T/N: Okay so, I know I said I wasn't going to start a new story right away, but while going through my files I found this first chapter and I just couldn't help it. I really love this story, so I just had to post it, I could keep on having it there abandoned when I knew I already had the time to continue it, so here it is. This story is also from Alba1, the same author of "What I'd Always Wanted", this one's shorter though, much shorter, there's only 8 relatively short chapter, so i guess it won't take me that long to finish (I hope). Anyway, with that said please enjoy, hope you like it.
Disclaimer: I own nothing whatsoever, MGLN characters do not belong to me and neither does this story, they belong to their rightful owners :)
Do you believe in love? In those stories of pure, mutual and unchangeable feelings?
Of promises and devotion. Of happiness. Of deep emotions and warmth; of butterflies in the stomach.
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Do you believe in fate? So powerful and whimsical.
In predestined meetings. Karma.
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I never had faith in it. I considered myself a practical girl and was never interested in romance. But shattering all my schemes, it made itself present.
It came into my life with no warning, so suddenly. With violence, but with merciless sweetness.
On a cold April night, when I had lost hope. It came to me as a small light in a moment of darkness.
It appeared, in the form of a stranger.
~ ~0~ ~
Dear Stranger
-Believe-
~0~
Like every day, I arrived at the publisher energized to start my workday. That was me, cheerful and strong willed. I liked my job and put all my efforts in everything I did. I had good coworkers and although the company was small, we had a lot of work. We were starting to earn a name among people, things were going well.
Hopefully soon we would be able to move the offices to a better area. Since, until then, we were occupying the second floor of an old six-storey building on the outskirts of the city.
It had been just over a year since I'd worked here and I already had a great responsibility. Besides having other tasks, I was the one responsible of picking up the works of our number one author. Kreuz Golden.
Strange name, right? It's a pen name. She likes to keep her privacy.
Other than me, I think there are only a few people who know who she really is. Her real name is Hayate, Hayate Yagami. Despite being somewhat eccentric, she's a great person and a great friend, not to mention an amazing writer.
I'm ashamed to admit it, but despite her popularity, I had never read her works until shortly after meeting her. Now I look forward to her new book, excited like a little kid at the prospect of being the first one to read it. I still find it a bit hard to relate the Hayate I know, smiley and playful, with Kreuz Golden, the author of something as heartbreaking and deep, as sensitive and beautiful as the trilogy of the Book of Darkness.
While making some copies that the head editor had asked for, my phone rang. "Nanoha-chan!" Hayate's voice squeaked as I answered. Before I could even ask anything, she continued with her chatter. "We have trouble. I have a writer's block," she explained as if it was the end of the world. I blinked not understanding what the fuss was about. All writers, painters, artists in general, suffer a block some time or another. I sighed and Hayate must have heard me since her tone sounded worried when she spoke again.
"It's the first time it happens," she said depressed. "Maybe I'm losing my touch. Everything I write seems so useless and unimportant. There's no emotion, no feeling. Maybe I should retire," she said dramatically. I didn't know if she was being serious or just messing with me. When dealing with Hayate, one never knows. "Are you serious?" I wanted to make sure. Sometimes the young author spoke like an old lady. There was a minute of silence. Finally Hayate answered plaintively whispering. "Nanoha…", I knew then what I had to do.
After discussing the situation with my boss, he gave me permission to meet with our greatest source of income. We had to take good care of our star.
So, I went to Hayate's house in an instant to try to calm her down and encourage her to write a new story. Hayate was waiting for me with cookies right out of the oven and milk. We talked and spent a nice time trying to solve her problem.
"I want to write a love story," she said determined. In the past I would have mentally grimaced at the cheesy idea, but now, after reading her books, I blindly believed in Hayate. That girl could make you change your opinion about anything. She treated each issue with such skill and with a surprising maturity and delicacy that it was impossible not to love it. She could write a poem about a toilet and you would think it's the most beautiful thing in the world.
"What's the problem?" I asked since she seemed to have things clear. She stared at me without saying a word.
"Tell me, Nanoha-chan, do you believe in love? In love like the one written in legends. Like Romeo and Juliet…" she made a gesture with her hand as if the list was so long that it was not worth giving further examples. I froze with a cookie halfway towards my mouth. I frowned.
"Do you believe in fate? In the idea that somewhere there is someone, a person who holds the other half of our soul?" Hayate continued for no apparent reason. She had a new shine in her eyes and in her lips appeared a small smile.
I didn't answer. Even if Hayate didn't mean to, those questions offended me. "No," I said dryly with ill-concealed indifference. I had more important things to do than to waste my time looking for a boyfriend. I wasn't seeking it, but neither was I running from it. Although, it was true that sometimes I felt lonely. When I was little, I wasn't like my friends who at some point dreamed of their prince charming, someone who would loved them and stayed with them forever after, treating them like queens. At this point in my life, I was saving myself from disappointments, but at the cost of living without that illusion.
Hayate's smile slowly faded. She looked at me sadly, like pitying me, and then she smiled again.
"I think I have an idea to start working with." She said with a bright smile.
Although my mood was still hurting, I couldn't help but smile. "Surely your new book will be great. I can't wait to read some of it." I told her.
Hayate nodded scribbling notes in a small notepad she always carried with her, in case inspiration struck her. "I already have the perfect protagonist. Now I just need to find a special person who can open that walled heart of hers." She whispered looking at me over the pages she was starting to fill. Without really knowing why, I got the feeling that Hayate wasn't really talking about the protagonist of her new story.
Back at the office, I continued working to have all the orders and assignments completed. I was still I bit discouraged by my talk with Hayate, so it took me longer than necessary to do my work. The afternoon came and went, and my coworkers started to gather their things. "Nanoha-chan," called me the last of them as he turned off all the lights except for those of my cubicle. "don't push yourself too much, okay?" he affectionately told me saying goodbye.
I stayed until later to finish the work I had left unfinished, I couldn't help it, I was a workaholic.
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If I would have known that that night I was going to come face to face with death, I would have listened more to the words of my coworkers.
- To Be Continued…
T/N: So what do you guys think, is it worth it? I know it's short but I really hope you liked it. It personally is one of my favorites, even though i read it a while ago and don't really remember what happens, but I do remember I loved it, so I 'm going put a lot of effort into it so all of you can enjoy it as well. Thanks for reading, please review, tell me what you think, i'm already working on second chapter so it'll be up soon (not too soon though), so see ya all later :D
