Disclaimer: I do not own Gakuen Alice. :(

The clock had just struck 2 a.m. when an exhausted Natsume Hyuuga wandered back towards his room. He was sweaty, burnt out and longing for a good night's rest. Pushing open his door, he grabbed his t-shirt and shorts and headed towards his personal shower. He stepped inside and stripped, letting the remaining stress be washed away by the warm water.

Even though the war had long since finished, and Persona was dead, he was still required to go on missions. Sure, they were few and far between, and his new chief wasn't as demanding, but still, it exhausted him to use his alice. But then again, he wasn't complaining.

He reached over and turned the tap off, halting the steady stream of water. Stepping out of the shower cubicle, his eyes drifted to his reflection in the fogged-up mirror. Immediately, his attention was diverted to the scar across his right shoulder from when he had shielded Mikan from one of the Elementary School Principal's hits. It had been the final battle and although it would be permanent, he had no regrets.

Polka-dots.

Ever since the war had ended, he and Mikan had seemed to drift apart. What with the daily interviews with the press regarding the war, and the new arrangement of classes, he would be lucky just to catch a glimpse of her in the hallway. Essentially, their relationship hadn't changed. During the rare times they actually managed to talk, he would naturally revert back to mocking her and calling her names, while she would be right back in his face, defending herself and making an utter fool out of herself. As much as he hated to admit it, he kinda missed her. Yes, he had said it, the almighty and 'cold-hearted' Natsume Hyuuga had actually admitted to missing a girl.

But then again, Sakura Mikan wasn't just a girl. She was the clumsy, flat-chested, polka-dot panty wearing idiot he had unintentionally fallen in love with.

Just the thought of her turned the corners of his lips just slightly upwards, in a movement most recognised as 'The Natsume Smirk'.

He walked out of the bathroom in his shirt and shorts (his version of pajamas) and prepared to go to bed. Just then, he heard a banging on his room door. Slightly startled by the sudden noise, he prepared himself for a battle.

"NATSUME? NATSUME? ARE YOU THERE? PLEASE OPEN UP!"

The fire in his hands instantly vanished as he recognised the voice.

Mikan?

The minute he opened the door, he was greeted by the sight of a teary-eyed and messy-haired Mikan. She looked up at him and caught his gaze. He saw such relief in her eyes that he was momentarily speechless. Before he could recover, he felt two small arms envelop his waist and Mikan's head was on his chest.

"Idiot! What in the…"

"Natsume! I'm so glad you're alive!"

Natsume, albeit enjoying the warmth of Mikan's body, was completely confused. Not to mention concerned.

He removed himself from Mikan's iron grip and placed both of his hands on her shoulders. Pushing her slightly away, he looked at her square in the face and stated: "Of course I'm alive idiot, what did you think happened?"

When all he got in reply was a trembling lip and fresh flow of tears, he dragged her into his room and sat her down on his bed. Grabbing tissues from the nearby tissue box, he thrust a few into her lap and barked: "Dry your tears; you look even worse when you cry."

Eventually, the tears stopped flowing and subsided into small occasional hiccups. He sat beside her and waited for her to calm down. When she finally looked up at him and whispered a meek "Thank you…", he paused a while before asking: "What happened, Polka-dots?"

Mikan took a while to compose herself fully before muttering: "I had… a nightmare. I dreamt that you, Hotaru, Ruka-pyon and the rest of our friends were going to be killed by the principal. And… and…" She hiccupped before continuing, "I couldn't do anything about it! I was just standing there, unable to do anything while I saw you guys being… being…"

And with that word, she promptly burst back into tears. She looked at Natsume with a look of desperation and fear and exclaimed: "I went to check Hotaru's room, but I saw Amanatsu at the door guarding it so I assumed she was safe, and Ruka-pyon never leaves his room without his bunny, and it was resting outside his door… They're all safe, but… It was so… so… real, Natsume!"

She swiped off the tears with determination before muttering: "You must think I'm such a coward…"

Natsume was at a loss for words. He knew nothing about comforting a person, and usually his best efforts came off as rude. But the one thing he did know about was nightmares. He was very well acquainted with them. Ever since the infamous fire of his village and the capture of his sister, the nightmares had never left him. Every night as he drifted off to sleep, the images and memories stored deep inside his brain would resurface and haunt him while he slept. These nightmares took different and varied forms. Sometimes, they would be images of his sister crying, begging him to save her. Other times, he would see the nameless people that he killed on missions, burning in his fire, screaming curses at him.

But then, he had met Mikan. Ever since he met her, it was like there was this light penetrating the darkness inside his mind, and the nightmares had decreased greatly. He had very few of them and even if he did encounter one in his sleep, he knew that it was all a dream and he would eventually wake up.

Apparently, these very same nightmares had found another victim. Said victim was currently sniffling beside him, trying her best to look okay. But she was obviously failing miserably. Her hands were shaking, her lip was quivering and she was a mess. Frankly, Natsume had no idea what to do. He wanted to help her so badly, to show her that there was really nothing to be afraid of. The one person he had wanted to protect from the horror of the nightmares was unprotected and was suffering. So, he just did what his heart was urging him to.

He reached over and hugged her. Mikan stiffened initially in shock but eventually relaxed in his embrace. She could feel the steady beat of his heart and somehow, that comforted her more than any words could.

"Look, Polka-dots, nightmares are just illusions and even though they are scary and can seem real, they're not."

Mikan looked back up at him and motioned to him to continue.

Natsume thought awhile before he did just that. "Even if it seemed like Hotaru and Ruka and I were about to die, it's near impossible. Ruka's too smart for that. And Hotaru, well… she's just a piece of work."

This line coaxed a small smile out of Mikan and Natsume was reassured.

She cleared her throat before wondering out loud: "Then… what about you?"

Natsume brought her closer towards him and with full confidence promised: "Well, I'm not going anywhere."

A short silence ensued as he could almost see Mikan's miniscule brain processing what he had just said. She smiled at him and with the happiness he had missed and said: "Thank you, Natsume." Before he knew it, he felt her press her lips gently on his. In a blink of an eye it was over and she was out the door. As the door closed behind her, Natsume licked his lips and tasted the distinct taste of strawberry. With this revelation, Natsume could not help but smile at the fact that before she left, her dress had hitched up as a result of jumping off his bed and he had had a full view of her strawberry-printed panty.

As he rolled over and got into bed, one sentiment reverberated in his mind.

So, strawberries, huh.

Hope you liked it! Review please. I need constructive feedback and trust me, just one review brightens my whole day and turns me into a crazy sugar-high freak. So yes, review. :D

Love,
standinginthe-wings