Dancing Flower
Mayuri/OC
Family/Hurt/Comfort
Chapter 14
Do It Now Remember it Later

We'll stare straight-faced, don't hesitate
See, why would we want to make you bastards wait
Thank god, I got this chance, now I can say
So now we'll say, we'll say
We're gonna do what we want

Do it now, Remember it later– Sleeping with Sirens

"Our goal wasn't to hurt or scare you," explained Yoruichi carefully as she smiled down at Sayomi. "We just wanted to understand what was going on. For a long time we believed Mai was the only one out there. When we found you, we saw a chance to finally get some answers."

"It's okay," Sayomi said in her quiet manner, shyly maintaining eye contact with the beautiful ninja. "I'd be happy to help in any way I can."

Mai watched as Yoruichi and Sayomi talked while she sat on a nearby rock and contemplated what the girl had told her. Which had been a hell of a lot to take in, even for herself. The teen sighed and rubbed her eyes wearily; according to Sayomi, the one person who could explain things to her had not made contact. Deliberately. It made Mai furious to think that all this time her mother was alive (in some weird way) and she had never taken the time out of her day to even say "Hi".

I hate my parents, she thought bitterly as betrayal and sorrow battled together within loudly; it didn't matter anymore. She had gotten her job done and now she was free to do whatever she pleased. She strapped Livewire to her back and made to leave the training grounds.

"Mai," Yoruichi called out to her. Mai stopped to look back at the somber, subtle concern in Yoruichi's face. "I know who you're going to look for. You're already underestimating your father by seeking him out." It was a statement rather than a rebuke.

The world seemed to still as without a word, the teen turned and disappeared into the tunnel's darkness.

It was the morning of the Execution and the air itself seemed congested with the palpably tense calm hanging over the Seireitei. Mai sensed and ignored this, intent on scouting out her father's whereabouts. She emerged from an alley with the airless grace of solid shadow and leaped easily onto the roof of the building across from her. She crept along the roof until she came upon a pair of Shinigami talking to one another. Carefully, she edged forward to better hear their conversation.

A black-haired man crossed his arms. "Did you hear? They say Mai Kurotsuchi is in the Soul Society!"

"Who is she again?" A young man with green eyes looked up at his superior in curiosity.

"That's right, you weren't around when we fought those soldiers about two decades ago. That was some heavy stuff. A lot of people died in that one. Anyway, seventeen years ago a stranger came to the Soul Society. She was odd because she had this black stone in her forehead and a weird scar over her eye. She didn't speak English. Captain Kurotsuchi was the only one who could understand her so they stuck him with her for a little while. Don't ask me how they ended up getting together, but she got pregnant with his kid. But before we knew it she had been kidnapped and these Ryoka started invading us. Turns out they were living in some kind of limbo and this woman ended up dying so she could take all of her people out of the Soul Society and bring them to where they truly belonged."

"So Mai is their daughter?"

The black-haired Shinigami nodded seriously. "Yeah, Captain Kurotsuchi ended up leaving her in the World of the Living. A lot a rumors went around as to why, but it's safe to say the kid was a lot better off. That man has a temper on him like you wouldn't believe; he has no problem turning you into one of his personal guinea pigs if you get on his bad side."

"No kidding…."

The duo stiffened and looked around themselves, as if suddenly expecting said man to emerge from the air and set upon them for their slander. Truthful as it was.

It was quiet for a long time before another soldier came running up. "Hey, I just heard they have three Ryoka in custody!"

"Really?!" The gossipers chorused incredulously.

"Yeah, they're holding them in a cell near Fourth Division!"

Mai sighed irritably and rubbed the bridge of her nose. She figured she might as well free them since she couldn't get any useful information on her father's location. She left her perch and landed in the middle of the group without preamble, rolling her eyes as they cried out in shock. Without missing a beat, Mai executed a roundhouse kick to one and punched the other square in the chest. She then grabbed the older, black-haired Shinigami by the front of his shirt.

"Where is the Fourth Division Holding Cell located?" she demanded, her fist pulled back threateningly. The man scowled as if to refuse her but the cold, metallic gleam of her own father's eyes quickly broke his resolve.

"It's just North of here!" He cowered from her as she dropped him. When he got up and turned to flee, she flicked a syringe at him. The moment it pierced his skin, the man dropped with a grunt and lay still. Mai continued on her way, scanning for any familiar spirit pressure. She found them not ten minutes later and entered the cell through a large hole in the roof.

"Ah, geez, not you again," Mai snapped as she came spotted the huge form of the Captain she had met the day before, along with his two subordinates. The feral captain swept his gaze around to her and grinned.

"Well if it ain't the Kurotsuchi kid. I've heard some rumors about you flyin' around."

"Whatever. What is a Captain doing here?"

"It's okay, Mai," called a familiar voice. The teen noticed Orihime riding on the shoulder of the large man next to his neon-haired Lieutenant, as if she belonged there. "He's on our side. He's going to help us!"

"Wonderful…"Mai looked over the group and noted that Chad, Uryu, and Ganju were all accounted for. Mai snickered as her gold eyes alighted on Uryu. "I take it my old man kicked your ass." The Quincy huffed and crossed his arms.

"Hardly. I'll have you know I was about to soundly beat him when he ran like a coward."

"Good, because if you had beaten him before I could get my hands on him, I would have killed you for it." They seethed at each other for a long time before Mai turned her gaze to the ceiling dismissively. A small part of her was a bit put off by the new, hard glint of hatred lingering in his eyes. Such an oily emotion didn't suit some one like him. "What now?"

"We go and help Ichigo rescue Rukia," said Orihime. "That's what we're here for, right?"

"That's what you're here for," Mai said quickly, her tone cold. "I've already done my job."

"But what about Rukia?" Ganju asked as the group looked at her, shocked.

"What about her?" Mai said carelessly. "I already told you I don't care if she dies or not. Either way, I'll be going home knowing I've accomplished what I've come here for."

Mai didn't understand why they were tying themselves in knots over this. Rukia was their problem, not hers, and there was no way she was getting involved in any more fights unless it was with her father.

"You're looking for a fight with your old man," said the captain from behind her. "If that's what you want, you're gonna have to wait. If he was beaten, then Kurotsuchi is gonna spend some time licking his wounds before he comes out of that damn Institute of his. You've got quite a wait on your hands, so why not shed a little blood for the sake of killing time?"

Mai eyed the Captain appreciatively. There was more to the man, even when it was only pertaining to battle. "You talk a good game. Alright, I'm in."

It was hard to keep up with the Captain once he got a good start. Mai panted heavily as she tried to keep on the man's heels, following the directions that Uryu fed them. She had the distinct feeling they were going the wrong way and it was confirmed when the entire group came upon a dead-end.

"Great…"Mai muttered as she turned on her heel and clocked Uryu upside the head. "Admit it, moron, we're lost!"

"Hey, guiding a group this big is more luck than science, Mai. And if I remember correctly, you had a map on you, so why don't you pull it out and see where we are!"

"I left it behind, because I didn't think I would need it anymore!" she spat hotly. They were in each other's faces; hackles raised and ready to get into a fight. Until she felt it. A shiver ran down her spine and she turned and came to the Captain's side.

"Zaraki-"

"Yeah, you should be ashamed of yourselves, boys, sneaking around like that. Show yourselves, hiding your spirit pressure in order to stalk others is no way for a Captain to act." He called out into the empty courtyard.

"You're one to talk," muttered Mai, eyes scanning the area repeatedly. "You're the Captain who's helping out the enemy."

"Shut up, kid."

A heavy spirit pressure descended on them, weighing down everything and causing the air to leave her lungs. Mai watched as two Captains appeared on the roof opposite of them, followed closely by two Shinigami she identified as Lieutenants. She tensed and reached for her Zanpakuto as everyone began to argue.

"Don't even think about it, kid, get to the execution grounds and just leave them to me," Zaraki said, eyes fixated with bloodthirsty hunger on the two captains.

"Like I'm gonna let you have all the fun," she snapped. "Besides, wasn't it you that said I needed to shed a little blood to waste some time? Why not now, and why not against them?"

"I like the way you think, kid." A breeze swept by before the dark-skinned captain spoke in a low tone.

"You are Mai Kurotsuchi; your spirit power is different from what I imagined. It doesn't matter, however. You will be captured and brought to justice for the trouble you've caused."

"Bring it on," she snarled as she drew her Zanpakuto, bangles jingling as she gave it a practice swing. Two Captain and two lieutenants against another Captain and just her. She didn't like her odds but she would have to trust in the skill of Zaraki, who was pretty much looking forward to cutting these four up.

"You talk too much, Tousen," Zaraki smirked as he too drew out his Zanpakuto. "Just hurry up and fight already, and the four of you better attack at the same time because then one of you might actually cut me."

"Sir, what about us?" The Shinigami whose name Mai never bothered to learn looked extremely nervous as he gazed between the six of them. Zaraki scoffed loudly.

"Go, you'll just get in the way!"

"We're gonna go now," called his cute Lieutenant. "We're gonna go find Ichigo and you can catch up with us later! Ok, Kenny?!"

"I'll be right there," he called back and Orihime, Chad, Uryu, and the rest of them turned on their heels and ran. The dark-skinned Captain, Mai now realizing that he was blind, let out a soft bark of laughter.

"'I'll be right there'? It seems you're trying to provoke us now. Do you two really believe you can defeat all four of us that easily? It seems that you've lost your grip on sanity, Kenpachi."

"Sanity, what would I do with something as useless as that? Lucky for me I never had any to begin with."

"Captain," the Lieutenant with black sunglasses and a cropped haircut stepped forward a bit, "Allow me."

"And me," replied the other with a 69 tattooed to his face. "Let the two of us go first."

"You idiots, I told you I want all four of you to attack me at once." He turned to Mai and grinned at her. "Why don't you take them on, huh? Should be a nice exercise for you."

Mai opened her mouth to give back a witty remark when she noticed that the Third and Fifth seat had come back.

"You think so little of us that you would send in only your lieutenants?" Sneered the bald man.

"What an insult to our Captain," his feminine companion huffed.

"If that's the case, sir, then the two of us should go first!" Baldie declared.

"What the hell?" snapped the feral Captain. "Why didn't you two clear out with the others like I told you?" But they ignored him as the third seat went off into a rant. Mai snickered and gave her sword another practice swing as Zaraki's two subordinates took off to fight the Lieutenants elsewhere. That left Mai and Kenpachi with the other Captains.

"Alright then we can finally get down to business." Kenpachi had a wild look on his face as he stared down his opponents. Mai rolled her shoulders and readied her Zanpakuto, waiting for someone to make a move. "Of course your number has been cut down by half, and with Mai in on the action as well, this will probably be no more than a morning workout."

"And still you brag," said the other Captain, even taller and wider than Zaraki with a helmet on his head. He gripped the hilt of his blade and tensed. "I think the time has come to put an end to your arrogance!"

His spirit power was amazing. Mai didn't expect anything less from a fully fledged captain. She grimaced and fell to a knee. Her spirit powers were still sealed off, making it difficult to do anything at all. The masked captain drew out his sword and slammed the blade into the ground, sending a shockwave of spirit energy barreling towards them. Mai managed to jump out of the way just in time to avoid being hit.

But it didn't stop there. As she got clear of the smoke and dust a barrage of blades descended from the sky. Mai barely had enough time to compute the information before using Shunpo to dodge the attack. This was a lot more than she expected. She coughed up dust and rubbed her eyes furiously, kicking herself for not thinking to bring a pair of goggles along. It would be nice to find a clear area but the cover the dust provided her was too valuable at the moment as she took the time to devise a plan.

She spotted Zaraki through the slowly clearing smoke. The fool hadn't even bothered to dodge the blades! There was no way he could still be standing –

Zaraki's sudden laughter interrupted Mai's train of thought. Her eyes widened in shock as he then came into view, blades sticking out of his shoulders and back. He barely looked fazed at the damage he had taken. "That's it, that's all you've got?" he asked, suddenly a bit disappointed and mostly annoyed. Mai watched as he plucked the blades from his back with the indifference one would save for picking lint off a blanket. The captains watched, startled that the man was so unaffected.

This guy is something else.

Mai smirked and stood up, brushing the dirt from her pants, prepared to join the fight. But the two Captains ignored her and went straight for Zaraki, determined to take him down together. It was obvious they didn't see her as a threat, which Mai didn't mind in the least.

Zaraki was obviously only warming up despite the seriousness of the other captains' attacks, trying to goad the two into releasing their Bankai. After several minutes of unsuccessful attacks, it seemed Zaraki was going to get his his wish. The second Mai realized what the blind captain was about to do, she leaped as far away as she could. No way could she handle a captain's Bankai without going all out, and that excess power would tear her body apart.

The air pulsed with the blind captain's power as he released his Bankai, and then a huge, blimp-like black cage apparatus materialized, hiding Zaraki and the blind man from Mai's sight. The rustle of cloth behind Mai had her spinning around to face the helmeted captain, who's unsheathed sword was aimed straight at her heart.

"It is not my wish to kill you, Mai Kurotsuchi," he said in his deep, rumbling voice. "Please do not allow me the task of telling your father that you died because you refused to cooperate. Come quietly and you may yet live to see another sunrise."

"Get bent!" Mai snapped and swung her blade. He parried her attacks with subsequent blows, enduring her onslaught with ease. Then he swept her sword to the side and hit her square in the chest with the palm of his huge hand. The air left her lungs as she was sent flying back on to the pavement, fighting to breathe.

"This is my final offer, Mai Kurotsuchi: come quietly or die."

Mai began to laugh, softly at first as she got to her knees and stood unsteadily. Mai straightened and grinned up at the towering captain's form. "The only reason I would willingly go to him is to cut off his head. So here's my answer: I would rather die, but if you think I'm going to make that easy you've got another thing coming." Mai held up her left arm, displaying the bangles to him. "Do you see these? They're seals to block off my Spirit Power," she said, grin turning feral. "The thing is, I only need four and you'll notice there are five of them."

Swiftly and gracefully, she pulled off the unnecessary bangle. The world slowed as she easily crushed it in her hand and a huge wave of Power swept in from everywhere. The air sparked with electricity as Mai swept a hand over her Zanpakuto.

"Short out, Livewire!"

A/N: Whoohoo, another update. I hope you guys like it, and please leave me a review! Use CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM! and go thank my beta will ya!

PathlessSpore

P.S. If you hadn't noticed, Dancing Flower has it's own custom story cover (hand drawn by me) You can find a link to the larger version on my profile, so go check it out. I worked very hard on it!