Chapter 11

El Zapato que Cabe ("The Shoe that Fits")

"Oh, no!" Orihime suddenly breathed, noticing Ulquiorra's bare feet against the concrete sidewalk. He had left the apartment without any shoes! Not that she had any shoes to lend him—all of her brother's shoes were thrown away—but she felt irresponsible for not getting him a pair sooner. Ulquiorra, on the other hand, wasn't very concerned about his feet. His face showed no sign of being bothered by his uncovered feet. However, other people they passed noticed it right away and stared at him with a strange expression that said, "Get some shoes!"

Orihime wanted to die. She didn't know which one was worse: being seen entering the Sex Shop or being seen next to this strange, barefoot guy. She decided that at least the latter situation could be fixed right away.

" Ulquiorra." She touched his arm, causing him to tensely halt before looking at her indifferently. "Let's get you some shoes." Ulquiorra didn't budge, and Orihime frowned. Was he being moody again? Maybe the episode at that store seemed to affect him more than she thought. Orihime didn't like this side of him; though, she could readily admit that there weren't many sides to him. Shaking him out of his odd mood would help the situation, she decided.

Spotting a shoe store nearby, Orihime grabbed Ulquiorra's hand and forcibly took him towards it. "Look, there's a shoe store here!" Without thinking, Orihime brought Ulquiorra through the entrance of the shoe store, a bell clinging against the door. Shoes of various sizes and styles lined the walls and the open cases while chairs stood at the center of the store. There weren't any customers, allowing Orihime to relax in the calm, leather-smelling surroundings. She pulled Ulquiorra along, showing him to the display with men's shoes.

Orihime pointed at a pair of plain, black loafers. "Look! These shoes are nice!"

"Hello!" an older woman dressed in casual clothing greeted them, scaring Orihime with her sudden appearance. The woman smiled affectionately at her, the wrinkles around her eyes moving. "Oh, aren't you a nice couple?"

"Couple?" Orihime found herself repeating, at a loss of the meaning. The weight against her hand suddenly shifted, and Ulquiorra brought their joined hands into her vision, his mouth set in a frown. Orihime's eyes nearly popped out of her head as the situation dawned on her.

Instantly, Orihime released Ulquiorra's hand and put a little bit of distance between her and Ulquiorra. She sent the woman a weak smile, blushing fiercely. "We're not a couple!"

"I see," the woman merely returned, going to the black loafers and picking one up. "Are you interested in this shoe? What's your size?"

Orihime glanced at Ulquiorra expectantly, but she quickly remembered that Ulquiorra knew nothing about shoes, let alone, shoe size. Nervously, Orihime smiled again. "Can he get measured? We don't know his size, but he needs shoes right away."

The woman understood immediately, and without batting an eyelash, she pulled out a Brannock device* from a nearby shelf. "Have a seat, and I'll measure you." Quietly, Ulquiorra obeyed the woman's directions, settling into one of the worn chairs, and she patiently placed his uncovered foot onto the metal device. "You are a size 29.5**, young man."

As the woman slipped Ulquiorra's feet out of the device, Orihime noted the dirt on the bottom of Ulquiorra's feet. "Miss," Orihime called the woman, earning her attention, "I'm sorry to ask, but could you spare me a rag and some water?" The woman seemed to understand her request, and nodded before disappearing into the back of the shop.

Left alone, Orihime bit her lip anxiously. Suddenly, the tension between her and Ulquiorra was more awkward than usual. Maybe it was because of the earlier incident at her apartment, or even the fact that Orihime had willingly held hands with Ulquiorra. She had never held hands with a boy, let alone, someone like Ulquiorra!

"Are you discomforted due to my gender?" The unexpected question from Ulquiorra made Orihime raise her gaze to him. The question and his emerald eyes were loaded with more than what was actually said. Orihime's face reddened as she realized that what he implied was true.

"Y-yes," she answered, shame filling her. Ulquiorra broke their gaze and looked at the other wall, his guise one of indifference again. Orihime's spirit dampened. She knew the answer she gave, though truthful, wouldn't really make a difference to him. He simply voiced his mature opinion without any regards to an answer. Sometimes, it was like talking to a handsome wall that had the ability to speak.

"Here we are." The woman returned with a rag and a shallow bin of water, and Orihime's energy returned instantly. Thanking the woman profusely, Orihime set herself in front of Ulquiorra. He peered at her, sharing a gaze that was both curious and confused.

"What is it that you are doing?" Ulquiorra asked, his green eyes watching her closely.

Orihime smiled up at him meekly, taking one of his feet in her hands. "I'm sorry," she told him before dabbing a rag with the water and scrubbing the bottom of his foot. She hoped he wasn't ticklish. If the situation was switched, she would definitely be bowled over, laughing her butt off. Luckily, he wasn't bothered by her actions, and she silently cleaned away the dirt on his foot.

She took special care to scrub his feet gently but firmly enough to remove the dirt. In her own way, she felt she was making up for the problem. She should've bought him shoes before he went out on his own. It wasn't like she was trying to keep him captive in her apartment. Eventually, the man would need to get out and enjoy the Living World. Somehow, finding Ulquiorra on his own away from the apartment made Orihime anxious. She never expected a mob of crazy girls trying to make Ulquiorra their partner for the couple contest.

Orihime lifted her gaze to rest on Ulquiorra's face. There was no denying that he was handsome. His unusual green eyes, short jet-black hair, and pale skin color made him to appear to be an exotic doll. Even his cold demeanor was appealing to some girls. Although he wasn't tall, his body seemed to be long and elegant, like a dancer's body. Amongst the male friends she had, Orihime knew that Ulquiorra was the most striking and would gain the attention of women around him.

"What?" Ulquiorra's watchful eyes finally registered in Orihime's mind.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Orihime blushed furiously, waving her free hand in front of her face. "I'm so glad we're here is all!" Ulquiorra just stared at her, the slightest instance of concern flickering across his face. Was it Orihime or was Ulquiorra relaxing a bit? Come to think of it, Orihime hadn't heard the word "atrocious" since they met up.

"Would you like a pair of socks?" The woman brought Orihime back from her thoughts. She offered a pair of thin, black socks to Orihime and she thankfully took them. Quickly, Orihime finished drying Ulquiorra's feet and handed him the socks.

Ulquiorra's blank look meant that he had no idea what they were. Orihime couldn't help but giggle at his confused expression. "They're socks, Ulquiorra," she explained, taking one from his hand and putting one on his foot. "If you wear shoes, you have to wear socks first!" Seriously, Ulquiorra was like a newborn child, minus the adamant attitude.

Cautiously, Ulquiorra leaned over and put the sock on the same way she did. When he finished, he stared at his feet for a moment. Orihime almost giggled again. Was he being proud of his socks? What a silly guy!

"Well, are you sure you're not a couple?" the woman inquired cheerfully, bringing over the pair of loafers to Orihime in Ulquiorra's size. "You two seem friendly with each other."

Friendly? Orihime had no idea why the woman saw this quality between her and Ulquiorra after only meeting them a few minutes ago. "No, we're just friends," Orihime remarked, settling herself into another chair as the woman knelt down to help Ulquiorra with the shoes.

"Ok," replied the woman, busying herself with Ulquiorra's shoes. Though it was a simple response, Orihime had the feeling that the woman didn't agree with her statement. "May I ask why you picked these shoes?"

"I don't know." Orihime didn't really think about the kind of shoes Ulquiorra wanted. As a matter of fact, she didn't give too much thought into what Ulquiorra wanted. Somehow, she had adjusted to Ulquiorra's rigid personality, making it easier for her to find things that suited him. "Ulquiorra is a little picky about his clothes, but he likes simple things mostly. These shoes seem to go with his clothing style." Orihime laughed timidly, realizing that she had said too much already. When did she know this much about Ulquiorra?

The woman finished fitting Ulquiorra with the shoes, and she stood back, smiling at Ulquiorra gently. "Well, I'm all done. How do they feel?"

Orihime watched Ulquiorra move his feet. "They are adequate," Ulquiorra commented dully.

Although anyone else would've retorted, "But are they good?" Orihime knew that was all Ulquiorra would offer. Thankfully, the woman didn't say anything more.

"We'll take these," Orihime announced, producing her wallet. Nodding, the woman walked to the counter and rang up the shoes for Orihime. The shoes weren't expensive at all, Orihime noted, surrendering two bills. Instead of wrapping them in a box, the woman simply handed her the receipt with a wide smile.

"Do you live nearby?" the woman suddenly asked, making Orihime tilt her head slightly in confusion.

"Uh, yes," she answered simply. "Why?"

The woman looked at her more closely. "Well, you look like someone I've seen before. I'm not sure where, but you do look familiar."

Orihime couldn't help but laugh nervously. How many orange-haired girls did she see on the street? Maybe she wasn't the only one and the woman was mistaking her for someone else.

"Don't worry about it," the woman added before brightening up. "I hope you and your friend enjoy the shoes."

"Thank you," Orihime returned, giving her a wide smile. The woman had been nosy, but she was very helpful. Pushing the receipt into her wallet, Orihime led Ulquiorra out onto the street with him wearing his new shoes.

Already, the sun was sinking into the horizon, leaving the sky stained with red, orange, and yellow clouds. Orihime peered at the sky, a sense of satisfaction rising up in her chest. She fixed a problem today and she got some free stuff. Today wasn't going so bad! She took a deep breath, taking in all of her small achievements.

"I appreciate your generosity."

Turning wide eyes onto Ulquiorra, Orihime found herself looking at a person whose face revealed something more than emptiness. There was something else within his green eyes as they met her grey orbs, something that Orihime couldn't read. His voice was soft, as gentle as the warm wind that wrapped around them in the dusk. Orihime could feel another side of Ulquiorra unraveling for an instant.

"Thank you, Orihime Inoue."

His hand moved forward until it touched Orihime's hand, her skin responding to the touch. It was light but cool, and a ripple of sensations went through her body. Unlike when she grabbed his hand earlier, this touch was tender, soothing even, calming all of her racing thoughts.

As abruptly as the moment began, it ended, and Ulquiorra's hand slipped away, leaving Orihime wondering if she would ever see his softer side again.

Next chapter: Los Lecciones para el Príncipe

Orihime and Ulquiorra teach each other an important lesson.

*A Brannock device is the metal device that measures a person's foot/shoe size.

**In Japan, shoe sizes are in centimeters (cm). In the U.S., Ulquiorra's shoe size would be about 10.5.

A/N: In this chapter, I just wanted to show how much Orihime is learning about Ulquiorra and the subtle changes between the two of them. I know it's a bit slow, but don't kill me, ok? Just review please!