As promised, here is chapter two for those of you who liked the first chapter and are looking forward to more. I actually had quite a bit of fun when I wrote this chapter, namely towards the very end. I got to toy around with it a bit.

As far as formatting, I'm sure you will be able to tell what's going on based on how it is incorporated.

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach or it's characters, only the OCs that have been thrown around in this story.

Blood had splayed across her vision, drowning her in a sea of red. Dark chuckles of her former captain echoed in her ears as she stared into the wide, lifeless eyes of her strong, hardened lieutenant. It was his blood in her eyes. The red tinge brought with it darkness, and she watched her lieutenant fall to the ground at her feet, his own life-force pooling around the limp body. The Hollow-like mask on her former captain's face split open, down the middle, to reveal a new identity. The demon before her was Lieutenant Hisagi.

She screamed.

Sleep had come easily to Kagami, but not rest. Her dreams had been plagued by images of Tousen's attack, and Hisagi's sacrifice. That haunted her the most: her lieutenant's death. His wide, pain-stricken eyes, his blood splaying across her body; it all attacked her as she slept. It was the reason she hated when Taro put her down the way he had when Renji visited. That method only made her dreams more vivid, and more delusionary. A shudder rippled through her body as she stared up at the ceiling of her room. She just didn't have it in her to get up yet. Besides, she was sure they'd just hold her down again.

"How are you feeling?" a Soul Reaper medic asked. Her name was Mika. Kagami had found her to be a compassionate young woman in the few days since the attack.

"Tell Taro to stop doing that to me," Kagami answered flatly, never taking her eyes off the ceiling. She knew Mika would understand the meaning of her statement. It hadn't been the first time they had to forcibly put her to sleep, though Kagami felt it to be unnecessary.

"You were getting upset and he had to calm you."

"Calm? My induced naps are a far cry from calming. I feel more tired now than I did before."

"What's the problem?"

Kagami hesitated for a moment. "Nightmares," she whispered. "Bad ones."

Kagami finally pulled her gaze away from the ceiling to look at the blond Soul Reaper seated beside her. Mika was always the one she woke up to and Kagami was beginning to wonder if that was done purposely. Mika was easier to talk to than many of the other Soul Reapers in the Forth Division.

"Do you want to tell me about them?" Mika asked quietly. Kagami shook her head slowly, closing her eyes.

"I'd rather not," she muttered with a sigh.

She heard shifting noises as Mika quietly left the room, allowing Kagami to be alone with her thoughts. Kagami lifted her right hand above her head and stared at it. Her ability to fight would be greatly diminished, she knew. She also knew that her position as Third Seat would be in danger because of that. With a sigh, Kagami draped her arm over her stomach again. She wasn't sure what to do next.

'You're tough, kid. Keep that up.' Kagami smiled softly, closing her eyes again. Shuhei Hisagi had told her that on her first field training mission, back in her freshman year, which was also his sixth.

Kagami had been walking with the teammates assigned to her, Eriko Misashi and Nagataka Fuume. Both were freshmen in the advanced class, like herself. They were patrolling their area of the training ground when they heard the ear-piercing scream of a woman.

"The hell was that?" Kagami asked, reaching for the sword she'd been given for this training assignment.

"Let's check it out," Nagataka answered and the three of them ran to the source of the scream. More students had gathered in fear-stricken awe at the Huge Hollow that had arrived. Kagami wondered how such a beast had entered the barrier created by the advanced sixth-year students.

"Kanisawa-senpai," Eriko murmured softly, her hand covering her mouth.

Kagami followed her teammate's gaze to see the young woman on Hisagi's team hanging limply from the claw of the Huge Hollow. There was so much blood. Splashes of red dripped from the hollow's claws like wet paint. The blood oozed from the wound in her abdomen, flowing down her cold body and leaving pools of dark liquid in puddles beneath her limp body. Kanisawa was flung away, as though she was merely garbage, and Kagami watched in horror as Aoga tried to attack, having the same fate as his female teammate.

"Fall back! First-year students, run away! RUN, damn it! Get out of here as fast as you can!" Hisagi ordered, unsheathing his sword.

Kagami could not only hear the fear in his voice, but saw it in the way he held himself. This was a disaster. As she stared at the Huge Hollow that had killed two sixth-year students, Kagami froze. She didn't want to die there, before she had a chance to become a Soul Reaper. Her knees gave out beneath her while the other students ran, screaming in terror. Kagami couldn't even do that much as her wide eyes began to glaze over in tears. She wrapped her arms around herself, feeling an unfamiliar hole in her abdomen, and she couldn't stop the tears as they began flowing freely down her cheeks.

"Kagami, run!" Eriko screamed, tugging on the red-head's arm. She gave up after receiving no response and ran for her life, leaving Kagami behind.

"Soul Society! This is an emergency request for immediate backup! Sixth-year Acting Instructor Shuhei Hisagi, reporting! We're in the mortal world! A Huge Hollow is attacking at Location 1026 by Northwest 2128!"

Hisagi was screaming into the communication device around his neck and Kagami's fear only rose more. He'd seemed so calm and collected for much of the day, leading Kagami to believe he wasn't easily frightened. She knew the situation would only get worse. Another Huge Hollow suddenly appeared, seemingly from out of nowhere. Hisagi registered its attack too late. He jumped back as the Hollow's claws dug into his flesh, ripping into his face. Hisagi's right eye was clouded by his own blood streaking before it. Kagami barely registered her jaw dropping, knowing his reputation for being such a great fighter.

"Hisagi-senpai!" she screamed, finally finding her voice. Hisagi glanced over his shoulder at her, his left eye wide.

"Get out of here, dammit!"

Kagami shook her head and stood as the second Huge Hollow moved in for another attack. She ran to Hisagi's side, blocking the first attack with her sword and earning a shallow cut on her left cheek. A thin stream of blood fell from her cheek as more claws approached at an alarming speed. Kagami squeezed her eyes shut, anticipating an end like Kanisawa and Aoga. The sound of metal clashing caused her to look, where she saw Renji, Izuru and Momo stopping the other claws with their swords.

"You're a freakin' idiot, Kagami!" Renji growled, his arms trembling under the weight of the Hollow's attack.

"You three, too!" Hisagi yelled, shocked to see the first-year students defending him.

"Please forgive us for disobeying your orders," Izuru pled.

"And don't overlook that we're savin' your ass, here!" Renji added. Momo placed her hands in front of her, preparing for a Kido spell.

"Great Sovereign! Mask of blood and flesh: All things in Heaven and Earth: Fluttering Wings: The one crowned with the name of Man! Raging heat and bitter discord! The seawall seethes and advances South! Hadou #31! Shakka Hou!" the petite girl yelled, a red orb of energy erupting from her hands. The attack struck the Hollow in the face, exploding on contact in a fiery blast. Renji and Izuru leaned forward in anticipation and Kagami could see the excitement on their faces.

"No," Hisagi muttered and Kagami's grip on her sword tightened. As the smoke cleared, more Huge Hollows were revealed.

"Im-Impossible," Izuru murmured, taking a step back. "No… no… I don't want to die…" He took another step back, trembling in fear. The Hollows advanced and Izuru screamed in terror. Kagami could feel the panic flowing through her veins.

"Shut up, Izuru!" she yelled, gripping the hilt of her sword tightly in both hands. "Now's not the time to lose it!"

Hypocritical, Kagami later realized, but necessary to keep him, and herself, calm enough to fight. Each student gripped their swords tightly as the Huge Hollows neared. Suddenly, a beam of light tore through the creatures, slicing them in half and shocking the five academy students.

They had been saved by Captain Aizen and his lieutenant, Gin Ichimaru. Kagami figured it to be one of the best memories she had of those backstabbing bastards. The next day, Hisagi had found Kagami and roughly patted her shoulder.

"Good job, yesterday," he had said. They were simple words, but they gave Kagami strength in her freshman year. She had impressed a sixth-year student, and that was enough to keep her going for a long time.

'Keep strong, Kagami. You'll make it far.'

Kagami shook her head slowly with a slight chuckle. She'd been hearing her late lieutenant's voice since coming to the Forth Division. Was she crazy, she wondered, or just mourning? Crazy people didn't know they were crazy, so she'd heard. Did they question their sanity? Did questioning her sanity mean she was sane?

"Stupid circular cause-and-effect," Kagami muttered with a sigh.

Please R&R.