Disclaimer: for the whole series, I'd only state it once: I do not own G.A. or even the characters.

Summary:

She, who takes good care of their old family business passed down by her grandparents, was entrusted to hold the book entitled Hallow Rose. It was a compilation of different fairy tales variations handwritten by her Grandmother's first love before her Grandfather, but unlikely of the fairy tales written on the book the old lovers never got the chance to have their happily ever after story. The book was kept safely in her closet until the day He came for it, and prove that some things in the past do happen for a reason.

Chapter 1 The Pages

Seated in his black leather high back chair with his forehead creasing with frustration as he waited for his secretary's update about his ongoing search for 'it', is a certain raven haired lad. Absently tracing his fingers in the edge of his tablet, a loud ringing buzz came from his locally connected office phone. The sound filled the previously quiet room with its the sound vibrating in its four white painted walls, though it didn't last for long. Fluidly pressing on the loud speaker, the ringing sound turned into low humming response with the sound of the car's engine in the background.

With a simple grunt, his secretary Anna, who probably is now on her way towards his office, started her usual way of reporting to her boss.

"Mr. Hyuuga, the private investigator, who we sent 3 weeks ago has now handled me the documents we needed for tracking on the shop who according to our reliable source have been keeping the book" with a short pause, she continued "though I can only guaranty a small percentage that the owner of this bookstore would likely be selling 'it' since it's is not written on their sales list for the past few yea—"

With a heavy voice the young man cut her out with his low murmur "I don't care if they don't sell it." with a look on his side he continued "Send me a copy of those documents in my mobile ASAP." And with that he pushed on the end button and with a grunt let his back feel his office chair for the mean time.

As the youngest business tycoon ever included in the Forbes magazine, a lot of people would never think that a single frame could stress out the 'Natsume Hyuuga'. He's invincible. That's what they think, but they were wrong, just like the fact that beside him is a picture taken with his Grandfather, who is now lying weak on his bed. He needed to find 'it', the only thing his Grandpa is asking him to look for. And he wouldn't stop until he does, for his beloved old man.

Hand written for compilation by a loving man, is a book entitled Hallow Rose, and even though what is written inside in each pages is unknown to Natsume. He never had a choice but to search all throughout the world to lay a hand on it, and it was destined to be the best gift he could give for his sick mentor. He had indebt everything he has with his Grandpa, every bits of dollar added to his account per seconds, every knowledge he has in managing, and every business stock that rose upon the global market. The honorable man who stood as his parent when they passed away, the last member of his family, is dying. And as an upright grandson, he wouldn't just sit down and wait for it to happen, not when he can make him happy if not, at least contented.

Grabbing on his car keys and leaving his things for his hardworking staffs to carry, he walked out of his 78th floor building, turned towards his wheels and started his way home. He doesn't care if he would have to travel a mile to reach his family manor, he doesn't care if he couldn't visit his flat for the whole month, or hell he won't even care if it is midnight, what important for him is the health of the old man, and how is he doing for the period of time.

Sports cars paid with hundred thousands of dollars are proven efficient for their speed. Very fast. No doubt in that as he drove from the city towards a more rural area, he barely notice as he passed by on it in a blur, the tall buildings and crowded street with thousands of light bulbs on until it turns towards a lesser populated area with occasional buildings and dim lights. With less than an hour of maniac driving, he finally reached the old yet elegant looking manor. The place of his childhood.

No questions were asked as he passed by the widely opened metal gates guarded by men in black suits. Parking his convertible car directly in front of the wood like colored door, and handling his car keys towards his now assisting butler, he went in and coolly walked towards his grandfather's room. The old man sick of aging, was lying comfortably in his bed. Slowly Natsume walked towards him and sat beside him, silently watching the rising and falling of his grandpa's chest for a long moment of time. He round down his thoughts from the simple work related meetings towards the complicated problem he was dealing for the past few months. He momentarily cut his thoughts by time his Android phone vibrated in his pocket. He fished it out and took a look in his phone's screen the scanned documents and mini map sent by Anna. A job well done, as expected from a well-educated young lady.

A few minutes passed when he heard a familiar male voice talking with their butler, a few more seconds and a knock was heard. With a creaking sound from the door comes in a blonde man with azure blue eyes. Slowly he walked towards his best friend and placed his warm hands on Natsume's shoulder, just with that simple gesture, without even blurting out even a single word of concern, Natsume fairly understand his friend's sympathy. Ruka always stand by him, and he couldn't think of a day that his animal loving friend could possibly leave him.

"He was waiting for you, you know?"

He watched as the crimson eyed guy fixed his Grandfather's blanket when he continued.

"he knew you were busy looking for the book. He seems happy about it, though he still looked really sick."

"I found where it was kept, Ruka." Natsume said as he stood from his chair, looking towards the door. A look of exhaustion slowly hinting away from his angular face.

"Really? Where? I thought it's out of the country?" Ruka said with clear curiosity written on his face.

"No. it ends up being just a few kilometers away from my working place. If that is what Umenomiya told me with this map she sent me." Natsume answered as he handed his phone to his friend. Ruka stared at the screen for a couple of minutes before he fully understand the location of the store, clearly it is located a few blocks away from the main building of the Hyuuga corporation. It was the way heading towards the infamous Geeky school in the city, and if the map wouldn't lie it would be very easy to find. Just like eating peanuts.

Running on all the possibilities coming from his mind of his, Ruka launched another series of questions towards his pal. As always, he is very curious.

"So.. would you go there? When? Would you like me to come? Do you think they really have it, and if they do, do you honestly think they would hand it to yo—" He was cut off with the raven haired guy's reply.

"I would make them give it to me tomorrow, alone." Very typical for the Natsume Hyuuga that he knew. His rude yet effective way of getting something he need.

"I'd be in my room" Natsume said as he tap on Ruka's arms to bid a silent good night and straightly walk towards the room across his grandfather's room, leaving his friend and his beloved old man to have his own time to think. Just the same way he'd have to rest. He knew it would be a very long day tomorrow.

In her 24 years of existence, morning sun shines had always been Mikan's daily start. With her MA degree in English certificate, which she had just gotten a few days ago, hanging safely in her room's colorful walls, nothing can beat her stunning smile as she brush her hair in front of her mirror. She's seriously considering to take a job in a publishing company but she is having a hard time leaving her family's little bookstore in the hands of nobody. She chuckled after remembering her funny conversation with her mom a couple of nights away, her father, who had been earning thousands of dollar for planning off shore projects, insisted that she remain in charge of their family's bookstore and about her not needing for a job and her not being a burden to the family. For them she was never a burden. Was she? With her flat, credit cards, her previous tuition fees, and her food allowance paid by her dad and her mom visiting her every month to check on her, she doubt if she wasn't really a burden. But for them she was never a heavy load, in fact they think of her as their sunshine, their own personal sunshine.

Walking a few blocks away from her place, stood The Pages, her grandparent's efforts and hardship in a tangible form. Their family's treasured bookstore. Everybody thinks it looks awesome, since her late grandfather literally filled the walls with book replicas, including the grid and the sides of the door, which is made of thick glass, all in all giving it the unique aura that kept the locals and even tourist to love their shop. Opening up 9 am in the morning is a little late, but since she's been closing a little over the clock, she fairly thinks it won't hurt.

As soon as she opened the store's inviting door, her friend Koko, who delivers the latest newspapers and magazines, came by and handled her broadsheets for display. As a routine, he helped her in arranging the papers in order and with a spilt second bolted out the store with the sight of his girlfriend Sumire Shouda passing by towards her office space. The Pages is quite popular, in fact, most students, office staffs, mothers, teachers, or rather everyone within 5 blocks vicinity including the walking distant school, chose to buy their school stuffs from bookmarks and pencils to fiction novels and academic books in there.

Nonoko, one of her best friend helps her with the management of the store would be back from her 2 week vacation. Before, when Mikan still have classes, she used to take shifts with her and take a look after the store until she came back. But since Mikan just graduated from college she decided to give Nonoko a long vacation off the hook.

Mikan wearing a simple faded pair of jeans and her mossy green sweatshirt along with her sweet smiles and polite words along with her occasional clumsiness and laugh stocking habits, she never failed to entertain the customers. Like how Mr. Narumi, a highschool teacher in the school near the shop loved to see Mikan wrap his surprise incentive pencils for his responsible and hardworking students, the same way of how Mikan helped Tsubasa, her senpai, in choosing his 1st year anniversary gift for Misaki which happened to be a very sweet hardbound novel book from her favorite author. Mikan being inside the stall, and helping the costumers, always keeps her busy. Busy enough to make time fly, which in why she wasn't really aware of the moment a man came in for a deeper business.

She was standing in her wooden chair to reach the shelves beside another pile of books not so far in the counter, to dust it out when the door flew open. Letting the chimes make its lovely sound. Like always she hurriedly came down to greet the person whom she probably might know and help him or her on whatever he or she would probably need, but what she saw wasn't what she really expected. In front of her was a guy. A guy was even an understatement, it would be better to call him a very gorgeous man instead. Someone, whom she never met, yet looks familiar. And one thing is for sure, he is anything but ordinary, and he's up for something new to her.

"are you Yuka Sakura?" he asked while taking off his highly tinted eye glasses off and placing it in the pocket of his vest, penetrating his gaze directly towards the brunette, causing a blush to slowly creep its way out on her porcelain skin.

"umn,… no, she isn't here, and oh!, By the way, good morning and welcome to The Pages." Mikan exclaimed as she try to make a light conversation with him but the new guy wasn't really paying attention to her, not after her first few words. He looked like someone who is in deep thought, like his mind is in a different channel from hers. Like he lost interest on whatever she said as soon as she said the word NO.

"she isn't in here-?" the guy lowly echoed in connotation to what Mikan said with frustration embarked on how he pronounce every syllable of that line and continued "so that means she used to be in here. Do you know her? Her contact number? " evidently showing his snobbish personality.

The line 'too bad he seems mean' run in her mind, as she watched how he tap on his phone in his right hand and slip it on his pocket like a manager 'and bossy too.' She added.

But Mikan, being the polite one didn't voice out her thought and said "yes mister, as a matter of fact, she is my mom. Though, I think it would be right for you to tell me who you are and why do you—" but he rudely cut her out. She gave of a sighed in frustration.

"Give her number to me." The guy said in a voice that projects authority and power. Which she hurriedly brushed off in disbelief. How dare he barge in the shop and order her around.

"Excuse me?" Mikan said in skepticism. Never in her entire life had she met a guy as ill-mannered as he was. It would most likely make her puke.

"Her number. Get it?" He repeated, in a similar way like he is talking to a kindergarten pupil who couldn't even spell the word cat rather than a completely literate lady who can read 20 thick books in 3 days, which kind of pissed her. A nerve almost popped on her head but she tried her very best on, if not being too friendly but at least to be a little formal with him. She cleared her throat awkwardly and faced him.

"I don't want to be rude mister, but I don't just go around giving away my mom's number. Not unless maybe, I have an idea what you need from her." She said tilting her head a little. Innocence and a tint of anger evident in her voice. she waited patiently for his reply as he processed what she had just said. She stared blankly at him as he deliberately thinks of what are the right words to say that would probably shut her up. And as soon as he said it, she knew he hit the spot.

"Hallow Rose." He paused

Doubting her ear, she repeated the name of the book "Hallow Rose?" thousands of stories from her childhood which was told by her grandmother to her flashes back in her mind, as if she had been uprooted in her stance. Is this too good looking guy her grandmother's ex-lover? was she a pedophile?

"you wrote it?" he threw her a 'are you kidding me look?' and answered her

"it's my Grandfather's book." He took a pause slightly giving her time to process what he had just said as she let another sigh of relief flush over her, at least she knew the young man wasn't his Grandma's lovers and the late woman wasn't a phedo,

she watched him as he continued "I need it. Does she have it?" the guy asked in a seemingly low voice.

it was as if the two of them is talking about a taboo topic and not about an old hand written book handed down to their generation.

With a blunt but honest reply Mikan answered "No." she was supposed to add more but was distracted

With a sudden swing in the door revealing Nonoko with a huge smile plastered on her face shouting "Mikan I'm bac-"

She was cut off by the intense atmosphere around the two people talking with each other, embarrassed by her accident interference , she slowly moved against one of the shelves adjacent the wall, moving further away but still close enough to eavesdrop. It was awkward, and it made them all struggle to give off a better ambience back in the air.

Natsume went into his senses just a few minutes after he heard Mikan's unfinished reply, slowly he turned around and was about to leave when she managed to lowly continued what she was about to say with her small voice.

"I have it with me."

It echoed in his ears,

With that,

He turned back.

Formed his billion dollar smirk

And said "Natsume Hyuuga."

A/N: sorry for the typos and grammatical error,.. I don't really tend to reread before I post. And sadly I don't know or have any application that rechecks grammar, so I hope you guys can bear with it. And btw. Reviews aren't really compulsory but it could always make the writer happy.