The highway was busy in the afternoon rush hour. Ichigo swore to himself that he had not thought of this before, for example, before he traveled away from the place where the Organization probably was busy boxing up his dead partner's body in one of their cars.
Ichigo knew they would find his bullet either inside or outside the body and understand that it was he who had shot down and incapacitated his own assistant, his own partner. But he had not had time to remove the bullet from Chad's forehead, it would have taken far too long, and he had not had the time. And although he would have had it, the organization would target their first suspicions on either Rukia or himself, because they could not get any contact with him.
Then the questions would begin to get asked. Why had he done it? Was it a conspiracy, was he thinking of betraying the Organization after 15 years of service with them? Or had he been captured by Kuchiki Rukia and she had it look as if he had murdered his partner, when it was she who might have fired the shot?
After the coroner had been able to take a look at the body, they would all understand that it was he himself, Kurosaki Ichigo, who had fired the fatal shot, and with this new information, they would do all they could to take him as a prisoner and ask him about what had actually happened. After hearing him Ichigo knew very well what would happen. Something that he really did not want to think about right now.
Unfortunately for them, Ichigo had absolutely no plan on being captured and being interrogated by them. Sure, they would try, they really would. The only problem was that he would as well.
Along the way, Ichigo had had some time alone to think about the situation he was in. He was still not sure why he had done as he had. Was it because of the doubt to the mission itself, or was it because he no longer trusted the Organization? Rukia did not seem to be the type of person who could put the Organization at risk. Sure, she could always play along in his "little game", as she probably saw it, only to then kill him when he knew enough about her for it to be dangerous for her.
But that he did not think. There was something about Rukia that gave Ichigo a sense of security and truth. When he looked at her at that moment when she had put a gun towards him, was all he could see in her warmness.
Not that cold, hard expression that all assassins like himself had every time they stared their prey in the eye.
"Excuse me for asking", he heard a voice say, and thus interrupted his thoughts.
Rukia looked at him with a compassionate face. "I'm sorry about this with your partner, but I really need to know why you did it?"
Ichigo did not answer directly at Rukia's question. He needed time to think over his reply. Not that he would not answer Rukia's question. He did not even know himself, why he had shot his partner.
Ichigo did not like to lie, and if he could, he avoided it gladly.
"If you want me to be honest with you, I will be that too. To tell the truth I do not even know myself why I did what I did. When I saw your face among all the people the only thing I had in the skull was to complete the mission." Ichigo became quiet and pondered how to continue.
Could he really reveal this for Rukia, the person he had in mission to murder, to destroy? If he did, he was in even greater danger than he was before. Now it was the question of life or death.
Yes, he could, he decided. There was something about Rukia who told Ichigo that she was not the ruthless, terrible tyrant who the Organization described her to be. On the contrary, Rukia seemed to be a warm person with a good heart who wanted people well. She had an eye on weapons and could very well work for another organization that he did not know about. Even if that was the case, Ichigo did not believe on the theory that she could be as dangerous as the Organization said she was.
During the silence that occurred Ichigo noticed that Rukia moved her eyes from him and out through the car window. In her face Ichigo for a second could catch a glimpse of recognition and sadness pass in her dark blue eyes.
"I know how it feels, Kurosaki Ichigo. Many years ago, I also had to shoot a partner. Or, he was actually more than a partner at that time, if you know what I mean by that.
In any case, it happened during a mission that I volunteered myself to because I did not want to risk anyone else's safety than my own, since I had heard stories of other couples who had been victims of terrible situations where nothing was the same again afterwards. I did not want the same thing to happen between me and my partner. Though, as you probably already know from personal experience, Ichigo, people do not always listen to you."
A sad smile took shape on Rukia's lips and a single tear took the opportunity to pour down her cheek. Ichigo, who had since long stopped at a rest stop (despite the risk that the Organization was right behind them), wiped the tear from Rukia's cheek.
"Yes, I'm afraid that I too well understand what you mean, Kuchiki Rukia ..." Ichigo said, looking sadly at the young, sad woman next to him.
Rukia nodded and looked into his eyes before she continued her story. "He came to me just before I would go off and gave me the good news that 'Guess what, Rukia? I will also join and help you', which became one of his last words..."
"What happened?" Ichigo laid his hand on Rukia's shoulder and stroked it slowly. Apparently the gesture worked, because Rukia immediately became much calmer and was able to continue to ease her heart to a man who had the task of eliminating her and make sure she never came back.
"We had been asked, or rather I had been instructed, to find out more about a particular person's life habits such as where the person worked, went out on weekends, which staff the person was socialized with, and things like that. I will not mention his/her name or appearance, since this is classified information. It's bad enough that I mention just this small piece for you, Ichigo."
Ichigo nodded. He understood exactly what Rukia meant, since he had handled classified material many times.
"When we got to the place where the person we would look for would be, we got us a real surprise. Before we knew it the car was surrounded by at least ten muscular men in 30-40 years of age. All wore the same tattoo and clothing, which meant that we immediately became suspicious.
Sure enough, soon the person that we were waiting for came out of the shadows and told us that unless we wanted to be thrown in a ditch somewhere and let the worms eat up what could possibly be left of us, we should cooperate.
The person in question also said that he/she had known of for some time now that we had shadowed him/her. The person knew why and if we wanted to get out of this alive, we would be forced to cooperate and do exactly as he/she said.
To this day I blame only myself over what happened next. My partner, who never surrendered without a fight, opened the car door and began firing wildly as he told me to warn the others and put myself in safety."
New tears rose in Rukia's eyes and she stroked them irritated away. "Before they had time to react and take up their guns, my partner had managed to shoot down four or five of the ten men standing around the car. Before they could catch him, he had succeeded in bringing down two more. By then it was only one guard on my side as I quickly managed to shoot down before I warned the other over the radio about the situation we found ourselves in.
It was only then that I discovered that the three men who were still alive - two of them stuck to my partner, and the third man was the one that we have been asked to shadow - had captured my partner. The scene is forever imprinted in my brain. I will never forget his beautiful face that I will never again be able to hold with my hands..."
A pair of arms were around her, and before Rukia knew what happened she was in Ichigo's arms with tears running down her cheeks.
"My beloved Renji, I will never again be able to hold him or hear his voice that whispers in my ear how much he likes me..."
Ichigo wanted to ask Rukia a question about this Renji, because it was something with him that seemed familiar. At the same time he was afraid of hurting Rukia even more if he actually spoke.
He took a chance. "Rukia, I do not want to make you even sadder now or so, but in what way was Renji executed?"
First Rukia did not answer, but just sat there lost in the terrible memories that tore out her heart. "He was shot in the heart. I shot a bullet right through it because I was forced to it. I was captured by the person we were watching and he/she told me that I must execute Renji, the man whom I loved so much. If not, he/she would not just kill me, but my whole family and all those who had ever loved me...
Renji looked up at me as he stood with bent knees and a gun pressed against the back of his head. A smile played on his lips when he said 'Rukia, I want you to do this for me, for us. If you do not shoot me, all of yours and my family will be affected as well. Do not do that against them, Rukia. They do not deserve to be punished because of my stupidity. I know you do not want to do this, but you have to. Do it for me, it will be a relief for me. I love you and have always loved you, Rukia, you know that, right?'
I could not do anything but nod as I pulled out my gun that I had in a gun holster around my waist. My hand was shaking like a leaf, but I could not help it. Whole I screamed no, I cannot do it!, but when I saw Renji's smiling face... it was as if he touched something deep within me.
So yes, I shot him in the heart with the same gun that I was aiming at you with over there at your partner's dead body. This gun has been through a lot. It even heard when I whispered 'I love you' to Renji before I pulled the trigger..."
Ichigo felt as if someone had taken away his ability to breathe. It was as he had feared all the time since Rukia had mentioned her lover Renji's death. It was just one more question he must ask and get an answer to before he could say with certainty that it was true, what he feared.
"Rukia, it's very important that you respond honestly to this question I will ask you, do you understand?"
"Yes, but why..." began Rukia, but Ichigo interrupted her by putting his hand in front of her face.
"I'll explain later, okay? Trust me, Rukia. Did Renji have red hair and black tattoos that began at his temples, and that went down along with his entire back?"
"Yes, that's Renji! But how can you know...?" Rukia was again interrupted by Ichigo. The difference this time was that now it was the words that Ichigo pronounced her to become quite pale as a sheet.
"Did the soldiers who Renji attacked have this tattoo engraved on their forearm?" Ichigo pulled up his sleeve and showed Rukia the tattoo that he had get tattooed the same day he had become one with the Organization, which was placed on his forearm.
The tattoo was in the shape of a quadrangle with a straight line across.
Ichigo did not have to get any response from Rukia, because he could by just looking at her pale face indicate what the answer was.
"Renji is my best friend. Abarai Renji is working with me for the Organization that killed him, Soul Society. Abarai Renji did not die that day when you and he were on an assignment, Rukia.
Abarai Renji rose from the dead."
