Shimei sat idly on the back porch of the shoten and stared up at the sky, sepia eyes hardly moving as her muscles tensed and relaxed. Slowly she glanced downwards at the slightly worn photo of her mother with her black hair, her brown skin, and eyes so much like hers, Shimei felt as if she was looking into a mirror despite the fact that she looked so much like her father.

The silence wasn't stifling in the least bit of ways but that didn't mean it was something she was comfortable with.

Honestly Shimei had been wondering if she made a mistake by asking so soon. She wanted to know, that much was true, but she knew that discovering her mother's past would change many things.

So steeling herself she took a deep breath and said exactly what was on her mind.

"So will you tell me now?"

A single nod without hesitation was her answer and she smiled a bit.

"Her name was Kazuma Ruichi." Kisuke began in a matter of fact kind of voice. "She was born in Okinawa, Japan, to Jacqueline Conrad - a woman from America - and Kazuma Mizuki on May 23, and she wanted you very much Shimei."

Without realizing it those words reassured her and she loosened her grip on her knees. Nodding her head she leaned into her father's side.

"When I first met her it was a surprise, I hadn't expected her to notice me." He said sounding amused and Shimei knew exactly what he meant. "In fact I expected her to walk right past but instead, your mother walked straight up to me and asked me for directions to the nearest shrine."

Her father sounded so very reminiscent in that moment that Shimei wondered if she was bringing back terrible memories but the feather light look in his eyes waved her worries away.

"So naturally I told her the way and I hadn't seen her for a while after that brief encounter." Kisuke said. "But when we did run into each other it was under very...extenuating circumstances."

"One thing led to another and despite the very harsh situation we had become acquainted in, our relationship was a positive one. We spent years as very good friends until one day she left. Of course she had told me before hand that she would be leaving but she never gave a location and I never asked."

Understanding that the way her parents had met under probably concerned hollows or something supernatural, Shimei let her pale brow furrow. Curious as to where her mother could have gone but knowing she had no way to figure out it, she let the question drop from her mind.

"So...where do I come in at?" She asked and this was where Kisuke stilled and a hand guided her by the chin to meet his eyes.

"Shimei," He said startling her with how serious he sounded saying her name without an attachment. "You have asked me to tell you about your mother and by extension, about you."

"And I decided long ago the moment you would ask I would tell you everything you wanted to know. So I will tell you but please remember, how you were conceived reflects nothing on how important you are to me."

Swallowing harshly she met his grey gaze and nodded slowly.

"It's okay to tell me." She said. "I asked didn't I? It won't change how important you are to me either."

With a small smile that he graced her with Kisuke breathed out a little huff and tucked her close to his chest.

"You were a favor," He began and the trepidation crawling her spine curled around her throat. "your conception was a favor from one good friend to another."

And so Shimei decided to stay silent, thoughts strangely muted at this news.

"She came to me one day after she had disappeared with the sudden need to have a child and I agreed." Kisuke ran a hand through her hair and let it rest against her skull. "Her logic was sound about the matter, I was the best and most capable of giving her the child she so desperately wanted and we both knew it considering the way she was."

"And I suppose, I was curious to the outcome." He murmured, as he would when he was faced with a obstacle. "Curious to see how someone such as myself could help create what she needed, I wondered the outcome and desired to see it through so I did."

The only thing she could hear besides her father's voice was the thrum of her heart beat ringing sharply in her ears.

"But like any experiment, there were...complications and risks. Complications that made birthing extremely volatile and risks that forced Ruichi to make the choice between you and herself."

Suddenly hyper aware of her own existence, Shimei dug her fingers into the cloth of her father's yukata and ignored the tightness in her chest.

"I did as she wanted and somehow I suspect she knew that the birth wouldn't end well for her despite her own determination, but she still decided to bare you through it all."

"Did you love each other?" She asked, simply curious as to how he felt towards her and vice versa.

"Not in the way you are thinking Shimei." Kisuke said simply. "We cared for each other as friends would but we never held that kind of inclination."

Nodding softly she wrapped her arms around her father as best as she could and asked him one more question. One that was on her mind much more than she'd be willing to admit so she took a deep breath and forged on.

"Was...was I conceived...naturally? Like...like how Ichigo was made?" She asked, voice unsure and hesitant and despite her initial wariness of what kind of reaction such a question would invoke she got a kindly chuckle in reply.

"Yes Shimei-chan, you were." He told her and she could hear the quirked brow and wry smile in his voice. "And though I know what you are inferring by asking that last question, I'm now wondering just how you know about how Ichigo was made. I was under the impression that sexual education wasn't a course until high school."

Letting her previous worried expression fall flat and deadpan Shimei stifled a snort.

"I read."

A few weeks had gone by and everything in her daily life was almost calm.

Which was exactly why she was suspicious of any and everything.

Seriously all throughout her martial arts class she was glaring at everything like it was going to take a bit out of her, Ichigo and Tatsuki assumed the stress of losing to so many opponents was getting to her but she knew better than that.

So when the person to pick her up was Tessai she was immediately wary. Choosing to stay silent the entire walk the moment Shimei reached the shoten she raced inside.

"Dad!" She shouted, feeling as if she was on a warpath - because surely if she was getting this type of feeling it was entirely his fault - she flung open the tatami door with a very impressive glare aimed right that the blond man. "you idiot what have you done now!"

Visibly perking up at the sound of his daughter Kisuke craned his neck around to see her.

"Ah!~ Shimei-chan~, it's good you're home." He said with a cheery grin. "I have someone - well two someones - I'd like you to meet!"

And when he turned fully around to reveal the two bundles in his arms Shimei could only blink.

"Say hello to your two new siblings!~ Hanakari Ginta and Tsumugiya Ururu!"

Omake

When Ichigo had first met Shimei she had frightened him, especially with that scary red expression on her face.

So like any other startled boy he buried his face into his kaa-chan's skirt and hid until she patted his head and coaxed him out. Pouting he met her strange colored eyes as the man set her down before she buried her own face into his green pants.

"Say hi Shicchan." Her father said gently and the girl peeked out, eyes pointed down at the ground and Ichigo thought maybe she was scared of him too?

"I'm Urahara Shimei, pleased to meet you." She murmured sticking out her hand and Ichigo frowned for a fraction of a serving before a grin split his face. He knew about this gesture! His kaa-chan told him people in A-me-ri-ka did this thing called high-fives so he stuck out his hand and tapped it against hers.

"'m Kur'saki I-chi-go!" He told her with a smile, wondering how she could say such big people words without messing up because he did so all the time!

Listening to his tou-chan and kaa-chan talk Ichigo looked at the girl - Shimei-chan - and felt happy that her hair was just as weird as his so when they had gone to his room to play he had been very happy to make a new friend.

That was until the ghost girl came back and suddenly he was scared.

Cowering into himself Ichigo fretted as he watched Shimei-chan walk over to the window and stare with wide eyes out.

He remembered explaining the spirit girl and the next thing they were outside playing a game and he was enjoying himself.

The ghost girl - Hinata she was named - gave a laugh and a smile and Ichigo immediately felt bad for being scared of her but before he could open his mouth the apologize the door opened and out stepped his mother.

By the time he turned back around Hinata was gone but a joyful sounding cry of 'thank you' still lingered on the wind and Ichigo found himself waving a bit.

"You're welcome Hinata-chan." He said softly before he raced towards the house at the promise of snacks. He had the feeling he would see her again maybe, one day.

Edit: 2/13/16