Chapter 14

El Espejo Royal ("The Royal Mirror")

Orihime sighed as she unwrapped one of the bread lady's best hot dog, mayonnaise, and carrot bread buns. She didn't have time to bring a lunch, so she had to ask Tatsuki to get her something before everyone tried to buy out the tiny lunchtime vendor booths. Luckily, the other students veered away from the best buns—to Tatsuki, Orihime was their only buyer—leaving Orihime happy with something tasty to eat for lunch.*

As she munched on her bun, Orihime recalled the events that happened that day. Besides spraining her ankle and being sent to the nurse's office, she saw Ulquiorra between class periods, many girls surrounding him. They all wanted to date him like he was some kind of trophy. She heard their whispers, each girl holding a fantasy with "the foreigner". Orihime frowned, uncertain of what to make of her female peers.

However she felt about the girls, Orihime could understand why they would fawn over Ulquiorra so shamelessly. His green eyes, sleek black hair, and blemish-free skin made him appear to walk right off the pages of a foreign modeling magazine. Even his cold personality seemed to attract girls, making them think that he was the son of some conglomerate from an illegitimate union. Where these girls came up with this stuff only Orihime could wonder.

Still, Ulquiorra was a hit and the other boys were beginning to hold grudges toward him. Orihime worried whether any boys would actually confront Ulquiorra—or better yet, confess to Ulquiorra. If only she could've warned Ulquiorra about these kind of situations.

"Orihime!" Chizuru, Mahana, and Michiru's faces suddenly filled Orihime's vision, startling her.

"I'm sorry. What is it?"

"We were calling you, but you weren't paying attention." Chizuru, Mahana, and Michiru continued to stare at Orihime, worried, as Tatsuki and Ryou sat back at the desks, minding their food or their book. Orihime's face grew hot.

"I'm sorry," was all Orihime could mutter before she took another generous bite out of her bun. "Maybe I'm just hungry."

"By any chance are you daydreaming about the new transfer guy?" Chizuru asked, causing Orihime to choke on her food. Fake tears came into Chizuru's eyes as she made a fist. "I hope not because I've been here since Day One! He's not going to waltz into our last year together and take away my hard-earned work!" With that, Chizuru's tears disappeared, and a scary, determined fire blazed in her purples eyes. "I won't lose to him!"

Tatsuki's fist hit Chizuru square on the top of her head, making the redhead cry out with pain. Tatsuki glared at Chizuru. "You're a lost cause anyways," Tatsuki declared, returning to her food before Chizuru turned her blazing eyes on the purple-haired girl. A full-fledged argument began, and Orihime decided to check out of it before she was dragged into it.

Mahana and Michiru's faces filled Orihime's vision again. This time, they were more relaxed, but the concern was still apparent. "Are you scared?" Michiru asked, looking at Orihime with big eyes. "Some students saw you talking to the transfer student."

"Yeah, if you're not careful, some students might corner you," Mahana added. "Maybe they'll get you while you're in class. You know, like those spy movies, and you have to leave all of a sudden. Or maybe they'll come to you while you're eating lunch. They'll come up behind you and scare you so that you choke on your meal. Or maybe—"

"Mahana, what're you jabbering about?" Tatsuki suddenly interjected, standing behind Mahana and Michiru with her hands on her hips, obviously agitated by their words. "No one is going to mess with Orihime, ok? Besides, Orihime can take care of herself!"

Mahana looked away, her face becoming pink. "I'm sorry! I didn't know what I was talking about!" She grabbed Orihime's hands in a sign of forgiveness. "Please forgive me for my thoughts!"

Michiru joined her, more hands clamping down on Orihime's mayonnaise-sticky hands. "Me, too! I'm sorry!"

"Me, too!" Chizuru grabbed Orihime by the boobs, and she could feel Chizuru's devilish smile near her ear. Though two years was long enough to get used to the contact, Orihime's face still burned with embarrassment. Tatsuki promptly smacked Chizuru on the head, earning a loud cry from her a second time. Another argument began, leaving Orihime free to finish her lunch. Mahana and Michiru, already engrossed in another side conversation about Mahana's inability to comprehend various daily situations, allowed Orihime to enter her own thoughts undisturbed.

As she reached for a second bun, Orihime noticed a group of students clustered at the entrance of the classroom. To her surprise, she found girls surrounding Ulquiorra. They seemed to be fighting for a glance, a smile, anything from Ulquiorra, but he didn't give them the time of day. Instead, he narrowed his eyes at the girls and said icily, "Excuse me." Though only two simple words, the girls quieted down, watching him enter the room alone before dispersing with whispers on their lips.

Orihime was amazed. Though his speech was very polite, he was very unkind in dealing with other people. He didn't hide how much he didn't want to fit in. He simply discarded his existence as a member of the Living World.

"Oh, no! Here he comes!" Michiru said in a worrisome whisper, looking about her nervously. Orihime stared at her friend, suddenly feeling sorry for her. Just like Kurosaki and Ishida, Michiru was afraid of Ulquiorra, another person who refused to smile. The girl seemed to shake in her seat, her face becoming almost as pale as Ulquiorra's skin.

"Orihime Inoue." She brought her gaze towards Ulquiorra, who stood next to her. His green eyes only peered at her with a detachment that Orihime had grown used to. "It is lunchtime."

"Ah! You remembered!" Orihime looked at Ulquiorra's empty hands before emitting a gasp. "That's right! I forgot to get a lunch for you!" She realized her mistake a moment too soon, her eyes widening as she put her hand over her mouth in shock. The other girls stared at Orihime, startled.

"Lunch?" Michiru and Mahana cried out in unison. Tatsuki and Ryou looked on in disinterest.

"What do you mean by that, Orihime?" Chizuru demanded, her astonishment immediately melting into suspicion. She took a step between her and Ulquiorra, making him stare at the back of her red head. "Don't tell me that you're hosting this guy?"

Orihime's face burned up. What was she supposed to say? She really wished Kurosaki or Ishida were next to her. They were better liars. "Um, well…"

"Excuse me," Ulquiorra's voice came from behind Chizuru. Once again, Ulquiorra peered at Orihime, this time, his green eyes flashing with irritation. "I do not have a lunch. The thing you humans call a stomach is making a peculiar sound as well."

With a reddened face, Orihime clasped her hands together in a sign of forgiveness. "I'm sorry, Ulquiorra! I completely forgot about lunch today!" She offered him one of her normal, boring buns. "Please take this one."

"Hey, that's mine!" Tatsuki screamed, swiping the bun from Orihime's hand. "Orihime! You can't go offering up my food to cold bastards like him!"

"Is he really staying at your house, Orihime?" Michiru asked with worried eyes, taking care to avoid any eye contact with Ulquiorra.

"Why is he staying at your house? I'm going to demand a transfer!" Chizuru bellowed before stealing a touch of Orihime's breast. "These are mine."

All Orihime could do was laugh nervously at the bombardment of questions, sentences, and words from her friends at the same time. Although she loved them all and would give her life for them, sometimes she wondered how they functioned as friends at all. She wished she could summon her shield to block out their noisy antics.

"Inoue." She looked up to find Kurosaki, Asano, and Kojima standing at the classroom entrance. Kurosaki smiled at her. "Ulquiorra can eat lunch with us, if he wants. And I brought some extra food."

Orihime wanted to leap to her feet with joy. It was the second time that day Kurosaki had come to her rescue. Promptly, her face turned a soft pink. She was such an embarrassment on Ulquiorra's first day of school in the Living World. Still, some things couldn't be helped, and feeling down wouldn't help her. Orihime turned her attention to Ulquiorra, his gaze saying nothing more than detachment again. Giving up on speaking to him immediately, Orihime looked at Kurosaki. "Thank you, Kurosaki! Please take care of him!"

Motioning towards Kurosaki, Orihime encouraged Ulquiorra to follow the orange-haired boy. Ulquiorra's eyes lit up with an emotion Orihime couldn't read. Was he being moody again? Orihime hoped not. Kurosaki wasn't so great at dealing with melancholy people, especially ones who he used to battle over life and death. "Go with him, Ulquiorra. They'll give you lunch."

After a moment—and a smoldering glare only Orihime could catch—Ulquiorra followed Kurosaki, Asano, and Kojima out of the classroom, leaving the other girls to stare after him. Orihime relaxed as soon as they left, sighing as she did. She was beginning to think that having Ulquiorra attend regular school was a bad idea, a really, really bad idea.

Next chapter: La Princesa Valiente

Ulquiorra has an unsettling "boy talk" with Ichigo and friends.

*In many Japanese high schools, there aren't any cafeterias but local food vendors and mom-and-pop shops who sell lunches, breads, snacks, and drinks during lunch.

A/N: Please review!