Shadow's Masquerade

Not a few feet away, there was a rustle in the underbrush.

Kalle turned quickly, hand placed firmly on his Zanpakuto, ready to draw it at any moment. The sound had been right behind him; he was sure of it. Nothing met his eyes, and as far as his senses could see, he was all but alone in the woods, save for a few squirrels and an owl. Maybe he was just being paranoid. He was supposed to be off duty; at home relaxing after yet another long day at work. And that's where he had been heading when he saw it: a silhouette of a man, gracefully weaving in and out of the tight packed buildings of Seireitei. He couldn't feel an energy from this guy, and the way he carried himself made it obvious that he was not a Shinigami. That wasn't what caught his interest though: it was the man's aura. The feeling he gave off was ominous and menacing, making Kalle want to physically shrink back, and being able to do something like that to him of all people meant he couldn't be up to any good. He had followed him, careful to keep out of sight, and his search lead him here, into the woods not far off from Seireitei. Not to shortly after entering, he lost sight of him. He had been wondering around for a few moments now, but couldn't find any traces of this guy. It was like he'd turned into thin air.

To keep searching seemed pointless. Technically speaking, he didn't even know this guy, much less what he was up too. If he was going to cause any trouble, he could deal with it in the morning.

He walked back to the direction he guessed Seireitei to be, grumbling about this and that along the way. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but there was something almost nostalgic about this place. Right when he reached near the edge of the woods, he stopped to examine a tree. It had a deep gash in it, like someone had taken a chainsaw to it. Or a powerful sword. This wasn't the only one, several others had deep gashes or broken pieces. It was then that he realized what was so familiar about this place: it was his and Hiaro's old training ground, all the way back from their academy days. It had been so long ago he didn't even recognize it. He'd never been a very sentimental person, unlike Hiaro, who was the complete opposite. They had chosen here for not only the fact that it was a serene place that allowed you to be completely alone with your thoughts, but also because his father owned a house not too far from here. Since his father's death, Hiaro had taken up residence in the house, along with his wife.

He jumped back from the tree he'd been analyzing, realization hitting him in full force. Hardly anyone ever came to visit these woods, mostly because the only building anywhere around was Hairo and Halina's house. That had to be why the man came here. It was the only possible reason he deliberately came to these woods, of all places. At this point in the day, Halina was probably still sleeping, the illness from her pregnancy constantly causing her strain. Hiaro would still be at work, leaving her all alone. All alone, and defenseless against anyone who wanted to do her harm.

Kalle raced towards the house as fast as his feet would carry him. He hadn't visited since his academy days, and had only vague memories to guide him. His senses didn't pick up on anything: even as the building came into view, he couldn't feel a hint of Halina's presence. That could only mean two things: either she wasn't home, or he was too late.

The front door was ajar, but nothing else outside the house appeared unusual. Cautiously, he stepped through the door into the old, classic house, eyes peeled for anything dicey. He never could have anticipated the sight that met him.

“Dear lord,” he muttered under his breath. He was frozen in the doorway, not sure what to make of the scene in front of him. Blood spilled onto the hard wood floor and seeped into it's cracks, tinting both the wood and his thoughts red. But this was nothing compared to the creature they lie huddled in the middle of it all. She was hunched over her stomach, now limp arms millimeters from her body. Upon closer examination, he could tell there was a large lesion that covered the entire bottom half of her stomach. It was gruesome, and since the first time since he became a seated officer, he found himself holding back tears. Who would do something like this?

He sprinted out the door, sucking in fresh air like a dog that had been caged for years. His mind raced, but none of the thoughts were comprehensible. He felt his training kick in through his messy state. Grieving now would do nothing. Take a deep breath, and think through this logically. He did as he was told. His mind slowly began to piece itself back together again and he went through all he knew about what was going on. First, Halina was dead, and not by accident. Two, the body was still fresh, meaning her death hadn't been that long ago. And three, there was no sign of the baby.

“The baby.” No, the baby was definitely not in there. Her wounds had been right where the uterus was supposed to be, and if the child had still been there he should have been able to see it. Then it clicked. Who ever did this must have torn her open and taken the baby out, and since it couldn't have taken place that long ago, chances are they were still in possession of the child. It was this thought that sparked a small piece of hope inside him, and gave him the guts to start moving again. There was no time to spare. He had to act quickly and decisively, or risk another death on his conscious.

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The wind tore through the dense trees, making the baby shiver.

 The man made no move to help. It wasn't necessary, she'd be back in good care soon, with a warm bed and bottle to spare. She was changing now, her shell slowly peeling away. With each second, she was looking less like the atrocious creature that was her natural form and more like the small child humans considered adorable. It was almost time for her to return to the Shinigami's care. He reached out and gently brushed his hand against her face. Never had he been so proud of one of his creations.

The process was almost completed, but something was missing, something very important: her eyes. Unlike everything else, it appeared as if they had failed to develop right: the iris was a pure white color, and the part surrounding that was black, the complete opposite of how it was supposed to be. That didn't make any sense, everything else fit perfectly, what set the eyes apart? He was careful to create her so that she looked as close to the norm as possible. Maybe she wasn't as perfect as he thought she was.

Well, there was no way to change it now. It gave away that something was off about her, but eventually her powers would do that anyways, so learning that sooner than later wouldn't make a difference. He hate to be 'close enough', but that was what he was going to have to settle for. Distantly, he could hear the sound of racing men as they rushed towards the house and the dead body the lay inside. No one detected him, despite the brief distance. He took another look at the child. At this point, there was almost nothing to distinguish her from other babies, with the exception of the eyes. He would have to be quick to put her back inside the house before they began to get curious and explore. It would be easier to deliver her to the medical barracks, but then they would have no way to think that it was the Kaelin's baby, and that would ruin his plans.

He tread over the underbrush lightly, and scaled the side of the house with ease. They had set up a whole nursery for the child, which Halina constantly worked on despite her illness. It was a pity she had to meet such an untimely end, had such events never occurred she probably would have been a wonderful mother. Sadly, she was stuck as a pawn to be sacrificed in someone else destructive plan. He softly set the child into the cradle; at this point she was sound asleep. The men were rapidly working their way towards the room, and there wasn't any time to wait. He gave one last look at the baby and took off through a Garganta, back to his palace where he could view the outcome if perfect silence.

“Until next time.”

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<p style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">How were you supposed to react to this sort of thing?

<p style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Lucia couldn't even stand to look at the body. She saw dead bodies all the time at Squad 4, but never like this. Never with someone she loved. Halina had been like a sister to her, taught her almost everything she knew about the Shinigami arts. To think that she was dead, it just didn't seem possible. But she still had a duty. Recruits could handle the body for now, clean it up and take it back to the barracks for examination, but for now she had another obligation she had to focus on: the baby. From what Kalle had told her, he couldn't find the child, meaning that she – or he – might still be alive. It was worth a shot. From the staircase bolted down one of her officers, his expression a mixture of surprise and joy. That could only mean. ..

<p style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">“Captain, come quickly.” He jumped back up the steps, but she beat him to the top in a flash. The nursery was the first door, which she rushed through quick enough to give the door whiplash. Several recruits were gathered around the cradle, looking at it's occupant with a variety of wondering expressions. Lucia peaked over to look down at what no doubt was Halina Kaelin's baby.

<p style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">She was small, as expected on someone her age, and payed no attention to the inquisitive eyes looking down at her. She was entirely naked and probably getting cold. Everyone had been too afraid to help her, fearing the consequences of touching her before their captain got a good look. Lucia grabbed one of the small fleece blankets, picking her up and wrapping it around her. She appeared to be healthy, no sign that anything bad had been done to her. That, of all things, had to be the most confusing: either the baby had been in the cradle when Halina was killed, or someone else put her there. The baby couldn't have been born yet, she would have alerted them that the baby was on the way, or told them after she gave birth, neither of which happened. The second prospect was even more farfetched: that someone had invaded the home, killed Halina and taken the baby, only to place said child back into the cradle and leave. Both situations sounded crazy, but they were the only plausible explanations. But they could look more into it later. For now, it was best they take the child to a warmer, more welcoming place.

<p style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">“I'm taking her back to the barracks. I want you guys to handle to body.” It felt so odd, talking about the death of someone she loved in such a formal tone.

<p style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Clutching the bundle of flesh and blankets to her chest, she took off, back towards Seireitei. Hopefully she could get the child to the ward before Hiaro was alerted of the incident. It's better the first thing he see is his new child instead of the body of the woman he'd loved for years.

<p style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">A strong hand held her in place, keeping her from moving forward any further. She was about to let out a rampage on the person who had so rudely stopped her; that is, till she saw who it was. Hiaro looked down at her with concerned look in his eyes, this was enough to tell her that he hadn't been fully informed of the situation.

<p style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">No words formed in her mind, at least not one's that could put what had happened into a few simple sentences. Instead, her body reacted for her. Slowly, she handed the bundle to him, setting it gently in his arms. There was a second of confusion, followed by a moment of realization, followed by more confusion.

<p style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">“What happened?” He knew the child was his, but why things were happening the way they were, he had no clue.

<p style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">That was it, she couldn't hold it in any longer. The dam broke, and she collapsed. Hairo barely managed to catch her, holding a baby and a full grown woman at the same time was not easy. Tears flowed freely down her face as her mind struggled to create the words. She was strong, and she should have been able to handle something like this, but she couldn't. Not when the two people who would suffer most from the loss stood right in front of her.

<p style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Somewhere in his mind, Hiaro connected what was going on. With one look at the baby, and another at Lucia, he knew what had just happened. He couldn't recall be more shocked in his life.

<p style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Lucia tentatively got back on her feet. He had evidently pieced together what was going on; the glassy look in his eyes and the stiffness of his body showed that. He seemed like his mind had entered it's own world, completely inattentive to the world around him, something she couldn't ever recollect seeing in him.

<p style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">“Let's get back to the barracks. The baby's probably hungry.” She gripped his shoulders, and this seemed to snap him out of his revery. He wrapped his arms around the child, and she could tell he was holding back his emotions as best he could. There was nothing she could do for him now.

<p style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">The Squad 4 barracks also doubled as a hospital for the Seireitei. Anyone who became injured would immediately be sent here for treatment. Seeing as it nearly midnight and most of the action had died down, it came as a shock to many to see their captain and the Head Captain walk through the ward's double doors. Lucia gave Hiaro a small room, where he sat down on one of the visitor's couches, still cradling the baby. She was slowly coming around and stirred in her father's arms. Lucia returned with a warm bottle, and at Hairo's insistence allowed him to feed her. Things were hectic, and seeing that everything with Hairo and the baby was safe, it was best she got back to helping her squad.

<p style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">After she had finished her bottle, he set it down on one of the bed side tables. At this age, it was difficult to tell whether a child looked like you or not, but he knew it was his. He could feel it in his gut. It was mind boggling how things had turned like this. Somewhere deep in the recesses of his mind, he came to accept the fact that Halina may die during childbirth, with how bad her illness was becoming. But murder, he wouldn't have guessed. No one had told him that, but he was smart enough to know it was true. Someone had murdered Halina.

<p style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">He leaned back on the couch. The baby was already falling back asleep, and he could feel the weariness from the night creeping into him. He settled back on the stiff couch, the child lying peacefully on his chest, comforted by the steady rise and fall of his breathing. Tonight would be a night that he would carry with him forever, but for now it was best to just worry about the little things, like feeding the baby or getting a good night's rest. He could worry about the big picture tomorrow. Still, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't shake the uneasy feeling that gripped at his chest. Something so off putting about was going on, and he hated that he couldn't put a label to it. But maybe it was just the stress getting to him. He leaned back and closed his eyes, allowing his mind to drop off from consciousness.

<p style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Hiaro was completely unaware of the eyes watching him from another world.