

He nodded, crouching near her. "Just shiny," he said, turning the candlestick still in her hands. "So that's silver."

She remembered what he'd said about color. She nodded, smiling. "And gold," she said, pulling a smaller cup from the chest. It had been wrapped in a brocade cloth, but was a bit dingy from condensation. She rubbed it with her skirt. "You have a treasure down here." She looked around at the other chests. Most were stuffed, lids slightly open to expose material or bundles of clothing, but a few had metal objects.

"It's a cup," he said with a shrug. "I never brought up much; you villagers always brought offerings in wooden or pottery vessels, so there was no need to bring up any of this."

She looked slowly to him. "You had all this down here and never used it?"

"Never needed it." He watched her blush in the candlelight. "Still don't. We have cups and bowls."

She nodded and carefully set the items back in the chest.

He stood up. "If you want to use them, bring them up." He moved off across the cave into the shadows where the next chamber's entry was darker. "What do you want to eat? We have lamb, pig, and duck."

When he looked back to her, she was at his side, peering into the dark of the frozen cave room. "Duck."

It took an hour to thaw the duck in their chamber and another hour to cook it. The third hour was spent eating, and at the end of that, the sunny day had turned into a rainy evening.

Orihime saw none of the cloudiness or rain, but she could hear the sounds of the raindrops dripping through the crevices in the cave walls that fed the water system. She stood in the corner where she usually changed clothes, watching Grimmjow near the fire pit.

The fire was low, the room too warm, and the shadow he threw to the wall now contained the image of a sword. She'd seen the few weapons in the first room of the frozen cave that afternoon, but hadn't paid them much mind. She watched him turn the sword, his gaze going over the length of shiny steel as he judged its weight.

Orihime turned and undressed, whisking her dress off and fumbling in the dim light for her gauze sleeping slip. She'd heard the wolves that day and they sounded closer than usual. Grimmjow had heard them, too, and she wondered if he felt any differently now that he was without his natural defenses that came with feline influences.

She turned and smoothed her slip, feeling too warm despite the light material. Grimmjow had leaned the sword against the wall and was now watching her.

She felt the usual blush, but this time it wasn't quite as strong; she recalled he was without his heightened senses, and perhaps he couldn't see through the sheerness of her slip anymore.

By the disappointed scowl on his face, she assumed she was correct.

"Isn't it too warm in here for that?" he asked, watching her return to the fire and sit a few feet from the pit.

"Oh, it's not...too..." She left off speaking as he pulled off his shirt and dropped it to floor. He fished something out of one pants pocket and sat beside her. Despite seeing him nearly naked for several weeks, his discarding of the shirt made her thoughts scatter. She blinked at him, trying to collect her words. "It is a little warm, I guess..."

He nodded, gaze on the swoop of her neckline. "We could have brought up anything else you wanted, Orihime. We don't have to use these dishes and cups." His fingers closed over something she couldn't see in his hand. "Anything you want down there is yours."

"I don't need anything." She looked to each of his eyes, wondering if he knew the depth of their blueness.

He nodded, watching the firelight play over her hair. He put one hand to a strand of hair at her shoulder, feeling its softness as the tresses turned shades of amber and fiery orange in his fingers. He let the strands fall, sliding his hand to her neck, following the contours of her shoulder to her throat. Beneath his fingers he could feel her pulse quicken as she looked up at him, the color of her eyes lost in the shadows as he leaned down to her face.

Orihime wasn't aware she'd moved, but when his hand went to the back of her neck, her lips met his in a firm kiss. She didn't hesitate, not like she thought she would in the times she imagined the contact in her dreams. His arms came around her, sweeping her into a full embrace that brought her to her knees. He kissed her lips for a long moment, the first awkwardness passing quickly.

She wanted to smile at the fervent touch, but didn't, instead content to let the cave dissolve around them as his mouth moved to one corner of her lips, kissing a smooth invitation that made her hands press to his back, her breath lagging in the suddenly overly warm room.

He let her part a few inches, watching her eyes open, seeming, to him, larger than seconds before. Her face was flushed, heartbeat against his throbbing stronger as she remained close in his arms. He kissed her slowly again, watching her eyes close, feeling her warm exhale as she leaned to him without reservation.

He drew back a bit more and let his arm slide up behind her back.

She blinked in bewilderment as he settled a strand of colorful beads and gold chain over her, letting the weighty necklace lace her skin. She nearly gasped at the glint of gold and sparkle of gemstones that surrounded her. "Grimmjow...?"

He kissed her mouth as she looked down, trying to see the necklace that was draped between them. "You don't belong in a cave, Orihime." She looked up and he kissed her lips for a fleeting moment. "This is no place for you, without color, in the shadows."

"But..." She shook her head, confusion bringing a faster beat to her already spiking pulse. "You...you don't want me here?"

He grinned, letting one hand embed in her hair as he tilted her head to kiss her neck before looking her in the eyes again. "Think about leaving here. Together. We'll go somewhere we can be a real man and woman."

She nodded slowly, smiling more. "We can be happy here, too, Grimmjow."

A sudden howl of wolves broke the sound of rainwater running along the cave inlets. It sounded even closer than earlier.

Orihime saw Grimmjow's gaze go to the sword at the stone wall.

"I'll stay here with you," she said softly. "If you want me to. Or anywhere you want us to go, I'll go."

He let her ease away, feeling the reluctance in her posture. "I'm going to get rid of that noise. Go on to bed. I'll be back soon."

She bit her lip as he stood and pulled on the shirt and then grabbed the sword.

She was about to speak when a chorus of wolves howled from nearby. She shivered, knowing there was a pack. "Can you wait, Grimmjow? Until morning?"

He stopped at the chamber entry and glanced to her, seeing her hands twist the lowest blue bead in the necklace. In the dim light of the dying fire, she was a dark form highlighted by only a glimmer of amber tresses.

"I don't want any of them near us." He turned the sword in his hands. "They shouldn't be this close now."

She nodded, watching him dissolve into the dark of the entryway. "Be careful," she said, "and come back soon."

Author's Note: Thanks for reading and reviewing! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all!

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