To hate or love Thunder?

Haruhi lost her footing, her body over corrected its self, causing her to fall backwards. A hand out stretched, looking for something to grasp, only for his hand to grasp her wrist. Her smaller hand wrapped around his wrist as he pulled her back up towards himself, holding her close for a moment so she could gather her thoughts before he headed onward on the hiking trail.

Haruhi smiled a bit as she followed him, 'Hikaru really is the outdoors type of guy... who would've thought?' She mused to herself as she followed him.

Hikaru left the bathroom, his hair still damp from the water, wearing a black muscle shirt, and blue jeans.

Haruhi sat in a chair reading a book, Hikaru couldn't help but grin slightly at how cute she looked when she was oblivious to everything around her. He leaned against the door frame, just watching her for a moment.

Then without a word, the girl looked up from her book, "Hi Hikaru."

"Hi," Hikaru replied, "Wanna get some homework done then go for a hike?"

Haruhi smiled and nodded, "Alright."

'Some' had turned into being most of their homework before Hikaru managed to convince Haruhi to take a break. Now here they were, hiking on his family's property. Hikaru found his mind focusing on the up coming thunderstorm tonight. Due to the threatening weather, he was trying to keep them as close to the cottage as he could while still having a little bit of a challenge in the hike.

"Want to have curry tonight?" Haruhi asked, breaking the silence.

Hikaru looked at Haruhi and smiled, "Well, really spicy food and Italian food are my favourites... so yeah."

Haruhi chuckled a bit, "I usually do a medium spicy curry."

Hikaru nodded, "I'll let the kitchen know."

"Uhh..." Haruhi was at a loss for words, 'let the kitchen know? Oh boy... I'm never going to get used to that.'

"Umm, Haruhi?" Hikaru asked.

Haruhi looked over at Hikaru, "Yes?"

"I was thinking... you're gonna be with Kaoru tonight... you sure you're okay with that?" Hikaru asked.

Haruhi shrugged, "As long as someone's there, I'm honestly okay."

'But I wonder if I'll be okay,' Hikaru thought to himself as he walked, he stopped when he saw that Haruhi wasn't moving, "Haruhi?"

The brunette stood still, watching the sky through the tree branches, Hikaru followed her gaze and saw what had ensnared her so much. Dark storm clouds rolled in over head.

"Let's head back?" He suggested.

Haruhi nodded, a very small pink blush tinting her cheeks as she turned to head back the way they came.

'Ahh! There's some dangerous spots,' Hikaru thought as he rushed ahead of her.

'Least if I'm in front of her, the chances of her falling and getting hurt are lessened,' He thought to himself.

A distant boom of thunder made Haruhi flinch a little, it wasn't more than a second later that she felt an arm snake around her and Hikaru pulling her close to himself, wordlessly giving comfort to her.

The brunette bit her lip a little, 'Hikaru has no reservations at all about holding me... but Kaoru... Kaoru... Kaoru might. I don't know. I can't sleep if I'm not with someone during thunder storms.'

They kept walking until they made it back to the house, surprised to find the lights were all off, even though the sun was beginning to set.

Hikaru and Haruhi entered the cottage, and headed to the kitchen. Haruhi for the first time stopped to take in the massive size and the sheer beauty of the cottage. Most cottages she'd heard about were wood log cabins, this one however had granite counter tops, vinyl and marble flooring. It was truly far too rich for Haruhi's tastes, and if she was to be honest, it made her a bit uncomfortable. This was, however, the way Hikaru and Kaoru had always lived.

Hikaru was the one to find the letter, his eyes nearly bulged as he read it:

Dear Hikaru & Haruhi,

Sorry but I think I'm coming down with a bit of a bug. I have a bad headache so I'm going to bed early. Hikaru, it's probably best if Haruhi stays with you again tonight.

Kaoru.

Haruhi looked over at Hikaru, "What is it?"

"He went to bed early, something about a headache... and he thinks it'd be best if you and I were together again tonight," Hikaru replied.

'Kaoru...' Hikaru thought to himself, 'how bad is that headache that you have to go to bed early? What if it isn't a bug? What if it's a tumour?'

Haruhi noticed the worried look on Hikaru's face, "If he isn't better by morning we can call a doctor, can't we?"

Hikaru blinked, "Huh?"

He looked at Haruhi and nodded, "Yeah. It's just not like him."

"Sometimes things happen and people get sick. Long as they know how to handle it, it's alright," Haruhi replied as she started getting somethings out for dinner.

Hikaru blushed a little, 'how does she always know what I'm thinking? She knows just how to make me feel better too.'

He smiled a bit, 'she's just special that way.'

He sweat dropped realising he didn't know how to cook, "I'll just... make some of that black tea that my Dad brought back from Africa."

He quickly checked in the fridge to make sure they had milk before he set about getting the tea. Haruhi was already busy making a curry.

"Are you going to make it super spicy?" Hikaru asked.

"No, medium. It's what I'm used to. If you want it super spicy you can add black pepper to it," Haruhi replied as she cooked.

Hikaru nodded as he started boiling the water. He kept his back to Haruhi while he worked on the tea to hide another small smile, and a second secret that had decided to annoy him.