"You walk in and my strength walks out the door. –LeAnn Rimes"

I remember the first time I laid eyes on Natsume Hyuuga.

The memory's still vividly evident as if engraved at the back of my head.

It was a Saturday night, and unlike most thirteen year olds, I'd rather spend my precious time watching reruns of How I Met Your Mother in my old sweatpants than being dragged like a dog to some book club's tenth anniversary dinner.

"Oh c'mon Mikan, you'll enjoy it. The people there are gonna be fun." my mom tried persuading me. Being surrounded by people discussing about latest book releases is hardly anything I would call fun.

"You know, what I don't understand is why I have to go when I don't even belong there." I said, stressing on the 'I'. Truth to be told, my mom has been trying to get me to go to her book club at every chance she gets for the last three years. Her desire for me to discover my 'hidden interest' seems to be her goal in life because being the only child of a book crazed mother I am expected to have the same burning passion. Sure, books can pretty interesting and informative, but the idea of joining a book club is already making me yawn. So unfortunately for her, the day I start liking books to that extent will be the day hell freezes over.

So how I managed to walk through those big brown doors of the hall came as a surprise to both me and my mom who was accustomed to the usual routine of me running away and doing whatever it takes to escape.

Gulping, I stepped into the hall, scanning the room like a dog placed in a new home. The place looked decent enough. Warm lightings filled the hall as the sound of chatters floated in the air. Further ahead was a small stage up in front that seemed empty and unused. Looks like there's not going to be any performances tonight.

My shoulders slumped in disappointment. Great, any chance of me having fun at all tonight just went down the drain. Searching once more around the room for something worthy of my attention, a bowl of fruit punch caught my eye. Jackpot. Grinning to myself, I wriggled through the maze of people with eyes as though it's just spotted a pot of gold.

As I made my way there, I heard an all too familiar voice calling out my name.

"Mikan!" my mom called. Before I could even so much so as turn my head, my arm was grabbed and I was hauled away. "Where were you? You disappeared the moment we arrived! There are still tons of people I want you to meet!"

My face dropped in horror at the mention of the words: 'tons of people' and 'meet'.

"W-well, actually, mom…" my voice stuttered as I looked around trying my level best to come up with an excuse. Before I knew it, I was brought in front of a group of people I presumed to be my mom's book clubber friends.

My mom cleared her throat and suddenly all eyes were on me. Not knowing what else to do, I smiled nervously; and considering how strong my mom's arm was securely locked unto mine, I guess she was a little nervous too.

"Hi, everyone! I want you to meet my daughter, Mikan. She's still what you call a new birdie, so please make her feel welcome." My mom announced beamingly. Plastering a smile on my face I forced a hand out for a round of handshakes and 'nice to meet you's.

"I never knew you had a daughter, Yuka. Is she from Shichi? Or is she from your first marriage?" a woman's voice spoke. The woman who matched that voice looked like she was in her late forties and which I later found out had three failed marriages already. That explains.

I peeked through the corner of my eye, curious to see my mom's reaction. She immediately stiffened in response.

"Ah, no, she's from Izumi." She let out with a forged smile.

I was instantly filled with pity for my mother. It's been close to thirteen years now. Yet, she still acts that way at the very mention of that man's name.

The room suddenly felt as though it just dropped a hundred degrees. The air thickened with tension, no one daring to break the ice.

Deciding I could no longer take any of this, I gave out a slight cough.

"If you'll excuse me, I need to use the restroom. It was a pleasure meeting all of you." I said before taking my leave.

"Ugh, honestly, these people are a bunch of whack jobs." I muttered to myself as I tore myself away from the crowd. Entering the restroom, I sauntered over to the mirror and gazed at my reflection.

What am I really doing here? Thinking to myself on why I would go to such a place where I'd be considered an alien made me want to smack myself. But looking hard in the mirror, I knew the reason why.

It's for mom.

It's for yesterday, when I caught her crying alone in her room, every sob stabbing me hard on the chest, every tear pierced me like thorns. It kills me seeing her like that. But what kills me even more is my inability to do anything. She's been crying over that bastard for far too long. You'd think thirteen years was long enough for someone to forget a loved one, but my mom clearly wasn't like that.

My face crunched up at the thought of that man.

Wanting to take my mind of the subject, I washed my hands and fixed my chestnut brown hair that has been left a little disheveled from all the pushing through a while earlier. As the cold water ran down my fingers like crystal-like streams, I suddenly heard a light soft tune playing on the outside of the restroom.

Wait a minute, I thought there wasn't going to be any music tonight?

Pulling my eyebrows together in confusion, I exited the bathroom and the sound amplified.

There wasn't any singing involve, just a guitar playing. I was hooked for some reason by the melody. It was the kind of melody that would just make you want to lie in bed and listen to it all day.

I went back into the hall and just as I did, I heard a voice singing alongside the guitar. I brought my eyes toward the stage and I caught sight of four figures on it.

A band?

I looked around to see if anyone else was as fascinated as I was about the music.

Apparently not.

I scrutinized at the people in the room but sadly, there wasn't even one who looked like they were paying any attention to the amazing melody being projected in the hall. It was as though there wasn't any music playing at all.

Geh, whatever.

Instead, I made my way to the front of the stage, making sure not to bump into anyone.

As I approached the stage, I managed to get closer look of all four of the band members. The first I noticed was the lead singer. His shining blond hair and green eyes definitely gave away the fact that he was not from around here. As I peered closer, I noticed his features were quite—well, to put it bluntly—beautiful. In fact, if it wasn't for that voice of his that was projecting through the speakers, I might even have mistaken him for a girl.

I moved my attention to the left of the stage, where yet another blond looking fellow was playing the bass. He had round rimmed glasses with neatly combed hair and polished shoes to match his whole appearance. Just by looking at him, anyone could tell he was that typical nice, pleasant Mr. Goody-Two-Shoes who was friends with everyone in class.

At the back of the stage behind the drum set however, laid a bald guy probably no older than twenty. A pair of black shades was covering his eyes and it looked like there was a scar on the left side of his cheek too. I didn't really understand it myself, but there was just something about this guy that screamed trouble. Brushing the feeling off, I brought my gaze towards the last band member.

Looking back at this moment, I can honestly say that the one who really stole my attention was the lead guitarist who had his head bent over.

Attraction sparked as I was unexplainably drawn towards him.

All of a sudden, the singing stopped and the spot light shined over the lead guitarist like a beam from heaven. With his head still bowed, his fingers danced over the strings of the electric guitar as he did his solo part. To say I was taken a back would be an understatement.

I was completely hypnotized.

His movements were so smooth and graceful yet swift and aggressive. Strings of his jet black raven hair dangled as he bobbed his head to the music. The melody he produced was outstanding beyond words. I've never heard something quite like that before. Each stroke of the string stirred something inside me like never before.

If I was never a big fan of music back then, I am now.

When his grand moment was over, he finally lifted his gaze. His ruby red eyes instantly honed into mine.

I was dazed and my eyes were still glossy from admiration. I took the time to take in every single detail of him.

From his long steady legs covered in faded jeans hanging loosely around his waist, to the hem of his grey boxers that seem to peek out every time his black button up shirt was raised. His fingers I noticed were pretty long and a sudden curiosity to know how they would feel like on my skin crept up. My eyes traveled further north passing his lean body making a short pit stop at his neck. An image of my arms wrapping themselves around it nudged me. Putting that thought aside and with flushed cheeks I finally carried my attention to his face. The texture of his skin was flawless with just the right tan. His nose was sharp with just the perfect size and shape, and his lips were sealed together as if in anticipation. His hair flowed down to his collar in streaks. Streaks that would normally look like an end of a broom on another person, but on him, it looked stunning beyond words. They highlighted the hypnotic trance his eyes held.

His eyes.

My breath immediately caught up in my throat as my heart rate increased. My mouth went dry and heat was slowly slithering up to my cheeks. His eyes were like a deep pool of fire. Brilliant, luminous, and absolutely mesmerizing.

Breathtaking.

That was the only word that I could sum it all up to, because every other word just failed in description. He exuded a sort of charm that would leave any girl on her knees. This boy's features without a doubt took my breath away.

Speaking of 'boy', this guy looked no older than I was. In fact, if it wasn't for me being too engrossed in my own world, I would have noticed earlier that he happened to be the youngest member of the band.

Wanting to take a closer look at him, I started moving my legs—the ones I initially thought were paralyzed—towards him. I must have looked like someone bound under a spell, because that was exactly how I felt. Our eyes were still locked on to each other, and in that moment, it seemed as though the whole world was just hit with the pause button. I continued taking small steps, slowly closing the gap between us. I was completely oblivious to neither the surroundings nor the people around me.

Now that I look back, I guess that was the reason why I wasn't able to spot out the reckless waiter coming from my left with a tray of apple martinis or the shrieks of my mother telling me to watch out. My focus was still fixated on the guitarist. And as if reality slapped me right in the face, the waiter whammed me over and the sound of glasses shattering on the ground brought me back down to planet Earth.

The last thing I remembered seeing was a pair of ruby red eyes grinning—almost laughing actually—at me right before everything went black.

This is actually a story I wrote and stored in my computer a long time ago. I came across it earlier today and was like, "You know what, it's time you got published!". So there you go. First Chapter! (:

So, any thoughts? Like it? Dislike it? Review and let me know. I'd really really REALLY appreciate it! Even if it's a simple "i like it", it's still most certainly welcomed!

I'd really love some feedback on this one. (: