They weren't far from the south gate now, but Jidanbou had sunk unexpectedly into a deep and infallible slumber. Ichigo was grateful for bringing him to this point, but he decided that it would probably be better if he crept away during Jidanbou's much needed rest, as he carried him thus far without tarry. Ichigo would finish the final extent of the trek on his own, and not endanger anyone unnecessary.
Ichigo did not know where the south gate was. Well, he knew it was in the south, but that was it. He assumed he could guess the rest of the way by himself. Never eat shredded wheat, were his repetitive thoughts, but this only had the effect of spinning him about and dizzying his senses.
He continued in the direction Jidanbou had been taking, running in a straight path, but because he did know what the estimated time of arrival was, he really had no idea of he had chosen the correct path. The thought occurred him to ask someone for directions, but that posed a problem: there was no one else.
This sector of Rukongai was like the others, but worse. Everything was in shambles, not even a suitable environment for someone to endure living in. He cleared some of the rubble so he could sit, and rest, and think, and maybe get another bearing on which way south was.
He heard a noise, and recognized it as debris shifting. He turned in its direction, but whatever had caused it had passed, like a disappearing wind. He investigated nevertheless, as he was curious, since he shouldn't hear a noise in a desolate area like this.
He traced miniature footsteps to a collapsed shelter, where the straw rooftop had tilted in on one end. He slowly pushed open the creaking splintered wooden door, but it broke upon his touch. Inside was dark, save one small spot where the light of the sun snuck in through a crevice, the result of poor craftsmanship. In the light he saw the shadow of a figure, and without that clue he would not have known there was someone else present and beside him, almost invisible in the raggedy darkness.
He peered to get a glimpse of the face, but she emerged on her own, revealing high energy and liveliness and cuteness, especially when contrasted with her surroundings. She was very young, wore tattered clothing and held in her arms a slit teddy bear, but she still managed the epitome of adolescence. She shouted excitedly, "Hey, hey! Can I have your autograph?"
"What? My autograph?" Ichigo questioned, befuddles. He was still a little bit scared by the sudden appearance of an out-of-place girl.
"You're Kurosaki Ichigo, right? From Bleach B Station! I love your show! Let's see... my favourite corner is Spirit Buildup... no... Zanpakuto Naming Game! Guess what? I was the one who sent in Tatsuki's! She was my favourite guest! I couldn't reveal my name because my mother told me not to. I'm so happy she chose mine. I'm sure mother is happy too."
"Uh... so you wanted an autograph? You sure you don't want Rukia's instead?"
"No, why would I want hers? Here, you got 99 percent of the popularity vote. Only one person voted for Rukia. You're a star here, and you're my hero! Here, please sign Mamoriko's paw!" She held up her teddy bear.
"Sure, no problem." He was still a bit flustered by the whole situation. "Um, what was your name?"
"Me? My name?" Her voice was still high-pitched and elated, but it was almost as though she had not prepared an answer, even though she knew her hero would need her name if he was going to sign her an autograph, if he agreed. She was so happy that he did! He was so kind. "My name's Reiko. Mother gave me that name."
He signed, and was glad to see that he made the girl happy. He also realized that it was kind of a good feeling to have fans out here. He wondered how Rukia felt about all her fans at home. Sometimes, it looked like a burden, but it was also a sign that she was accepted.
"Thanks for the autograph, sir!" she said blissfully, then suddenly remembered to bow politely as her mother had told her to.
"It was my pleasure," he replied heartily. "So, where is your mother?"
"Mother?" Her voice changed slightly, similar to when she was confronted about her name. "Mother is not here. That's why I have Mamoriko to take care of me. Mother was kind. She told me stories. She tried to steal food from Sereitei to feed me. She snuck past the south guard, Hikonyuutou, but when she got inside, a scary shinigami captured her. She was executed, slit here, like Mamoriko, where the stuffing falls out. I couldn't forgive him, but it wasn't his fault; he was only doing his job, right? I was the one that told mother that I was hungry, so it's my fault, isn't it?"
"No... it's not your fault. Don't cry." He wasn't really sure what to do. "Are you hungry? I have candy. It's supposed to help stamina."
"That candy is... no, I can't. Mother forbade me to eat anything from Urahara. He is an evil man. He engineered Project Spear... anyway, I'm not hungry. I never ate again since that day. I don't need to eat. Here, you only get hungry if you use spiritual power, so I just have to make sure not to use any."
"You have spiritual power?"
"No, I don't. I can't even become a shinigami."
"Are you sure you don't want to eat anything? You look hungry. I know Urahara, so you can trust him." Actually, he didn't know Urahara well, but only trusted him because of the circumstances. There were a lot of things about him he felt were unclear. "Isn't there anything I can do to help?"
"Well, you could do a live broadcast of Bleach B Station, for me." Her eyes blinked shyly and her cheeks flushed a light pink.
"Live broadcast? Here? Alone? I mean... it's so on the spot." He saw her pouting face and realized there was no he could let down her hopes and shatter her already fractured heart. He adjusted the straw rooftop to let in more light, but it was hard to get a definite source and received more specks as they passed through slits between the straw pattern. "This is Bleach B Station!" He was really trying his best.
"Yaaaaaaaaay!" she cheered, with eager applause.
"Um, today is a special broadcast. I am your host, Kurosaki Ichigo. Today, Rukia is absent. Then, why don't I just start our first corner? Um..."
"Spirit Buildup!"
"Yes! Spirit Buildup. In this corner, I take fans' suggestions on how I can raise my spiritual power, but it really is more of a punishment game. So, let's see if there are any suggestions..."
"Hai!" She raised her hand, like a child in school fascinated by the prospect of learning.
"And what would you like to see Ichigo do?"
"To raise your spiritual power, please hug Mamoriko!"
"Hug? A teddy bear?"
"You don't want to?"
"Oh, I'll do it! I'll do it!" He was reluctant, but he didn't like to see her dampened face. Luckily, he wouldn't have to do it in the end, as she was tired, and yawned to show it.
Ichigo tried to find a comfortable spot for her, and laid her down to rest. He had been sidetracked momentarily, but now he could continue his quest and save the one he had come to save. He turned to leave, but Reiko grabbed his uniform.
"You're not going, are you? I'm scared at night. I can't sleep when there are monsters out there. Please, protect me, just for tonight."
"I'll stay. I promise."
"Thank you. I feel safe when I'm with you."
He knew monsters weren't real. He remembered seeing monsters when he was a child, but eventually he learned they were nothing more than a figment of his imagination, but he was tired too, and he wouldn't mind a good rest. He slouched against a wall near to Reiko, and listened to her sleep peacefully, and soon fell asleep himself.
In the sparkle of the moonlight, an army of hollows approached. Monsters were real. They were more than any mere fable or fairy tale.