A/N - I'm so sorry I'm doing this again but I need to! My OCD is hating me leaving this story shitty like this but I know that I am going to be done by the end of the weekend maybe... but I really hope you like how it turns out and I hope you can see a difference in how I make chapters and if now then oh well I tried.. Hope you enjoy.
Disclaimer - I do not own Bleach - Tite Kubo does!
2
The next couple of weeks Mai woke up with a smile, her mind had gone blank to what had happened with Ichigo and the Soul Reaper. She herself believing that everything that she had seen was a dream, and one that she could not remember very clearly. It all seemed fuzzy, as if something in her mind was stopping her from getting to the dream, thinking about it only gave the small teen a headache. Itachi could only watch as the blonde teen got ready for the day ahead making sure that he had been successful in allowing the blue eyed girls mind be free from any fear of beasts, or Hollows as they are more widely known to his kind.
"Father, you shouldn't be out of bed. Dr Kurosaki said that it was bad for your muscles!" the blonde teen quickly gushed as she saw her father standing in the kitchen staring off into the distance. She had quickly ran from her bedroom to see what her father was doing and when she had seen his standing there she knew that he may end up putting too much strain on his body. Nothing could help his slowly deteriorating muscles and they both knew it but Mai was desperate to do anything to make sure her father was always strong and could always be her hero.
Mai's worried voice had awoken the dark haired male from his thoughts, but he couldn't do anything but smile at his daughter. Itachi knew that she worried for him and he was happy that he had a caring daughter but sometimes he wished that she would worry more about her own life than his. But Itachi knew that whatever Isshin said would be wrong - because his illness was nothing of this world.
"Snowflake I'll be fine, I promise." the blue eyed male smiled at his daughter, his smile was true and held nothing but love. He always smiled at the blonde teen like that but even this worried Mai, everything her father did worried her, she was worried that he may not be with her one day and that fact alone scared her more than any demon or nightmare ever could. The blonde teen shook her head, curls flying around her head before she looked to him with determination. Her eyes shone, they were pure and honest, Itachi knew he wouldn't be able to get out of whatever the small teen was about to say.
"Okay father, but you have to promise me that when I get home we're going to see Dr Kurosaki?" Mai questioned as she placed her hands on her hips, while lightly glaring at the male before her. Itachi looked blankly at the blue eyed teen before a smile broke out on his face and he laughed, truly laughed. He knew that she meant well but he also knew that Isshin could do nothing to ale him, even Isshin knew this but it gave Mai hope so they would both oblige in any way possible. The small teen somehow did know that her father wasn't going to get any better, it was something nagging in that back of her mind telling her that she would one day be alone with no one there to help or support her, and for some reason she was slowly believing that that day was approaching.
"Fine, Snowflake, but you don't have to be so worried about your old man all the time." the dark haired male said light heartedly while looking into his daughters pale eyes, the eyes that once held so much pain, now all they held were concern for him. He shook his head before he brought up bad memories, he would only make Mai worry more. The blonde female looked away from her father and bit her lip as she thought, but quickly shook her head and looked back to her father before smiling a closed eyed smile and dropping her arms from her hips. She herself coming up with a realisation, and in her own mind it sounded silly but she knew that it was nothing but the truth.
"Father I barely have a life outside of this house," the blonde replied with a slight giggle, Mai didn't mind that she had to look after her father. She would prefer that then have to have a normal life any day. Itachi looked at his daughters smiling face and he could see that she was telling the truth, he hated it. He wanted her to go out and live her life to the fullest, not having to be tied down to him or the life that he lived. The dark haired males eyes then travelled down to the blue eyed teens right arm were it had been bandaged from her elbow down for the past couple of weeks, this then made him grit his teeth. He had not been quick enough and had to rely on the Kuchiki girl. The blue eyed male had never liked the Kuchiki's and he never would, they were the ones who had betrayed him and taken everything that he cared for away from him.
"Father, I have to go now, but remember our promise!" Mai's voice brought the dark haired male out of his thoughts, he couldn't help the smile that came to his face but when he heard the door close that smile dropped. Itachi quietly made his way to his bedroom and opened his wardrobe where he pulled out a long wooden box, one that he had not held for many years. He couldn't bare to look at the box let alone what the box held, he hated feeling like this, he wished he could be stronger for both of them but he knew that he couldn't. The blue eyed male had lost the only woman he loved and he feared the small girl he once knew and loved was slowly becoming a woman, he didn't know how much longer he could lie to her about her past.
"What has happened me?" the blue eyed male whispered as he opened the lid of the box, inside sat a black silk cloth, Itachi was scared to pull the cloth away. Scared that he would look upon the weapon that once held the woman he loved but now held nothing but dust. But he couldn't just stare at the silk he had to see what he had had done, he had to be strong for Yuri. His hand then slowly grasped the silk and pulled. When the cloth had been removed he sat on the floor staring at his old weapon, the one that he had fought with for many years. One of his large hands stretched and was lightly placed on the hilt of the sword, he no longer felt the small jolt he usually got when he would fight, he felt nothing now.
"Yuri, what have I done? I've lied to her for 10 years! She believes that you died! I cant live with this any more!" the dark haired male bent over and cried into the silk, not being strong enough to hold the once beautiful weapon. Now that he truly looked at it, it seemed dull, lifeless and haunted. He hated to see someone who was once so strong now reduced to an old sword sitting inside of a box. The long black blade seemed dull and no longer able to cut even a piece of paper, the cross shape guard had four prongs bent out to form the shape of a manji that were once strong, now they appeared as if they would crumble with the lightest touch. The hilt was simple and wrapped in black, somehow that had been the one thing that had not changed on his trusted weapon, but the whole Zanpakuto had seemed to change when Yuri died, it no longer shone, it no longer seemed to wield any power however the beauty was still there and Itachi could see that.
But day by day he could tell he and the sword were both fading away.
Itachi quickly shook his head and slammed the lid shut before he pushed the wooden box away, the dark haired male stood and stormed over to the window. His head bent forward as he grit his teeth, he could just see Yuri laughing at him, at how weak he had become. He could not even protect his own daughter! What kind of father did that make him?! Itachi's shoulders shook as tears fell from his eyes, he no longer cared at how the world viewed him, because he knew that his time was running out, he could feel his death approaching but he had to do one thing before any of that could happen.
"I need to see Urahara," the blue eyed male spoke aloud, he quickly turned from the window and walked back over to the wooden box while grabbing a glove that sat inside the box. He quickly placed the slightly faded glove on his right hand while staring at the sword he once loved and mentally preparing himself for what came next. Itashi let out a breath before pushing his now gloved hand into his chest, he felt a rush of air and his body fell to the floor while his soul stood and struggled to breathe for a few moments. Once he had regained his breath he quickly grabbed the wooden box and opened the window.
He smiled as he felt the wind whip his face, Itashi quickly climbed out of the window and closed it almost all the way before he jumped from the roof and landed across the street and ran as fast as he could to Urahara's shop. The blue eyed male needed to speak to the hat wearing Soul Reaper, Itachi knew he hadn't got much time left and Urahara was the only one he trusted with training Mai for what she needed to return to the place she belongs. This world was not where she is from and she should deserve to know that and she should deserve to have a chance to live as freely as she is allowed.
The dark haired male could only seem to imagine how Mai's first fight would go in the Soul Society and it was anything but good, and every time he thought a new strategy he could only see the blue eyed teens lifeless body on the floor without him there to help her. Itachi was always scared of his impending doom but he didn't let that get him down, he still had a reason to live and he could never be the one to put tears in Mai's eyes. No matter what he did. He was determined to always be there for her, only to be the light in her life, like she was in his.
Itachi quickly shook his head as Urahara's shop came into view, he knew how this would go and he just hoped that Kisuke would help me, well, help Mai. The dark haired male had a feeling that Kisuke still owed him a life debt so if he failed to do it of his own free will, he knew he could use that card. Through this thinking a shadow formed over the males blue eyes and a threatening grin spread across his face, already thrilled for the events that would unfold in this small store.
"Urahara! I have a favour to ask!" the dark haired male yelled as he threw the door to the store open. He looked around and there was no one in sight, a sweat drop appeared behind his head and he sighed, 'where the hell could that blonde idiot be?!' Itashi quickly walked over the threshold and the door slid closed behind him which only showed him that Kisuke was up to something but the blue eyed male didn't know what. That was until the dark haired male heard yelling, a smirk appeared on his face. He knew exactly what was going on. Urahara was training, and with this thought Itashi stormed through the store until he got to the small hidden door that he knew all too well and threw it open.
The large man smirked at the deep hole that seemed to be never ending and then jumped, already knowing what was happening. The dark haired male braced himself for the hard floor and landed gracefully on his feet, already used to doing this from the many years he spent with Kisuke Urahara when they had both been Soul Reapers. For this room was identical to the one they had found all those years ago back in the Soul Society.
"Kisuke!" Itachi yelled, his voice seemed to bounce off of the sky like walls, the ground seemed to slightly shudder at the force of both him and the large amount of spiritual pressure that was being released. But what made the blue eyed male laugh the most was that it was Kisuke that was fighting, the green hat wearing male was sat upon a rock watching the fight from afar. This always seemed to be Urahara's way of 'training'... and before the dark haired male could take another step forward he was called out by his blonde friend.
"Itashi Koyuki, I was wondering when you would next walk through my door." Kisuke called, without taking his eyes off of the orange haired boy fighting his trusty co-worker. The blonde male heard Itachi walk over to the rock he currently sat on and place an object beside him, Kisuke sighed. Urahara was not in the mood to have this argument again but somehow something in Itachi had changed, his ideals were new and he no longer held a strong aura, also his spiritual pressure was weak and slowly decreasing, as if it was leaking out of his body day by day. The blonde male quickly shook his head and turned to stare at his dark haired friend.
"For the last time, I cannot bring back her soul. She has been lost for too many years." Urahara said with a pained voice, he knew how much it hurt for Itachi to hear those words and he hated to hurt one of his closets friends but he knew that the dark haired male needed to hear it. But it was the truth, nothing in this world would be able to bring back a broken Zanpakuto, especially if it had been destroyed by a head captain. Urahara shook his head and allowed his hat to fall over his eyes so no one could see the hurt expression residing in them.
"That's not what I want Kisuke, I want you to prepare it for fighting. I know that the seal on Mai's memory's will soon weaken, its already starting to break and I need you to make sure she's prepared for what's going to come after her." Itashi spoke, ignore the fact that his heart broke with each word. He had spent 10 years struggling to keep the mind block on the blonde teen and now it was finally getting to him, draining the last of his spiritual pressure meaning that he knew that he only had weeks to live - which also meant he only had weeks to prepare Mai for her true nature.
"Itashi, your daughter is, what should I call it? A freak of nature. No one knew that she could even be born, no one knew a Zanpakuto spirit was even fertile - allowing your daughter to fight would mean that so many people would want her dead. She will surly die in the first fight she found herself in." The blonde make looked to his oldest friend from the corner of his eye, now taking in the small changes of his appearance over the years they had not seen each other. Itachi's short black hair had now been left to grow and was held back by a red ribbon at the base of his neck while his eyes still shone, but not with mischief because they now shone with love for the daughter that he had created. Urahara sighed. Himself thinking about Mai and wishing to protect her with everything that he had and knowing that this was a bad idea.
"Ichigo, you can take a break. I'm needed for a moment." Urahara called out emotionless, he jumped off of the rock he sat on and turned to Itachi. His forehead creased slightly thinking of the possibilities that would come with training a person born of both Zanpakuto and Soul Reaper. None of them seemed good in his mind but he had been proven wrong, on the very few occasions. 'If he would be able to break the seal on her memories, he could enhance her spiritual pressure and allow her to train hard every day meaning that she may be at least able to protect herself, may not be able to fight, but she can protect her-'
"Urahara, I'm not finished!" A strong voice called, the dark haired male looked over to where the fighting was occurring and saw an orange haired teen, soon recognising him at Isshin's son Ichigo Kurosaki. The blue eyed male smiled slightly looking at the 15 year old and picturing his father in his mind, how they both held the same determination in their eyes. Itachi shook his head, he had a feeling that that quality may just get him killed, just like his father numerous times. Itachi laughed and shook his head while looking back to Urahara and smiling at his old friend with a knowing look in his eye.
"Well Ichigo, I am. and you can come back tomorrow, this sudden thing that came up is important and needs to be dealt with now." Urahara said in a monotone voice, the dark haired male couldn't help but feel slightly guilty for taking away Ichigo's training time, but he himself really needed help, he was in a rut. Mai would be returning from school in just a few hours and he and Urahara needed to do so much so that she would be ready for the battle that is most definitely coming. Itachi knew that this was his fault, he should have never run, he should have never done any of it. He shook his head and turned, ready to leave the training grounds.
"Hey wait! You're Itachi Koyuki! Mai's father!" Ichigo called out, now knowing where he knew the new man from only recognising him from the times he came to the clinic with Mai. As he looked at him he now realised that he was a soul reaper, yet he could barely detect his spiritual pressure, the brown eyed teen quickly shook his head and looked into the elder males blue eyes. He had the same eyes as Mai, they both shone, yet they both had different emotions behind them, whereas the blonde teen always held faith and love the older male before him only held fear.
"Well done Ichigo, you sure are bright. Now, me and Itachi have important business." Urahara called over his shoulder as he carried on walking back to the stairs that led out of the training ground while Itachi quickly grabbed the wooden box he had brought in and slightly jogged to catch up with the hat wearing man. Ichigo looked between the two and noticed how at ease they were around each other he had even noticed how Urahara had actually shown emotion while talking to the black haired male, something he had personally never seen.
"Tessai, what's the deal with those two?" the orange haired male spoke aloud, he knew Tessai was listening the whole time even though he made sure he looked as though he wasn't. The large male stood from where he had been sat and walked over to Ichigo and placed a large hand on his shoulder, slowly shaking his head while looking at the ground feeling sorry for what Itachi was going through, no one knew his pain. Even just thinking about it sometimes brought a tear to his eye, Mai was too kind and sweet for the fate that awaited her.
"Urahara and Itachi have been friends for as long as I can remember, they were at the Soul Society together and they have been close ever since. Itachi's daughter, Mai, is what you would call a 'freak of nature' she is born of something we believed to be impossible and now they have to train and fight against the soul society to keep her alive." The dark haired male spoke as he watched the two friends slowly get smaller and smaller into the distance. His head reeling with memories of when Mai was just a child and he grit his teeth before any tears could fall.
"What do you mean? Mai's normal, she cant see or sense Hollows in any way, shape or form? She doesn't even have spiritual pressure!" Ichigo yelled as he looked up to Tessai, he knew that he had struck a nerve as the older males face had become rigid and he took a few steps back and glared at the dark haired male, how can Mai be someone like him? She was too honest and sweet, she would never hurt a fly? She couldn't even stand up for herself as school let alone fight hollows!
"She may not have spiritual pressure now but she will and she will be like nothing of this world. Seeing isn't always believing Ichigo." Tessai quietly said as he too walked off, leaving the tall teen standing alone in the middle of the training grounds, only left with his thoughts. Suddenly thinking about Rukia, she had said that she saved Mai, why didn't she remember? Maybe he was thinking too much into this...
A/N - oKAY I'm done... I'm tired of updating already and I'm only on the second chapter! Anyway I thought this chapter was okay as it was so I only added minor changes and all of the crap but I still hope its better than what it was before hand and I really hope you like the story and if your new then I hope you're going to like the chapters yet to come. So if you do like it then leave a comment or a favourite and don't forget to follow the story for updates on when I update!