It had been a week since her departure, and she really had disappeared from the world. Nobody remembered her or mentioned her; she slipped completely from memory to the effect where it seemed she never existed to begin with, but she did. Slowly, and painfully, Ichigo was beginning to remember her, but to him it seemed more like a punishment than a blessing as there was nothing for him to do but endure in a world without her by his side.
The feeling he disliked most was the one he got when he watched the others, act normally, like it was a day like any other day, happily discussing with one another despite Rukia's disappearance. Rukia was once the school's most popular radio personality, and now no one even knew who she was.
He wanted to talk with someone, but there was no one to talk to. She was gone, and he was alone, and nobody could possibly offer what he wanted. That was what he thought.
"Why is Rukia gone?" Tatsuki asked suddenly. He hadn't even noticed her approach.
"You... remember?" Ichigo seemed to be lifted from his dark state. Hearing her name from someone else's voice was like a gift, giving him hope, and reminding him of the existence of others.
"I remember her absolutely clearly. How about you?"
"I only remember a bit. I guess it's because my spiritual energy is slowly returning to normal, and I've started to see ghosts again, but it's not as strong as before."
"But it's there. That means you can still communicate. The other world, where Rukia is - it is now not as far as it was before."
"I have no idea of how to get there, and she went there willingly. That much I remember."
"You seem to have forgotten that the angel wanted to stay. It was only because of circumstances that she had to leave." She substituted characters in place of their real names. "The prince and the angel loved each other, and they wanted to stay together, even if it broke the laws of Soul Society. That's how strong their love was. They wouldn't give up, even in this situation."
"I don't even know where to start."
"Well, why don't you start with today's radio? If you don't go soon, you'll be late."
"What's the point of doing it alone? Rukia was the only attraction. Now nobody is going to listen."
"I told you before, I will listen. I have a judo tournament coming up, but as long as you speak, I'll try to check in between matches."
"There's no guest."
"I'll-"
"It's a little silly to give up on the inter-high finals just for a radio show," a mystery voice projected. A man wearing sandals and a uniform with matching hat with green and white stripes, while carrying a cane and fan, entered. "How do you do? My name is Urahara Kisuke. I will be today's guest."
"Who are you? I can sense strong spiritual power from you."
"Excellent. So you can sense my spiritual energy. I suggest you do as you originally planned and listen between matches. There may be some things that are of interest you. Don't worry. I'll make sure that this boy speaks. Now, Kurosaki, it is time for Bleach B Station!"
"This is Bleach B Station," Ichigo said morosely, with almost a negligible voice. "Our, I mean, my guest for today is... well I forgot his name. We'll hear from him after a commercial break."
"It's a little early for the first break, isn't it?" Urahara stated.
"I don't feel like talking."
"That's no good, Kurosaki! Being the host of a popular radio show is not something you can treat so lightly. People count on your voice to lift their spirits. I wonder how many peoples' mood depended on your show."
"It was all because of Rukia."
"Then it's vital that she returns, isn't it?"
"There's nothing I can do."
"If you feel that way, then how will your listeners act?"
"There are no listeners."
"Really? Tatsuki is waiting for your voice, Kurosaki. If you're not lively, the radio will transmit your sadness to her, and it will affect her performance. This is the finals, you know. The competition is fierce. If she goes in with the wrong attitude, she might even die." His face and eyes were so dark and serious that Ichigo actually believed him, but he suddenly became easygoing, and slapped his back as he laughed, telling him he had no sense of humour.
"Welcome back." He obviously had neither listened sincerely, nor made any effort to improve the spirit in his voice.
"This is Urahara, Kisuke, owner of the local variety shop! We sell all sorts of merchandise, including bait, candy... we have some illegal stuff too-"
"We aren't here to advertise."
"You still haven't decided to lighten up? Maybe if you see for yourself the result of your actions, you will realize. I have set up a small stall at the gymnasium, with refreshments, cheap of course! If you like what you see, then make sure to check out my main store. This concession, will also allow us to cover the finals live, but first, I've developed a new corner for this show: Spirit Buildup! During this corner, we'll take fans' suggestions on how to raise Kurosaki's spirit (spiritual power). In other words, it's really like a Kurosaki punishment game. Everyone, try your best to make a fool out of him! It seems we've already got our first suggestions. Please read it, Kurosaki."
"To raise your spirits, please eat a sandwich with ramen, black bean sauce, and bean sprouts as the filling. On the bread, spread ketchup and soy sauce. I promise it is very tasty. This will surely raise your spirits."
"Well, what do you think?"
"There's no way this can raise someone's spirit. It makes no sense."
"What are you talking about? This is a devoted fan. This person believes that this will raise your spirit, because this person likes to hear your voice. If you believe in your fan, it will work! Now, it's time to check on the match."
In the gymnasium, there was a terribly small stall, unprofessionally labelled "Urahara Concession." The one operating it was Ururu, who was crying because she wasn't getting any customers. She reported to the radio station that Tatsuki had made it to the finals, and was facing a tough opponent in last year's champion, then continued crying.
Jinta reprimanded her on her poor customer service performance physically by pulling on her hair, but then suddenly seemed to remember something and became serious, and reminded her that "it was time."
Ururu snuck through the crowd, and it was easy to do because she was small and no one noticed her. She brought a thin tube, a small projectile shooter to her lips, then blew into it, releasing a tiny ball. It successfully entered the mouth of Tatsuki's opponent, and something changed.
Before the match even started, her opponent attacked with inhuman strength, causing Tatsuki to crash through a set of bleachers. Ururu, returning to her stall, reported to the radio that the opponent had gone berserk, and that Tatsuki, as well as the spectators, were in danger.
Both Ichigo and Urahara abandoned the radio to go the gymnasium as quick as possible. "Do you think you can do anything, Kurosaki?" Urahara asked mockingly. "Your spiritual power isn't very strong right now."
"That doesn't matter," he told him quickly. "She's in danger. I have to help her."
"It looks like you're starting to return to the right attitude, Kurosaki."
By the time they arrived, most of the spectators had fled, except for Orihime. Tatsuki's opponent slowly traveled towards her. Tatsuki, appeared to be already injured, but she tried to restrain the berserker from behind, but ended up being pounded again through another set of bleachers. Ichigo tried to do something, but the berserker's spiritual pressure alone halted him in his tracks.
Ururu decided that she should interfere, but Urahara raised his arm to stop her. "He's not the only one I'm testing," he told her.
When Tatsuki saw the berserker grab Orihime's neck, and begin choking her, her body that didn't want to, was to hurt to, move, moved. In her head, instead of words like "run away" or "give up," the only thoughts that occurred to her were to protect Orihime, and then the words that were waiting to be called, came to her naturally.
"Makenai, Mamorimaru!" she shouted, and her zanpakuto appeared, a blade approximately double the size of Ichigo's. It was a long pole, with blades sprouting from the both ends on opposite sides, and they grew in size as they reached the centre, leaving only a small space for Tatsuki to handle it with one hand. Even though it was large, it seemed to glow, a flashing pink, as though it were weightless, allowing Tatsuki to wield it as though it were light yet deal a blow equal to a bulky weapon.
With one smooth stroke, the berserker was unconscious. She collapsed too, and her zanpakuto disappeared, but Ichigo caught her. "I'm sorry," he said. "My voice is supposed to raise the spirits of others listening to the radio, but I needed you to raise mine. Thank you."
"That's why I'm here," she replied, smiling through the pain. "I'm your biggest fan."