Saintly Territory

Mia was luckily distracted by the blood, otherwise if she could have figured out Masaru's thoughts he would be stuck on that couch for another hour or so. Instead she was minorly panicking, looking around the room and down between them for something, anything to wipe it off of Masaru. Blinking, she turned down and stuck her fingers into her mouth before licking the metallic tasting stuff off of her lips for good measure.

"H-How?! Masa! How did you not...yelp when I bit that hard?! Aaah, here let me lick it off." Mia leaned forward, obviously intending to clean it up more with her mouth.

How had he not yelped or something when she'd done that!? That was... At least only two of her teeth had punctured the skin, though he'd have a bruise... it looked so painful and she frowned.

Just... what the hell had she done?! There was no excuse for it, just because she was all riled up... It was like the time her nails had scored his back a bit sharply... B-But no blood had come of that! Just... large red marks...

"M-Mi-Mia-!?" She was licking the blood!? L-Lick it off!? T-That... S-Sure the blood needed cleaning, but they had better ways of cleaning it! S-She didn't have t-t-to-!

H-Haori! He attempted to offer the long sleeve of his haori in a flustered panic; it was going to need to get washed anyway! It would...likely also get blood on it in the future anyway! Using it was fine!

"I-It's alright! I-It doesn't hurt, M-Mia; s-something like this won't...a-aa... Y-You don't have to li...Y-You can use the haori! I-It'll do!"

Mia just ignored the haori, reaching up to grab his arm and tug it back down. "No! Just... no. Its so pretty, I don't want it stained... Plus I like how it looks on you."

She didn't mind the taste of blood, it wasn't pleasant but it wasn't unpleasant either. Bringing her mouth down to the crook of his neck, she licked up his skin to try and get it all off. There wasn't much but her mouth had smeared it in kissing earlier. Bleh, it wasn't entirely pleasant but it was better than his haori getting stained...

Least in her arousal she'd pulled the collar away from his body enough that it hadn't returned, thus keeping it purely white.

"I bit you though! That hard... Masa...! You have to tell me..."

At Mia's refusal of the haori Masaru could only further fall into his own pit of flustered hell, sputters escaping as she leaned in and...l-licked it! S-She was just... She just-! T-That wasn't something she had to do, t-that could be bad for her too!

"M-Mi...Mia!?" She really didn't have to! I-It could be easily clea- "I-I didn't feel it, I-I swear!"

He really hadn't known she'd bitten him that hard! He'd been much too distracted by the sex, and even then his pain tolerance...really high... It hadn't hurt at all...still didn't hurt...

"I-I...It doesn't hurt, d-didn't hurt then and doesn't now...P-Promise Mia, s-something like this won't..."

He was going to die at this rate, his fluster was much too extreme to even worry himself at bringing up his high pain tolerance and the thoughts that knowledge might cause, h-he was dying! S-She'd just licked it up!

J-Just-!!

Mia gave a firm growl, a firm and grumpy growl, not accepting any help in this! It was her fault, she'd clean it up... Getting a bit of the blood off, she brought her hand up to his neck and set a small spell on the holes and bruising to remove it all before going back to licking up the blood.

He...swore he hadn't felt it? He... promised something like this wouldn't... would... bother him? But...she'd broken skin!

That was painful in extreme! It still didn't hurt?!

...

Mia paused in her licking, her body tensing up... "...Oh..."

He...had a high pain tolerance and...

She pulled back slowly, looking down and contrite much like a sad kitten that had done something wrong. If she had ears and a tail they would be flat against her head and drooping in the worst way...

She'd...not bothered him because his pain tolerance was so high because... he'd had so much worse.

H-Huh?

Masaru blinked, eyes wide and face red as Mia seemed to...become sad? W-What? I-It couldn't be because he kept warning her about the blood could it!? N-No, wasn't... It took him a moment, but it finally hit him as he repeated his previous words to her in his head.

"Aa..a..a... M-Mia!" Immediately, he went about pulling her closer to him to hold her again; "I-It's alright, s-sorry -- Don't focus on...sad things, the upsetting things... Um... Think of...um..."

...

"How relaxed we were before...before noticing the blood! Just...t-try to relax! I'm perfectly fine, and everything is going to be perfectly fine..." He added, attempted to snuggle her some in attempt of brightening her current state. S-She didn't...need to think about that...

Mia was pulled to Masaru, giving a soft little sound as she wrapped her arms around him. She snuggled right up, under his chin and attempting to give him all of her love by kissing his collarbone. He was worried and wanted her to relax, which she would do but first she had to speak... "I know you are fine, Masa... I do. I just... want to protect you, even when I know I can't..."

"I... have thoughts like that. Wanting to go back, after the bubbles. If I could... could have stopped it. Stopped your pain, stopped Papa's..." Mia was snuggling him and relaxing, at least in body because her mind was whirling again. If she didn't explain he'd never understand... "I mean, what would have happened? What would it be like...? Even... growing up in Rukon with him too. He could have been less lonely."

This stuff reminded her of that and she was relaxing but... she was definitely fine... "You know you are super cute sometimes."

Masaru continued to cuddle up to and nuzzle Mia, even as she claimed to know he was fine. She...wanted to protect him, even in the times she knew she couldn't...

"I...understand that, I...am sorry I brought that up though, I hadn't meant my words to..." She wouldn't want him apologizing for it, he knew that, but...

His hand moved up to her hair, running through the locks in hopefully soothing motions as she continued to speak.

"...I have...no idea what could have happened, but again, I understand..." He answered, "There...isn't really anything we can do to change the past, but...that won't stop of from wishing we could have changed it -- the bubbles... I'm... It still painful to know you had to experience all of that, with your father especially... For me...even if the past was altered slightly, I can say...despite everything I really enjoyed that day.

The time was short, but...

There are things I wish I could have changed as well, but...if it...wasn't for our pasts we wouldn't be where we are...or maybe even who we are today..."

That was...a painful reality, but...they were all happy now; they'd all gotten through those horrible parts in their lives... Nothing would ever...stop them from wishing they could have done something, or changed something, but...

"We're...all happy now -- we just have to...think about that..."

E-Eh!?

"A-Ahm... Cute? Mnn...I-If you want to believe so..." And...some of that fluster was returning...

"I'll pull cheeks, I will definitely do it." Mia muttered to Masaru as he apologized for bringing it up. As if it couldn't be talked about or had to be avoided at all costs! She wasn't in real need of soothing, but the hair playings were rather nice at least and she sighed.

"I...do think about it sometimes. But I am okay, I promise Masaru. I-I... still dream about my father's bubble thing and still have wishes. Mm, but its way better than I can't change the past, you know? Other than...what little I did." Mia smiled softly under his chin. They were all happy though, that was true. But he would have changed things...? "Mm? What would you have changed? Was it something of mine? Or yours?"

She was curious about it... But he was too cute and she had to remind him of that.

"Hehe, you were so cute and you still are the cutest! It's not belief, but pure unadulterated fact. Masa is cute and lil Masa had been super cute! I'm just happy I wasn't creepy or anything. I let my temper rule me and made you strip and stuff.

I even kissed you... I know you said its fine that you were happy! But just...you were a lot younger. It seems like it should be weird, you know?" Mia's voice was pure cheer and yet there was a twinge of playfulness, since she knew exactly what her words would do.

"Aha..." He didn't doubt she would, he didn't doubt that in the slightest...

She...was alright though, he would believe her to be so...though if she showed signs of not being so she'd be subjected to this once more. Masaru...doubted there was a con in that for her though, the constant soothing...but there wasn't meant to be! So long as she was alright...

What he'd change...?

"Things in the past... It'd be nicer if...we could have both had more enjoyable pasts...been able to prevent some things from happening...but...our pasts made us who we are today...and I'm happy...with who I am.." Even if there were things he wished to change, he knew better...and constantly reassured himself of that fact.

P-Pure fact though...a-about the cute thing...? Aha... "N-No! No! You weren't creepy at all, I promise I ah-... aha... That day was...before you showed up just another bad...troublesome day -- Sorry you had to come in when there were street thugs to deal with...

B-But-! I-It wasn't weird at all, a-and the kiss was definitely fine! I-I'm happy you...technically got my first k-k...k-kiss...and...though..perhaps I felt...mn...afterwards a lingering sense of...oddness, g-good oddness!... P-Perhaps like from before we were...aha... I-It's embarrassing, n-nothing-! Ahaha..."

Ahahah ahhaha....aha....

Mia just smiled against his skin as he gave a small laugh, he knew the consequences and she had just reminded him was all~ Masaru was too sweet though, he wanted her to just feel okay about all of this... The mild pain didn't bother her at the thoughts of what had happened, she was slowly growing to accept that. It didn't make a dent in her rage though and she'd definitely explode if given the chance to.

"Masa would still be Masa if he hadn't had those things happen. I know this to be true." Mia shook her head after he spoke, refuting his claims. She knew, believed, that even without all the horror and pain he'd experienced that he'd still be the Masaru she knew and loved. Even a few minor changes wouldn't alter it... "But... I'll drop it for now since its a topic you don't like..."

It was much better to focus on the cuteness! And the fact that she wasn't creepy was a nice bonus. The day had been bad but she'd made it good by showing up... "If I could have set those thugs on fire, I would have. Also your father, like a thousand times over... I am just glad though it wasn't... Huh?"

Wait...what? He hadn't mentioned this before...

"Aaah! Oddness? Just like... aaah I made you feel odd?! Masa, that's not good. B-Before too?!? I made you feel odd lots?!" Good oddness wasn't good at all and Mia began to pull away from Masaru in an attempt to scan his face for more he was hiding. She was glad she had gotten his first kiss too, because it made him happy but just... But lingering oddness....

"I-It's...a fault...I suppose, I'd much rather focus on the happy, besides...w-we're supposed to be enjoying our time together right now...n-not getting upset..." Masaru stated, still flustered but this statement was a bit easier to get out...

E-Eh? Set the thugs on fire... He...didn't doubt she would have and...t-that tone...

"I-I don't doubt you would have, aha...I-I never encountered those thugs again though, a-after that...a-at least not them... aha...ah-!?" A somewhat startled sound escaped him as Mia began attempting to pull away though, and he tried to keep her to him. I-It was fine! There wasn't anything to worry about! S-She was taking the term "oddness" in the wrong way! "I-I...I-I simply m-meant t-the oddness f-felt like I had be-before we c-c-...confessed the f-f-first time!"

His words had come out, he'd blurted them out quickly just...trying to reassure her but at the same time he'd just compared the feelings he'd had back then to...his crush.

"Its supposed to be relaxing and soothing times after our busy days, huh?" Mia laughed a bit softly, despite her worry over the oddness thoughts. Masaru was really cute a lot and this was one of those. It seemed like he was planning on things being like this and didn't want it tainted... "Is that what you planned for today? Anything else I should know for your plans so I can make sure to go along with like a good little consort?"

She'd do her best to go along with whatever he wanted! But she found her eye twitching as she was trapped against him. "...More thugs than those? How...many times did you get into fights...?"

Had...he really gotten into more than that? His words seemed like it and she blinked softly before hearing his next words. Oddness...before dating...?

"Aaah but that's not good? I mean... do I make you feel odd now too? Please, let me know. I'll do my best... its not because of kissing is it? I can stop kissing so much and...maybe kiss differently? I can learn new ways!" Mia was mildly panicking now, wondering what was odd...

E-Eh!? She still didn't... Masaru felt like his face would burn off already after blurting that out, but Mia still didn't...didn't understand it!? "It...It's not bad! I swear! I-It was like t-the...th... That tingly feeling in my chest b-before we were...were together whenever we i-interact- Y-You kiss just fine!"

S-She did!

"Y-You don't have to stop, o-or do it any differently from h-how you're comfortable with!" H-How she kissed was fine!

I-It was just...s-s-similar back then to how he'd felt...

Aaaa! Easier subjects! Easier ones!

"A-As for the thugs...ahaha...aa... Perhaps I ran into them...quite...often..." He had dressed in his least expensive looking clothes, but even then he screamed money...he had been a magnet for trouble... "A-And I just wanted us to...to enjoy the rest of the day together, I-I quite like...how we've been since I-I got back...c-comfortable... I-It's nice to relax..."

Mia's panic poofed at Masaru's explanation, her whole body stilling before it began to vibrate. It vibrated quite a bit... before those vibrations turned into suppressed laughter. She was blushing, blushing up a storm but Masaru had quite the way with words... "You mean a crush!? Y-You... I kissed you and caused a crush!? ...H-How...long did that...l-last...?"

That feeling he had been talking about wasn't oddness... it... it was that...crush they'd had! Not that he'd known he had a crush, but... Her crush hadn't gone away and he'd known about that at least...

She kissed just fine though, that was a relief... And it was a nicer thing to think about than... a potentially hundred year long crush... "I-I wouldn't mind trying to kiss you other ways...but these ones are my favorite at least."

Now this caused her to pop up, the thought of thugs. Her mouth in a pouty, grump filled line, she puffed up her cheeks and gave a sound. "How many people did you fight out there?! Masaaaa! You... You are ridiculous! Just a walking trouble magnet!"

He just wanted to relax with her and Mia could accept that... but first they had important things to discuss! Very important! Like about his fighting and about the freaking crush!

C-Crush... Y-Yes, h-...he supposed that was...t-the correct term... M-Mia was even laughing now! This was embarrassing...and extremely flustering, his face was burning... Was there any snow out around the gardens? Perhaps that would help his temperature...aah...

Probably not...

He wasn't sick after all, just...f-flustered...

H-How long did it last-!?

"...I...I...A-Awhile...perhaps..." He admitted, trying to turn his face away even if Mia wasn't looking at him...until he felt her pop up though after his response concerning the thugs had processed. "I...Y-You know I wanted...a-a little free time, a-air... I-I managed...fine, I'm trained in hand-to-hand...was...still am..."

If he could just string words together...

"A-A...As for how many...Ah...well...not many...a-a...few...alright more than...a few..."

Mia felt the heat from Masaru's face but just leaned up to kiss his cheek softly for a few moments, flustered herself at his admission. He was definitely the worse off from all of this at least... He'd...just

In that short of time!? She'd... caused a... a crush...?!

She pulled back and heard his words, causing her fluster to grow as it began to match his at this point. Violet eyes stared into icy blue and she tried to keep his face turned towards her with a few fingers on his cheek now. "H-How long is a while...? M-Masa... H-How did I even...do that!? I-It was only a few hours... a while... a while long crush?! J-Just...from that..."

Mia wasn't that special, she wasn't that wonderful to instill just a long crush in anyone!

...She had other things to focus on though, like the man's words about wanting air and then... his eventual admittance... of all the freaking fights he'd gotten. "I-I know you wanted air but...! Just... Maaasaaaaa! Masa! You got into so many fights!"

"Trouble magnet! Super trouble magnet!" Mia reached up and tugged his cheeks with both hands, cheeks puffed out as she briefly forgot her fluster.

"A-Ahwhile!" H-He could hardly get an answer out! Mia had his cheeks now because of...of the whole thug encounter thing! H-He knew he'd been a magnet for trouble then, but he'd handled himself! He was still alive, wasn't he!?

Mia wanted to know how long the crush had lasted though, and just trying to answer had him dying.

T-The talk of the street fights was easier!

"M-Mia...a..." His words were coming out a bit unfinished, but that was simply due to the fact his cheeks were currently between her fingers.

"M-Masa! That's not an answer! D-Did I do something horrific to the timeline?! Did... I push you away from others with that action!?" Mia let go of his cheeks, her hands sliding down his neck to his shoulders as she leaned up a bit more. Worry shone in her eyes, but there were a few other emotions in there.

Just because he was alive didn't mean it was okay that he'd gotten into tons of fights. He just drew trouble and issues to him!

"Aaaah! I'll have to be more careful. You get into so much trouble if I'm not around! Remember when you got sick? And the time you fell from the tree? T-Technically I was there for that one, but you did it on your own and if I'd known I woulda stopped you!" Mia just froze, remembering the white hair he got in bankai... and Ikari's... "Its the white hair curse! Ikari was pulling trouble towards you this whole time and now he's cursed you tooooo! I need to dye his hair black the next time I see him."

"M-M...Mia...a! I f-fell for you naturally b-before the bubbles! T-Th...The bubbles may have...a-altered things, b-but...before the bubbles...I-I fell for you naturally, e-even if the b-b-bubbles...the crush from them...decades..."

His voice grew smaller the more he trailed off, and he couldn't even keep eye contact with Mia as he said so. R-Really he'd fallen for her naturally, what had happened in the bubbles...changed the past some, but it...it...well, it was difficult to explain!

He had fallen for her naturally!

T-The time he got sick, and ...the tree!? "A-Ah...aa...a...well..y-yes...I remember...H-Huh!?" The white hair again!? "I-It's not that, Mia! I-I'm not going to get myself injured simply because my hair temporarily changes to white while in bankai! I-I would only enter bankai seriously under...e-extremely severe circumstances! I-It's alright!"

He was trying to reassure, but when it came to this...white haired deal Mia often went off on tangents...

"H-How did I even do that!? I-I didn't..." Mia was still confused at how he fell for her in the first place, so the short time she'd spent with him as a teenager causing such a long crush was even more piled on top.

...

Decades?!

He was looking away! Masaru was looking away! Mia felt her face burning as she squirmed on his lap, fighting the urge to flee.

Luckily, quite luckily for the man, her freaking out over the decades comment and fluster over the falling for her naturally had completely tossed his replies to her minor freak out about the white hair from her mind.

In fact she was distracted enough to forget she had even spoken about it.

"D-Decades?! Th-That's... I-I am not that..." Her voice was a squeak, dying and ruined as she looked down at his scarred chest. Aaaah!

"Y-Y...Y-You were r-r...really nice a-and pleasant t-to me! Y-You he...helped me out of a s-situation, h-healed...c-co...cooked and caught f-fish, a-and of c-c-course you were a-also incredibly p-p...p-pretty!" Masaru's words were stuttered, but quick as he continued to blurt out responses.

Of course he would have been...t-taken by her! She'd done all of that, and she was beautiful, and just...all around nice to him! Considering his situation back then that was extremely rare!

He'd meant it though, he had fallen for her naturally before that...s-so she hadn't changed anything...

She was squirming, but Masaru held on, not wanting her to just flee this time. T-This was important! It was an important talk!

"Th-That doesn't make... for a crush! A-Anyone could have helped you!" Mia retorted, completely ignoring the fact that his smiling at her and falling from the tree had done something similar... She had been just as alone as he had been back then and simple niceness could obviously cause a bit of a crush if one wasn't used to it.

"M-Masaaaa!" He was holding her down, this was a travesty! Noooo how could he keep her from fleeing!? Mia quit squirming, her face burning up as she shook her head. "Not a really big one! A-And I am... not... n-not...p-pr...e...tty.."

Mia wanted to bury herself into a tiny little hole from which to never escape. Never ever. H-He...had...she had...been...

"I-I...Well it did for me! A-Anyone could have, but-but it had been you! Y-You were the one that'd helped me, a-and... Y-You were the one to show me that k-...kindness!" Masaru retorted; yes, anyone could have helped him, but it'd been her; she'd been nice to him, healed his injuries, helped him get food in his stomach...a-and as he'd just said she was incredibly p-

"M-Miaa..a... You are! You're incredibly s-s-so! P-Pretty, a-a...attractive, b-b-beautiful, c-c-...cute... A-All of those things! O-Of course I was and am t-t-taken by you!"

This was killing him, but he had to get it out! Mia was flustered, he was flustered...b-but this all needed to be said!

She had been the one... Others hadn't...therefore she had gotten his feelings. That kindness and help and... that playing around... had...

Had been obviously.. effective...

His next words though caused strangle groans as he just reiterated his previous statements. She was...attractive and pretty and cute!? O-Of course he'd been taken with her... and still was... There... was no way she could survive this! None!

"Masa no...!" Mia's voice was a broken whimper, her hands moving up in an attempt to shoosh him by force. Just cover the mouth saying such things! Cover it up! She wasn't burning up, that was not what was happening!