Ashy-note Thanks for the reviews from the previous chapter, guys. Appreciate it much. :D

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Nights Like These

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You Could Love the Rain
An unwritten story beyond that one Christmas kiss,
in which Natsume learns how he could actually
love the rain that he hated — and naturally, it was because of her. Again.


Title: You Could Love the Rain
Time Frame: 10 years old, Christmas season
Rated: K+
Genre: Romance/Friendship
Notes: Takes place right after the kiss, remember? :D


Sometimes you could not believe yourself, really.

You kissed her. You actually kissed her!

And this time it wasn't a tooth kiss!

Well, not exactly, but… but still! You kissed her!

You actually feel a little disgusted at yourself because you're really so love sick and worked up about the kiss, but you can't even help yourself. For the last two nights you've been sleepless and up on the roof replaying the stupid moment over and over again.

This is the third night, and still you find yourself standing and gazing at the same stars who you think by now must be laughing themselves stupid at how you keep thinking about a certain polka-dotted panties girl and how you kissed her into losing her mind (not that it would have been any use at the moment, you think to yourself).

There were threats of rain close at hand to the east, but you ignore it and gaze at the midnight sky anyway.

You can't help but feel guilty. You had promised to let Ruka through, but the idea that he actually kissed Mikan first was something you cannot let past unnoticed. It was immature, sure, you know it was, but you can't help yourself.

Somehow, you have this feeling that you'll do anything for that girl.

You smile to yourself.

How in the whole wide world of seven continents did she happen to find you and get under your skin so easily? All your life in the Academy (not that you've lived a long one already)… and then she comes and blows you off with just one damn smile.

Sometimes you couldn't help but wonder why things like these have happened since she arrived.

Maybe she's a miracle, you muse.

After all you've done, you must have done one good thing to make the Divine Creator give you someone like her.

Yet again, you smile, if only to yourself.

The thunder rolls and without so much as a warning, the rain falls down hard on you and you are forcibly reminded of the mission you'll be taking tomorrow night.

What a way to dampen good spirits. And right after Christmas, too.

Literally dampen.

You stare up at the sky and mulling it over you realize you could never really love the rain that much. Not only was it your elemental arch-nemesis, being the fire Alice and all that, you hate it because it makes you sloppily wet and although it diffuses your raging power, it still wouldn't make a good impression on you. Especially now, when it had so damned-ly interrupted your good spirits.

In the midst of your thoughts you realize how you were drying up. You stare up in surprise—no drops were falling down on you. For a moment you actually think the rain has stopped, but around you there was still a misty curtain of water falling, and you understand everything when a voice floated through the pitter-patter of raindrops and you freeze in shock for a moment.

"You know, being a fire Alice doesn't make you immune to the fever after the rain, stupid."

You look up and see her smiling angelically at you and your heart skips a beat.

You grunt. "Tch. What are you doing up so late?"

She flashed you another beaming smile, larger than the last. "You need to answer the same question, Natsume."

You feel your heart promptly stop when you hear how she's dropped the –kun part. "I don't need to answer to you, youjo."

"I don't recall that being the case, pervert. I was only trying to be nice."

You close your eyes—you wonder why you have to be so rude to her even though you want to just see her smile.

You're nice enough, strawberries, you don't need to be more than that, you think so sadly to yourself. In fact, you're more than enough already.

Suddenly, you feel the rain falling cold and yet warm at the same time, and you find yourself drenched again.

When you open your eyes, you see her smiling face inches from yours, a beatific smile on her rain-splashed face. Her skin seemed to glow in the darkness of the night and you can't help but marvel at her beauty—you can't wait until she's older, can't wait until you see her at her full beauty, and honestly? You can't wait until she takes your breath away so much more than now.

"You owe me one kiss, you jerk," she says to you. Your eyes widen for a moment, but before you could give it another thought, she catches you by surprise when she so lightly places her lips against your cheeks.

It was pure, innocent, and yet your insides imploded at the slightest contact.

The rain fell even harder, and soon you find yourself being pulled up by her, dragged by her, to a silly dance at the rooftop. You know the racket might awaken all the other students, but somehow you couldn't care less.

You watch as she spins and whirls around and around, she giggles like a baby, she smiles at you and her eyes glisten and slant until they were just tiny slits in her happiness.

Such a child.

You finally made up your mind about something you questioned a while ago, because you really think, Yes, she is a miracle for me.

For the third time that night, you smile.

So maybe you could really love the rain after all.


It was only a kiss on the cheek, because it would something else completely if she kissed him on the lips. Mikan just isn't like that. (:

~Ash.