A/N: Here is the next chapter for all of you. Orihime is going to be very OOC, I hope my explanation is good enough. Enjoy.

Revised

Final Battle

The area was filled with silence as the two stared at each other. Noburu studied the young woman now before him; something about her had changed from when he last saw her. The girl's hair seemed matted; a few strands were sticking to her cheeks as if she had been sweating from a considerable amount of work. Her body seemed to be more honed then it was before. There was even a change in her reiatsu felt different. Then there was that stare; that stare that seemed so familiar to him.

"So," Noburu said, "you've decided to show yourself as well. Good. I've been looking for some payback for what you did to me." He blinked and she was gone. It took him a moment to figure out where she had gone. He turned to see her back to him while she stood by Hayato. The others didn't even see what had happen. One moment she had been standing in front of Noburu; the next she was behind him.

"Well," Hayato asked the princess, "how do you want to handle this?" He looked at the auburn haired beauty as she stood in silence. Orihime took one look at her friends as they stared back at her with questionable gazes.

"Keep my friends out of the fight," was her answer. He turned towards them and began a walk to them complying with her request.

"Do you really plan to fight me all by yourself," Noburu asked? Laughter broke free from his lips. "You can't be serious. I just beat all of your comrades into the ground. What makes you think you stand a chance against me by yourself?" There was silence just for a moment before she disappeared. He barely reacted in time. He quickly turned around and threw his arm up as the long leg snapped at him. The moment contact was made a dust cloud formed behind him. He was at first shocked at the young woman's speed and power. He then had an enthusiastic smile cross his face. Finally, a challenge. He pushed her leg aside and took a swing towards her but the elegant goddess quickly moved away and jumped several feet away. For one moment he thought he saw blue eyes again but he quickly shook the thought from his head.

He watched as the two stared each other down before they made contact once more. The sudden burst of energy knocked him from his stupor. Ichigo's hand latched onto Zangetsu as he prepared to jump into the battle, but his advancement was halted by Hayato.

"Out of my way," the orange haired boy demanded!

"Stay out of it boy," Hayato responded with a stern stare. "All of you will stay out of this fight."

"Like hell I will!"

"I agree with Ichigo," Uryū said. "Orihime is not a fighter. We can't let her take him on by herself; no matter what you did to make her so strong." Chad nodded in agreement.

"We can't let her fight him alone," Rukia spoke up. "I can't lose another friend." Her voice was quiet as she clenched onto Renji's lifeless body as he lay on her lap.

"If you get involved you will only get in her way. She will have to worry about any one of you getting hurt and she would have to hold back to keep from hurting you herself." He turned his back to him to watch the engagement. "Just stay put. She'll be fine."

"You weren't the one that saved me were you," Tatsuki asked finally waking from her own shock? He turned his head to look her in the eyes.

"No, I wasn't the one that saved you," the brown haired man responded. "You have your friend to thank for that."

She was putting the training that Tatsuki had drilled into her to use. Her movements her fluid. Even though each strike was blocked she was pushing back her opponent. Eventually she backed the First Hollow into a tree. He was quick to dodge the kick that followed. The tree could not bear the pressure and toppled over. He quickly launched his own barrage of attacks to which Orihime simple dodged with little effort. He tried to get a kick in but Orihime brought her arm up to which his attack made contact with her forearm. Before he could pull back Orhime's arm shot out and grabbed hold of his leg. For the third time since the girl revealed herself he could have sworn he saw blue eyes again. His face soon met her foot. His body went flying in the opposite direction. When his body came to a stop after sliding on the ground for several yards he quickly got up and fired off a bala which Orihime dodged with ease. Soon after he fired off the bala he disappeared with a boom and reappeared behind her.

"Now you are mine," he yelled as he swung his fist forward!

"Santen Kesshun." His frustration began to rise as his fist made contact with the triangular shield; the girl's defenses seemed to be perfect. His frustration was soon replaced by discomfort as the shield disappeared before the auburn haired girl's foot made contact with his gut. His feet dug into the ground as he slid several feet away.

"I see that there is no point to try and play with you," the First Hollow said under breath. Soon a heavy pressure bore down on the area. "I think it is time to kick it up a notch!" As the final word left his mouth he was on her. She was barely able to dodge his attack; his fist bore into the spot she had just been standing on. Orihime didn't have time to think about it as he was on her again with a barrage of attacks; this time she couldn't just simply dodge them, she had to block some as well. She quickly crossed her arms in front of her as he sent a forward kick her way. She slid away from him and soon began to jump away to open the distance between them. She didn't get far as a cero made contact with the spot she was in.

"Let me go," Ichigo yelled! He was quickly tossed back onto the ground by the others. Hayato was having a hard time keeping them from getting involved in the battle. His difficultly only grew when Noburu's reiatsu rose and he started to gain an advantage over Orihime.

"I told you to stay out of the fight," he yelled back! Ichigo sent a deadly glare towards the man that halted him from protecting Orihime. Then he looked at the cloud of smoke that covered the area he had last seen her.

"You expect me to stand by and watch Orihime get killed! I won't let you stop me!" He got back and propelled himself towards the battlefield. He didn't get very far as he was soon kicked back down to the ground.

"Shut up and stay there," Hayato demanded! "This battle is far from over."

"What the hell are you…," Rukia began to ask but stopped when a serene voice spoke from within the smoke?

"Reject," her sweet voice echoed, "Shun Shun Rikka." An intense light emanated from the smoke and soon was blasted away buy a shockwave. The group had to cover their eyes from the brightness and the blast of air that was sent their way. When everything settled and they could finally see they opened their eyes and put down their arms. What they saw shocked them.

"Orihime…," Tatsuki said stunned.

"What happened to her," Uryū asked himself?

"She's…," Rukia tried to say.

"She's a soul reaper," Ichigo finished still stunned at what he was seeing. Orihime was no longer in her normal clothes. They had been replaced by a silk white shihakushō. What shocked them even more was what she was holding. A zanpakutō was firmly in her right hand. The blade look like it was almost two feet long. The braid wrapped around the handle was golden. The guard was the same shape and color of her hairpins.

"Well well, this is very interesting," Noburu commented. "Who are you exactly?" She lifted her blade over you left shoulder.

"Koten Zanshun," she called as she swung her newly acquired zanpakutō forward. A golden arc fired off of the blade and headed high speed towards the First Hollow. He stepped aside just in time as the attack passed him. She was soon on the offensive. Noburu found himself barely able to dodge the young woman's attacks. She was relentless in her assault. He disappeared from her sight. She quickly turned around and brought up her left arm. Noburu's attack made contact with a small golden triangular shield. She pushed his arm aside and brought down her blade. Noburu barely escaped the tip of the blade. Hayato watched over the battle with interest. He soon felt a tug on his shoulder.

"What the hell did you do to her," Ichigo demanded? Hayato just gave him a stern look. "What the hell did you do to Orihime? She is not acting like herself."

"Ichigo is right," Uryū joined in. "She is acting outside her nature." Hayato took a moment to think about it.

"A side effect of the process."

"What process," Rukia asked? "Just what did you do?"

"I didn't do anything to her. Hoshi gave Orihime her power. It appears that Orihime not only gained Hoshi's power but her battle instincts as well."

"Who's Hoshi," Chad asked?

"Hoshi is…," he stopped himself for a moment. The others took note to a hint of sadness that crossed his face for a moment. "Hoshi was the First Soul Reaper."

"If Orihime is a soul reaper now, then where is her body," Uryū asked. The brown haired soul reaper gave him a questionable look. "Take Ichigo for example. In order for him to fight as a soul reaper he has to eject his soul from his body. So I'll ask again, where is hers." The rest had been confused by what Uryū was saying until they took the time to look where Orihime had been standing when she released her power. There was no sign of her human body.

"She doesn't need to eject her soul to use her power," Hatayo finally answered. "The power of the first soul reaper is unique and hasn't been effect by evolution. So Hoshi, Orihime, and myself can fight in our human bodies."

"Yourself," Ichigo asked? Before the question could be pressed further they were interrupted by the ongoing battle.

Noburu fired of a cero while a golden arc shot out from Shun Shun Rikka came towards him. When there attacks met an explosion was the resulting response. The smoke from the contact was soon blasted away form a shockwave. Orihime and Noburu were at the epicenter. They both disappeared then reappeared at a different location, their attacks meeting head on. They continued to do this little dance for a minute before they put some distance between themselves.

"Where did you get all this power from girl," Noburu asked? Orihime only answered with silence. "Not going to answer? No matter. Once this battle is over it will be mine." In one loud boom he was behind her. He swung his fist forward to strike her down. But Orihime quickly turned around and grabbed his forearm. He was about to pull away but he hesitated when he saw the blue eyes again. His hesitation gave Orihime all the opening she needed. In a matter of seconds she flung Noburu's arm aside, firmly grabbed the handle of her zanpakutō with both hands, brought the blade up and swung down across the First Hollow's torso. The shock on his face was unmistakable. He quickly jumped away from her. He pressed his hand against his chest and felt the warm liquid oozing from the deep gash. He looked back at the girl. This time he didn't just see blue eyes overshadowing her hazel ones. Now he saw an entire ghostly body over hers. The body consisted of silver hair and blue eyes. The realization slapped him across the face. "What did you do," he demanded. His angered spiked at her silence. "What the hell have you done with my sister?"

A/N: I did it again didn't I. To be fair the only hints I really gave to the Firsts being siblings instead of lovers was their blue eyes and Hoshi's interest in Orihime's brother. I hope my explanation for Orihime's OOCness was good enough. Remember the process was for her was different from Ichigo's. I hope you enjoyed. Next chapter: the true story of the Firsts.