6 Double-edged Sword

The spirit she held launched itself, leaving behind a golden streak. She hadn't thought of any ways to improve the attack so it had the same style. The only difference was that it improved in strength proportional to her Reiatsu.

Yoruichi didn't underestimate the attack. She began to glow white, as lightning was generated from her spiritual power. She swiped at the golden projectile and the two forces exploded, knocking Yoruichi and Orihime back several meters.

The spirit flew back into Orihime's hand when the dust cleared. Yoruichi was unharmed. She had already dropped the lightning technique that she just showed and strolled over to Orihime.

"That will be all. Forcing your potential anymore could be harmful. Take this chance to go home, relax, and then meet me at the shop tomorrow. I shall have your gift prepared."

Orihime looked down at herself and realized she hadn't changed clothes for at least a whole day. She hadn't attained soul form yet, so she still perspired.

When she got home, she tried to change out of her clothes but got confused with the shitagi. Actually, she already removed the shitagi that was part of the kimono, but the one related to her power wasn't coming off.

"Uh, so this is probably a part of my soul, so I should be able to control it…"

It started glowing and the flowers turned black. The shitagi disappeared and a flower tattoo remained on her chest. "This seems to be the inactive form. That's convenient. It also looks pretty good, tattoo without the pain."

She looked at herself in the mirror for a while and realized how developed she was for a fifteen-year-old. She was so focused on the plot that she never took the time to relax and enjoy her young body. Although the memories of her original life were few, she had been much older than now.

She prepared the bathwater while she washed her body and hair. Her skin was fair and smooth, and the beautiful flower tattoo that went from her shoulder to her belly had a cool contrast. After finishing washing, she slowly got into the bath and let out a satisfying sigh.

Due to the high stress environment of her previous life, she had the habit of bathing every other day to relax. Not only that, but she also employed another method of relaxation.

"All of my toys are gone. I didn't search the house, but I don't think I'll find any. Well, I had reservations at first, but this really is me now. I already have more memories in this world than my previous world. Since it's the first time, I'll explore…"

Although she made quite an effort in the bath, trying various techniques, nothing seemed to get her to the climax. She stared at the ceiling lamenting at her misfortune. The thought of crying occurred to her, but she determined it would just be too pathetic.

"Hogyoku, is there any way to fix the problem of sensitivity."

[Analyzing Request… Interference with Previous Systems Detected:

-Soul and Body fusion

-Soul Camouflage against Target: Byakuya Kuchiki]

[Request Incompatible, Revert Listed Systems?]

"No! Its fine, I can just train to relieve stress. Sigh, a few months of abstinence for a lifetime of relaxation, I can do this... Waah this sucks. Hogyoku has there been any major changes to my attributes?"

[Calculating…

Fusion: 40%]

"What, how did that happen?"

[Successful Fusion of Shun Shun Rikka Increased Body and Soul Compatibility.]

Orihime felt bad that those three spirits that followed the original Orihime through the whole series were getting benched again. For whatever reason after the first arc, they seemed to lose their personalities and were always in plane form.

'Perhaps this is actually the natural progression of the power?'

This ability was a manifestation of Orihime's desire for strength. However, given her personality, it makes sense that her power would manifest as multiple unique creatures. As she grew, the powers became more indistinct until eventually just a golden ray appeared when she used it later in the series.

Sensing her sadness towards the three spirits that had progressed to the end in one leap, Ayame, Shun'o, and Tsubaki came out of the hair pins sitting on the sink.

"Orihime, don't feel sad. We are all part of you. Becoming one with you again is a happy thing!"

"That's right! Don't cry it will only make me angry!"

"Hey guys, thank you Ayame, and don't worry Tsubaki I won't cry, hehe. Do you guys want to be part of me also?"

Ayame and Shun'o looked at each other. They hadn't been used a single time since their conception. They were there to heal physical wounds but also emotional ones. Seeing how strong Orihime has become, they felt like their role in healing her heart was complete. The two of them nodded at Orihime.

Orihime closed her eyes and imagined the perfect form and location for these two. In the original series, it seemed that this power was unrelated to her Reiatsu. Whether it was hogyoku's interference or how it actually worked, it was, in fact, proportional to Reiatsu. Therefore, the best place to quickly accumulate Reiatsu was next to the spiritual power vents.

Ayame and Shun'o understood her thoughts. They twirled around in the air together before splitting off towards one wrist respectively. They transformed into a beam of light then disappeared. What remained were thin tattoos that resembled a bracelet of flowers. Then Orihime looked at Tsubaki, who was the only one remaining.

"Dumb girl, you still need me. I'm not going anywhere."

"Hehe, okay Tsubaki. I'd miss you too, if you were gone."

He returned into a ray of golden light and formed into the hair pins again. Although all but one of the spirits were gone, the hair pins were still whole. Orihime appreciated that since it was a memento of her brother

"Hogyuko, how much more progress in fusing my soul and body now?"

[Projected Value: 65%. Physical Power Lacking, 50% Maximum Fusion. Recommended Power: 5]

"I guess there is no way around it. I need to train my body."

Orihime pondered as she sank into the bathwater and let out air to form bubbles.

…

The next morning, Orihime woke up early and took out the black kimono she had bought. With a sewing kit, she began to make modifications. The classic kimino she owned was a bit different from the shihakusho. She had tried to find one matching as close as possible, but still had to make a few changes.

Although she could get one in the Soul Society at the end of the month, she wanted to get accustomed to it first. She owned three sets of shihakusho back in the other world, that she custom made herself, so this process was easy.

Orihime activated her powers. The shitagi appeared under her clothes and gave her a snug feel. On her wrists, a pair of light-blue tekko with a flower pattern appeared. She checked her outfit in the mirror and she was satisfied.

Orihime went to Urahara's shop first. She had been avoiding Ichigo as much as possible since arriving here, but she couldn't miss the training montage. She really enjoyed that scene from the series. When she arrived, Yoruichi was outside waiting for her.

"Good, you are here, follow me."

Orihime followed behind the cat into one of the guest rooms. She hadn't seen anyone around, so they must be down below training Ichigo. There were two cushions on the ground for sitting, so Orihime went ahead and sat in one. Opposite her, Yoruichi sat on the other cushion.

"First, let me change."

Her body began to elongate. Paws turned into hands, fur on the body disappeared, and fur on the head turned into hair. After a moment, the cat transformed into a dark-skinned beauty. She was completely naked and seemed to expect Orihime to get flustered. Unfortunately for her…

"This is the gift? I accept!"

Orihime immediately jumped Yoruichi. She had been waiting for the chocolate goddess to reveal herself. Knowing her personality, there was a good chance she would try to fluster Orihime by changing in front of her while naked. However, Orihime was much bolder than before.

After getting groped all over, Yoruichi managed to slip out of Orihime's grasp. After putting on some clothes, she looked over at the pervert. She saw the sly smile on Orihime's face. For Orihime, this was a bit of revenge for yesterday. What Orihime didn't know was that Ichigo would be the one to get punished because of this later in the Soul Society arc.

"Hmph. This personality of yours… That Byakuya boy is in for quite a ride. Now, for your actual present."

Yoruichi opened one of the closet doors and took out a box. The box had the Shihoin clan symbol on it. She handed the box to Orihime and waited for her to open it. Inside the box was a wakizashi and a letter sealed with the Shihoin family crest.