Disclaimer: I do not own Gakuen Alice… :(

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Love Like Thunder

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She always hated thunder, until someone came and comforted her.

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Mikan Sakura always hated thunder.

The way it shattered through the wet night sky at any given time and moment. The way it's rumbles set off car alarms and made animals cry. The way it caused power outages around the entire city.

She hated thunder with a passion, but mainly it was because she was scared of it.

She always has been. Thunder…was like a big bully to her. It comes whenever it wants to. It's big, powerful, and hurts people willy-nilly. It's loud and obnoxious, and just not needed in this world.

So unlucky for her, it was pouring tonight.

"It is cold! Why is it so cold? Cold, cold, cold, cold, cold!" Mikan sang shakily, as she scurried across her 3-star bedroom, jumping into her bed and under its covers in a hurry. She sighed at the warmth her blanket possessed, and grabbed her laptop that lay on the side table next to her.

"What to do…what to do…" Mikan paused for a moment as she listened quietly to the raindrops that had just started falling. She smiled at the rhythmic pit pat the rain was making on her window, and turned her attention back to her computer screen.

After what seemed like only 30 minutes, Mikan noticed a sudden change in lighting. She looked up in surprise, and saw her room grow a slight shade darker. The rain that she had just heard moments before were now rattling non stop against her window. Mikan shivered at the sudden eeriness and closed her laptop slowly. She hesitantly got up from her bed and took a few steps toward her window. A soft wind was blowing, as the air escaped from the closed panel. She drew back the curtain to take a peek at the weather, when a flash appeared right in front of her.

Mikan jumped at the sudden bright light and fell to the ground when a loud burst followed several seconds after the flash.

Tokyo was now experiencing a thunderstorm.

Mikan gingerly got up from the ground and backed away into her bed covers again. A flash was seen, and Mikan yelped in fright when the familiar rumble followed right after.

"I-It's just a storm…Just a storm…Just a-" A loud boom broke off her prayers, and she screamed in panic. Mikan drew her covers over her head and she curled up into a ball, her hands covering her ears, while her elbows hung low around her legs.

"L-ala-la…I can't hear anything….La-la-la…" She closed her eyes as a muffled thunder shook the room once again.

She started shaking again, as her eyes started getting teary with fright. "L-la-la…." A thunder boomed, and she burst into a new round of tears.

Mikan got out from under her comforters and opened her laptop hastily. "D-distract, Mikan…distraction….that's what you need."

She was about to log onto her account when everything went black. Mikan couldn't see anything but darkness, and she started to panic.

"R-r-relax Mikan…It's…j-just a power outage i-is al-" A thunder boomed, and she jumped from her bed. Her laptop went crashing to the floor from the sudden movement, and the loud noise it made frightened her again.

Mikan got under her covers again and cried in silence. She could still hear the pit pattering of the rain that continued to pour heavily throughout the cold night, and the low rumbles of the thunder that she knew could kill her. She just lay in the dark room all alone, with no comfort, no company. It was just her and her alone, crying to herself in fear. No one had comforted her from the storms when she was 5 and 10 years later wouldn't be any different.

Another loud boom filled the room and Mikan yelped for another time. However, following the boom, she heard her door rattling in response. She peeked from under her comforter and indeed, her doorknob was trembling as if….

The knob turned and Mikan screamed, throwing her tear-drenched pillow at the thunderbolt that had come to kill her.

"Jeez Polka…what the hell?"

Mikan blinked at the familiar voice and squinted into the darkness of her room. "N-Natsume?

"Hn. Who else would it b-" Before he could finish his sentence, a crying girl tackled him onto the ground. Natsume's eyes widened at the act, but wrapped his arm protectively over hers. "What's wrong Polka?"

He felt a wet spot forming on the front of his shirt, and his eyes widened in surprise. "…Are you crying?"

He felt her head shake in a no, but Natsume knew better. So instead of arguing, he wrapped his arm tighter around her and let the girl cry into his shirt.

"Stop crying baka. How many times do I have to tell you…"

A muffled answer was said into his shirt and Natsume smirked. "What?"

"I said…I look ugly when I cry…"

Natsume smiled at her coherent answer and nodded his head.

"Yeah…so listen to me will you?"

Mikan shook her head, and laid her cheek on his chest. "Why does it even matter? It's dark…so it doesn't matter whether I'm ugly or if I'm pretty right now."

Natsume smiled slightly at her answer and rolled his eyes. She was right for once. If it weren't for her familiar voice and enticing smell she always possessed, he wouldn't have know it was she.

A thunder boomed just then and Mikan whimpered in fright, turning her head back into Natsume's chest. He rubbed her back in comfort, and nodded his head in acknowledgement. So, she was scared of thunder.

"Oi…Are you scared of the little storm?"

"N-n-no…."

Another boom was heard, and Mikan scrunched her mouth, as she tried to suppress the squeal of fright she wanted to release.

"Suuure, you could have fooled me."

Mikan weakly brought her hand up and hit Natsume in his shoulder. "Don't make fun of me Natsume! It's not the least bit funny..."

Natsume smirked at her response, and gently picked Mikan up from the ground. She squeaked in surprise. "N-Natsume! Put me down!"

He ignored her useless struggles, as he slowly maneuvered himself through the dark room.

"Natsume! Put. Me. Dow-" She then was dropped. She yelped in surprise, but found herself sprawled on the comforts of her bed.

"Don't be afraid of the thunder little girl."

Mikan felt Natsume's body sit on the edge of her bed, and she looked up at him.

Natsume…He was trying to comfort her. She blushed slightly at the revelation. "But, I can't help it. It's just so…loud, and long, and scary…It can kill people you know…"

"That's lightning stupid. Thunder…it's not scary at all."

"Really? Well…I still don't believe you. It's the most frightening thing in the entire world."

"Oh please Polka…there are far worse frightening things in this world. Thunder…is not one of them." Natsume paused for a second before turning his head toward Mikan as if he could see her face. "Do you want to know why it's not frightening?"

Although Natsume couldn't see her expression, he saw Mikan nod her head.

Natsume showed a small smile and looked down at his hands. "My dad told me when I was little…thunder is a lot like love. It comes unexpectedly when you're least prepared for it." A boom was then heard from outside, and Mikan's eyes widened at the correlation.

"…Thunder is like love, because they're both loud and big. It can be heard by people far and wide and it sounds the same in any part of the world you live on." Mikan's shoulders hung as she began to digest Natsume's words.

"Thunder is a lot like love because although you can't see it with your own eyes, you know it's there. You can hear it." A rumble followed Natsume's words, and the flash of lightning that followed before showed Natsume's face shined brightly to Mikan for a second.

Her breath hitched at the sight of her best friend for 5 years. In that moment, she's never seen someone so beautiful as him. His crimson irises flashed with an intense, soft passion, his unruly raven-colored hair hung perfectly across his head and that wide build of his body that Mikan knew had an entire layer of muscle underneath his shirt. Mikan turned away in embarrassment, and bit her lip in realization. She had just checked out Natsume Hyuuga.

In that flash, Natsume too, had never seen someone as beautiful as she. Her dark chocolate brown eyes although brimmed with tears, seemed to shine with radiance, her silky locks of auburn hair were sprawled around her shoulders, yet bounced with gleam whenever she moved just the slightest bit, and that small frame of a body that fit perfectly in his arms. Natsume smiled slightly at the girl he had loved for 5 years and pursed his lips to continue.

"My dad told me…thunder is like love because it can't hurt anyone. Not like lightning. He told me, when I love someone...I'll know it's love because…I'll love like thunder."

"Love like…thunder?"

"Yeah…I'd know I'm in love with her, if I knew I never thought I'd end up with her. When I'd do absolutely anything with her, be anything for her. When I'd announce loudly to the world, that this girl is mine. When I know that loving her won't hurt me, or won't hurt her…Love like thunder…"

Natsume's voice trailed off at the end. He took a glance at Mikan's figure, and drew out a long sigh.

Mikan stood quiet for a second as her heart beat fast. She's never seen this side of Natsume before. So cheesy and loving…romantic and sweet.

"…Did you experience love like thunder already?" Mikan asked, but instantly regretted her decision.

"…Yeah…I have."

Mikan's heart burst in two when Natsume answered back. She didn't know why…but she felt instant sadness that couldn't be defined in words. She just felt…alone once again.

Natsume noticed the end in questions and he knudged her in the shoulder. "What…not curious to know who I fell in love with? That's surprising…"

Mikan jumped slightly at the distant rumble that had just went off and bit her lip. "N-no….that's not it…I-I-I'm curious…"

Natsume smirked, and turned his head around so he was facing Mikan. "…She's this girl I've been friends with for awhile…"

Mikan looked down at her hands. Friends with for a while? That means…she must know her right?

"She's stupid, clumsy….a baka in so many ways."

Mikan frowned at how he described his 'love' and thought to herself on who it could be. Anna maybe? No. She's neither stupid nor clumsy.

"…Yet…although she's all of those things…" Natsume paused for a moment as a sharp jolt broke through the night. He grabbed Mikan's trembling body and hugged her protectively. Mikan quivered underneath his grasp and newly fresh tears started forming in her eyes. "She's kind to everyone she meets. Smart in random moments, which surprises me frequently. And…she's beautiful, even when she cries…"

Natsume brought a finger to Mikan's face and brushed her tears away. Mikan's lip trembled, as tears began falling uncontrollably.

Natsume…he doesn't love me…I'm not beautiful...He always calls me ugly whenever I cry.

"…Why are you crying right now?"

"N-no…No reason…"

"Baka…Do you want to know something else about her?"

Mikan brought her face into his shirt and continued to cry, making no means in answering that heartbreaking question.

"…I'm going to tell you anyway." Natsume bent down and lifted her head up so they were both staring at each other. In the flashes made by the lightning, Natsume gazed at Mikan's tear striken face. "Whenever she cries…I always want to be the one that brushes away her tears…" Mikan hiccupped at his response. "And-"

"…N-natsume…Just stop…I don't want to hear-"

"Shh…I'm not done yet." Natsume broke off Mikan's crestfallen response, and brought his face closer to hers so they could see each other clearly in the dark room.

"The girl I love…she's afraid of thunder, yet she's too stubborn to admit it-" Mikan's eyes widened at his response and her mouth dropped in disbelief. "-Even when she's crying and trembling right in front of my eyes."

Mikan brought her hand to her mouth, as more tears started to flow from her already wet eyes. But this time it wasn't tears of fright, it was tears of joy.

"Now stop crying baka…You look-"

"Ugly?"

Natsume shook his head, pressed his forehead on hers. "No…beautiful."

And before Mikan could take in everything that had happened, Natsume pressed his lips against hers. His lips moved slowly, as he stroked her back in comfort. Mikan eyes widened at his act, but nevertheless smiled shyly under his kiss, closing her eyes and responded back.

Natsume pulled away after a few seconds and hugged her, whispering into her ear. "You are the girl I love Mikan…"

Tears flowed from her eyes once again. Never before has she felt like she wasn't alone on a stormy night. She burst into a grin and brushed her hand against his cheek.

"…Love like thunder?" She asked hesitantly. Natsume bent down and smiled at her question.

"Love like thunder."

Mikan smiled at his response, and wrapped her arms around his waist and bathed herself in his warmth. She was finally his and he was finally hers.

"Hey Natsume…"

"Hmm?"

"…I think I'm starting to like thunder now."

Natsume smirked at his girl's words and kissed the top of her head.

"Me too…I always have."

And the couple lay down under the covers and listened to the soft pit pat of the raindrops that hit the window. The storm finally starting to cease.

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A/N: ~ I ish scared of thunder. :( It's currently pouring where I live, and the thunder is so loud… I really wish I had a Natsume to comfort me. :( But…I guess I have to settle with music. :)

But ignore my shivers and the SUPER OC-ness of Natsume….and please, Review~ ^_^