Dancing Flower
Omake
Chapter 3

Mai' eyes were wide with wonder as she stared out across the infinite space of the Training Grounds. She had never guessed there was something this expansive beneath the shop. She swallowed nervously as she took in her surroundings, then snapped herself out of it and narrowed her gaze on Kisuke. His back was turned to her, as he talked quickly and quietly with Yoruichi, who held a long sheathed blade in her hands.

A week had passed since the discovery of her Shinigami heritage. She had demanded that Kisuke teach her to master her powers and he had looked at her with sad gray eyes and relented. Almost too easily, and it made Mai wonder what he was up to.

Finally, Kisuke took the blade and turned to Mai, handing it to her wordlessly. She curiously unsheathed it and admired its silver sheen and sharp edge.

"It's called a Zanpakuto," explained Kisuke quietly. "Also known as Soul Cutters, they give Shinigami the ability to pass over deceased souls to the Soul Society and purify evil spirits known as Hollows. As of now, your Zanpakuto is in its most powerful state, known as Asauchi, because in this state your weapon can become anything. As you begin to impress your spirit powers upon the blade, it will begin to develop a personality and spirit of its own, a sentient being unto itself who will aid you in battle once you become familiar with it."

"And you have a Zanpakuto as well?" questioned Mai as she ran a hand along the scabbard of her sword. The shopkeeper nodded and from his cane he too revealed his weapon. Mai started in surprise; all this time he had it with him. "This is Benihime." Silently he put away Benihime and turned to Mai. For a long while the two said nothing, until—"I want it made clear, Mai," he said in a low voice. "Once you start with this process, I will not let you stop. For any reason. Do you wish to turn back now?"

The girl considered it for a moment before looking up at him with determination in her eyes. "No," she said firmly, and for a moment, as the older man turned away, she thought she saw disappointment in his eyes.

"Very well, before we begin training you on your spirit powers I want you to learn how to handle a blade."

Several hours later Kisuke watched as Mai walked away, head hanging low in exhaustion. The shopkeeper sighed wearily and sat down on a nearby rock. He couldn't help feeling that he had somehow failed the little girl. The moment he told her about her father, the entire girl's life had been thrown off course. It would take months for the child's trust in him to be replaced.

Kisuke cursed softly and clenched the fabric of his pants tightly. A soft voice came from over his shoulder.

"You know, studies say that talking about your problems actually helps."

The shopkeeper chuckled dryly and watched as Yoruichi sat down against the rock at his feet.

"It wasn't supposed to be like this," he confided softly. "I was going to let Mai live in ignorance forever. I had even come up with a way to seal off her spirit powers for good."

"I thought you would tell her about family when she was older," remarked the woman. Kisuke shook his head slowly.

"That was before I allowed myself to become attached to her, before I knew that knowing her own heritage would destroy her." Kisuke scowled down at his clenched hands. "You can see it, can't you? You can already see the hate inside her. It will boil for years and in the end it will be her undoing."

Kisuke frowned sadly. "This is my fault, Yoruichi."

His friend was suddenly at his side, a comforting hand on his shoulder. "This is no one's fault, Kisuke. I've always felt that Mai would found out the truth in the end. And your're right, Mai's hate will be her undoing, and it will hurt her in more ways than one. The best you can do for her now is to be there for her. Train her, love her, and when the day finally comes, when it comes back to bite her, pick her up off the ground and tell her to keep moving on." The ninja smiled kindly. "That's what any good father would do, and you are a good father."

A smile passed over Kisuke's face, and he clasped Yoruichi's hand softly. "Thank you."

Two Months Later

"Faster, Mai!" called Kisuke loudly. "Move faster! Always try to be a step ahead of your opponent!" The little girl gritted her teeth loudly and brought up her Zanpakuto just in time to block the shopkeeper's swing. Mai knew Kisuke was holding back, but only enough to push her without accidentally slicing her in two.

She was sweating from head to toe while Kisuke wasn't even winded. She wiped her brow and snarled, swinging wildly. Her brash behavior earned her a quick rap on the head as she was sent sprawling to her knees.

"Don't ever let your temper get the better of you in a battle," admonished the older man as he stared down at her sternly. "Now try it again."

"What?" cried the little girl. "We've been at it for hours, Kisuke. Give me a break!"

"Do you think your opponent will allow you rest? Do you think that they will allow you to walk away and lick your wounds? No, this isn't some battle where when you lose you can learn from your mistakes. One fatal misjudgment could mean the end of your life. That is the great cruelty of the world, and if you have any hope of becoming strong you need to learn that well!"

Mai cringed slightly and averted her eyes. Kisuke was a relentless teacher, and she understood why. He was hoping to divert her from the path of a Shinigami so she could live like a normal human. But the little girl understood deep inside that she would never be normal. So she hardened her glare and nodded, and she saw the disappointment in his eyes again.

She didn't have time to think about it as she raised her Zanpakuto to block his attack. She'd get her vengeance against her father, whenever that day would come.

A few weeks later

Mai barely had any time to react as Kisuke's gloved fist hit her square in the chest. The blow winded her as expected, but as she was sent sprawling on to the ground she felt very little pain. She gasped loudly, trying to catch her breath, and she glared up at the shopkeeper as she got to her knees. What she didn't expect to see was her body lying in front of her like some lifeless corpse.

"What was that for, Kisuke?" she snapped as she stood up and dusted her pants off. She studied her fingers and to her surprise she found that they were slightly blurry at the edges.

"I've detached your Soul from your body," he stated, circling her. Mai followed his movements.

"Why?"

"I wanted to check something, and to be honest it wasn't what I expected." He knelt down in front of her and hummed softly. "You don't have a Soul Chain."

"What's a Soul Chain?"

"In a nutshell, it's what connects the Soul to the body. If the chain is severed the person dies and becomes a spirit, and either passes over or stays in the World of the Living. You don't have one."

"So I'm dead?" Mai demanded, examining her chest as well.

"I don't think so." Kisuke got to his feet and walked over to Mai's body. He picked it up and walked over to her spirit self. "You're a bit of an oddity, Mai, even for Shinigami standards. From what Yoruichi and I have been able to dig up, you weren't born a full Shinigami orhuman. So in truth, I don't particularly understand what you are or why you don't have a Soul Chain."

He gently laid down the body and motioned for the little girl to sit down. He joined her as she settled and crossed his legs. From inside his coat he brought out her Zanpakuto and Benihime.

"Since you're already in your spirit form, I figured I might as well teach you how to impress your powers upon your blade." He showed Mai how to sit in a proper meditation stance and placed her sword in her lap. For the next two hours he walked her through deep breathing exercises and relaxation methods.

"Remember, Mai, it's all about focus. Feel the spirit energy in your body and in the world around you. If you focus you can mold the energy in your body and put it into your blade. Over time all that energy will manifest inside your Zanpakuto and it will become a personality of its own. When that happens you must work to find its name, and become one with your partner."

"Yes, Kisuke."

They had been unexpected guests, and had given Kisuke little time to explain to Mai their association to him. The shopkeeper laughed nervously as he stammered out an apology to Shinji Hirako, Hiyori Sarugaki, and Kensei Muguruma. Mai looked over the guests with narrowed eyes, calculating each and every one of them.

Shinji waved away the shopkeepers apology and jammed his hands into his pockets. "Sorry to drop in on you like this, Kisuke. We've been a little bored lately and thought we'd stop by for a visit. We didn't know you were busy."

Hiyori stomped past Kisuke and nudged Mai with a finger. "What gives, Kisuke," she snapped snottily. "Who's the blueberry midget?"

"I have a name," snapped Mai angrily, pushing away Hiyori's hand. "It's Mai Kurotsuchi, and don't you ever forget it!" With a final glare she turned on her heel and stalked away to continue practicing her sword technique. The trio were left in stunned silence.

"Was she serious?" Shinji watched Mai swing her sword only to trip over its weight. "Kisuke, what's going on?"

"It's exactly what you think," sighed Urahara. "That's Mayuri's daughter."

"Who the hell was crazy enough to actually procreate with that freak?!" cried the blonde visored in shock, her eyes never leaving Mai.

"Mai's mother, apparently," Kisuke laughed and rubbed his head sheepishly. "I don't know much about her origins except that Mayuri left her here in the World of the Living. She's had it rough and resents Mayuri for abandoning her."

"Jeez, I always knew he'd turn out to be a first-class jerk." Hiyori scoffed loudly and crossed her arms. "What kind of douche bag abandons his daughter like that? Mayuri deserves a swift kick in the nuts, if you ask me."

"There's legitimate reason," Kisuke muttered as he looked over his shoulder and watched Mai trip over her sword again. "I don't know if we'll ever find out what it is. I guess there's a part of me that hopes Mayuri will one day come looking for her."

"I doubt it," Kensei murmured as he watched the girl. "He's not the type to go back and unbury the past. If he's left Mai here, then that's the end of it."

"So I guess that means she's officially part of the family, huh?" Shinji chuckled softly and strode past Kisuke and over to Mai. "No, no, no, you're holding your Zanpakuto all wrong. Man, what has Kisuke been teaching you?"

"Some Sensei you are," scoffed Kensei as he went over to help. The two men got into a debate over how the girl should hold her sword, each showing her varying techniques. The only one left was Hiyori, who continued to stare at Mai.

"You can tell she's his, even if I never saw him without that shit he always wore," she muttered. Hiyori averted her eyes and sneered. "Well its Mayuri's loss." With another scoff she stomped past Kisuke to join her friends. "Buzz off losers, can't you see her Zanpakuto is a Nodachi? It's way longer than a Katana which means she needs to hold it differently. It's also heavier. Kisuke, why didn't you start her out on something lighter!?"

The shopkeeper chuckled, "Blame Yoruichi. She had to sneak into the Soul Society and liberate a Zanpakuto from the Academy for Mai to use. It was the best she could do and remain undetected."

Kisuke gazed happily over the group and paused when he saw something truly miraculous. For the first time in months, Mai was smiling.