I'm desperately trying to fix this story. Kumiko was SO Mary-Sue a few chapters back, what with knowing Simca and all =w= That was a stupid move on my part. I gotta make up some shit on how she knows her.


Thunderstruck To The Core

Chapter 10: Reflecting

"If we do not give love for fear of pain or loss, then our lives will be empty...and our loss greater."


It was stupid.

So, so, oh so stupid!

He was the Thunder King for God's sake! How did he commit such a stupid move, ever?! He was known and renowned for his sharpness and wit, and yet, here he was now, wallowing in the consequences of what he has done.

Nue squeezed his eyes closed, feeling the soreness subside, but it did not help the miserable condition of his heart. Shifting to his left brought his weary gaze there, alighting upon the peaceful, sleeping face of Chiru. Beside her, Mari and Kon dozed as well, all huddled together in the corner of the plain room, their temporary home for the moment.

Loosening his dark cloak, he placed it over the three of them, covering them as much as possible along with the other kids nearby enough. Those who weren't there were grouped together with Mori and Saya, the other elderly figures in their team.

Nue smiled tiredly, hesitantly, when he saw that clutched in young Mari's hand, was a familiar feather bracelet.

Closing his eyes, he leant his head back, lightly hitting against the hard wall behind him.

In the quiet of the night, and the silence of the room, the only other sound to echo within those dark walls was the soft whisper of Nue's weathered voice.

"What have I done?"


Two girls smothered around him, and Nue felt the beginnings of annoyance gathering within him, as his hands twitched within the confines of his cloak. Despite him outright ignoring them, the two girls were persistent.

Dressed in clothes that clung close to their bodies, accentuating their curves and showing more skin than what society needs to see, Nue wasn't interested. Beauty was not something that appealed to him, even though the faces of these two girls would have gotten them jobs as models for magazines. If beauty was something that Nue looked for in girls, he would have fallen head over heels for Simca, Benkei, heck, even Ringo- admittedly, without her glasses and out of her geeky attitude, Ringo would have been a big hit amongst boys- by now!

He sighed again, as one of the girls once AGAIN, ran her hands under his chin, pulling his face right and upwards, to face her, and her brilliant blue eyes-contacts probably.

"Aww~ don't be such a sore apple~" She cooed and Nue was snorting internally. Apple? Sore? He bet that she was one of those girls who failed Math Studies class.

He removed his face from her hands, and shrugged the other off his shoulders. Lifting his glass to his lips, he took a sip- but he was met with cold ice, and not the coke he loved. Bah, his glass was empty.

"More coke?"

That soft voice made him look up to its owner. That waitress, Kumiko, stood behind the bar counter in front of him, a jar of coke within her arms. He nodded and she filled his glass with more of that carbonated drink before sliding it back to him.

"Thanks." He muttered, quenching his parched throat with the sweet liquid. The two girls were really starting to take a toll on him, in the form of stress and thirst. Gods knows how many times he told them to go away, that he completely gave up doing it.

He watched as Kumiko shuffled away to another side of the bar counter, cleaning up more glasses that has collected. Briefly, he wondered about the dejected slump of her shoulder and the downcast gaze; she usually looked pretty bright, although not the Chiru type bright- which was loud and just too annoying. If he had to describe her in words concerning tones and lighting, he would say that she was the pale kind of glow. The ones that lights up pathways and the darkness, but without being too overwhelming.

His attention was suddenly brought back to his section of the bar counter instead, when one of the girl- he can't tell the difference- took his glass of coke from him! The galls of this female!

He frowned at her, hand stopping the glass from reaching her lips. "Get your own drink."

She smiled at him, unfazed. "If that's what you wish sweetheart!" She looked around for a waiter, but none seemed to be around, so she hailed down Kumiko. "Hey, Sailormoon clone!"

The girl walked over obediently, a smile on her face despite the insult. "What can I do for you?"

Girl Number Two- he shall now dub the other one, who did not call for Kumiko- rolled her eyes. "Nothing, other than get us what we ask for, since that's what you're hired for." Her voice was sweet, so saccharinely sweet, but filled with sarcasm.

Nue's sharp eyes picked out Kumiko indistinctively wincing at the comment. Nue met the girl, and know her enough, to know that she's the weak, soft type. The ones that cry easily. The ones that break easily.

Ringo was the type that kept her feelings to herself, and remains strong; ignoring her own needs for the need of others.

Simca was the type who picks herself back up again quickly, physically weak, but powerful mentally.

Kumiko was definitely not these two. She was the type that was weak – physically, and mentally. The ones that need constant reassurance; someone for her to depend on.

Girls like her were weak. Even Mari was stronger than her.

"W-what can I get for you then?" Nue can tell from her voice, that she was hurt by the words of these two girls smothering him. Girls whom she doesn't know, and does not understand why they were treating her so.

"Get me a strawberry daiquiri, and a margarita for her." Girl Number One sniffed haughtily, before shifting her attention to him. "And a Mudslide for him~" She ran a finger down his cheek.

"I don't drink alcohol." Nue's voice was taught, and his lips tight.

She pouted, and the other sashayed over to his left side. "Don't be like that~ Sailormoon, what are you standing there for?! Go get our drinks!" She hissed.

Kumiko stiffened, nodding once before turning to make their drinks.

"Kumiko."

She stopped midway, turning around slowly to face him. Nue's eyes were focused, set in a determined stare, willing her to stay at her spot. "Don't."

Kumiko bit her lips, fingers tugging at her apron in uncertainty. "But…" Her eyes shifted over to the other side of the dark room, spotting green hair in the distance.

"I'll explain it to Shun." Nue supplied, seeing her worry about her boss.

Fingers twirling themselves in his hair snapped his attention to their owner. Girl Number One smiled flirtingly at him, batting her lashes. "Sweetie, you don't have to be nice to her. She's a mere waitress~ She's hired to do these work."

Nue sighed, aggravation printed in his voice and expression. "Why are you so mean to us~?" Girl Two pouted, planting herself in front of him. She waved at Kumiko, as if shooing her off like a dog. "Go! Do your work~! I'm thirsty!"

His expression was blank as he stared at them. He has had enough. He hated people getting too close to him. He didn't even like it all that much during the times he had to undergo tuning. "I'm sick of you two; did you ever realize polka dots underwear just doesn't suit the both of you?" Nue got up from his seat, effectively pushing the two girls off to the side and out of his personal bubble space. He stared down at them, a smirk on his face. "Also, I'm not a gerontophile. I don't date older women."

The girls glared at him, puffing out their lips before stalking off elsewhere in their scanty glory. Nue rolled his eyes, before glancing at Kumiko out of the corner of his eye. "Put it on my tab."

He twisted around the crowds of people mingling within the confines of the bar by night, café by day hangout for Stormriders, making his way towards the exit. Cool air caressed his skin as he stepped out, and he quickly texted a message to Mori, telling him that he was heading off first and that he trusted him and Saya to take the kids back home safely.

He heard the bell chime behind him, indicating someone exiting but he took no heed. Just as he leaped onto one of the lamp posts by the street, he heard a familiar voice call his name.

"Nue-kun! Wait!" Kumiko cried from down below, running to the post he leaped onto, staring up at him from down below. Nue looked back down at her, quirking an eyebrow. When did she change honorifics?

He noticed her blink up at him, and it seemed it finally hit her what she called him and she covered her mouth with her hands. "I-I'm sorry! I didn't realize-"

"It's fine." He cut her off, leaping back down to the ground. But as he did so, a tremor travelled through the earth, denting the floor and causing minor hills. Oops.

Kumiko gasped, surprised and shocked at the sudden impact his landing had caused, and if Nue had not reacted fast, she would most likely be sprawled on the ground right now. He grabbed her hand, pulling her back up like a tango dancer would lift his partner up from the floor.

He could feel her light body collide against the cool surface of his leather cloak, and he gently steadied her with his other hand; he didn't need to deal with her arm being severed by his regalia.

Under the dim lamp light, he could see pink color her cheeks. Was she that tired from running that short distance?

"T-Thank you…" She found her own footing again, quickly separating herself from him. He wondered why she always seemed so jumpy around him, but he did not question it. Many Stormriders did always distance themselves from him, finding him to be a dangerous figure, or just weird. "Umm, about just now, I'm sor-"

Nue returned his arms to his body, pulling his black cloak around him, similar to how a bat would wrap its wing around itself. "I told you, its fine." He smiled wryly at her. "I don't really care." It was true. He didn't care; whether people referred to him using the polite honorific, or a casual honorific. He wasn't the type of person to blow their heads over a title. "What is it that you needed?" He was straight to the point, as always.

"I…I just wanted to thank you…" She murmured, shifting around on her foot, fingers twiddling.

Nue's eyebrows rose in surprise. "What for?"

"Back there…thanks for…defending me." Kumiko squeaked- at least it sounded like a squeak, seeing how soft it was- with her bangs laying messily over her face.

Nue scoffed, crossing his arms, his regalia scraping together but no visible marks were left. "It was nothing. Those two were worst than a drunk Spitfire and Simca." He remarked dryly.

She gave him a tiny smile but it was soon wiped off her face. "What's wrong?"

Nue's eyes had narrowed, head whirling about- looking, searching, watching for something. His body straightened to his full height, towering over Kumiko's figure. "Stand behind me." A command, not a request.

Nervous, Kumiko moved to stand behind him, brightly clad figure contrasting against his dark figure. She did not know what came over him, but judging by the look on his face, his eyes, and voice….she knew he wasn't kidding. She suddenly felt fear and slight panic. Mainly because Nue was suddenly acting strange. And it told her something was wrong; that danger was lurking.

'What the hell was that?' Nue whirled in his mind frantically. A bead of sweat rolled down his temple, his forehead creased in slight confusion as his sharp eyes searched the pitch black streets for a ghostly presence. The street lights lining the way did little to help, and despite Nue peeling away every single corner of the street, he could find nothing. 'That murderous aura…' He's never felt anything like it before- an immense killing intent.

And it was completely directed at them.

Or rather, him. But he could not be sure.

Kumiko had not sensed anything, he could tell. But that might be because her senses were not honed over the years of gruesome training and fighting…or maybe that aura was really just for him.

But chances will not be taken.

"Get back inside the bar." He ordered the girl behind him, eyes not once leaving the darkened streets.

Kumiko nodded nervously, but realizing he couldn't see her, she quickly whispered a 'yes' before running into the bar. Pushing the doors open, she casted one last worried glance back at the lone figure in black, blending into the darkness.

Unconsciously, she prayed, 'Please be safe…,' For his safety.

Inside, as Kumiko slowly made her way to the counter, she felt more exposed within this place filled with raucous people, than with Nue back out there on the streets. She did not know what triggered his sudden alert and the change in persona, but if things came down to it, she knew she would feel safer with him alone, than with a room full of A-T riders, all capable of defending.

It wasn't because she thought they were all weaker than Nue….no, not at all. True, he was the Thunderking, and the title was certainly posthumous, and one must have proven themselves to both the Regalia and the other Kings to be enabled such a title. But it wasn't all that. He just gave her a sense of security, like a child would find in the arms of their mother, even if they are out shivering on the streets.

Out of worry, Kumiko bit her finger, a habit she has whenever something gnaws at her. If it wasn't her lips, it would be her fingers. If not any of these, it's most likely she has something in her mouth.

Kumiko looked up when she felt someone tugging at her skirt. Looking down, she saw Mari gazing up at her with her adorable eyes. She smiled, attempting to hide her uneasiness. "What is it, Mari-chan?" She knew she didn't have to keep anything worrying from this girl. She more than likely knew how to defend and help herself, being a member of Black Crow.

"Can I get milk please?" The little girl grinned up at her, dimples forming on her plush cheeks.

"Sure." Taking Mari by her hand, Kumiko led her towards the bar. Every single day that spends with this girl and her accomplices, she feels more and more like an older sister to them. A little part of her hoped that they felt the same way too.

She had just…gotten so attached to them. So used to them being her life now. Before meeting them, she was nothing but a failure of an A-T rider and a normal part-time waitress. Life was so routine and bland for her. But now with them, it was like everything suddenly took a 360 turn on a roller coaster; her life was so much more…well, alive.

'Also because Nue appears more with them~' A sneaky voice whispered in her head. Damn her conscience.

Kumiko watched Mari as she downed the glass of milk, white coating the edges of her mouth. A smile played on her lips as she handed a tissue over to her. She would not know what to do if they suddenly disappeared from her life…

And returning her to the days before meeting him in this very café.



I'm losing my faith in this story….

Sigh.