A/N: Inspired by the latest events of the manga, I've decided to write my own Bleach story. This is more of a short prologue leading into the rest of the story. I'm not sure how long this story is gonna be, since I made it on the spur of the moment. However, it's gonna be a sort of ensemble piece focusing mostly on a few of the Lieutenants and maybe one or two of the Captains.

Please be sure to let me know what you think.

Waking up felt like forgetting how to breathe. His body had run on automatic for who knows how long and as his eyes forced themselves to open at least a little bit, his instincts yelled at him, causing his whole body to freeze. His body had been shot through. He'd lost his arm. His lungs had been punctured. He shouldn't have been able to breathe.

But nevertheless, he forced himself to draw in a breath. He was alive. The excrutiating pain felt as though it had just happened – his body was convinced it just had – but it had been a while ago. Hours? Days? Weeks? He wasn't sure.

His mind felt hazy and distant. Forming thoughts felt like trying to reach into the ocean to catch a fish. As soon as he reached for them, they swam away. He grunted a little, but the pain was slowly passing. He'd already been awake for a few minutes, or so it felt, but only now he was beginning to recognize where he was.

White walls. A white ceiling. A comforting bed beneath his weak form. He was in the General Relief Station. So he hadn't been dreaming. It had actually happened, and he was now recovering. But there had been no battle for him. Ordinarily, he would have seen the battle with his own eyes and fought. But this, in its own way, was slightly more terrifying.

He hadn't even seen the battle. He had only seen a white light, shooting out from blue flames. His body had been pierced through and he'd fallen into unconsciousness. He had barely lasted even a moment, if it could even be called that. It sent shivers down his spine, to know that he hadn't even stood a chance. It was a feeling he hadn't felt since Aizen's war.

His head tilted only slightly, staring off across the room. He was apparently placed in a room on his own. His condition must have been incredibly serious. But his mind wasn't focused on that.

Had they won? Had they defeated the invaders? What if they had lost? That sent another chill down his spine.

Who had died?

How many dozens of Shinigami had perished in the battle? How many of his own men? How many had been slaughtered by the enemy? But perhaps most heart-wrenching of all; were the other Captains and Lieutenants okay?

He was a Lieutenant, yet he'd been taken down in an instant. What if the same had happened to the other Lieutenants? What if the same had happened to one of the Captains? Were the others safe? Were they okay? What if they were injured, as he was?

He shut his eyes and attempted to push aside the thoughts, but they now consumed him. He was frantic with worry, his whole body feeling a new kind of ache. It was unlike the pain of his injuries. This ache was duller, but it grasped tightly around the very core of his being.

He could hear a door being pulled open. Slowly opening his eyes, he looked across the room to see a towering yet slender figure. Her hair wasn't exactly grey, but a silver colour. She entered slowly, watching him curiously for only a moment before realizing that his eyes were indeed ever so slightly open.

"Lieutenant Kira!" she almost jumped with shock, rushing to his side. She knelt down, looking into his eyes to make sure he was conscious. He opened his mouth, but he was finding difficulty in forming words. She noticed, but shook her head and placed a hand on his.

"Please, Lieutenant, don't move. Your body is recovering, but its still in a very weakened state. We weren't sure you were going to make it," the silver-haired woman spoke, her throat feeling dry. Her eyes looked frightened, and the area around them looked red. He could tell, from that glance – This wasn't just about him. There were others – many others who had been injured or worse, killed during the battle.

"Lieutenant... Koutetsu..." he breathed weakly, his words barely a whisper.

"Kira, please," Isane begged him to stop, but he needed to know.

"What... Happened? Is Soul Society... Okay?" he spoke, his eyelids feeling empty. She didn't answer but the way her eyes watered over. The way she stayed deathly silent. The way concern took hold of her features. Nothing was okay.

Least of all Soul Society.