Dancing Flower
Bleach Fanfiction
Mayuri/OC
Chapter 12
Rock N' Roll Rebel

Do what you will to try and make me conform
I'll make you wish that you'd never been born

Cause I'm a Rock N' Roll Rebel
I'll do what I please
Yes I'm a Rock N' Roll Rebel
And I'm as free as a breeze

Rock N' Roll Rebel -Ozzy Osbourne

Evening fell and Mai was ready to proceed with her plan. She took a turn on to an abandoned street and stood her ground, pouring spirit energy out of every single pore of her body. Enma didn't keep her waiting long.

The boy was beyond enraged when he came running around the corner. The flickering sconces hanging on the street walls cast sinister shadows across the boy's face, expression set in a fierce snarl, his Zanpakuto clasped tightly in his hand.

"I've had it," he snapped as he approached her threateningly. "I've had enough of your games, I'll take your head off whether you've lost this game or not. Prepare to die!"

He pulled back his arm to swing at her but before he could strike a loud explosion shook the area. Both she and Enma looked curiously off into the distance where a column of smoke was slowly rising followed by the sound of loud screams. Mai wrote it off and returned her attention back to her opponent just in time to avoid being decapitated. She spun out of reach and smiled, flawlessly unsheathing her blade.

"If you're so tired of my little game, then why don't we finish it?"

"Gladly." Enma's black eyes narrowed in hate. They regarded each other for a long moment. They leaped forward simultaneously, as if rehearesed, their blades pulled back, each aiming for a killing blow.

Mayuri was irritated to say the least. He had lost Mai's spirit trail hours ago, as if she had known she was being followed. He had tried picking up her scent afterwords, only to find that her aura was scattered around the Seireitei. She was faster than he gave her credit for, a mistake he wouldn't make again. He had come so close to having her in his grasp and he'd let her get away.

It was very irksome.

So instead Mayuri opted to follow the two intruders he had found earlier. The boy ruined his plans to just lure them to him, so he activated the bombs he had secretly planted on his subordinates. They deserved it, thinking they could sneak into his facility and concoct drugs without his knowledge.

What he didn't expect was the shield protecting the girl and the boy. An anomaly among the group? It piqued his curiosity and he had even been generous when he extended an invitation to be his experiment, taking a step forward and stopping, deftly snapping his head out of the way of a Quincy arrow. He never would have guessed that there would have been any alive, since the Seireitei had wiped them out nearly two centuries ago.

He's fast, Mayuri noted as he looked at the distance the boy covered in a mere instant. "Oh, a Quincy, eh? Such a rarity these days, in fact it's been years since I've seen a live specimen. But I'm sorry to disappoint you, I long ago finished researching your species. I have no interest in dealing with your kind so just get out of my way."

Suddenly a section of the wall exploded nearby as a body came crashing in and on to the opposite side of the street. Everyone stared at the rubble in surprise as a figure rose from it, coughing and stumbling to their knees, the dust hiding them from view.

"Damn." Mayuri froze as he recognized the voice. The figure coughed again and emerged from the destruction. "I didn't see that one coming." It was Mai, and by the looks of it she had just taken the beating of a lifetime. She fell to her knees again, blood running down her face and from open wounds on her neck. Someone had tried to decapitate her and had nearly succeeded on several counts. Mayuri snarled. When he got his hands on whomever—

"Mai, are you ok?" The girl with orange-brown hair was surprisingly unaffected by the debris Mai's body had caused. His daughter waved off the girl's concern and staggered to her feet, panting from sheer exhaustion. It was then she realized what she had come across. He watched as her eyes darted around, quickly processing her surroundings.

Then her eyes landed on him, and the world slowed to a complete stop. Shock and confusion flickered briefly across her gaze, and then the hate roiled in and clouded her eyes, darkening them until they were almost black. Her face pulled into a snarl as she gripped her Zanpakuto tightly with her injured sword arm. It was a Nodachi, longer and slightly heavier than regular Zanpakuto and currently in its sealed state.

Mayuri knew this could turn into a fight, especially with Mai. If anything had been passed down from him it was the ability to hold a grudge, and it looked like she had held one for a very long time.

The Quincy boy took notice of her expression. "Mai, do you know him?"

"I'm related to him," she hissed hotly, an angry shiver running down her spine. She was itching for a fight, even Mayuri could see that.

"Mai, who is this clown?"

"What a moron," admonished Mai as she took her eyes away from him to glare at the Quincy. "You mean you don't recognize the coat? If not, let me spell it out for you, his name is Mayuri Kurotsuchi and he's the Captain of Squad Twelve, and unfortunately for me, he's also my father."

It was one thing to talk about how much Mai hated her father while he was never around. It was an entirely different experience when seeing him in person. She'd always dreamed of leaping at him and shoving her foot as far into his face as she could get it, but instead she stood frozen, overwhelmed with a much more intense but familiar anger and other emotions that left her feeling vulnerable and defensive.

Before she could even begin to sort out her jumbled thoughts, Mai felt the hair on the back of her neck stand on end. She inhaled sharply and jumped, but not nearly fast enough to avoid being cut in the arm. She cried out in pain as the blade of a Zanpakuto sliced through the skin and cut the tendons, rendering her arm completely useless. She dropped her sword with a loud clatter as she landed with a heavy thump, falling to a knee as she tried to stop the blood flow with her good arm.

Enma was back, after putting her through three walls and nearly taking her head off in the process. And the bastard didn't even have a scratch on him.

What a pain, Mai thought grimly as she stood. First my old man, now him, what else could go wrong?

This was so not her night as she observed her father at her back and Enma at her front. She hoped she could count on Uryu to keep Mayuri occupied while she dealt with her opponent. Then again, it was time to put this little play to rest so she could move on, and now seemed like a good time to do it. She gazed over the young Shinigami's shoulder and straight at Orihime.

"Run," she ordered sternly, earning Mai a dumbfounded stare. "Don't make me repeat myself, damn it, run!"

"But I want to fight too!" she retorted hotly. Mai's gaze flickered to a man who had gotten up and was trying to sneak away.

"Hey you," Uryu cut in, his attention split between him and Mayuri. "Squad Eleven soldier, take her with you."

"I don't take orders from you!" the man yelled,

"Do you want an arrow in the back?" Uryu threatened and it was enough to motivate him to grab Orihime and take off running, Orihime protesting all the way.

"I don't believe I gave you permission to run away!" snapped Mayuri. Mai gaped as his arm extended, flying past she and Enma and straight for Orihime. However, one of the spirit arrows ripped through his arm before it could reach its target. It exploded in a flash of fire and dust.

"And I don't believe I gave you permission to try and stop them," Uryu retorted coldly.

"My, my, I already told you I have no interest in you," Mayuri said and sighed irritably. He observed his destroyed arm. "This is the first time in a long while I've been faced with this problem."

And to Uryu's shock and Mai's morbid fascination, he deftly detached his arm without a thought. I cannot believe I'm related to him. And then, Why didn't I ever think of that? Uryu jumped back to stand next to her as Mayuri reached into his coat and procured a needle filled with a green liquid. "Gah, it hurts," he muttered idly as he shoved it into his arm and they watched as it regenerated. "It hurts so much, it feels like my head's going to melt. But enough of that. It seems that I have much to deal with now; with you, my daughter and the boy who attacked her. How troublesome you are, Mai."

"Shove off, old man," she spat hotly, earning a cold chuckle from her father.

"Temper, temper, it seems you've inherited more from me than I originally thought."

Mai hissed angrily, and turned her attention back to Enma as Uryu muttered softly next to her. "Mai, do you know the girl who's back behind him? She hasn't moved or anything."

"I haven't a clue," she replied evenly. "You're better off asking him, but it's safe to assume she's his lieutenant judging from the badge on her arm."

"My, my, my; my own daughter sharing information with a Quincy. It's disturbing to see my flesh and blood wallowing among their kind."

"That's not the only thing that's disturbing…," Mai deadpanned. She was weakening and needed to end things now, so with a cocky smirk she turned to Enma. "I'll admit it, you're a lot more trouble than you're worth."

"And you're weaker than I thought you'd be," he snapped back. "You couldn't even lay a scratch on me while I tore you up."

"So you admit to attacking her," Mai heard her father question from behind. "Well that saves me the trouble of going to look for you. How dare you lay a hand on her! I'll have you skinned alive, boy."

"I said shove it!" Mai snapped over her shoulder. Uryu chuckled next to her.

"He doesn't know?"

Mai laughed quietly. "Nah, I think I overestimated him, honestly."

"What are you talking about?" Enma snarled as he advanced threateningly. He was throwing all caution to the wind; it was obvious to Mai that he no longer cared about his identity so long as he got to finish her off.

"At first I thought the kid had figured it out," Mai explained casually, turning her head towards Uryu, "and he was just playing along for the hell of it. But after a while, I realized he was just stupid. But when did you figure it out?"

Uryu lowered his bow and pushed up his glasses. "When we met earlier today. I only noticed because our powers use Reishi and noted that the Reishi composition was a little different around you. I didn't put any of the pieces together until shortly after we parted and realized you had the ability to completely control the molecules."

"Somebody better start speaking English," Enma snapped behind them somewhere. Mayuri actually started to laugh.

"Oh, how very smart, Mai…"

"Tch, I don't need your praise," she said coldly. Rolling her eyes, she returned her attention back to Enma, who looked ready to tear out her throat with his teeth. "So much trouble, I'm thankful this little charade will end soon."

"I actually thought you were going to be trouble," Enma taunted. "But it looks like you were nothing but talk."

"Oh, as far as I'm concerned, I've accomplished what I came here for."

"But wasn't your goal to capture the strongest twin? As I see, it you've failed!" Enma looked so triumphant in that moment and it was so very satisfying to watch it drain out of his face at her next words.

"When did I ever say it was you I was after?"

It was quiet as a breeze wafted through the tense scene. Mai waited for the boy's next move with rising anticipation. As she did she began to vibrate the Reishi inside her body, slowly building up a powerful electrical charge.

"What are you playing at?"

Mai snickered. "Would someone care to explain it to him?"

She was surprised when Mayuri was the one who answered. "You've been chasing a clone across the Seireitei, boy."

Enma startled. "A-a clone? Impossible, a clone would never be able to give off spirit energy!"

"True, but I have a very special gift; my Zanpakuto allows me complete control over Reishi molecules, among other things. By careful manipulation I can lace Reishi with a certain scent that other Shinigami can sense, spirit power if you will. That's what you've followed all around the Seireitei."

"Powers like that don't come without weaknesses," noted Uryu quietly. Mai nodded solemnly.

"That's correct. When this clone is destroyed, all the damage it takes will transfer to the actual Mai, because the energy doesn't simply disappear. That's one of the major flaws of this technique."

"So if you're a clone, then the real you is still out there somewhere, and that means Sayomi is in danger!"

"Who says I don't have her already?" Mai said softly. "Who says I didn't jump her after you told her to run? The real Mai could be anywhere in the Seireitei, and let's be realistic, this place is pretty big."

"Just you wait," snarled Enma, trembling in fury, "when I get my hands on you—"

"You'll what? Kill me? Don't forget, as the clone I'm no comparison to the actual level of power the real Mai has. You would never stand a chance against her."

The boy laughed. "Don't you dare underestimate me. I may not have the same powers as my sister does but that doesn't mean I'm weak."

Enma turned on his heel to run down the opposite way, but before he could get far Mai's voice echoed through the street.

"The goal was to bring in your sister alive, but it's not necessary." Slowly, the boy turned his head to stare at her. Mai's gold eyes danced in the darkness. "I have to wonder, how loud will your sister scream when Mai starts sawing her head off?"

"You bitch!" screamed Enma, he spun around and ran head on at the clone. Mai bounced back as he came just within arm's reach with his sword aiming for her neck. Mai reached out and stopped the blade, much to everyone's surprise. She smirked at the shocked stare she received and as the energy in her body came to head she snickered.

"I win…." In a brilliant flash of light the clone detonated with a roar, shaking the buildings for miles.

Mayuri threw an arm up against the explosion, shielding his face from the debris and heat. He commended his daughter on her sheer mental power, playing the boy's weaknesses to her strengths. His temper made it easy for her to manipulate him into doing exactly what she wanted. By attacking her she was able to bring him into close range so she could cause the maximum amount of damage that she could. But he had to wonder what the repercussions would be for her little stunt. As everything settled he found the burned and beaten body of the boy who had attacked Mai lying in a pile of rubble.

Good, now he would be able to take him back to the lab so he could tear him apart. He would pay for laying a finger on his daughter.

"I have to give Mai a lot of credit, she's a lot smarter than she usually let's on," coughed the Quincy as he wiped away the blood and dirt from his face. "Now that she and Orihime are out of the way, I can finally deal with you."

"I told you boy," Mayuri sneered, his hands clenching at his sides, "I have no interest in you."

But it was obvious he wasn't going to take "No" for an answer. So the captain would teach him to respect his betters.

Mai screamed as she felt every muscle and nerve explode in pain. She doubled over and coughed up a startling amount of blood, panting in agony. As she struggled to breathe, the girl, Sayomi, lay behind her, whimpering muffled by the gag Mai had tied on.

Mai fell to her side and laid there, dazed and in pain, until she managed to crawl towards her backpack. She unzipped it with shaky hands, blood running down her face and from her neck. It took a few minutes for her to be able to find one of the vials filled with a blue liquid.

She took a deep breath and pushed herself to sit up. When she had finally managed that, she jammed the needle into her arm. She hissed and injected it all into her body and threw aside the syringe when she was done. Slowly she began to feel the wounds heal and close. It was a cell regeneration serum; it sped up the division rate of cells allowing her to heal faster than normal. However it also caused heavy amounts of fatigue because the cells needed the energy from her body to divide.

Mai crawled back into the middle of the room and curled into a ball.

"Your brother is a real piece of work...," Mai yawned as she gazed at Sayomi through half lidded eyes. The girl looked at her with sad silver eyes. "I don't understand why you hang around him when he's such a dick to you, but I guess that's family for ya."

She yawned again. All that was left of the plan now was to hand the girl over to Yoruichi at the secret training grounds. After that she was free to do whatever she liked. Which included going to find her father. When the clone had been destroyed the damage hadn't been the only thing that had been transferred back to her. The clone's memories showed her the images of her father, causing a weak scowl to cross Mai's face.

He was going to get his, but right now all she wanted was some sleep. With one last yawn, she closed her eyes. "Don't think about running away, Sayomi," she warned softly, drifting off into blessed darkness. "I've put a trap inside your body. If you try to escape it will detonate and kill you. Even I don't think you want to die, right?"

Mai fell asleep as the silence stretched on into the night.

A/N: Next Chapter! The ending wasn't really what you were hoping, huh? But what can a clone do when it's not the real thing! ^_^ And I'm not going to let those two have it out just quite yet, I'll dangle it in front of you until you go crazy from suspense! But seriously I have no intention of letting them settle their differences outright. And you get a glimpse of what Mai truly is feeling, because all that anger is just a bluster to hide all her vulnerability. You'll see in later chapters.

Remember CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM!

Pathless Spore

P.S. I have a new picture of Mai up on my deviant art page. It's a picture of her when she was younger. Go check it out and leave a comment.

P.P.S If you haven't already go read the newest chapter of the Omake! My beta and I worked hard on it, so be sure to go thank ThablueGRRL for taking time out of her day to edit. ~She's amazing~