Just read the latest chap of bleach manga. It makes me sad that Ichigo totally lost all his shinigami powers in order to defeat Aizen. that's the whole reason why i did this little monologue. So this is basically set years after Ichigo lost his powers and turned back into an ordinary man. This is from Rukia's POV. She thinks that she's totally forgotten by Ichigo after several years. Since Ichigo lost his powers, I thought that he won't be able to see Rukia in her shinigami form anymore.

REMEMBERING...

It's been a long time since I've last seen you. You seemed to have grown more than I expected. You're taller and broader. You must be in collage now. Is that what they call it? After you finish high school? I freakin' forgot, but I know, it's close to that. I can still remember when I attended your school, like a normal student, like a normal person. You'd showed me how it is to be normal. That there's no boundaries, no limitations, that sometimes, you bend the rules, sometimes, you stay tamed and grounded.

Yeah, the familiarity is still there, it's all coming back now. I can't believe that I just remembered it now, the feeling of being free. Being free to be what you want to be. You'd taught me to feel more and act more and believe more to what others can do for you. That you don't always need to rely on yourself, that sometimes, it is best if you also let others worry and care for you 'cause they can give you the right advices and help you decide on which path to take forward.

I can feel it now, all the emotions you'd taught me, though you thought it was me who'd been teaching you all along. In those times we're together, I learned more from you. You helped me face my inner demons and shattered all my anxieties. You made me understand what family is all about. Now, I am truly grateful for everything you did to me. I wish I had influenced you the same way, though, I admit... you did more good things to me than what I did for you.

Can you hear me? I am just standing right outside your house. My hair's a little longer and it's getting wavier. But other than that, nothing major changed in me. I am still the same girl you met years back. Same haughty purple eyes... same sad smile.

I missed you. Gee, that sounds really touching. Bet you never heard that from me before, yet it's true, I simply missed you. I miss your house, I miss us going to your school and coming back home together. I miss your sisters, gee, I even miss your father. I miss Yuzu's cooking, I miss those days in the park when we just hang around after school. I miss busting outside your window, getting prepared for our late night's 'work' . I miss the wooden smell of your closet, the laughter we shared, the way we bicker to prove who's better, the amusing way you insult my drawings, the intense way you look at me in every goodbyes and reunions we've had. I miss you in your shinigami clothes... I miss it when you call out my name..

Shit, the rain's starting to fall down. Big droplets of water are trying to drown my feet. Can you hear them falling from where you're at? Can you hear me when I say your name against the sound of the rain? Can you hear my silent cry?

I'm not really used to this. This is not me. This is not the Rukia you know.

But do you still know me? Do you still remember me? I'm hoping you do. Even if you now have a different life of your own, even though you're so into internship and attending to those patients' needs. I'm still hoping and wishing someday you'll remember, because I always do and I always will...

Without you, there's no heart...