A/N: Hello~ Here I publish one of my drabbles. I hope you like it and, please, forgive me if I made some terrible mistake writing (?). This is my first time with an heterosexual couple, so… I'm kinda nervous. I also want to thank TheLadyIntegra for the corrections ;8; Thank you for your help! -bows-.

DUST

Inoue Orihime was a person who was moved with ease. She could not help it, it was in her nature. She had always thought that was the reason why she was attracted to Kurosaki Ichigo, the lonely but courageous boy in her class. She was sure that her feelings for him would never change.

So, why did this Espada make her whole being to shudder?

It was not fear, but it was something akin to fear. It was not love, but it was something akin to love. It was not something that could fit in with acceptable and easily classifiable emotions. While Orihime could tell herself that she liked Kurosaki Ichigo and why she liked him, she could not do the same with the Cuatro Espada*, Ulquiorra Schiffer.

From the beginning he had interested her, there was no doubt of that. She had failed to explain why Ulquiorra did what he did. He was working for Aizen, but he did not seem to enjoy what he did like other Espadas**. He always wore that imperturbable expression and eyes that looked like two pieces of frozen emerald. He seemed to be crying. And no, Orihime did not think that because of the lines that streamed through his pale cheeks, but because of his gaze.

Ulquiorra always seemed to want her to lose all hope. Everything he said was addressed to it, the girl had noticed. Why? Why such eagerness? She did not understand. Kurosaki had never stopped to question what she thought, because Kurosaki Ichigo was not like that. He seemed to think she was the noblest person in the world. Orihime could feel it. However, when she was in the custody of Ulquiorra in Hueco Mundo, she knew she was being studied and judged. The Espada did not talk much, but he kept staring at her with an intensity that was more powerful than a thousand screams.

Ulquiorra seemed to know everything, but he also seemed a being who knew nothing. Once, he had asked her what the heart was, what the soul was, and she had found herself answering with all the honesty she could offer. How could Ulquiorra act like an old man and, at the same time, like a child? The Cuatro Espada was a being who did not seem to have known any affection throughout his existence, a being even lonelier than Kurosaki Ichigo. What purpose had his life? Did he have a purpose, at least? Orihime did not know.

And yet, there he was, fighting with Kurosaki Ichigo because of his duty. Duty. He was fighting with the same imperturbable expression he wore when she dared to slap him. He never changed. He was a stagnant soul, a soul that seemed to yearn for a reason to move like a human would, but could not find it. She was not capable enough to give him that reason.

So she thought, until the moment that the Cuatro Espada started to turn into dust before her eyes. There was something in his gaze as he stretched his hand to her ... He seemed to see her very soul. He watched her so intently that something inside her shuddered. Ulquiorra was always like that.

And when she ran to the Espada to touch him and he became dust flying into the nothingness..., she had the strange feeling that never in her life would she meet someone like him.

*Cuatro Espada → At first, I thought It was Cuarta Espada (Fourth Sword), because spanish is my first language and Cuatro Espada is grammatically incorrect (that would be like: "four sword"). After LadyIntegra told me that Cuatro was the official name, I went curious. I started investigating and, yeah, I found out the official name is Cuatro Espada. I wanted to make it clear though, because... I don't know, Tite Kibo could make you believe that Cuatro means Fourth(?) -kills herself-.

**Espadas → I don't know the official way to call them, but in spanish Espada is a word with plural, like Sword-Swords. Anyway, if someone happen to know if they are called Espada in a plural context (maybe in the manga), I'll correct that part.

That's all. I hope you have enjoyed this little thing. Thanks for reading!

F I N

07/12/15