Ichigo was still unsure about chasing Rukia. The biggest barrier was that he still hadn't regained his spiritual power. It wasn't for a lack of trying, as he had tried every single fan suggestion from the Spirit Buildup, including creating a hero theme song of going into a boutique, but nothing had worked. The fans were upset with his performance; there were rumours that Bleach B Station would end.
He still had a duty, however, to attend this week's recording despite the forces opposing him. Because he was so busy with the Spirit Buildup, he had forgotten to find a weekly personality and that only added to the public's fury. People were not looking forward to hearing his unfriendly voice alone on the radio.
When he arrived at the school, there was a large force opposing him: almost the entire school body was there protesting. They were demanding the return of someone; they for some reason didn't know her name, but knew she was a better host than Ichigo. The first thing that came into their minds was to blame him for her disappearance.
He tried to ignore them, make his way through the bustling crowd, but they were jeering, hurling rotten fruits and vegetables, even strawberries and pineapples. Others surrounded him and beat him to the ground. He couldn't break free easily, as though his physical strength depended on his spirit.
If there were any lingering doubts about whether or not chase Rukia, they ended then and there. Because of her, he had bruised and beaten; he stank with the stench of rotten produce, and he was hated by everyone. It was worse than when people hated him for his orange hair.
It was obvious that he had to save her. The world wasn't right without her. Even though these people didn't know her name, they still demanded her return. She had affected every single one of their lives, and with her gone, they lacked something in their daily lives (and the only way to fill the void was to beat up Ichigo).
He made his way to the studio, bleeding and broken. Even when he had fought hollows with Rukia, his injures weren't as bad, but he was determined to make the broadcast, in spite of the less than a minute of allotted space that was left.
Shaking and trembling from the severe pain, he brought his mouth to the microphone. Every word worsened his condition, but he spoke anyway, "Rukia, I will save you."
He collapsed to the floor, and looked to be prey to the protesters, who had developed devious plots involving permanent markers and a shaver, but after the words they seemed to lose their anger. They didn't apologize, but they didn't attack either. They left silently, leaving him alone in the radio room, rotting in pain.
Eventually, Tatsuki rushed into the room, having waited for the last moment before giving up on the radio and his voice. She was in tears when she saw him, lying in a mixture of his own blood and decayed nectar.
"If I didn't come," he said first, "the show would have been cancelled."
"Is it really that important?" she asked rhetorically. "It's just a dumb radio show that you don't even like. If this is what you have to do, then I don't want to listen anymore."
"I wouldn't be able to do this if there wasn't someone listening. Rukia must have heard. I have to keep this show alive until she returns, because this is her show."
"That's good Kurosaki," Urahara said suddenly, appearing when no one was looking. "It seems you've finally got your priorities straight. Then, will you train with me to get your powers back?"
"There's no time-"
"It takes seven days to open the gate to Soul Society. Basically, you will have until then to train, and you will have to survive one more broadcast. Don't worry, it won't be a problem as long as you have a guest."
"Who?"
"You know, Kurosaki, yet you still can't call out his name?"
Rukia heard someone knock on her door, so she quickly shut off her radio and hid it under her bed. Her heart was beating, since if she were caught, she would surely be punished. It wasn't a major offence, but she had already been exonerated from lending shinigami power to a human for some reason, so another mistake could cost her everything. Luckily, the one who entered was Renji.
"You were listening again, weren't you?" he demanded hoarsely.
"I wasn't," she lied meekly.
"Do you want to get into more trouble? It was already a miracle that you weren't executed for what you did earlier. You have to forget about him."
He left the room, leaving her alone in her room with a silent radio. It was a human radio, that belonged to Tatsuki, but Ichigo had almost lost. She had intended to return it, but things happened. It was strange that a small human radio could still connect to Bleach B Station from Soul Society, even if it was almost clouded with static. She wasn't sure, but she thought she heard Ichigo say her name. It was nice to hear him say her name, even though she knew it was impossible for him to remember. She said his name quietly to herself, thinking it might be the last time she ever said it. Forgetting the name was one thing, but her feelings were another.