Disclaimer: No owns TMM. If I did, Masaya would've gotten his skull bashed in already in favor of Ryou or Kisshu.

Warnings: I'm writing this before the fact, but… fluffiness ahead, and… if I have my way, hopefully some Masaya-bashing.

Note: This story was so favored by one of it's reader's that it has been given an Italian translation! WHOOT!

Simply to Hold Her

Kyuubi Tenshi

It was something I'd never thought to do.

There it was, a sudden image in my mind, a sudden impulse I desperately felt the need to try. Something that simply had to be done, but… but was forbidden to me.

I just wanted to hold her.

I wanted to simply capture my little koneko-chan into my arms and just hold her against me with no kisses stolen, no protests, no fighting words or playful smirks… just simply hold her. Pull her into my lap, let her sleep with her head against my shoulder and my cheek pillowed by her soft, ruby hair. Of course this was impossible; she would never consent to such a thing, and never before had such sentimental thoughts pressed to the fore of my mind. It seemed that ever since the first time I'd lain eyes on her, that all thoughts were only of those wide, innocent eyes, those soft black ears and those fiery curls. Innocent eyes… I wanted that innocence in her for my own. She was my toy! Those pathetic humans had no business putting their hands on her! Those two that she worked for… she called them Shirogane and Akasaka… and that Aoyama boy… they had no right to lay their filthy human hands on my toy! My fingers twitched, but I refused to give in and clench a fist in frustration. On sudden impulse, I teleported my way to earth, knowing that my kitten would be on a walk in the park about this time. Maybe I could make a little trouble for her…

But what I found wasn't what I'd planned on.

Sitting on a park bench and crying her heart out onto her knees, she was wrapped around herself, lonely and broken. I couldn't imagine what had happened to do this to her. Never before had I seen her so full of pain. Making mischief was now the very last thing on my mind. I took the long way around to the other side of the bench, staying well-hidden in the trees and underbrush. Sobs racked her body painfully, and never before had I seen her in such anguish. I perched silently on the seat beside her, and her head shot up to look at me fearfully for a moment, the moment those chocolate orbs met my own eyes. But she made no move to run; did I look different somehow? Maybe it was because she could see I was concerned; whether or not it showed, I could've cared less, but the fear faded away into sorrow once again, and her biting words as she stood and turned to go stung a bit more painfully than usual.

"I don't have time for you, Kisshu. Can't you leave me alone and let me have my sorrow for once without coming around and making it worse?"

I couldn't help the subconscious action that followed, the one where, before she could make her way off to that girly Mew-café she worked at, I reached out and snagged her wrist. She jerked her head around just as I pulled on the appendage roughly, dragging her into my lap. She objected quickly, squirming to get away, but I wouldn't let her go. I kept a firm grip on her for a while, until she finally got tired of struggling and settled down. I shifted her slight form against me, and flew up into a nearby tree where we wouldn't be seen, settling my weight comfortably against the trunk and tucking her securely to my chest. She blushed a little, and the sight was a pleasant reprieve from tear-stained angry eyes. Instead, that innocence I so loved was turned on me, and for once, I didn't ruin the moment. I pressed her head against my shoulder and rocked her back and forth, soothing her for a while and wiping away the tears that still escaped her eyes. After a long while, I finally managed to screw up the courage to ask her the question that had been bugging me.

"What… Ichigo, what happened?" I'd queried softly. There was a near-silent hitch in her breath, and I feared that she might cry again, but she didn't.

"Aoyama-kun… he…" Momentarily, her voice cracked, and I ran my hand through her hair once again. She calmed. "I caught him…"

This time, she did cry again, and buried her head into my shoulder. I was being uncharacteristically soft towards her; I held her closer, and rocked her back and forth, making shushing sounds and comforting her as some of the earth mothers or fathers might have comforted a small child if he or she were hurt. She tried several times to tell me through her tears, but she could never finish what she was saying before the sobs shook her body painfully. I was trembling with her now; I couldn't seem to help myself. Whether it was in fear of how broken she was or in anger for what that pathetic piece of earth-trash had done to her, I could not discern, but I was shaking.

"I caught him with another girl. She was half naked, and he had her skirt pushed up… and… and…!"

I quieted her. I didn't need to know the rest. This was enough to tell me that the boy had crossed the line and broken her heart beyond any semblance of good repair for a long time. Now I was sure; it was anger that was boiling my blood and making me shake and tremble for her so violently. I pressed a reassuring kiss to her forehead without thinking, but from what I registered she didn't move to pull away. I tucked her to me more securely, and teleported to her home. For a long time, I simply held her, and while the anger passed me by after a time, I realized that I was doing exactly what I had wanted: I was holding her.

No protests. No struggles. No fighting words or playful smirks. I was just holding her.

She had trusted me. Confided in me. Looked at me with those oh-so-innocent eyes. And even now, she was sleeping silently in my lap, her breathing only a little hoarse now from crying, her head tucked trustingly against my shoulder and my head pillowed softly by her hair. She wouldn't remember this tomorrow, since she was asleep, but…

But I'll remember it forever…