Takes place in the middle of the Soul Society Arc
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'We were born to protect you.' They wouldn't let her perfect image shatter, it was unthinkable. The three of them would always answer when she called; never miss a beat of her heart. Inoue Orihime was leaning against the wall of a small enclosure, her mouth open while she slept. Hours ago she had began to talk to them, explaining exactly why she was there in Soul Society. "I might not have the potential of Kurosaki-kun, or the brain power of Ishida-kun. I'm not as strong as Sado-kun is either. But I didn't come here to be useless. I came to rescue Kuchiki-san and that's what I'm going to help everyone do, but I need to get stronger. I need to know who all of you are. What to call you." Lily couldn't help but laugh at the reply Shun'ou had given her. "Call us you."
But it was true. They represented her just as much as she was present in them, even if she hadn't realized it yet. During those long hours they had been behind Orihime every step of the way, helping her understand more about herself. Now, as the young woman lay sleeping, Hinagiku could see the determination he represented in her. Loud though he was, it was his way of showing her that it was a silent determination, loud enough for herself to hear. He was sitting on shoulder, watching her snore, and smiled as Baigon stirred on her other side. "I thought you'd be as drained as the rest of us." he said, sitting up to take a look at Orihime himself. Where Hinagiku was boisterous, Baigon was very reserved, the voice of reason. However serene she looked, Orihime was a girl that had her own problems to deal with.
She couldn't be carefree all the time; this is where Baigon came in, as living proof that she had a serious side. "You know Hinagiku, she's more than just determined. I know you can feel what she feels too. This is something she wants to do more than anything…but not for herself." Orihime stirred a little bit, muttering before she settled again. "Kuro…saki-kun…" Baigon was silent while he continued to sit there. "She's never come across a more serious topic than that if you ask me. He's like a part of her himself, that Kurosaki Ichigo. The place in her heart for him is certainly large enough."
"You two sure are loud!" Lily exclaimed, stretching and joining her teammates. She rose off of Orihime's lap to hover in the air. "But you're both right. It's a love we have to protect no matter what." Lily brushed a hand against Orihime's cheek. She knew the girl's oddities through and through, every crazy thought and action. "Come on Lily, of course you'd know it all, you're her sense of adventure." Lily shot Hinagiku a stern look and shot towards him, chasing him around her head for a little while as Baigon dozed off again.
The two barreled into him and they landed on the floor in a small dog pile. Hinagiku howled, "Get off! Baigon, move!" Lily dragged him skywards, later joined by the winded Hinagiku, and the three of them stared down on Orihime together. "We are the heavenly trio."
"We repel what will hurt you."
"We are fueled by your protective instinct."
The three of them resumed their places and drifted off into sleep. They had never seen themselves so strongly in Orihime before then. A flaming chrysanthemum burning with an invisible determination. A spontaneous lily who, in a heartbeat, would rush to the side of her friends. A solemn plum blossom that held a seriousness inside herself for only one person to see.