A/N: I'm so sorry about the long waiting. Maybe it is not so smart trying to write two stories at the same time. I'm sorry, won't do that again, ever again... Maybe that's why this chapter became so short... But this is the second last chapter: the next one will be the last one. It will be longer than this, I promise. :)

Warnings: English is not my mothrer language so grammar mistakes, errors, missing/wrong word(s) are very possible. Please try to understand, I still do my best, always.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Bleach and the characters belong to Tite Kubo. I don't ge any profit from doing this. This is just a pure fanfiction!

I hope you like, even this became really too short... Sorry.

Chapter 10 - Bloody rain

All the Captains - minus Kenpachi - were now gathered together. They were the only ones who were still able to stand up. Everyone else had collapsed.

"Any stragedy?"

"Yes."

"Well, what is it?"

"Just rush straight at it."

Everyone looked at Captain Commander Yamamoto. The old man just grinned.

...

"What do you mean you can't join our attack, Ichigo?" Kenpachi growled. "You bastard!"

"I don't have my blade, idiot!" Ichigo waved his arms. "I left it behind at 6th Division's barracks! How many times do I have to repeat myself to you?"

Kenpachi shook his head and sighed. He turned his full attention towards Ikkaku. He had collapsed. Kenpachi sighed and looked at Yachiru.

"You stay here and take care of these idiots", he said simply.

"Yay! Okay, Ken-chan! Go and kill that monster!"

...

Ichigo felt somehow guilty when he saw how Kenpachi rushed towards the creepy hollow. He could not stop thinking it was his fault, all this. He still could not quite understand how it was possible that that hollow was after him... Nevertheless, he knew that everyone else had to try to fight against it. Even it was he who should have done all that fighting...

He sat down, next to Ikkaku's collapsed and unconscious body and just looked how all the rest of the captains joined Kenpachi's one-man war against the hollow.

Ichigo could hear all the screaming and fighting but could not do anything. He sighed. He felt so guilty...

...

"The hell you think you're doing?" Kenpachi roared when he tried to stay on hollow's hand, waving his blade, piercing, and cutting many smaller hollows. "Go away!"

Byakuya just sighed. He had used to this...

"We're in this fight together, Zaraki", he stated calmly. "I can't let you to do all the fighting all by yourself."

"Shit with that!" Kenpachi waved his blade towards Byakuya, who dodged and looked angrily at Kenpachi.

Rukia had also joined the attack. She was the only one beside all the captains who had not collapsed. Even breathing and moving was hard for her she still did the best she could...

Everyone else also did their best. The hollow glared them and tried to hit them with his arms, all the six of them. However, it seemed to be quite hard since it was so fat: moving seemed to be hard to it.

Nevertheless, it still sucked their energies and the battle seemed to be hopeless. They did not have much time left and they could not cut hollow's thick skin.

"Fuck!" Kenpachi ripped his eye patch off. "This is not funny anymore! This is not a fair fight..."

...

Ichigo was running. He had had a thought. Yachiru followed him. Kuukaku, Ganju and Ikkaku had been left behind: Ichigo had run off too fast for them to follow him.

"Where are you going, Ichi?" Yachiru had no difficulties to keep up with Ichigo. "Why are you running?"

"I just got an idea", Ichigo shouted back. "I have to help Kenpachi and the others even I don't have my blade right now!"

"How?" Yachiru frowned.

"Ganju and his sister are making fireworks", Ichigo said back. "I want to try one trick..."

...

"Stay together!" Captain Hitsugaya shouted. "We have to do this together!"

"Go to hell!" Kenpachi roared back. "We don't have any time for tactical meetings!"

"Listen to me, bastards!" Captain Hitsugaya had difficulties to breath: he had several wounds and his shirt had been ripped. "We... have to..." The world went black for him. His eyes lost their light and he just fell.

If the situation would not have been so bad somebody might have helped him: now they had to left him fall down - where also captains Kurotsuchi, Komamura and Soi Fon were...

"Fourth", captain Unohana panted when she looked how Hitsugaya fell. "This is really bad now..."

"Oh, god dammit!" Kenpachi roared. "This is that orange ass hair's fault! If he would not ha - !"

There was a flash of light and strange hissing sound. Kenpachi blinked and Unohana jolted when something came somewhere behind them, passed them and went straightforward.

There were smoke, fire and burning sound...

"What...?" Kenpachi blinked again.

"Canon ball?" Unohana suggested.

They had no time to disgust about the matter any further. The hollow also heard the strange sound and saw the fire. It turned his head and - unluckily - opened his mouth. Only a little bit but it was enough. The strange object disappeared to his mouth.

...

Ichigo counted seconds. He had almost screamed when he had almost hit Unohana and Kenpachi whit his homemade firework. Those two did not even move. Ichigo had used all the gunpowder he had found and that was a lot. His aim had not been so good - and he had not planed that the hollow would swallow his firework.

For a moment, he feared it had not worked - when there was this weird sound. Like a muffled explosion. The hollow's eyes almost popped and a huge wound appeared there where his tummy had been just a seconds ago.

Dark, thick liquid poured out. The hollow screamed...

"You did it, Ichi!" Yachiru cheered. "You killed it! Yew, it has strange blood..."

Ichigo tried to smile but could not. His plan would have gone right - but his plan had one bad side effect. When he had managed to explode the hollow's stomach off, it was like Kenpachi had said: like a big water balloon. The hollow shrank - and now it was small enough to fit trough the hole.

Obviously it was not stupid. It leapt - and flied straight towards Ichigo.

"Oh, shit..." Ichigo could not move. He had no place to hide: he was at Ganju's home and there were no trees or bushes anywhere too nearby.

"Yachiru!" Ichigo almost hit the girl. "Run! Fast!"

"But, Ichi, I - "

Ichigo saw hollow's hand coming closer, fast, even to Ichigo it seemed like a slow motion.

"Ichigo!" Rukia screamed.

"Kurosaki, run!" Shunsui roared.

Many captains and other shinigamis sprinted towards Ichigo, along with Rukia, but they all were too far. They would never reach Ichigo in time.

For a moment Ichigo thought only of his family: what would happen to them now? If he would die... What would happen to them? Who would take care of them? It was too cruel. They had already lost mother, they did not deserve this...

Hollow's claws reached for his heart.

Something blocked his view.

"Wh -?" Ichigo blinked.

The hollow had aimed for Ichigo's heart but instead of him it had strike to someone else... Someone was there in front of Ichigo. Blood. Blood raining on Ichigo from horrible wounds...

Ichigo could horrible feeling in his chest: his heart was aching and he could suddenly feel tears in his eyes.

"Kenpachi..."

"Ken-chan!"

Yachiru's scream had to be the most horrible one Ichigo had ever heard - and he never wanted hear anything like that again.

"Ken-chan!" Yachiru screamed as the tall shinigami fell.