Disclaimer: Tokyo Mew Mew isn't mine.

Okay, so the only excuse I have for this is that during the episode (don't recall exactly which one) where Masha was captured by the aliens, I noticed Zakuro pulling Pudding out of the way of an attack and it just kind of popped into my head practically written. (I LOVE it when that happens!) So, yeah. Enjoy, and please review!

Zakuro has been alone her entire life. She was used to it; didn't even mind it, really (at least that's what she told herself at night with her throat constricted and her eyes stinging when the shadows seemed too deep to escape). And now all of a sudden she has them, the Mew Mews, the beautiful young girls with hope in their eyes and light in their smiles. The girls who never gave up on her even when fear still held her in its claws. And she finds herself—inexplicably, terrifyingly, exhilaratingly—loving them.

Zakuro loves Mint for her determination and her dreams and because she can so very clearly see herself in the younger girl. (That also scares her a little, though, because she doesn't want Mint to become what she has.) She loves Lettuce for her sweet, shy heart and for always doing anything possible to make the others feel better. Zakuro loves Ichigo for her strength, her idealism and her leadership and simply because she is their leader, although in spontaneous moments of fondness she calls the younger girl "Koneko-chan"—little kitten.

But Zakuro isn't exactly sure why she loves Pudding. The youngest member of their group is exuberant, boisterous and loud. She is nothing like the world Zakuro knows, all glamour and beauty and lies hidden beneath a thin casing of glitter. In fact (and yes, she knows it sounds ridiculous) Pudding scares Zakuro a little bit.

But in between the squealings of "Onee-sama, na no da!" and the tackle-hugs and the way she always smiles at the team, Pudding has managed to find her way into a corner of Zakuro's heart that the model had never thought to exist. When they are fighting, she keeps an eye on the girl, always ready to leap to her side if needed. On a few occasions that watchfulness has come in handy; she shudders to think what might have happened if she hadn't been paying attention. When Zakuro wraps Pudding in her arms and yanks her out of the way of an attack by Kishu or Pai (ironically, Tart seems to try to avoid hurting the little monkey) there is a part of her that doesn't want to let go; wants to stay kneeling and hugging Pudding close.

Then there's the night that still makes her smile even after all these months. She and Pudding were the only ones closing up the café. Ichigo was on a date with Masaya, Mint had a dance recital and Lettuce was home sick with the flu. Ryou and Keiichiro were downstairs in their little secret hidey-hole analyzing some new data, and so it fell to the oldest and youngest to perform closing duties. Zakuro had been thinking about a fashion show the coming week and so wasn't really focusing on the weather until a flash lit up the café and it shook with such a clap of thunder she half expected the walls to cave in.

A yelp, the sensation of being tackled and arms around her waist. Zakuro crashed to the floor with a grunt, reflexively tightening her grip on whoever had half-pulverized her. "What the—?"

"Onee-samaaaaaaa!" Pudding was shaking like a leaf as she buried her face in Zakuro's shoulder. "Make it stooooop! Pudding doesn't like thunderstorms; Pudding wants it to go away!"

There was something beautifully simple in how Pudding clung to her, and it took a moment before Zakuro realized that Pudding didn't have a mother to run to when it stormed. Her chest squeezed as she sat up and held the girl tight, stroking her short blonde hair. "Don't be afraid, Pudding. I won't let it hurt you." And even though it was only a thunderstorm, Zakuro's eyes glinted and her mouth tightened as though she was facing a hideous monster, the only buffer between its jaws and the girl curled in her lap. "You'll be all right."

Pudding relaxed slightly, wriggling around until she was comfortable and releasing a small sigh. "Onee-sama…." Her hand clenched around the sleeve of Zakuro's uniform. "Arigato."

And they had sat like that, with the occasional squeak from Pudding and tightening of grip by Zakuro as thunder or lightning announced themselves, for the rest of the night.

Zakuro loves Pudding just as much as the others—heck, maybe even more. She loves Pudding for her bright energy and for the way she calls her "onee-sama"; for how the little girl always tackles Zakuro and makes her feel like she matters, that Pudding really cares.

And she loves Pudding for giving her someone to care about too.