Anime Oneshots

In the Silence of the Moon (Ulquiorra Cifer-Bleach x Reader)

The pale moonlight filtered through the broken windows of Las Noches, casting an eerie glow across the endless white sands of Hueco Mundo. You stood at the edge of one of the palace's towering balconies, staring out at the desolate landscape. The wind was cold and dry, carrying with it the faintest whisper of the desert. It was a place devoid of warmth and life, and yet, in its strange, quiet way, it had become your home.

You weren't sure how long you had been here in Hueco Mundo—time seemed to blend together, each day the same as the last. As a human who had been dragged into the world of the Hollows, you had once been terrified of the Espada, the elite warriors who ruled over this realm with an iron fist. But now, you had grown used to their presence. There was one in particular who intrigued you the most: Ulquiorra Cifer, the Cuarta Espada.

Ulquiorra was different from the others. Cold, emotionless, and utterly detached from the world around him, he seemed to exist in a void where nothing could touch him. He moved like a shadow, silent and deliberate, and his emerald-green eyes held a depth of sadness you couldn't quite comprehend. There was something about him—something that drew you to him, despite the fear he inspired in others.

You didn't know why you had been allowed to stay here in Las Noches. Perhaps Aizen, the leader of the Espada, had plans for you, or maybe you were simply too insignificant to be considered a threat. But whatever the reason, you found yourself growing accustomed to this strange, lifeless world. And more than that, you found yourself wanting to understand Ulquiorra.

It was on nights like this, under the endless gaze of the moon, that you often caught glimpses of him. He would appear out of nowhere, his presence almost unnoticed until you felt the faint stir of energy in the air. Tonight was no different.

"You're here again."

His voice cut through the silence like a blade, soft yet commanding. You turned to see him standing just a few feet behind you, his white cloak billowing slightly in the wind seemed to gleam under the moonlight. His pale skin seemed even more ghostly in the light, and his eyes, those piercing green eyes, were fixed on you with an intensity that made your heart skip a beat.

"Couldn't sleep," you said, your voice barely above a whisper.

Ulquiorra said nothing at first, his gaze never wavering. He seemed to be studying you, as if trying to understand why you were here, why you had not fled from this place like so many others would have. His eyes were cold, but there was something behind them—a curiosity, perhaps, or something deeper that he refused to acknowledge.

"You humans are strange," he finally said, his tone emotionless. "You seek solace in places that offer none. This world is empty. There is no life here, no warmth. Yet you remain."

You turned back to the view, your eyes tracing the curve of the distant dunes. "Maybe I'm not looking for warmth," you replied softly. "Sometimes... silence can be comforting."

Ulquiorra stepped closer, his presence almost unnervingly still. You could feel the weight of his gaze on you, even though you weren't looking at him. "You fear me," he stated, more as a fact than a question.

You hesitated, choosing your words carefully. "I used to. But not anymore."

At that, he raised an eyebrow, a subtle sign of interest. "Why?"

You turned to face him fully now, meeting his gaze without flinching. It was always difficult to look directly at him—his presence was overwhelming, and those eyes seemed to see through every layer of your soul. But you forced yourself to hold steady.

"Because I've seen more than just the fear," you said. "You're not like the others. You're... different."

Ulquiorra's eyes narrowed slightly, though his expression remained unreadable. "Different?"

You nodded, taking a step closer, though you were careful not to breach the space he maintained between the two of you. "They're driven by power, ambition, hunger. But you... you don't seem to want any of that. You're not just a mindless monster."

There was a long pause as Ulquiorra regarded you. The silence stretched on, heavy and thick, until finally, he spoke again, his voice as cold and detached as ever. "What I am, or what you perceive me to be, is irrelevant. In the end, everything fades into nothingness. There is no meaning in any of it."

His words, while spoken with the usual calm, sent a shiver down your spine. It wasn't just the bleakness of what he said—it was the way he said it, as if he had truly accepted that there was no hope, no future, nothing but the emptiness of existence.

"That's not true," you said quietly, surprising even yourself with the strength in your voice. "There is meaning. Maybe not in everything, but... in some things. In some people."

Ulquiorra's gaze softened, just barely, and for a moment you thought you saw something flicker behind those green eyes. Something like confusion, or perhaps even... doubt?

"Why do you persist in believing such foolish things?" he asked, his voice quieter now, almost contemplative. "I have seen the heart of humans. I have crushed it with my own hands. You live, you die, and in the end, you are forgotten."

You stepped even closer, now only a few feet away from him. "Maybe. But that doesn't mean it's all for nothing. Maybe it's the connections we make while we're alive that give our lives meaning. Maybe that's what makes us human."

Ulquiorra stared at you for a long moment, his expression unreadable. The wind whispered around the two of you, carrying with it the silence of Hueco Mundo. You could feel the tension between you, a strange, electric charge that you couldn't quite explain.

"And you believe that I am capable of such a thing?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper now. "Connection? Meaning?"

You took a deep breath, your heart pounding in your chest. "I believe that you're more than you think you are."

Another pause. The two of you stood there, the distance between you feeling like both an unbreachable chasm and yet, somehow, barely there at all. Ulquiorra's gaze held yours, and for the first time, you saw something other than cold detachment in his eyes. There was confusion, yes, but also... curiosity? Longing?

Without thinking, you reached out, your hand trembling slightly as you moved it toward him. For a brief moment, you wondered if he would pull away, if he would disappear like a shadow into the night. But he didn't. He stood still, watching you with those piercing green eyes as your fingers brushed against his.

His skin was cold to the touch, and yet, there was something strangely comforting about it. You let your hand rest on his, feeling the stillness of him beneath your fingertips. He didn't move, didn't speak. But in that moment, the connection between you was undeniable.

"I see you, Ulquiorra," you whispered, your voice barely audible over the wind. "You're not empty. You're not nothing."

For a long, breathless moment, he said nothing. But then, slowly, he lifted his hand, gently closing his fingers around yours. His touch was firm but careful, as if he wasn't sure what to do with the sensation of warmth in his grasp.

"I do not understand you," he murmured, his voice softer than you had ever heard it. "But... I do not despise it."

And in that moment, under the pale light of the moon, something shifted between you. Something unspoken, something fragile, but something real. For the first time, you saw a flicker of emotion in Ulquiorra's eyes—something he had long tried to suppress.

Perhaps, in the silence of this desolate world, you had found the one thing that truly mattered: connection.

And perhaps, just perhaps, he had found it too.