Orihime's favorite dream had always been of cooking.

On a Sunday night, she liked to dream of getting up and making breakfast on a Monday morning. On a Monday night, she liked to dream of getting up and making breakfast on a Tuesday morning. And on the night before some grand holiday, she would dream of making herself a grand holiday feast.

The love of cooking was instilled in her at a young age. After she and her brother left their parents' house for good, they were alone in the world. They were free of the curses, the shouting, the beatings. But they were alone.

Still, as long as Sora had time to cook with her, Orihime was happy. He introduced her to food experimentation soon after they began living on their own - this was because they couldn't always have the variety of ingredients needed to make "normal food."

When Orihime asked why everyone at school stared at her lunches, Sora smiled.

"You're a princess. Everyone looks at a princess, 'Hime-chan."

Orihime wasn't sure about his reasoning, but she accepted it. Those were the days Sora was the best person in her world.

Orihime was the cook once a week, as Sora thought it was good for her to learn to take care of herself. Just in case. Every time her turn came, Sora ate her food with a smile on his face. His little sister was always encouraged to put what she wanted in her food, and to take pride in it no matter the result.

Her products were those that would have repulsed most people. But not Sora. Even when Orihime herself couldn't help wrinkling her nose at her own creations, Sora smiled and ate with his usual serenity.

Smiles were all they had. Smiles, and time they spent together - times looking over recipe books and making inadequate substitutions for ingredients, times spent talking over a table with just barely enough food to keep them going.

So years later, whenever Orihime cooked, she would look back and remember Sora's smile. He always had that smile, no matter what was on the table. Orihime had since learned to make that smile her own.

Sora would have loved to eat this, she told herself every time insecurity whispered about how different she was from the other students when it came to what she ate.

Sora would have relished this meal.

So she relished it too.

Disclaimer: Inoue Orihime is Kubo-sensei's daughter, not mine. I do love her though~