"I told you Renji," Rukia stressed. "I'm not hiding anything. Don't you have to patrol?"
His mouth sneered as if to say something derogatory and rude, but he chose not to against whom he was talking with. He took one last scan around her room before leaving.
"He's gone now," Rukia called out, after she was sure he was too far to hear. She used another spell to remove an invisible forcefield, revealing Tatsuki with all of her injuries completely healed.
"Thank you," she said. "You used the steam from your zanpakuto to destroy the poisonous bacteria inside me."
"It was nothing."
"But you seem to be in a difficult situation. You're risking your position to protect me, and its put you against, well... him."
"Ichigo wouldn't want to see you hurt."
"We should try to find him quickly so we can get out of here. There isn't much time left before the radio is cancelled."
"I can't return?"
"Why? Is it, because of that guy?"
"I knew when Renji when we were young, but I never imagined I would meet someone like Ichigo. I want to return, but I can't. I don't deserve to. I've committed crimes, so I must pay for them, here. After I'm sure you've escaped, I'll confess everything. It's okay. I won't say anything about you two. That way you'll be safe."
"Ichigo - even if it meant it got him in trouble, he would rather you confess your relation to him than for you to never say his name again, and what you did, was to save his family, and save his life. What's wrong with that?"
She dismissed her last comment. "The west gate is sealed, so we'll have to go the south. I'll ask the guardian to open it, so you can go through. Ichigo should be somewhere in Rukongai. Once you find him, escape. Urahara should have given you a device that would allow you to return. May I see it?"
"Oh, it's all right. I have it. It's working fine, I'm sure." She didn't want to risk showing her the other suspicious devices she received from the shady corner of Urahara's stock.
"Don't lose it. If someone finds out you have it, it could become a catastrophe. It's condemned."
Tatsuki wondered just what kind of character Urahara was. He seemed to have an abundant supply of illegal items so candidly camouflaged in his store. For example, one of the items he had lent her was something called "Soul Candy," and its design was shaped like a cute rabbit. Apparently this one item could not be shown to Rukia no matter what.
She wanted to ask Rukia more about the conspiracies revolving around Urahara, but she was foremost Ichigo's friend; therefore, her only priority was to convince Rukia to return. She would have an opportunity to confront Urahara later, assuming of course she survived what precarious encounters were to come.
"What is Ichigo, to you?" Rukia asked suddenly, without giving Tatsuki even a chance to begin.
"I hated him at first," she answered honestly with a slight smirk. "When we first met at the dojo, he would cry whenever he lost to me. When his mom died, he started ditching practice at the dojo. He would always be by the river, crying. I decided to hang out with him, because I hated to see a boy in tears. It wasn't right. Eventually, I realized for the first time I was really having fun, with him. He was the first one to ever befriend me. I liked fighting, so I wasn't like the other girls. The boys hated me because I always beat them up, but Ichigo sincerely wanted to spend time with me, and I did with him."
"That's a nice story. Do you love him now?"
"Love?" She was flustered. "I-I don't know." She couldn't say so suddenly with sorted feelings, either yes, or no.
"It's confusing, isn't it? I was a shinigami. My duty was to protect souls and purify hollows. I forgot love ever existed. When I met Ichigo, I began to remember what it was like to be human, to feel and to worry and to hope, to love. I don't know what this means, but meeting Ichigo changed me in a way no one else can. Probably, I would only be a burden to him."
"I don't think that's true. He told me, that he hated the idea of doing a radio show, but he did it anyway, because of you. He won't ever admit this to you, but he actually has fun when he's with you. You didn't know Ichigo before, but he's stronger now than ever. Even when he beat me in a fight for the first time, he still seemed weakened by the loss of his mother. Since you appeared, all the problems that I couldn't solve seem to have disappeared. I've never seen him more determined as he is now."
She didn't respond, although she was thinking of a response, as she analyzed her thoughts and feelings. "I just remembered," she said instead. "I still have your radio. I'll give it back to you. It still works, but something about it seems odd."
"If he gave it to you, then you should keep it."
"I promised him to return it to you. He said it was important, because it was your favourite radio."
"I can't believe he actually remembered. When we were young, when we were ditching practice at the dojo together, he won this radio. It was the only time he ever beat me at the arcade. He gave it to me."
"Then it's yours."
She turned it on, not knowing what to hope to hear, but she turned it on anyway, and as expected, only static resonated, but when they listened closely, they almost thought they heard Ichigo's voice. They looked at each other and laughed, knowing it wasn't possible.
Renji was with Grand Fisher in a secretive and obscure hideout. The room was filled with beeping technology, and static currents, almost like a radio recording studio.
"I've hacked into her radio perfectly, as you wished," Grand Fisher announced. "We can know track her activities and whereabouts at all times."
"They must be heading toward the south gate to meet with Ichigo," Renji assumed. "I won't let them. If we hurry, we'll make it there before they do. I need to talk with Rukia alone. I want you to distract the other girl."
"A distraction suits me fine. I avow that she won't disturb you two; she won't be able to, after what I plan to do to her. Such a feisty girl, yet with a soft and tender interior to match. She really has piqued my interest - no, my appetite."