Chapter 19

El Matador ("The Matador")

"Orihime, you should invest in some bigger shirts," Tatsuki remarked, poking Orihime in one of her breasts as they walked down the hallway. "You're just asking for the guys to get a boner. Look!" To Orihime's dismay, she looked up to find most of her male classmates staring at her in a daze. "Why are your boobs so big anyways?"

Orihime blushed. She couldn't fit into the Japanese one-size-fits-all clothing*. If she wanted clothes that actually fit, she would have to get them made, and they both knew she didn't have the money for that. Instead, she had to buy the plus-size clothes and sew them to her size.

"I almost feel bad for you," Tatsuki murmured, poking her in the cheek this time. "You've got no money, yet you have to feed another mouth. I wonder if your boobs will suffer from lack of sustenance."

Orihime laughed. Tatsuki's coyness always softened the tension she felt, and immediately, she was swept into her friend's good mood. "It's OK! Ulquiorra doesn't complain, so I don't feel burdened at all."

Tatsuki flicked Orihime's forehead, annoyance crossing her face. "That's because he's the only guy who gets to see you in the least amount of clothing. Of course he wouldn't complain!"

Orihime rubbed the spot on her head, pouting. She hadn't thought of that, and she blushed again from the embarrassment. "Oh, yeah…"

"Speaking of Ulquiorra," Tatsuki began, looking around, "where is he? School's over."

Orihime agreed. He wasn't the type of person to stay in one place if it didn't require him to. Where did he go? "Maybe he's still in his homeroom," Orihime suggested, smiling anxiously. There was nothing for her to worry about. Maybe his fan club was holding him back. Together, Tatsuki and Orihime made their way to their classrooms.

When they reached the hallway leading to their classrooms, a familiar voice called out to Orihime. "Inoue!" Ishida approached them with Orihime's bag in his hands. Orihime brightened up instantly, relief flooding her.

"My bag!" she couldn't help exclaiming, bouncing over to Ishida. He handed it to her, a proud smile on his lips. Orihime wanted to embrace him, but she ended up hugging the fixed bag instead. "This is great! I'm so happy! Thank you so much!"

A blush appeared on Ishida's pale cheeks as his smile broadened. "It was no problem," he replied.

"You know Orihime," Tatsuki supplied, ruffling Orihime's hair. "She's easy to please."

Orihime practically purred against her bag. She didn't want to buy another one, especially since this one had a lot of memories. "Thank you, Ishida!"

"Oh, by the way," Ishida began, his smile disappearing. "I showed your bag to Urahara. He told me that the spiritual energy around the straps was strange."

"Strange?" Orihime looked down at her normal bag.

"He wouldn't tell me more than that. He said he'll let us know once he analyzes it more."

Tatsuki sighed from beside Orihime. "I hope it's not something to be worried about," she replied evenly.

Orihime brought her gaze to rest on Ishida's handsome face. Despite wearing a calm façade, Orihime knew that Ishida was worried. His eyebrow usually furrowed downwards whenever he worked puzzles out in his brain. "Well, I don't think it's something to worry about right now," Ishida claimed, pushing his glasses onto the bridge of his nose. He sent Orihime a gentle smile. "Fixing your bag was a good challenge for me. I hope it won't break on you again."

Orihime felt her mood lift like Ishida had injected a dose of cheerfulness into her body. He was trying to cheer her up, she knew, and it worked as it always did. She grinned again, staring at her bag with the same pride that Ishida held for his work. Though she knew he wouldn't care, Orihime wanted to show the mended bag to Ulquiorra. Feeling like a million yen, the orange-haired girl looked around her, hoping to catch a glimpse of Ulquiorra.

"Are you looking for Ulquiorra?" Tatsuki asked, making Orihime jump. She was so wrapped up in her happiness that she had forgotten how to act in front of others. This was a fault in her personality—she knew it was—yet, she couldn't help it. Whenever she felt happy, she just did what she felt like doing. Immediately, Tatsuki brought her back to reality. "And I bet he wouldn't care if your bag is fixed."

A pout appeared on Orihime's lips as her high energy waned. "I guess you're right…" She smiled through her disappointment hoping to regain some of her liveliness. "Let's find Ulquiorra so we can walk home together."

Ishida smiled at her. "I'll see you later," he bade them before turning and heading down the hallway.

"Thank you, Ishida!" Orihime called out, waving at him. When he was gone, Orihime and Tatsuki headed for Ulquiorra's homeroom. Reaching the room, Orihime discovered that he wasn't there.

One of the girls from the handcrafts club noticed Orihime. "Oh, hello, Inoue," she greeted, smiling at them.

"Hello, have you seen Ulquiorra Schiffer?" Orihime asked. The girl immediately blushed before nodding, her eyes revealing fear. Orihime bristled, certain that something was amiss.

"Uh, I saw him go off...with a second-year student." She averted Orihime's wide-eyed gaze. "I think...he took him to the roof."

Orihime felt the blood drain from her face. Besides going up to the roof for lunch, no one went there unless something bad was going to happen. Even Tatsuki's face clouded over with concern. "Should we get a teacher?" Tatsuki questioned, looking at her with her worried eyes.

Orihime didn't wait for Tatsuki. Orihime dashed out of the classroom and down the hallway towards the stairs. If a boy had taken Ulquiorra to the roof, nothing good would come of it. The roof was the perfect place to confront people. She wasn't sure what to be more concerned about: either the boys who would probably get their limbs broken, or Ulquiorra actually getting hurt. She decided that she didn't like either alternative.

Running up the stairwell, which seemed to be longer than she remembered, Orihime found the door to the rooftop. She burst through it, sunlight hitting her skin, as her vision was flooded with a strange scene. Ulquiorra stood in front of her, his muscular back facing her. Before him stood many second-year students, some of which were known for being troublesome students.

Ulquiorra didn't turn to face her, but the other boys acknowledged her presence right away, some of them showing their surprise. The tension between the second years and Ulquiorra was almost palpable. Orihime knew she needed to do something. If not, the second years would regret their decisions.

"Go home, woman," Ulquiorra's deep voice commanded, the softness that he normally reserved for her gone. Though Orihime knew she was interfering, she couldn't help but remain in her position behind him. Somehow, leaving him there to fend for himself felt like a betrayal to him.

However, the other boys took an offense to his words. "How dare you call her 'woman'!" the second year with big shoulders and bleached hair screamed at Ulquiorra, anger in his voice and face. He pulled back a fist and ran at Ulquiorra, his maddened intention clear. "I'll teach you a lesson!"

Orihime wanted to step in, not to save Ulquiorra, but to protect both boys from the escalation. She took a step to move between them, but Ulquiorra's voice reached her ears.

"Do not worry," Ulquiorra ordered firmly, this time relaxing slightly. It seemed that those words, with the voice she was used to, was only for her to hear. Orihime paused, suddenly understanding Ulquiorra's order. She didn't sense any of his spiritual energy besides the residue that marked him. If he intended to use his spiritual energy in any form, he would have given himself away by building it during the time the boy ran at him.

The other boy's fist came hurtling towards Ulquiorra's face, but still, Ulquiorra did not move. It was only when the boy was within an arm's distance that Ulquiorra moved, dodging the swing easily. Shifting his shoulder, Ulquiorra smashed his own fist into the boy's abdomen, the sound of his breath leaving his body abruptly filling the air.

The boy fell to his knees clutching his stomach with pain. The other second years stared at them, their eyes wide with fear and astonishment. Ulquiorra put his hands in his pockets, assuming a stance of indifference.

"If you are adamant in fighting me, I would advise you to be prepared," Ulquiorra announced, glaring at them with his penetrating eyes. The boys cowered underneath his menacing gaze, the tension in the air slowly fading.

Orihime turned her attention to the groaning second year on the ground. He looked like he was in such pain, and Orihime hoped that Ulquiorra hadn't seriously injured him. Dropping to her knees, she worriedly placed a hand on his shoulder. "Are you ok?" she asked softly, helping him to sit up. Sweat beaded his reddened face as he clutched his stomach.

"Ah…Orihime…" he moaned out, his features softening as he recognized her. "You're so pretty." Before she could say anything, one of his big hands came forward and squeezed her breast. Orihime gasped, mortified, while the boy sat back with a dreamy smile. "Ah, they are so big."

White hands came forward and grabbed the second year's bleached hair, causing the boy to yelp in pain. Orihime watched as Ulquiorra dragged him away from her, nearly ripping out the boy's hair in the process, before flinging him to the ground. Ulquiorra's foot slammed down on the side of his head and pinned the helpless second year against the warmed rooftop.

"Do not touch her," Ulquiorra instructed, each word grounded out through his teeth. "If you or anyone else ever touches her again, I will drain the blood out of your body through your eyes. Is that understood?"

In spite of seeing Ulquiorra in his most demonic form, this Ulquiorra was more frightening to Orihime. She didn't like seeing people hurt, and she especially hated seeing people injured because of her. Climbing to her feet, Orihime raced over to Ulquiorra's side and grabbed his arm, causing him to lift his foot off of the boy's face as his balance became unsteady. "Ulquiorra! Please stop!"

Steadying himself, Ulquiorra's foot returned to the ground. Being so close to him, Orihime could clearly see his face. Unlike his usual apathetic or annoyed guise, his pale skin was reddened with fury, and a smoldering fire raged in his emerald eyes. Even the muscles in his face were taut with tension. Orihime found herself unable to tear her gaze away from his handsomely angered guise.

"Ranmaru!" A second year came forward and nudged his friend on the ground, earning a mournful groan from him. Quickly, the second years helped Ranmaru to his feet and made a hurried exit, being cautious as they walked past Ulquiorra and Orihime. Once they had disappeared, Orihime relaxed slightly. The fight had ended. Everything will be ok, Orihime told herself silently.

But the atmosphere carried something strange for Orihime. Would everything be OK?

The return to Orihime's home was unbearably long. Though Ulquiorra wasn't particular about conversing, walking next to Orihime, who rambled on and on about nothing, made him want to speak. Though she spoke without pausing, Ulquiorra understood it was her way of coping with the situation. Things between them had changed by no fault of their own, and the realization of this truth caused him to feel uncomfortable. Never had he felt so vexed in his life.

Orihime, on the other hand, didn't want to deal with him. She avoided topics that lead to talk about him, and when they arrived at her home, she promptly cooked dinner. To prevent eating in an awkward silence, she had turned on the television only to become instantly wrapped up in a drama. He tried not to watch her beautiful face change with her erratic moods, but he couldn't help himself. She smiled when something she liked happened. She nearly cried when something sad stirred her. She was so expressive, Ulquiorra found her interesting to watch.

But he couldn't observe her for too long. Once the dishes were washed, Orihime fell into a strange silence, especially as she brought out her textbooks and notebooks to do her homework. Though Ulquiorra used to despise this time period, he had come to like it. These times were peaceful and quiet, exactly what Ulquiorra preferred.

Pulling his bag to his side, Ulquiorra noticed Orihime's old bag next to her. The straps were fixed, most likely the handiwork of the Quincy boy. It was open and the edge of a book stuck out of it. Ulquiorra pointed at it, earning Orihime's attention. "You have forgotten a textbook."

"Huh?" Orihime looked down at her bag in confusion before she pulled out the book from her bag. Her face immediately brightened as Ulquiorra saw her place it on the table. "It's not a book! It's a manga! Ishida probably forgot to take it out of here." She giggled, leafing through it. "I didn't know he liked girls' manga**!"

"Girls' manga?"

Orihime nodded. "It's a manga about love and drama," she stated, amused. Pushing it onto Ulquiorra's side of the table, she pointed at the cover. A couple laughed as they held each other in good spirits. "You can read it if you want."

Hesitantly, Ulquiorra picked it up and opened it to the first page. Pictures of people were drawn in black ink, and bubbles containing words came from their mouths. He read their words and turned the page, finding that the images changed. Slowly, he began to read, suddenly understanding that manga was different from reading books. There was no need for the imagination. Though the story was filled with emotions, Ulquiorra didn't feel burdened by it. The couple in the story interested him. The girl was bright and optimistic, while the boy was cold and detached.

When he turned to a page with the couple pressing their lips together, Ulquiorra held it up to Orihime. "What do you call this action?" he wanted to know. He had seen it in the magazines and the television dramas, and now, he was seeing it in a manga.

Instantly, Orihime's face painted red, and she laughed nervously to cover her anxiety. "Uh, it's called 'kissing'," she said, stumbling over her words.

"What is the significance of kissing?"

Again, Orihime stammered her words out. "Uh, I guess…to show that…you care?" The question at the end confused Ulquiorra. She was human, yet explaining a rather simple-looking action seemed to be laborious for her.

"Do you not know?"

Orihime's face turned a magnificent maroon color. "Well, you see…I've never…I've never been kissed," she answered fretfully, playing with her pen. In a small voice, she added, "I'm not experienced at all."

Ulquiorra let the discussion fall, certain that any more talk on the topic would result with Orihime in tears. He was beginning to understand that some things, she thought so little of herself, and pressing it any further always made her cry. For having such a strong heart, Orihime was surprisingly fragile.

"It's not because I don't want to!" Orihime suddenly stated, her outburst causing Ulquiorra's eyes to widen slightly. She blushed fiercely, averting his gaze. "It's just that…you kiss someone when you care about them. It's supposed to express how you feel about someone."

An odd emotion welled up inside of Ulquiorra and settled in his stomach. He wasn't certain as to why those words struck him so intensely, but he wanted to explore this new expression she spoke of. Closing the manga, he moved his hand until it rested near Orihime's free hand. His veins suddenly felt shaky, like he was learning how to control his hand, yet he steadied them from creating jerky movements. Gingerly, he touched the back of Orihime's hand, garnering her attention.

"Hmm?" She looked up from her homework, vaguely aware that Ulquiorra had touched her.

"Is it a wish of yours to be kissed?"

The question made Orihime's face grow redder than he had ever seen it. Her mouth opened, as if to protest, then closed, as if she decided against her own thoughts. Finally, she met his eyes, and the strange sensation from touching her sizzled through Ulquiorra's body.

"Yes," Orihime uttered, smiling shyly and looking away. "But I want to kiss someone who cares about me. I want my first kiss to be with someone who really sees me." Ulquiorra stared at her in silent disbelief.

How could anyone not see her? She was physically beautiful, with big grey eyes, long orange hair, and a body that hardly any girls possessed.

But Ulquiorra was beginning to understand that her words didn't indicate her physical beauty; they implied her inner beauty. To Ulquiorra, her personality was fascinating. He had thought so when they were both in Hueco Mundo. Somehow, her naivety and bright personality had won over his rigidness. Surely, she could decipher that one person in the Living World saw the beauty inside her soul.

Next chapter: Sueños Que Juegan

Orihime has a fantastic dream...with Ulquiorra...touching...her...

*There really is a one-size-fits-all standard in Japanese clothing. If you're not a size 6 or flat and skinny like a stick, good luck finding clothes that fit in Japan. Japan is not kind to busty, curvy, or big women at all. Talk about pressure!

**Shoujo manga, or girls' manga, is a genre of manga that focuses on romance, relationships, emotions, drama, and problems women face.

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