The range of typical reactions she would have expected did not include a semi-panicked hushing attempt. His already spikey hair seemed to stand on edge just a touch more. Forgetting her incredulous indignation at being stranded, her new confusion was his behavior.

"Eh? What's with you?"

"Not so loud! Think of my neighbors!"

Rukia quirked a disbelieving eyebrow "You were much louder just now" suppressing a smirk she sighed in relief in such a way it could have been mistaken for exasperation. Renji was glancing about worriedly as if he expected a rukongai vendor to come at him with a stick for stealing sweets. These were not the actions of a battle hardened warrior; they were the actions of a boy who was on the verge of being caught doing something he shouldn't.

"…Renji?" it was her time for a laying down questions by tone, most pertinently what did you do with a side of should we be making a run for it?
An irritated screech erupted from somewhere within the house, that was closely followed by quickly approaching grumbles.

"Too late" he mumbled mournfully.

Before another word could be edged in a wrinkled dour face was glowering down on both of them.

"Kids these days! Young man I believe I made the ground rules perfectly clear! In all my days I've never seen such lack of manners! How is it you've been here so little time and you're already bringing home some street punk woman? Probably fighting and carrying on all hours of the night! Why I ought to call the police! Darn hooligans why in my day….!" The rant continued in all its fury

Renji stopped wilting under her gaze to ponder what 'police' might be, it definitely sounded like a threat. Gathering his resolve to let loose his delinquent streak and retaliate with his own tongue lashing on Rukias behalf he was stopped cold by a tearful sniff.

Rukia had dipped gracefully into a very refined bow. "Ma'am, if not for him…" She let the statement hang before launching into a narrative about an assault by a drunken foreigner. The quivering of her slight frame and the exposed blood crusted scrapes and bruises added weight to her words. The tirade paused and the old hags face softened, into something that could have passed for motherly concern if not for her bulldog like jowls. Rukia withdrew from her submissive pose, with serenely downcast eyes; and in doing so noticed the semi-transparency of the woman as the sun rose high enough to strike through her person.

"Oh you poor thing" she crooned. "No need to worry now"

Turning swiftly to Renji she snarled "Why didn't you tell me sooner? Well? Get to it then!"

Renji looked at her as if she'd grown an extra head "what exactly?"

The hag in return eyed him as though he had half the sense of a toddler and began sparing no detail on exactly what he should be doing to assist her new guest.

"I'd tend you myself dear but all this ruckus has worn me out I'll be taking a nap for a bit, stay as long as you like." Rukia vaguely wondered if the hag knew about the nature of her death.

Rukias features were heavy with thought by the time Renji had finished his instructions. It wasn't much of a surprise that she would jump when he grabbed her ankle to start working on the first of her injuries.

"Foreigner?" He queried

"A grain of truth lends to credibility. You can't exactly say that hollows are documented citizens.
Besides there was a human war a long time ago that for the elder generation lends to certain…if not patriotism"

"I get it." He interjected

"So why didn't you send her to soul society yet?"

"At first, I thought I could learn about the living world from her, then that she could keep scaring off the humans from this house."

"…and then?"

"I'm tempted" he smirked wolfishly "but I think it's not quite the right time. Still tempted every second she's awake though"

Both huffed an amused breath. The cold water eased the throbbing sting of each scrape, the cloth was surprisingly soft. His hands felt warm and intimate despite the thick callouses. The sun was casting shadows through the leaves of a looming persimmon tree. Sounds of average life were filtering from outside the gate, and everything seemed surreal.

"Say renji, if you can tell me where the bath room is I can take care of these"

"Deal with it a bit longer, I put some medicine in the water"

She nodded and averted her eyes trying to think of other questions. Duties and protocol had kept them apart for years prior to the incidents put in motion by the hogyoku. She wanted to forget the impending problems with the situation and pretend that this was just another assignment. He was thinking similar thoughts; the next question came out in unison.

"So why are you here anyway?"

Mild bickering ensued for a brief span over who asked first before Renji sighed and disclosed the limited information he possessed about his orders. By the time he was done the only wounds left were the ones on her face. He examined them both with care as he rinsed and wrung out the cloth. He didn't press for a response to the question, he could figure it out. All the humans that had come to save her had not stayed in soul society long after she'd been saved. A visit should not have been this complicated.

"Never mind the last question, I want to ask something else"

He was dabbing gently at the corner of her lower lip. He knew she was aware of the cloths origin that he was using. He wanted to ask 'Why did you have my headband' he had the words strongly in his mind, but his throat and tongue refused to cooperate. What he blurted next felt ridiculous even to him as the words tumbled out of his mouth with all the grace of a mud slide.

"How did you get the old bat under your spell so quick?"

"Spell? I didn't use kidou"

Renji favored her with a dry look as he moved up to the last spot near her eye. "You know what I meant"

Rukia offered a watery smile as she tried not to wince from the prodding her bruise was receiving.

"Well there is the reason I said before, and she was acting like the chief steward back at the manor. They know etiquette and posture. Using just a little goes a long way, especially since a great deal has been lost in the living world." Rukia instinctively knew that both of them were treating the conversation as if it were walking on egg shells. These words were not what either of them was hoping for.

He responded with a non-committal hum as he searched her face before taking her hands and running the cloth across her palms. Taking the now dingy fabric he dangled it within both their views and locked his eyes to hers letting his gaze ask the question he couldn't form in words. She could feel her heartbeat thudding in her ears, and hoped that her face wasn't displaying a telltale flush. When no verbal response was offered his sigh fanned her neck as he stood.

"There are things to take care of, so… there is time to spare but," He lifted the soiled headband meaningfully "Eventually, I want to know…Rukia"