A/N: Hey guys! Sorry but I'm literally about to run out the door as I post this, so I will respond to all reviews when I post Chps 14&15.

||Chapter 12 - A Walk in the Park ||

Buffy quickly snatched the wrist that was hurling Rukia's zanpakuto towards the newbie slayer. Looking at Rukia in shock, Buffy's eyes quickly turned to anger, "Rukia what the hell were you thinking? We can't just kill her."

"I wasn't going to," Rukia replied sincerely and Buffy looked down at Rukia's zanpakuto and quickly saw that the spot Rukia had been aiming for had been at least a foot away from the girl's head. Rukia's zanpakuto would have plunged into the ground.

"Then what were you doing?" Buffy asked curiously.

"Getting out the kikanshinki to use on her, of course," Rukia said as if it was obvious.

"English-translation?"

"The memory-replacing device," Rukia stated as she took out what appeared to be a gray cigarette lighter with four green buttons on the side and showed it to Buffy.

"So what? You're gonna light up a few cigarettes and wait until the smoke gives the girl such a big headache that she forgets her memory? I don't see how that's going to work."

"Just watch," Rukia demanded as she stood over the girl and placed her thumb on the wheel of the device. Before she could do anything, however, a foot planted itself into the middle of Rukia's chest and sent her flying backwards.

Spinning around, Buffy quickly blocked a blow from the firey red-head as she attacked her with complete abandon. She was obviously furious with them for trying to knock her out, but why it hadn't worked, Buffy didn't know. All she could do was block another blow as the girl attempted to land her best attacks on the formerly oldest living slayer. Unfortunately for the new slayer, her best attacks felt as if someone had swatted Buffy with a stack of papers. They were somewhat stinging, but mostly annoying and uncalled for.

"Let's calm down," Buffy called as she caught the girl's fist in her hand.

"Not a chance," the girl muttered darkly as she continued her pointless assault on Buffy.

"What happened to being my biggest fan girl?" Buffy asked as she ducked under a roundhouse kick and moved out of the way of what appeared to be a bitch slap that was aimed at her face. The girl's attacks were slow, painless, and predictable.

"That was an act," the girl snarled at she attempted to land another blow to Buffy, "I was going to lure you out under the pretense of patrolling so that I could kill you."

"And why would you do that?" Buffy asked, playing along. She was pretty sure this girl couldn't kill a vampire let alone a former vampire slayer that was now imbued with the spirit of a celestial being. To say she wasn't curious as to why the girl wanted her dead was an understatement, though. Most of the people that had Buffy on their 'people I want to kill' list were not people at all. That aside, most of Buffy's enemies wanted to kill her. Not her allies.

"Because it's your fault that I'm like this!" The girl said with tears in her eyes as she gestured towards her body. Buffy was so surprised that she didn't even bother blocking the blow to her stomach that she barely felt anyway.

"Like what?" Buffy asked, although the answer was obvious.

"A vampire slayer! Did you ever stop to think that just because you didn't want to be the only slayer in the world anymore, that anyone else did? Yeah, there are many of us, I get that, but before I became a slayer things were perfect," the girl cried hysterically as she continued to try and land blows to Buffy's body.

"Now everything is shit. Thanks a lot, Buffy. Because of you, my entire family is dead because vampires came after them looking for me. I took up 'your' destiny and it ended up getting my family killed."

Buffy froze. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. The words that the red head had just dealt her were more painful than any of the attacks she was currently trying to land. Shaking with both confusion and guilt, Buffy suddenly wished she could snatch Rukia's memory-erasing device out of her hands and click it about 100 times. Before Buffy could respond, however, a blur flashed near them and about five super vamps appeared, looking alarmingly smug. Shouting warnings at her companions, Buffy watched as Rukia dove to the ground as a vampire flew at her. Watching as Rukia attempted to explode the vampire, she saw that the other shinigami was unsuccessful and that the attack had only left a scorch mark on the vampire. Eyes widening in alarm, Buffy cursed her luck. How the hell were these super vampires so strong? Soul Society had given the espadas permanent residence over the last few months, so there was no possible way for the vampires to feed off of the blood of the espada.

"Don't tell me to be careful, I'm a slayer. You're the one that gave up her power and then died. For all I know you're nothing but a weak human and I sincerely hope you are killed by one of those vamps, " the red head told her and Buffy rolled her eyes. Obviously the girl hadn't noticed Buffy's reactions to her attacks at all because she thought she was still above Buffy herself. Watching as the girl flashed her a sinister grin, her eyes suddenly became frightened as a super vamp stood behind the girl. Buffy shouted at her to move, but the girl just narrowed her eyes at her. Buffy watched in horror as the super vamp snapped the girl's neck in half - instantly killing her - and then proceeded to drain her of her blood. Not wanting to see anymore, Buffy turned around to her other companion and watched as Rukia was sent flying into the bay. Surrounded, Buffy attempted to think of a quick strategy to quickly down the vampires. Just as she was about to put her plan into action, a red burst of energy followed by an angry shout flew at her and one of the vampires erupted in a shower of dust. Buffy watched as Hiyori - in full hollow mask - stepped through the dust before swinging her zanpakuto at another vampire. Ichigo was right behind her and yelled something back at her before Hiyori flashed him a glare and they continued fighting the vampires. Between Hiyori and Ichigo, two more vampires were quickly taken out, and the remaining two were also quickly dusted as Lisa and Love appeared from the shadows and took off their masks.

"Rukia, are you okay?" Buffy heard Ichigo ask as he ran over to help his girlfriend out of the water before placing the jacket of his bankai uniform around the shivering girl.

"Fine I think," Rukia replied as she looked at Buffy curiously.

Buffy, however, hadn't noticed Rukia as she was currently staring at the body of the red-head in defeat. Her line of vision was suddenly obscured as the small blonde stood in front of her and pulled off her mask. Locking eyes with Hiyori's momentarily, Buffy watched as Lisa and Love dragged the girl's body near the bay before blasting ceros at it repeatedly, turning it to dust. Watching the scene in horror, Buffy's vision was once again obscured as both Rukia and Hiyori roughly pulled her away from the sight and walked with her further along the bay. Ichigo was trailing behind them at a slower pace, but he was obviously anxious to be somewhere. Where, Buffy had no idea, but it looked as if he was going to wet himself if he didn't get there soon.

"Will she go to soul society?" Buffy asked Rukia as they moved farther away from the scene and heard two more sets of footsteps joining the four of them, indicating that Lisa and Love had returned.

"I don't know," Rukia answered honestly, and Buffy was silent.

"I know you're upset, Buffy, but we have to move it the fuck along," Hiyori snapped and both Rukia and Buffy looked down at her in shock.

"Why? What's going on?" Rukia asked as she suddenly noticed her boyfriend's anxiety attack in back of them.

"Those vampires had been feeding on espada blood," Lisa commented.

"How? The espada are on our side now," Rukia questioned seriously.

"What isn't rightfully yours, or shamelessly given to you, can be taken by force," Love replied and both Buffy and Rukia's eyes lit up in understanding.

"Which is why we have to move it along," Hiyori said again before the group flash-stepped at once to Urahara's shop.

When they entered the eccentric man's home, they heard angry shouts coming from the basement. As they travelled below, they were greeted by the sight of Mashiro yelling sharply at Hachi to heal the victims. Buffy watched as both Halibel and Grimmjow were enveloped in boxes of yellow light before she looked off to the side. Urahara was holding a bag of ice to his swollen left eye and he limped over to Yoruichi who was currently wrapping her heavily-bleeding arm tightly. Ulquiorra was seated on the ground near them, bleeding from various wounds in his upper torso and lower waist. Overall, it looked as if the super vamps had gotten the best of them.

"How did this happen?!" Ichigo demanded as he took long strides towards Urahara and Yoruichi.

"How most evil things happen," Urahara replied as he held his sore jaw with his other hand, "They threatened us by telling us that they would kill Ururu and Jinta - who they had tied up with them - unless we forked over the espada blood. Amazingly enough, Grimmjow and Halibel immediately gave them their blood in exchange for the children. I think you and Buffy are rubbing off on them."

"But they took too much blood," Ichigo finished and watched as Urahara nodded.

"It transformed them and they easily over powered us, but didn't kill us. Instead they quickly moved on so that they could drain Buffy instead. I guess they decided we weren't worth it," Yoruichi said with a nod of her head as she ran her uninjured hand through her hair.

"And the kids?" Buffy asked, not loving the fact that a newbie slayer hated her for giving her power - and had been killed in front of her because of the same power (not to mention the girl's family had also been killed), and that the two kids living with Urahara had almost been killed because of her and her power as well. If there was ever a time where she needed one of Kensei's infamous pep-talks, this was it.

"They are safe and unharmed," Urahara responded happily, "Tessai escaped with them to Kurosaki's house."

Buffy would have sighed in relief at that if she hadn't felt the way that she did. What would have been an amazing day was eclipsed by several events and now all Buffy wanted to do was return to Soul Society and snuggle into bed with Kensei and pretend that the day had never happened. It was one thing to learn that she may forget her human memories over time, but another entirely to know that her power had damaged or nearly damaged many people. Her power was both a blessing and a curse. Because she had it, she could save others and prevent others from experiencing what she had gone through all of her life, but because she had it, people often came after her, trying desperately to kill her and those surrounding her. If she had kept her power like the newbie slayer had wanted, she would be facing the forces of darkness all on her own again. In giving up her power, however, she had destroyed one girl's life and potentially many others' and had also gotten herself killed. And where had that gotten her anyway? She was now fighting in an army with the same super strength - and then some - that she had had all along. If she gave up this power, she wouldn't be able to save the people she loved. But in having this power, the first had set his sights on her and was willing to kill anyone in his way.

Buffy watched as Lisa made her way over to her before she reached into her pocket and produced the cell phone of the fallen newbie slayer before gently placing it into Buffy's hand. Eyeing the phone curiously, knowing it would probably do more bad than good if she snooped around the dead girl's phone too much, she finally decided that she didn't care and slid the phone upwards before going into her recently dialed numbers. Looking at the very first dialed number, Buffy noticed that the number was not - in fact - Xander's. She knew Xander's number by heart, so unless he got a new one or the number was that to his new slayer headquarters, the girl had definitely not been trying to reach him. Curiosity getting the best of her, Buffy redialed the number as the others fell in a hushed silence to watch her actions.

"Hello. You have reached PBS Bakery. This is an automated service. Please listen to the following options and select the corresponding numbers," Buffy rolled her eyes and nearly hung up at the realization that it was just a bakery until she heard the presented options.

"For store hours and locations, press one. To request or confirm an order, press two. To contact a direct representative, press three. To report PBS Bakery sightings, press four."

Well that was strange. PBS sightings? Did they mean promotional things involving their bakery without their written consent? No. This was definitely strange. Against her better judgment, Buffy quickly pressed four and waited for the next prompt.

"You have chosen option four. Here at PBS Bakery we are dedicated to preserving the integrity and honesty of our corporation. As a result, once you have pressed one and stated the correct password, anything you say after the prompt will be recorded for our personal use. Please press one now."

Trying to think what the password might be, Buffy had absolutely no idea. Turning to Lisa, Buffy immediately pressed one and held the receiver up to the other girl's mouth.

"Just say something random," Buffy whispered to her at the bewildered look the other girl shot her.

"Buffy Summers?" Lisa questioned looking down at the phone. Buffy quickly pressed her ear back to the speaker.

"Password Accepted," Buffy's eyes widened in horror and she immediately pressed the button for the speaker phone so that all of the occupants of the training facility could hear, "Welcome to the Project Buffy Summers direct hotline. We are dedicated to preserving the integrity and honesty of our corporation. Our mission is clear. We believe in the former Council's original oath: Into every generation a slayer is born: One girl in all the world, a chosen one. She alone will wield the strength and skill to fight the vampires, demons and forces of darkness; to stop the spread of their evil and the swell of their number. She is the Slayer. She is the 'only' slayer," the machine emphasized and Buffy watched the mixed reactions from her friends, "Project Buffy Summers is dedicated to ensuring that the power that Buffy Summers released into other potential slayers is returned to her at once, for it is Buffy Summers' duty alone to defeat the forces of darkness until her last breath is expelled upon earth," Buffy's eyes narrowed at the phone in her hands at its revelation. Suddenly there was a scratching noise on the tape, as if someone had attempted to record over something, "Hello my dear project members," Buffy heard the unmistakable voice of Quentin Travers speak from the phone, "As I'm sure you've realized, Buffy Summers' presence is no longer with us on earth. This being said, we are focusing our efforts on the next slayer in line, Faith Lehane. At the following beep, please record any and all sightings you may have discovered of the slayer in question," at the beep, Buffy promptly slammed the phone shut before dropping the phone on the ground and stomping it into little tiny pieces.

"Fucking assholes!" Buffy shouted into the training facility as she collapsed to her knees and grabbed her hair in her hands.

Shaking her head viciously as she felt Rukia's hand on her shoulder, she stood up and walked towards the stairs of the training facility, "I don't even know anymore," she said quietly enough that only Ulquiorra - who had been standing by the stairs - could hear her, "Maybe I shouldn't have shared my power, after all."

As she left the training facility, making it clear that she didn't want to be followed, she walked until she found herself at the park that she had been at earlier in the day. As she sat on the same bench as before, she watched as Ulquiorra - once again - approached her before sitting down next to her. The duo sat in silence for about ten minutes before Buffy found that she could no longer take it. She had wanted to be alone, but at the same time, the man's presence was oddly comforting. Not as comforting as Kensei's, but in this situation, she would take it. Meeting his gaze, Buffy turned towards him before a low groan escaped her mouth.

"I thought dying meant you didn't have to worry about things in the living world anymore."

"That is exactly what it means," Ulquiorra responded and Buffy looked at him in surprise.

"You're not serious, are you?" she asked as she tried to read his face.

"Very serious," he admitted and turned his body towards her, "You left this world behind when you died, Buffy. I may not know you all that well, but it seems like you have a tendency to place burdens solely upon your own shoulders." Buffy found that she couldn't really argue with that.

"But you cannot in this situation," he held up a hand as Buffy was about to protest, "This is out of your hands. It does not involve you. I realize that this woman, Faith - whoever she is - means a great deal to you, but the situation is out of your hands. You have to let your own friends fight their own battles. They do not even know that you are - technically speaking, of course - alive. If you were to try and take on their battles for them, you would not only be exposing your life and your world as it is now-" Buffy could tell he was referring to her life and world in Soul Society, "To immense danger, but you would run the risk of overlapping your own battle into theirs and causing unfathomable chaos. You have your own loyalties now, and as much as I am sure you miss your loved ones here, your loyalties are to the loved ones that you have now, in Soul Society."

As Ulquiorra finished his little pep-talk, Buffy could tell that that was probably the longest period of time in which the former espada had ever spoken. As she reflected on what he said, she knew he was right, but she couldn't shake the feeling that she 'needed' to immediately find a phone, call Xander, and let him know what this PBS organization was all about. Yet again, Buffy reminded herself, Ulquiorra was right. If she picked up the phone and called Xander, she would be exposing herself to various complex situations that would directly interfere with her preparations against her battle with the First. She couldn't afford to have both of her worlds collide because it would literally, probably, end both of them. Sighing in relief, Buffy allowed a small smile to escape her lips. She could do nothing. She 'would' do nothing. It was out of her hands and she trusted the people of her past.

"Thanks Ulquiorra," Buffy breathed, "That was exactly what I needed to hear."

"You are welcome," the man-in-question stated as he also flashed her a smile before putting a hand on her shoulder, "Sometimes pain is better alleviated by sharing it with others."

Buffy nodded and then a thought struck her, "If you need to...you know...talk about what you went through?" she offered and watched as he shook his head.

"That will be a very long discussion that I will save for when you help us defeat the war against the First."

Buffy smiled and nodded, "Count on it."

She watched as Ulquiorra left, commenting that he wasn't used to feeling the exhaustion that comes with being semi-human. Buffy waited in the park for a few minutes longer before she returned to Ichigo's household. Slipping inside, she noticed that it was already dark in the house, but that she could sense Ichigo and Rukia's presence within the household. Sighing as she made her way over to the couch, she noticed that it had been already made into a make-shift bed for her. Reminding herself that she would have to thank the Kurosaki family in the morning, she slid under the covers and started to think about the day's events. She still had mixed feelings about everything that had happened. Guilt was plaguing her mind, while at the same time, relief and stress mixed in with her emotions to create a cataclysm that she could not avoid. As Buffy attempted to get some sleep, she decided to think about the one place that would make her relax: her inner world.

Snapping her eyes open, Buffy stood up from her position on the sandy beach and immediately noticed two things. The first was that beach blankets and tropical drinks had been set out at the edge of the island for two people. The second was that Kensei was standing across from her with an expression that was a mix of confusion and happiness at seeing her. Also looking confused, Buffy walked the short distance across to Kensei and wrapped her arms around his neck before bringing him down into a heated kiss. It was almost a sin that she had missed him this much. As Kensei wrapped his arms around her waist, Buffy buried her head into his chest before she heard footsteps behind her. Whirling around, Buffy watched as Taka-Rahn eyed the couple with a smile before setting a platter of fruit down between the beach blankets.

"Hello you two!" she chirped as she greeted the duo.

"Uh...hi?" Buffy asked as she looked between Taka-Rahn and Kensei, "How did you bring him here? Not that I'm complaining."

"Only I have the power to merge inner worlds," Taka-Rahn responded as she pointed out into the distance.

Looking across the waters, Buffy could clearly see rocks floating along the surface, forming a pathway to a large, steel building in the distance. The building itself was hard to see because it was so far away, but Buffy could clearly see tornados weaving in and around the building and wind pushing against the water that was surrounding the building from Buffy's own inner world. The water was creating huge, tsunami-like waves that would have scared Buffy in their enormity and power if they hadn't completely dissolved before reaching even half way across to the duo. Looking at the building curiously, Buffy turned back towards Taka-Rahn questioningly, but it wasn't the celestial being that answered.

"That's my inner world," Kensei admitted as he, too, looked in the distance, "But why is it so far away?"

"Because it was ruining the atmosphere," Taka-Rahn said in disdain as she looked at the building as well, "Especially that hollow of yours. He was being rude so I locked him in the third floor of the building, sorry."

"If you can show me how to lock him in the third floor myself, I'll accept your apology," Kensei said seriously as he wrapped his arms around Buffy's waist from behind.

"Maybe another day," Taka-Rahn said with a smile, "Right now I think you two need each other. I'll be hanging around your inner world, Kensei," with that, the mysterious being disappeared.

"So this is your inner-world, hmm?" Kensei questioned as he looked around at the serene, and beautiful, tropical island.

"My new one anyway," Buffy confessed and Kensei shot her a questioning look, "The old one was a desert when Sineya was still here."

Nodding in understanding, Kensei cupped a hand under Buffy's chin and met her gaze with his own, "Why have you been feeling so guilty lately? And stressed? And all-around panicked?"

"Did Taka-Rahn tell you that?" Buffy guessed as she placed both of her hands on Kensei's chest.

"No. I could feel everything," Kensei admitted as he pulled her even closer and planted a kiss on her forehead, "That whole connection thing, remember?"

"I couldn't feel you...or hear your thoughts," Buffy accused.

"If it helps, I couldn't hear your thoughts either. And you probably didn't feel me because I was relatively calm all day...I know, what a surprise," he added at her look.

"What's bothering you?" he prodded at her silence.

"I don't know. Nothing? Everything? Who knows anymore?" she mumbled as Kensei rubbed soothing circles into her back.

"I wish I could be there with you, and make everything go away," he confessed as he brushed her hair out of her face and gave her a soft kiss.

"Me too," she said as she leaned into his touch, "But at least you're here now."

"So are you going to tell me what's bothering you, or do I have to play charades?" he asked while holding her at arm's length.

"I didn't know about some stuff today...so when I found out, it was a huge shock and made me feel...alone and guilty," she confessed before seeing his look, "I know I'm not alone. I know I have you, and trust me, that is more than enough, but I sometimes feel like I'm alone when it comes to my power, if that makes sense," Buffy watched as he nodded in understanding.

"Having a lot of power can be very lonesome," Kensei reflected, thinking about Aizen and how his own quest for power had ended up with him being alone due to his distrust of everyone else. Although he knew Buffy wouldn't become like Aizen, he did worry that she would become depressed and keep to herself.

"It really can," Buffy breathed as she looked up at him, "I also found out that, it's possible for shinigami to forget their loved ones from the living world."

Kensei nodded slowly, "It's possible, but it doesn't happen to everyone and you have a pretty strong will, Buffy. I doubt you would lose your memories."

"I hope not," she confessed as she hugged him tightly before pressing her nose against his neck.

"And then, I met one of the newbie slayers, like I was worried about," she confessed and as she pulled back she saw a dark look pass over her lover's features, "We were going to erase her memory, because she recognized me, but then she attacked us and basically told me that getting her slayer powers was the worst thing that ever happened to her and because of me vampires attacked and killed her family. Right after she told me that, super vamps attacked us and killed her."

As Kensei processed the rush of words that poured out of Buffy's mouth, he held her face in his hands and pressed a kiss to her forehead, her nose, and then her lips, "Please, don't blame yourself for that. Think of all the girls that did appreciate what you did, and think about how many lives you are saving every day for sharing your power. She was an extreme example."

"But she was an example," Buffy protested and watched as Kensei shook his head firmly.

"One in a million, Buffy. Do you think Shinji, Rose, and I get praised every time we save a kid with our vizard masks on? No. For the most part we get terrified screams and mothers shouting at us to stay away from their children. Not everyone sees power as a saving grace. Some like to label it as a nightmare and leave it at that. You can't think about those people."

Buffy nodded, but the ball in the pit of her stomach refused to be released. She knew Kensei was right, but hearing it and believing it were two different things entirely, "And then Ururu and Jinta were nearly killed by the vampires so that they could consume Grimmjow and Halibel's espada blood so that they could challenge me and then drain me. They were almost hurt because of me, Kensei. Because of .power," she muttered but was immediately calmed somewhat when Kensei resumed rubbing her back.

"Enough," he said to her as he looked down at her quietly, "You know how I feel, Buffy, and you know how you feel. I can tell you anything you want to hear, but at the end of the day, you need to start believing in yourself and the people that love you."

"I know," she said quietly as she lightly traced his face with her hands. Buffy then proceeded to tell him everything else that had happened that day - including meeting Ulquiorra and Ulquiorra's advice.

"He's alive?" Kensei questioned and then at her nod he added, "He's right, though. You need to let your friends take care of that situation. It really doesn't involve you. That voice mail you heard even said as much considering they wiped your name from it."

"Hmmm," Buffy replied as she reflected back on that phone call.

"What is the power that he has against the First's evil whatevers?"

"I have no idea. Neither does he," Buffy answered and shrugged at her boyfriend, "Typical PTB."

"Hmph," Kensei agreed, "A lot of random shit happens when I let you out of my sight," he said with an exaggerated sigh before he grinned at her and smashed their lips together roughly. Buffy melted into the kiss and ran her hands through his hair as their tongues met in a clash and hands roamed underneath clothing to find the sweetest spots of each other's bodies.

Hearing a few windows shatter in the distance, the couple broke apart and glanced towards Kensei's inner world. After a few seconds passed, Taka-Rahn reappeared before them looking slightly winded and seriously pissed off, "Your hollow is a stubborn asshole," she declared. That was the first time that Buffy had ever heard her curse, "He wouldn't let you two have privacy. I think I've managed to contain him though, so carry on," Taka-Rahn stated with a smile before disappearing again.

"Well that ruined the moment," Buffy stated and watched as Kensei agreed with her.

"Now it just feels like we're about to have sex upstairs and my parents are bickering in the kitchen or something," Buffy sighed with a shake of her head.

"That's one way of putting it," Kensei laughed as he made his way over to the beach blanket and gestured for Buffy to come with him, "Let's at least relax for a bit. Can't let all this stuff go to waste," he said as he gestured towards the fruit spread and the drinks.

"Hmmm, that would be bad," she agreed as she settled herself onto the beach blanket next to him and grabbed one of the drinks.

"I miss you," she confessed as she popped a piece of pineapple into her mouth.

"I miss you too. What have you done to me?" he added as he looked at her with an amused smile.

Buffy glared up at him, "Hey, it's 50-50, buddy. Sometimes I wish I could go through a whole day without missing you, but considering where we are right now, it looks like that wish didn't quite come true."

"I don't hate it though," Kensei retorted as he looked around at Buffy's serene inner world.

"It has its benefits," she agreed as she kissed him again and took a sip of her drink.

"So what are you teaching Ichigo tomorrow?" Kensei asked as he laid back on the beach blanket and gazed up at the sun.

Buffy mimicked his actions, "Healing kido. I think he thinks I'm bizarre though because every time I've been around him so far, I've had somewhat of an emotional breakdown."

"Then I must think you're 'really' bizarre," Kensei snorted and Buffy lightly elbowed him in the ribs.

"Boyfriends don't count. They're used to that kind of stuff," she revealed as she curled up next to him and laid her head on his chest.

"Everything will be fine. Ichigo likes you, I can tell," Kensei revealed as he rubbed his nose against her hair.

"The last time you told me everything would be fine was this morning. That resulted in me giving Rukia the 'sex talk', running into a newbie slayer that wanted to kill me, finding out that my memories of my loved ones might go away, and discovering that there was an organization dedicated to reversing all the hard work I put into sharing my powers."

"You gave Rukia the 'sex talk'?" Kensei asked in amazement and Buffy elbowed him in the ribs again.

As much as she loved the man next to her, sometimes he really had a tendency to only focus on the things that mattered to him. Namely herself, and sex, and sex with herself. And sadly enough, she found that that was something that she could definitely live with.

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