This story is just something I wanted to put out there. I hope you enjoy. I'll continue once I've updated my other stories!
disclaimer: I don't own Bleach, if I did Rukia would have died.
Orihime felt like she was burning. From the inside out. The flames jumped over her, enveloping the girl within an inferno of never-ending heat. And while buried in that heat, she was retaught things. Things she didn't know she had learned before these fitful dreams. But that was okay because if she was allowed to remember what she was, then she'd burn a thousand times over. She was the alpha and omega. She was the patron of fear, power, and unbridled compassion. She was the head of the Shun Shun Rikka pack, and her sleep was over.
Orihime felt her body move, sliding off and away from the tree she sat against. Her muscles where slowly shifted and she knew what she was going to do. It was time to run. She peered around, her glowing grey-turned-silver eyes taking in the wilderness she had step foot in. Orihime found herself drawn to the vast forest just outside of Karakura on instinct. And it was that same instinct that Orihime found was changing her. She felt her change, it wasn't slow and antagonizing like they portrayed in the movies. It was a flash of ecstasy, like she was tuned into a whole new world. Her vision was a kaleidoscope of colors, dancing around in front of her. She could smell the dew on the ground, hear the wings of a bird from miles away. She felt, for once in her life, powerful. Orihime could feel her body gearing up to sprint, like a coiled up spring she bounded forward. The feeling of her powerful limbs stretching to accommodate her speed; she couldn't help but bask in the glory that was her. That feeling of running free, it exhilarated and excited her to no end. The wind played through her ginger dyed fur, its sleek texture rippling.
She could feel a howl nesting at the back of her throat but held it in. She had to wait. She dodged around trees and vaulted over bushes. She could sense them near, their minds called to her. Her pack. Her Shun Shun Rikka. A growing howl echoed from a place in front of her and soon others joined in. Filled with recognition. Her pack had called out to her and it was her duty to answer that call. She released the noise that had built up within her. It tore through the air. Echoing loud and clear. She was reclaiming her place as their leader. They were hers and it was time they came back.
Orihime could feel them drawing closer to her until they were in view. The first wolf was a female. Tanned fur and shining blue eyes. The second was a brown color, another female. With dark eyes and a bright resolve. The last female was blonde colored, with dark green eyes and a playful aura. The two males who were towards the back had similar colors, a dusty coal. Their eyes were a light brown and a pale indigo. And the last, had a midnight coat. And similar grey eyes though his were darker to almost a stony color. Her family was united again.
They transformed back into their human guises. Six moon light clad people stood before her.
Lily the blonde she-wolf was a petite beauty. With shoulder length platinum hair with charming mischievous emerald eyes and a smile that could slay, she was always known as the heart breaker.
Hinagiku who was known as Nagi, had slanted bark colored eyes. He was tall but fairly muscled. His face was too delicate to be called handsome, no he boarded on pretty. It was something that he hated to have acknowledged.
Baigon and his night sky eyes was always the silent strong type. In a way he reminded her of Chad. He was a very well muscled man had a similar build to the Mexican giant. He had a hard lined face with structured features and was quite the Casanova in her last incarnation. But of course he turned them down, he was a duty prone man even the Orihime back then had wanted the man to find someone who he could bond with, he had refused saying that his mate would come in time.
His power to shield mental and some physical attacks just from his mind alone, like Nagi and Lily, made him a valuable and loved member of the team.
Shonou who preferred to be called Sho, the tanned wolf with the morning sky eyes, was not a conventional beauty. No she was more of something exotic. With her dainty features, honey hair, and helpful smiles. It was enough to win anyone's heart.
Ayame was the quiet brown wolf. With her sweet heart-shaped face, chocolate eyes and hair, and small stature. She was the innocent beauty of the group. Strong but kind. Even though she was a formidable fighter, she was a healer by nature. Along with Sho.
The last was Tsubaki. The fiercest fighter of her clan. When the midnight wolf attacked, he went hard and left his opponents in the dust. He was fairly attractive. With his stong features, and headstrong attitude. Sho had even teased him as the "bad boy" of the group.
She took them all in as they sunk to their knees in salute and tilted their head at an angle where they offered her their throats. Her inner wolf stated by their submission. She shifted back into her original form and walked until she stood directly before them. The old timid Orihime bawked and blushed at the thought of standing naked before other people, especially men! But the even older Orihime shrugged it off, it was just flesh. She was comfortable with her body and the ones before he were family.
"Rise my Shun Shun Rikka, for tonight we bond." Immediately she felt their minds reach out to hers, brushing against her psyche. So pleasant she found her self nuzzling back. Their mind strands were tying themselves to hers, linking with soul. Connecting them deeper than any human bond could. She could access any part of them, see through their eyes if she so wanted to. And they her if she allowed it to be so.
Orihime exhaled slowly, drawing the earth's essence deep into herself. Letting her mind flex itself. "Underneath this full moon, we shall run. Together in unity."
She could feel the shift coming on. Turning she jumped, landing in her other body. Her pack not far behind. And together they ran, fast and determined. Howling loud and strong. They were the Shun Shun Rikka and they were back.
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Orihime awoke back in her bed, fully clothed and well rested. Almost as if she hadn't run like a gazillion miles last night. She giggled to herself, she Orihime Inoue, was a She-wolf! How cool was that? She even had her own pack, the Rikka's, she had, though not by blood but bond, family. She had so much she wanted to speak to them about but first she had to find them. Her head snapped to the side. Speaking of the Rikka's, where were they? Vaguely she could sense them but not to a direct pinpoint. She could feel their new bond and tested it out. Pulling on their mind strands, alerting them to desire to speak. A knock sounded at her door a few seconds later. She turned and took a sniff towards the entrance, a familiar smell. Her mind stretched and she smiled.
"Come in Shonou." She said and in walked the honey haired girl, she had a smile on her face as she walked over and knelt before her.
"Morning Hime." She placed her hand diagonally across her chest and her other hand fisted against the floor. Her head was tilted in a sign of obedience.
"S-sho! You don't have to bow for me!" She explained frantically. Not liking the powerful woman kneeling in front of her, it was degrading! "A morning hug would do just fine!"
Sho lifted her head and gave her a warm smile. "You never change, do you Hime?"
"No, so get up here and just hug me." She opened her arms and the girl embraced her. Orihime had learned long ago that she was a naturally touchy feely person and being a wolf just enhanced it. Besides her pack would have the urge to touch her daily. It was a natural instinct.
"Hime I have something for you." Sho left and came back with a small white box. She knelt before her again but Orihime resisted the urge to pull her up. She knew this was important.
Slowly she opened the box to show a pair of ornately designed blur hair pins. On the tips was a six petaled delicate flower. Shun Shun Rikka indeed.
"These were given to us by your brother Sora, he died before he could give these to you." She held the box higher offering them to her.
With one shaking hand Orihime took the pins and held them in her hands.
"Was Sora-nii killed by a car like I was told or by one of our kind?" She wouldn't say one of us, none of her family would ever harm one of their own.
Sho bowed her head already knowing she'd want to know. "He died in a battle protecting you."
"Is the person who killed him still living?" If they were, they weren't going to be soon. As soon as the thought coursed through her head she wondered if she should be terrified having just brainstormed about hurting another person. But another part of her whispered that they had hurt her first.
"No, they were taken down in the battle as a final act of protection from Sora."
This soothed her enough to banish her dismal thoughts. Getting up she looked over to her window. It was kinda bright outside. "What time is it Sho?"
"7:32 Hime."
"Eh?" She said, jumping over her bed (and if she wasn't so flustered she would have been awed) and looked at her clock. It was indeed that time and she only had like 30 minutes to get ready. It usually took her an hour to do that.
"I'm going to be so late!" She exclaimed making a dash from her closet.
"Hime, I took this into accord and ready for this. Your shower is running and you clothes have been ironed and are sitting on the clothes rack in the bathroo-." The honey haired girl was trapped in one of Orihime' Super Duper Grateful-For-What-Did hugs.
"Oh thank you, thank you, thank you! You are a lifesaver!" She quickly exited the room and ran into the bathroom. 15 minutes later, Orihime stepped out with dripping wet hair and half her uniform on.
"Sit Hime, so I can dry your hair." 5 minutes of blowing warm air on her scalp later her hair was done and she had inserted her hair clips.
"How do they look?" She asked Sho, biting her lips. They were beautiful and she wanted to do them as much justice as she could.
"Why don't you take a look for yourself?" She gestured to the mirror and Orihime stepped over.
Her cinnamon orange hair has down in a natural wavy style with her outgrown bangs on either side of her face. Her slim beautiful face was lite in anticipation. Her large grey-now turned silverish-eyes sparkled with strength and knowledge. Her rose petal lips were puffy and sorta bleeding from when she bite them. It was a bad habit that she needed to stop unless she wanted to gnaw them off. She looked down at herself wondering if she looked okay. She had long legs, rounded hips, a flat muscled stomach, and a C-cup chest. Orihime marveled at who self-conscious and unconfident she used to (and still kinda was) just slightly bashful. Always critiquing herself, comparing other woman to her own feminine allures. But now she cared less about how other people saw her, they could all, dare she say it, go to H-E-L-L! She giggled to herself. Turning gracefully on her heel she looked at Sho. She was dressed in a similar attire yet she didn't wear the school jacket. She noticed that she had pulled her hair back into a braided ponytail.
"You're going to my school?"
"Yes Hime, we applied a few months ago. We thought it would be best to remained close to you."
"That does make sense. Are you going to be walking with me?"
"No Hime, we'll meet you there, it's better not to arouse suspicion."
"Well okay, guess I'll see you there then." She grabbed her bag, waved to Sho, and sprinted out the door. Jumping down her entire flight of stairs, Orihime landed in a crouch. Resting for a second on her haunches she pushed off and sped through the streets with liquid grace. She even threw in a front hand spring (though she nearly killed herself)! She couldn't get enough of this. She had loved to play as a kid but being a girl with the freaky colored hair not many people wanted to be around her until Tatsuki and the others. And now more than anything she was happy she taught her how to properly move, with her wolfy prowess she could reap full benefits!
Finally she neared school and slowed her pace, don't want to 'arouse suspicion'. Had to appear a normal human girl. And as she walked into class, she bee-lined straight for her seat, walking past Ichigo and the group. God how was she going to keep this a secret from her friends, she didn't exactly know how her new instincts were going to affect her life. She was taught the basic information through her first phasing but that was it. She'd have to figure the rest out by herself. Thoroughly engrossed in her thoughts, she didn't hear Ichigo until he tapped her on the head.
"Yo Orihime, you okay?"
She blinked. "Y-yeah, why do you ask Kurosaki-kun?" She turned to face him and internally blanched. His incredibly sexy face was poised only a few inched away from hers. Did she just think him sexy? Why yes, yes she did.
"You seem kinda out of it."
"It's nothing I was just thinking about the most recent robot unicorn siting. It's said that this mystical beasts resides in the forest of rainbows." She chirped happily, finding the most plausible excuse...Well plausible for her.
Ichigo sat back in relief, she was okay. He smirked to himself. Only Orihime could come up with such stories.
Orihime had noticed something when Ichigo had come close to her. He smelled...different. Like sweet, tangy, and otherwordly. Taking a whiff in their direction she noted that everyone over there smelled different. Keigo, Muzuiro, Rukia, Chad, Uryu, and Renji. And even as Chizuru came to hug-molest-her, she noted that she too smelled the way Ichigo did, though not as good. Even Tatsuki had the scent wafting off of her. It took all of several minutes to pinpoint where she knew that similar smell from. This morning before she had put on the hairpins, when she had hugged Sho, and from the time in the woods. The scent of wolves was what she was smelling off of them. And holy flying robots if she wasn't suprised!