So many reviews! I'm so happy! I'm glad you all like it! I wrote a longer chapter to show my appreciation (that word reminds me of Bleach's ending 2). Also, I know Ichigo lost his powers for a year and five months, but for time, I shortened it to a year and a half. Anyways, keep reading, enjoying, and reviewing!

"Are you two alright?" I step closer to them. Inoue looks back with a blush firmly set in her cheeks. Is that caused by me or…him?

Why do I even care?

"We're fine, Kurosaki-kun. Ishida-kun took care of most of them." He turns around now and gives me a nod of hello. I return the gesture a little too tersely, and I grip the handle of my bag a little too tightly. She sees it. "It's just for a month, Kurosaki-kun."

Kyōraku-san placed a Gentei Reīn on me and ordered me to remain in my human form for a month as a precautionary measure. He is worried about the damage I could cause to the world if I didn't have restrictions. Urahara-san is working on a permanent solution so I won't affect anything when I transform.

He's right to place seals on me. The power I acquired is too much for this world. I know that I should listen to their orders, but at the moment, I couldn't be bothered to care because…

Because I never liked the idea of Inoue fighting. She doesn't have the heart for it, and her powers reflect it. Sure, she could fight, but she is fitted to protect, heal, and defend. I couldn't do what she did, and I really didn't want her to do what I did. I believed, I let myself believe, that I would finally be able to protect the people precious to me. Now, I couldn't even defeat measly hollows.

The feelings of being useless and helpless from that year and half hit me full force.

"Is there something going on between the two of you?" Ishida's question brings forth blushes on Inoue's and my face. Mine comes from the fall she and I shared. Hers…I don't know.

"What makes you say that?" His eyes move from her to me.

"Well, you both skipped the last period, and you left in such a hurry that you didn't even change shoes." He points at them. Shit!

"I'm sorry, Kurosaki-kun! It's my fault."

"It's not. I just forgot." I shrug my shoulders.

"It must have been important if you forgot," Ishida presses on.

"Speaking of forgetting, I have to get to work. I'm going to be late!"

"Do you want-" Ishida starts.

"Come on, Inoue. If we hurry, we can still make it with time to spare," I cut him off. Ishida looks taken aback, but I don't dwell on it for long. I begin to walk, not giving her a chance to say no. She bids goodbye to our friend, and she matches my steps, which are faster than normal.

I glance over at her, searching for any wounds. She doesn't have any scratches on her face. I look lower. Her uniform is intact. Although, the white fabric around her chest is stained with dirt, but I don't comment on it for a couple of reasons. Her stockings are a little dirty too. It must have been the fall.

"Can I see your hand, Inoue?" I hold out mine, waiting for her to give me hers.

She stops. "My hand?" She looks faintish.

I reach out and grab her wrist, pulling it closer to my face. I turn her palm face up, and I see scratches there. Just like I thought, she scrapped her palms on the cement when we fell. I bring up her other hand, and it bears the same scratches. They don't look too bad, but the slight bleeding might interfere with her work. "You should heal your hands before working."

Satisfied that she really is unharmed, I peek at her face. "You running a fever, Inoue?" She hasn't stopped blushing for the last couple of minutes. She mumbles something. I lean in, tilting my head slightly, trying to hear her. "What was that?"

"Too..too," she whispers.

My eyebrow raises in confusion. "To what?"

"Inoue-san! You made it!" An old man yells across the street.

She smiles weakly at him, and then turns her redden face towards me. "Th-thank you for walking me, Kurosaki-kun."

"No problem. Are you sure you're not sick?" I ask with worry. She didn't look well. In fact, her knees were shaking.

"Yeah…but my hands…" I look at them, and I realize I haven't released them from my grip. I let them go abruptly as if she burned me with them.

"Inoue-san!" The man yells again.

"I gotta go. I'll see you tomorrow, Kurosaki-kun." She heads to the bakery with seemingly unstable legs. I force myself to not help her. I think I already embarrassed myself and her enough for a day.

She gives the owner, I'm assuming, a hug, and they both head inside. I turn to leave, but something catches my eyes. The bakery starts to fill up. A line of males starts to form.

"What the?" I cross the road, inching closer to Inoue's work.

"Dude, get in line!"

"No cutting!"

"We've waited weeks for this!"

"Weeks? Is there some kind of special promotion going on?" I ask a guy.

He smirks at his friends as if they are sharing some inside joke. One of his friends leans on him. "Something like that." What were they talking about? Inoue didn't mention anything about a sale.

Another guy laughs. "You don't know?" I shake my head. "That hot chick is back!"

"Hot? She's a freaking model!"

"More like goddess!"

"What I'd do to just—"

"Look! There she is!"

She comes out, holding out a tray, handing out samples. She smiles at everyone as she walks down the line. Her dress blows in the wind when she moves, and with her free hand, she keeps her hat-thingy in place.

"Buy lots, okay?" She instructs as she passes the front.

"Okay!" The guys cheer at her.

"She's gotten even prettier!" I hear to my right.

"Yeah. And look at her chest…"

"Hey!" I bite out in anger. "Don't talk about her that way!"

"What's his problem?"

My fingers flex, itching to punch the guy in the face. But it isn't just him that keeps checking her out like she is piece of meat. All of them are looking at her.

"Kurosaki-kun! You're still here?" She skips toward me. "It's packed, isn't it? Oh! Here! Try one." I mindlessly take the sample and eat it. "It's good, right? It's Kansuke-kun's new creation. Look at how many people showed up to try it!"

"No, Inoue. They are not…" I couldn't finish. I couldn't tell her the truth when the excitement in her eyes made her sparkle.

"Huh?"

"Nothing."

"Inoue-san, we need you at the register!"

"Hai!" She calls back. "Don't worry, Kurosaki-kun." She knows that I'm worried. "I'll save you some!" She runs back into the bakery.

All of the sudden, I feel eyes glaring holes into my back and front. They must think that Inoue and I are together, and I should correct them, but maybe if they thought that she is taken, they wouldn't come and stare at her.

It works for a second until they start dismissing me and ignoring that I exist altogether.

How have I not noticed how many admirers she has? Had I been so absorbed in fighting that I missed it? In that year and a half, was I really so focused on my own self-pity that I didn't see how attractive Inoue became? I mean, she's always been pretty. Chizuru and Kon were very vocal about Inoue's appearance. Hirako and Keigo didn't hide their crushes. There are so many others who saw her in that way.

The boys in my school seemed to worship Inoue. These guys were willing to wait in line just to see her.

And Inoue…she doesn't know! If I'm dense, what did that say about her? Is she completely unaware of the effects she had on them?

I go home, irritated, at nothing and everything. But every time I look at my hand which holds the bag of baked treats that she gotten for me, my annoyance decreases. And then when I look at my other hand which had held hers, a new feeling takes over. A feeling that I don't quite have a name for.

All I know for sure, though, is that it would better if Inoue would just keep being ignorant.