Chapter 12

Los Lecciones para el Príncipe ("Lessons for the Prince")

"Sado!" Orihime entered her home with Ulquiorra following her, a filled grocery bag in one hand and a few shopping bags in the other. It turned out that many shops had a "Thank You Campaign" sale, and Orihime had fallen victim to almost each one. He was glad that her money ran out before her energy, otherwise, they would still be at that wretched marketplace. Carefully sliding out of his new shoes, Ulquiorra placed the groceries on the kitchen counter.

Padding across the floor, Orihime went into her bedroom with Ulquiorra close behind. Sado sat at the small table in Orihime's room, several books on the table's surface. "I'm so sorry for making you wait!" Orihime apologized, joining Sado at the table. Ulquiorra took his place at the window, deciding it was better to watch. Maybe after a short conversation, Orihime would get up and make something edible. Ulquiorra wouldn't say it aloud, but he was famished.

"I brought the books," Sado stated, placing a hand on the books. "They should be useful for Ulquiorra." Climbing to his feet, Sado gave Orihime a small smile before heading out of the room. He paused at the door to exchange goodnights with Orihime, his eyes resting on Ulquiorra for a moment, until he finally left Orihime's home. The gaze wasn't lost on Ulquiorra. He knew that he was under the watchful eyes of Orihime's friends.

"Wow, what a big help!" Orihime's voice rang out, smiling. Although Ulquiorra was used to seeing her smile, the smile she wore on her face was slightly different. She was genuinely happy to see a piece of his school life coming to fruition. Orihime turned to Ulquiorra, maintaining her pleased smile. "Since we're sending you to school as an exchange student, you'll need to learn a little Spanish in case someone asks you to speak."

Picking up one of the books, Orihime opened it to a text-filled page, her grey eyes widening with excitement. "See? It's not so hard!" She held open the book right in front of Ulquiorra's face so he could see. "Just remember some of these!"

Her large, jovial eyes and enthusiastic grin was contagious, touching something inside of Ulquiorra. In her own immature way, her personality was endearing, easily melting away the icebergs lining his soul. From places unknown, a small chuckle bubbled up and found its way past Ulquiorra's lips. The sound was peculiar, almost as if his breath was being pushed out of his mouth. As soon as he realized his mistake, the chuckle died instantly, leaving Ulquiorra's emerald eyes wide with surprise.

One look at Orihime's face told Ulquiorra that she was shocked at his reaction and lack of self-control. Swiftly, Ulquiorra's guise shifted from astonishment to coolness. However, Orihime wanted to talk about it like she always did. A smile appeared on her lips again, her eyes dancing. "You laughed!" she exclaimed in blind elation, pointing at his mouth. "You laughed!"

"I would not advise getting used to it, woman," came Ulquiorra's frosty response before he made his way for the kitchen. Not only was it his escape from the rather humiliating breakdown in self-control, but it seemed the kitchen always prompted her to create some food.

She followed him, whining along the way. "Not 'woman'. Orihime!" They reached the counter, and she began to unpack the groceries, muttering as she did. "You said my name at the shoe store."

Changing the subject would alter her pouting, Ulquiorra deduced. "I am hungry."

Orihime beamed at him while pulling out a pot from the overhead cupboards. "Dinner will be right up!"

Ulquiorra saw the same scene unravel—for a second time—as a single pot first popped off the shelf before the rest of the awkwardly-placed pots followed, crashing down on Orihime. Stepping in, Ulquiorra shielded Orihime from the pots, some of the heavier pots hitting him hard on his back and shoulders. The pain wasn't great, but he was irritated nonetheless. Once the last pot tumbled down to the floor, Ulquiorra pushed Orihime away from his body while glowering at her.

"Be careful, woman."

Orihime looked at the floor, obviously embarrassed by her irresponsibility. "I'm sorry…"

A sigh passed through Ulquiorra's lips before he knelt down to gather the pots. It wasn't the same sound as a laugh, but he could feel a small amount of tension leave his body. Tentative fingers came forward and touched his forehead, lighting his senses with a strange feeling. He still wasn't used to Orihime's touch, no matter how long the contact lasted. Peering at Orihime, he found her meeting his green orbs with a worried gaze. In spite of being accustomed to Orihime's worrisome expressions, the one she wore was different. Something soft emanated from the depths of her steely-grey eyes, and he could feel it working its way through his body.

After a moment, Orihime removed her hand from Ulquiorra's forehead, but her gaze remained filled with concern. "You don't have a fever," Orihime claimed, her eyebrows furrowing down in thought. "I wonder why you're acting so strangely."

"Strangely?"

"Un!" Orihime bobbed her head forcefully in agreement. Suddenly, Orihime's face became tinted with an embarrassing pink. She turned away, brushing past Ulquiorra as she went to fill a pot with water. "Never mind! How about some dinner?"

"Elaborate, wom—" Without warning, a loud rumbling sound came from Ulquiorra's stomach, earning Orihime's attention. She looked back at him with a smile.

"You must be really hungry. Don't worry. Dinner will be ready soon." Before Ulquiorra could protest, Orihime pushed him into the bedroom, separating both her and him. Though Ulquiorra wasn't very intrigued by what food she was going to cook, Ulquiorra didn't trust her taste in food. Still, hunger was hunger. He needed sustenance for his body.

Until the cooking process was over, Ulquiorra decided to turn his attention to something else. The Spanish books on the table seemed a more productive way of spending his time. Sitting at the low table, Ulquiorra picked up a book and flipped to the first page. As he scanned the page, he realized that Spanish was fairly different from the language he spoke.

"Buenos días. Buenos tardes. Buenos noche," Ulquiorra said aloud, reading the katakana* under the words. Though the grammar was dissimilar, Spanish sounds were similar to Japanese and the writing system wasn't difficult either. Ulquiorra smirked. He could understand this other language if he studied it enough. Diving into the book's contents, Ulquiorra studied until Orihime opened the door carrying a tray with two steaming bowls.

"Ta-da! I made pasta today!" Orihime seated herself across from him, placing a bowl with noodles in front of Ulquiorra. "I hope you like it! It's pretty plain, though." She pouted with her fork in her hand. "I forgot to buy chocolate sauce and mayonnaise at the store today."

Ulquiorra couldn't care less. He dove his fork into the noodles, and picking up a generous amount, pushed it towards his mouth. Unfortunately, Orihime stopped him by grabbing his hand rudely. Ulquiorra narrowed his eyes at Orihime, but she remained unaffected.

"Before you eat anything, you have to say, 'Itadakimasu'**," she told him plainly before removing her hand. Watching her, she pressed her hands together with the fork between them and bowed her head slightly, saying loudly, "Itadakimasu!"

Ulquiorra mimicked her actions and forked the pasta into his mouth, earning a small giggle from Orihime. He continued to eat the meal without concern. "Ulquiorra, you really are like a child," Orihime suddenly stated, pressing a napkin against Ulquiorra's mouth, causing him to narrow his eyes at her. She laughed before pulling the napkin away and placing it next to his bowl. "And here I thought you were princely."

"Princely?"

Orihime nodded in agreement. "Yup! You're very elegant and graceful in many ways. I wish I could be that way, but I'm not really."

Ulquiorra didn't understand the meaning of those words—being elegant and graceful—but he guessed it was an innate quality he possessed and she didn't. Regarding her downcast eyes, it seemed that this quality was also something she wished to have but couldn't for whatever reason. He did not like this side of her, where all she did was desire things yet could do very little in acquiring them. But as much as she stood back, there was something that she did hold within her grasp, and he wished for it as well.

He pointed with his fork at Orihime's chest. "You possess a heart," Ulquiorra proclaimed, settling his green eyes on the orange-haired girl. "You, a human, have a heart. How it functions, I do not know. However, you know. Do you need more than that ability?"

Orihime's grey eyes widened, startled by Ulquiorra's proclamation. "Ulquiorra…" Gradually, her astonishment gave way to an expression Ulquiorra disliked. Tears formed in her eyes, and Ulquiorra felt tension well up in his stomach. Did he make her cry? And why did he care if she cried? He'd seen her cry a million times before in Hueco Mundo, so this time should not be different. The tears slowly made its way down her pink cheeks, making her face wet.

This time was different, Ulquiorra suddenly understood as small sobs escaped her small lips.

"No one has ever told me that," she declared between the sobs, more tears falling from her eyes.

Ulquiorra was at a lost. What should he do? He knew crying was a sad emotion, something that he never identified with nor cared to see it from others. Yet, here was Orihime, crying softly in front of him, and he felt out of place.

"Oh, no!" Orihime cried out, standing to her feet and dashing for the door with her hands over her face. "I shouldn't cry this late! I'll get puffy eyes!" He heard the door to the toilet open and close before he resumed eating his meal. The tension in his body disappeared, calm returning to his body, as he put more pasta in his mouth.

Maybe one day, Ulquiorra thought, that woman will run out of tears. It felt like a pleasant thought, but deep down, Ulquiorra could feel something creeping up from the back of his mind. Why do I care?

Next Chapter: La Princesa Sabe

Ulquiorra starts his first day at Karakura High.

*Katakana is one of four writing systems in Japan. Katakana is used for foreign sounds as well as native sounds in Japan. Though the Japanese writing system and the Spanish writing system are different, the languages have similar sounds. Even some words have the same or similar meaning and pronunciation, such as pan (パン), or bread.

**"Itadakimasu" is a phrase used only at meals. It means, "Let's eat", but if it's a meal made by someone who is eating with you, it also implies gratitude towards the cook. If you ever go to Japan, you'll be saying this everywhere you go!

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