I am sooooo sorry to all of you, my dear readers. I meant to finish this chapter much earlier than I did, but I got stuck. I also blame the (good) distraction known as 'Hetalia'. It took up a whole lot of my attention and curiosity, but needless to say that I am back with Chapter two of 'Moment of Truth in a Time of Darkness'. I thank you all for your patience and assure you that I will try to be a little better with the next chapter in terms of punctuality. In any case, for those of you whom I have left wondering about Raine's condition- if you haven't already figured it out by now- this is where we find out. Unfortunately, what goes up must also come back down. In any case enjoy. Also, for those of you who read my story 'Little Firefly', I have a recurring character, so be on the lookout.

Disclaimer: I own nothing. The Bleach universe belongs to Tite Kubo.


Chapter 2: News

Raine twiddled her thumbs in her anxiety and attempted to take a deep, calming breath. She had been waiting for the past five minutes for Captain Unohana to arrive for the appointed check-up. The silence and the suspense were both killing her.

In truth, deep down in her heart, Raine knew the reason that she was getting these horrible dizzy spells. She didn't really need anyone to spell it out for her; after all, who knew her body better than her? She had missed her last period, although she had attempted to laugh it off and insist to herself that it was just moving around. She knew, though, that this was not the case. Part of her was scared, though, to think about what Shinji might think about that- it was so soon in their marriage. Would he want this?

"It's good to see you again, Lorraine." Captain Unohana said sweetly, gaining the young Visored's attention. Raine smiled at the woman's sincerity, although her smile let a little more nervousness show than intended. The Captain was not put off by this, as it was very easy to understand where the young woman was coming from. "Hirako-san expressed some concerns about your recent dizzy spells." she pointed out. "Are you on any sort of human medication?"

Raine shook her head 'no'.

"And this is not a normal occurrence with you, is it?" Again, Raine shook her head 'no'. Captain Unohana was silent for a moment. "Tell me, Lorraine, when was the last date of your menstrual period?"

Raine counted off the days in her head. "Roughly about two weeks before mine and Shinji's wedding. Captain Unohana…"

"Please, Lorraine, since we are on a first-name basis here, I would prefer that you call me 'Retsu'."

"Okay, Retsu… is it possible for me… with my Hollow side to…" She didn't finish her sentence; didn't have to.

"I'm not sure." she answered with a perplexed expression. "As far as I know, you are the only Visored known to have ever become pregnant."
"Then… mine and Shinji's child… will be the first pureblood Visored born in this world." Raine concluded. "Tell me, would Shinji and I face any repercussions from the Central 46… or the Gotei 13?" She could see the look of uncertainty in Captain Unohana's eyes.

"I… can't say for certain, Lorraine." she answered. Raine's head hung; if the Central 46 saw her baby as a threat once I was born, what would become of it? "However," the Captain said, causing the young woman to look up at her, "I do know that Hirako-san will not let any harm come to you or the child." This caused Raine to smile at the truth of this statement. She had seen firsthand how protective Shinji could be of her; he sure as hell wouldn't let anything happen to their child.

After going over what she would need, Raine showed herself the door. Had she not been so wrapped up in her thoughts, she would've noticed Hanataro passing by.

"Miss Raine," he greeted brightly. Raine looked up to the timid boy and smiled.

"Hey, Hanataro." she greeted warmly. "How are you holding up?"

"I'm fine." he said with a sigh. "I just didn't know that all of the work that came with my promotion would make me so exhausted all of the time. It's kinda taking its toll on my relationship with Hiyori."

"Anything I can do to help?" Raine asked. Hanataro contemplated for a moment and then shook his head.

"Nothing I can think of at the moment." he again sighed. "But I have to ask, Miss Raine, what're you doing here in the Fourth Division?"

Raine deliberated and then looked around. "Can you promise me that you won't tell Hiyori?" she asked. The boy nodded. "I came for proof."

"Proof?" Hanataro asked. "Proof of what?"

"That I'm pregnant with Shinji's child." she whispered in his ear. Hanataro's eyes widened and he looked to the young woman for confirmation; she nodded. The surprise on his face was then replaced by a congenial smile.

"That's wonderful news, Miss Raine." he said sincerely. "I'm so happy for you and Shinji-sempai." Raine smiled and then hugged the small officer. It was primarily because of him that she had met Shinji in the first place.

"You're a great friend, Hanataro." she murmured. Pulling away, she smiled once more at him. "I gotta go now."

"M-Miss Raine, where are you going?" he asked.

"Well I have to tell my husband sometime, don't I?" she asked. Hanataro then smiled after his good friend.

'Good luck, Miss Raine.' he thought to himself. 'I really meant it when I said I'm happy for you two. You deserve all the happiness in the world.'


The warehouse was swept clean when Raine arrived. She smiled at the thoughtfulness, but then frowned when she failed to feel her husband's spiritual pressure.

'He is probably with the others at this point.' declared Otome Fūdo, Raine's ever loyal Zanpakuto. Raine let the spirit's inner presence comfort her and prepared herself for what might be a very terrifying tryst. If Shinji accepted that he was going to be a father, that was great, but what if he became hesitant? Raine wasn't quite sure she could bear that idea. Raine sighed and reached down, her fingers lightly spanning over her still-flat stomach. Instantly did her mind fill with images of a gorgeous child with locks the same luscious shade of gold as her husband's. At this point, gender was not something that mattered to the newly-expectant mother.

'Don't you worry.' she gently cooed, in a whisper that no one had the hope of hearing. 'I won't let anyone hurt you, ever. You won't grow up ever doubting that your mother loves you, ma coeur.' She felt a warmth within her, and she knew Otome Fūdo was smiling.

'I have told you before that you have my lasting devotion and loyalty, Lorraine. That same courtesy extends to your child. As it grows within you, I shall use my powers to protect it.'

'Thank you, Otome Fūdo.' Raine replied warmly.

The Visoreds arrived back at the warehouse later that afternoon, having gone their separate ways about the town. She had almost forgotten that today was their outing day, and immediately she felt a little sad that she had missed out on it. When Shinji entered and came up to kiss her on the forehead, Raine felt her pulse speed up.

"Ya feeling okay, darlin'?" he asked.

Raine nodded as she attempted to stifle a harsh swallow. This was it.

"Shinji," she began nervously-and maybe a little too loudly. At that moment, everyone of the Visoreds had their eyes on their youngest family member. She turned bright red as the attention snapped to her. It was now or never. "I'm…I'm pregnant." she said quietly. The room froze altogether; no one knew at that moment what to say. Shinji's expression was unreadable; Raine hated it when she couldn't tell what he was thinking. He didn't say anything for quite a few minutes, and it was then that Raine feared the worst. Quietly, she pulled herself away from the group, but just as she was about to turn away from them all, she was grabbed around her waist. The more she struggled the tighter these arms became; a firm hand reached up and lifted her chin and gentle lips found themselves pressed against hers.

"Who gave ya permission to leave the room, Raine?" Shinji asked in her ear. Again, his tone was unreadable. It wasn't until she turned slowly to him that she saw the unfathomable joy in his soft brown eyes. It was with such a sudden movement that he scooped her up, spinning around that Raine could only gasp and cling tightly to her husband. The other Visoreds watched with smiles on their faces as they watched the new couple, soon to be parents.

"Wow," Mashiro crooned, "the first-born Visored ever!"

"That's something you don't hear about everyday." Rose commented. "That child is going to be gifted."

"You said it." Love said with a nod.

"We're gonna raise it all together, right?" Mashiro asked. Kensei's gaze flickered to his enthusiastic girlfriend and then to the new couple with somewhat of a raised brow.

"Well you guys can't complain of a lack of helpful hands around here." Raine and Shinji both laughed at the truth of this statement.

"We're going to have to do so much to get this place ready for the little one." Hachi stated.

"That's easy." Rose replied, running a hand through his hair. "If we all work together, we can get it done in no time at all."

"That sounds like fun!" Mashiro said cheerfully. Everyone turned to Hiyori, the only one who had remained silent during the whole time.

"Whatya say, godmother?" Shinji asked. Hiyori's eyes went wide at this and she kept her eyes closed for just a moment.

"I'm with Rose." she said, flashing her pointed tooth as she smiled. The other Visoreds smiled at her.

"I guess this calls for a special celebratory dinner." Kensei began, but everyone knew that he was just trying to be subtle about clearing the room so that the couple could discuss things themselves. With a roll of his eyes, he pulled Mashiro away by her shoulder. The rest of the Visoreds followed suit, and finally Raine allowed herself to sit.

"You're really up for this, ma cher?" she asked quietly. Shinji smiled and sat down next to her, grasping her hands within his.

"I'm with ya every step of the way, darlin'." he answered, leaning his forehead against hers.

"And if our baby turns out to be a Visored?" she asked.

"Then our number just grew a little bit bigger," he answered firmly. Raine looked into his eyes and saw no hesitation in them whatsoever, which created a great amount of relief within her. "And when the time comes, we will train our child and help them to control their inner Hollow, I promise." He sealed that statement with a solid kiss, one that caused Raine's toes to curl, and she knew that Shinji's promise was true. He wasn't going anywhere. Relief filled her heart and she gave into the kiss with equal fervor.


Three Months Later

"Transferred?" Momo Hinamori asked desolately. She was not sure why her Captain had called her into this meeting, but the voice had told her not to trust anyone, not even the man that she currently served under. How absolutely crushed she was to find that it was right.

"It's a part of a new program that the Gotei Thirteen is trying out." Ichigo explained. "It's just an experiment, completely temporary…"

"B-but I don't understand," Momo replied. "I've done everything you've ever asked of me. I'm here early to help out with paperwork, I-"

"I know." Ichigo replied. "But trust me, this might be good for you."

"But… the Fifth Division is all I've ever really known." she said, on the verge of tears. "I… I took care of everything when we didn't have a Captain." She felt the lump in her throat as she looked at him. Her outrage for her new Captain's orders grew, much like the octaves in her voice. "Am I to just quietly go and give up a position I have worked hard to earn and maintain?" she asked.

"With Sentaro and Kiyone taking up most of the work, it'll be a little easier for you." Ichigo replied as he tried very hard to ignore the raise in his subordinate's voice. "You may not have noticed, but you always seem to be a little off, Momo."

"What do you mean?" Momo asked quietly.

"You barely get any sleep, and you murmur to yourself- don't think that anyone hasn't heard it, Momo. You put too much stress on yourself, and your mental stability suffers because of it."

"Mental stability?" she echoed incredulously, despite the fact that Ichigo was right on the money. "So now I'm too crazy for you to handle, so you go foisting me on someone else? Or does this have to do with the fact that you would rather be closer to your wife?" Ichigo could no longer bite his tongue. Momo jumped as her Captain slammed a fist down on his desk. Ichigo looked at his Lieutenant with the sternest look he had given someone in a long time.

"I'm doing this because everyone is worried about you, Momo!" he said. "Look at you, you don't eat, you barely rest,"

"Because I like to keep busy by looking out for you." she insisted.

"Putting all that weight on your shoulders is dangerous, Momo!" Ichigo interjected. "Rukia volunteered to do this, because she is concerned for you. You've got Izuru, Shuuhei, Renji, Rangiku, Toshiro…" Momo's head lifted at the mention of her childhood friend's name before she sensed his spiritual pressure. She turned to the diminutive Captain, who for once had a very concerned look on his face. She merely stared at him, opening her mouth to say something.

'They all lie.' the voice within whispered. 'They're sick of looking at you. They'd rather you just jump off a cliff and put yourself out of your misery.' Momo wasn't sure where this voice was coming from, or why she was paying attention to it. 'You know that your beloved Captain Aizen wouldn't stand for this, for you to be treated in such a way. If he saw you weren't behaving like yourself, he would ask you what is wrong instead of assuming and trading you off like cattle.' Momo knew better than to listen to this voice, but when it spoke such truths she thought- it was hard to ignore. This train of thought the voice was leading her on caused her to glare at Toshiro, taking the boy Captain by surprise.

"Et tu, Brute?" she asked, again fighting the lump in her throat. This startled both of the Captains, but before anything else could be said, Momo was gone, leaving both Toshiro and Ichigo both bewildered.


Ninth Division Captain Tsoa Kawagari watched the sky uneasily become dark with moisture-laden rain clouds. The rough winds pronounced a squall heading their way. The new Captain, however, was not concerned over a matter as trivial as the weather; there was another storm heading their way. The turning of a page alerted her that Shuuhei was still in his office doing paperwork. She opened the door and found the Lieutenant busy with a small stack. It took him a minute before he saw her standing there.

"Is everything alright, Captain?" he asked. Tsoa watched him for a second before smiling.

"Why don't you retire early, Shuuhei?" she asked. The Lieutenant blinked, knowing something was up, but he didn't dare pry; it wasn't his place. "I be sure I can get the rest done easy enough." she said. Shuuhei also knew better than to question his Captain. With a nod, he got to his feet and nodded.

"Good night, Captain." he said quietly.

Tsoa didn't start immediately on paperwork like she promised. It wasn't at the top of her priorities list at the moment.


Toshiro Hitsugaya looked up at the darkening sky as well. Honestly, he didn't know what to do. He had never known Momo to act like this- to treat him, her best friend, with such hostility. All he had tried to do was look out for her well-being. He had agreed to the idea with Ichigo- for once- knowing that Captain Ukitake would assuredly keep the workload at a minimum for her. So why had she acted so vehemently against the idea?

"Am I a bad person, Rangiku?" he asked. The mentioned Lieutenant jumped, nearly knocking over the cup of lemongrass tea she knew would help her Captain. If he had heard her enter, she thought, he gave no indication. She had just thought that maybe a simple gesture might bring him out of his depressed state; after all, he had become addicted to the aromatic concoction thanks to fellow Captain Tsoa Kawagari. Rangiku flashed her Captain a sad look.

"Why on earth would you say something like that, Captain?" she asked softly.

"Every time I try to help someone, it ends up harming them. The last time I tried to help Momo, I nearly killed her."

"That wasn't your fault, Captain." Rangiku insisted. "You did what you could."

"Then why is it," Toshiro asked in a mix of sadness and irritation, "that she refused to speak to me after the War?"

"She probably didn't want to cause you pain..." Rangiku insisted. She held her heart, truly feeling for her young superior. The Winter War had taken the life of one so dear to her and the morale of her remaining two. Until fairly recently, when Toshiro had finally talked to her about her old wounds, she felt like there was nowhere else she could turn. He had told her, though, that there would always be a place for her to turn to. She approached the boy Captain, more than prepared for the massive wall of spiritual pressure he put up upon feeling her come nearer. t was stifling, but Rangiku fought her way through it.

Toshiro attempted to flinch away from Rangiku's embrace, but the woman- with her stellar strength- held him fast. "It's okay." she said, her voice breaking due to the pressure of her tears. Toshiro felt them, hot against his robes and skin. "It's okay to not know where to go. It means that you're still learning, you're still human." His eyes widened and he turned to her; she had knelt down so to spare him the awkwardness of being swamped from behind by her massive chest. They were now level. "You told me once that if I ever needed someone to point me in the right direction, you would always be there for me to turn to. You've helped me so much, Captain." His eyelids drooped with guilt and his head hung.

"I've done nothing to help you, Rangiku." he replied sadly.

"You have!" she replied. "You've helped me move on, helped me understand that I can move on, after everything I went through with Gin Ichimaru. You've helped me feel like I'm really worth something, Captain Hitsugaya. If you give up on all of that, then what do I have to go on living for?" Toshiro looked with alarm in his eyes at his Lieutenant. Had she just...

Rangiku's eyes also widened and, acting on reflex, she clasped both hands over her mouth. Once again, it had gotten away from her. She stared back into Toshiro's eyes; it frightened her that she couldn't read his expression at all. The room filled with silence for but a moment, with both superior and subordinate merely staring at each other- one set of eyes was shocked, the other frightened beyond belief. She jumped as suddenly he closed the distance between both of them and pulled her wrists down, his eyes never leaving hers. A squeak was all she could get out of her lips because at that moment, Toshiro moved to press his lips against hers. Rangiku was shell-shocked to say the least, but she didn't fight back, reason being that she didn't want to. In the back of her head, she knew that she wanted this- badly. Despite this, she had to pull away in order to breathe properly. Her heart beat with trepidation as she looked up at him. In her head, she begged for him not to pull away; that would be too much for her to bear.

Much to her surprise (and relief), her beloved Captain didn't pull away, but merely leaned his head forward so that their foreheads touched.

"Thank you, Rangiku." he said softly. Hesitantly, because he was still unsure at this point as to the proper way that these things were done, he reached up and with his thumb stroked away a tear that had sneaked its way down her face. Once more he leaned in for a kiss; Rangiku responded eagerly.


It was amazing what the simple power of suggestion could do someone. It was how rumors and fights started. If told enough times that they were monstrous, someone could believe that they were indeed a monster. It was how people like Kenpachi Zaraki thrived. It was a dangerous weapon in the wrong hands; it had been a powerful enough weapon even for the likes of Sosuke Aizen. How many people had he played right into his hands?

Momo Hinamori didn't care; at this point, her rationality was far gone. All that mattered to her at this point was obeying the voice.

'Everything you want, Momo Hinamori, is on the other side of that door.'

By the time rationality was rearing its head for Momo, the doors were already open. There was the shout from the guards and then a sickening snap. When the haze cleared from her vision, she stood amongst the bloody bodies of several Central 46 guards.

"Wh-What… what's going on… what've I done?" she asked. Her voice and her breath both quivered. Her hands were worse; all of her breath left her as she looked down and found her own palms bathed in still-warm blood. Suddenly, she felt herself quaking and quivering uncontrollably.

'You've been a good little pawn, that's what you've done.' said a voice from the shadows. Momo looked around before pulling out Tobiume. She knew that she stood no chance against this shadowy killer, but having her Zanpakuto in hand made her feel braver. A shadowy figure with the horrifyingly ugly mask of a Hollow revealed itself from within the shadows from which it dwelt, standing before a cell of round, black material. Momo knew what this cell, suspended in the air by a mysterious type of black material, contained. She grit her teeth in anger. 'Just one last piece of the puzzle left.' the Hollow murmured. With that, it disappeared into the shadow of the floor. Momo held Tobiume at the ready, but to no avail; the thing snuck up behind her and grabbed her by the wrist. She whimpered as the thing used a claw-like finger to create a deep cut along her arm. Blood that ran along the fingertip of this creature was then placed in an almost Satanic design on the black material, which then moved. 'Blood of a Soul Reaper that once served you, Lord Aizen, written in the reverse seal that imprisoned you in the first place.'

The pod-like cell quivered and then opened altogether. The black material fell limply to the floor. A chair was the only thing that the cell contained and sitting on that chair like a king was Sosuke Aizen himself. His binds also fell limply to the side, and the traitor stood to his feet, allowing his arms and neck to stretch. He stared around for a few moments and then looked at the Hollow. At this sight before him, he smiled.

"I knew I could depend on you, Sombreado." he said. His gaze then flickered to Momo, who had gone rigid at this point. "And you, as well, Momo. Who knew you still held such loyalty for me after all this time." He stepped over to her and placed a hand on her frozen shoulder. "As much as I would like to keep you around, I'm afraid it would leave a bad impression… that, and you're nothing but a loose end to me."

Momo heard the squishing sound and saw the blood before she felt the actual pain flood into her nervous system. The cry that ensued echoed throughout the now empty room.


Masao Virtudes grit his teeth as he resumed the painful task of holding his cloak to keep his face from view. He hated the rain; it only brought to him a painful reminder of how he let that Kawagari whore get away. He had been caught unprepared when the little wench revealed her Bankai by using it on him. And now she was the Captain of the Ninth Squad. He now grit his teeth in anger. How was he supposed to kill her now? He was lucky he got away with the burns left from the acid rain. Everyday they racked his body with pain.

He felt the sudden burst of spiritual pressure as someone shunpoed into the area. He readied his Zanpakuto, Doku Bugyō for the first sign of a fight.

"Has time made you suspicious of everyone, Masao?" his visitor asked. The former assassin recognized that voice within a heartbeat. As fast as he could, he knelt, wincing as he did so. "No need to strain yourself." the voice said with mock concern. After a moment, Virtudes looked up at him, revealing the deformed skin of his face. Sosuke Aizen's eyes narrowed. "What happened to you?"

"A botched mission, my Lord. Nothing to be concerned about." Virtudes insisted. Unfortunately, in Aizen's eyes, the deformed former assassin was trying too hard to be convincing. Taking advantage of the fact that Virtudes' kneeling position before him forced the lesser man to use his scarred hand for support, Aizen placed his foot none too gently on said hand. Virtudes let out a loud cry of pain.

"I'll only ask once more, Virtudes, so please don't lie. "What happened to you?"

Virtudes paused for a moment, prompting Aizen to exert a little more pressure on his hand. Gritting his teeth, he met his 'Lord's' eyes. "It was a Kawagari." he answered. "Somehow, one survived and became a Soul Reaper."

"I see." Aizen said. "Masao, I believe that my orders were to kill every man, woman and child of that clan."

"It's not my fault." Virtudes insisted. "The monster Komamura interfered. When I tried to kill him, she revealed her Bankai on me."

Aizen was silent for a moment and then sighed. "Then I suppose it really can't be helped." With that being said, he relinquished his foot, only to deliver a brutal kick to Virtudes' side. Then man cried out helplessly and doubled over. Aizen shook his head and passed him, stopping only a few feet away from him. "I have come to claim what you owe me, Masao." he said. Virtudes' eyes went wide and almost furiously he shook his head in disbelief. He pulled Doku Bugyō to his chest.

"You gave it to me," he spat in his outrage. "You said it was to be mine."

"You have failed me, Virtudes." Aizen replied, just barely looking over his shoulder at the injured man. "I gave it to you for one purpose and one alone. You are not worthy to keep such a prize." Before Virtudes could say anything, Aizen was at his side, with one hand over the other man's heart and the other on the hilt of Doku Bugyō. "Besides, if I am to carry on with my revenge, then I must have something at my disposal. This is what I created it for, Virtudes. You must've known that it would be only a matter of time before I came to reclaim it. Despair not, though. Your Zanpakuto will belong to a god; you should be honored. The Poison-Flame Magistrate will be doing just what it was meant to do, performing to its full potential." With a simple twist of his hand and some added spiritual pressure, Aizen forced Virtudes to fall to the ground, dead. His grip on the Zanpakuto lessened enough for Aizen to snatch it away.

"It's good to know that you have remained faithful to your true master, Mujona Seifuku-o." At the mention of its true name, the Zanpakuto surged with power, emitting a bright red aura. Sombreado appeared, kneeling before his master as ever the loyal servant. "Did you have any luck finding it, Sombreado?"

"I have it secured now, my Lord." the Hollow answered reverently. Aizen nodded and ran his fingers along the blade of what was now his Zanpakuto.

"And what of her?"

"I have confirmed her condition and her whereabouts." Aizen smirked at this.

"Good."


So how many of you were surprised at the events in this chapter? I hope I was able to make it worth the wait for you all. Please read and review! Your comments mean the world to me, seriously. Until next time, my dear readers, I bid you 'adieu.'