Library Infatuation

Besides her bedroom and the small coffee shop down the street from her studio apartment, the public library was her favorite place in the bustling city in which she lived. To her, the library was the most amazing place not only because of its architectural beauty, but because of the stories it contained. There were stories filled with so much tragedy and sadness that they would bring tears to her eyes, or the many books filled with the greatest love stories and letters of all times. When she wasn't spending her time working or socializing with friends or family, she made her way over to the library to immerse herself in a stories that would bring her into a world that was not her own.

As she walked up the stone steps that lead to the large home for all the greatest novels, she nuzzled her face into her scarf to block part of her face from the oncoming winter wind, emerald eyes tearing up from the harshness of the oncoming weather. The temperate had reached a low of seven degrees and snow was scattering itself through the grey-blue skies. Her gloved had reached towards the handle of the front door and pulled it forward, letting the heat of the building meet her rosy cheeks with open arms. Letting out a content sigh with the delightful change in temperature, she reached out and pulled the baggy knit cap from her bubble gum locks and shook the remnants of snow from them.

She smiled sweetly at the woman sitting at the directory desk as she stuffed her hat in her purse. She glanced at the high painted ceilings before she walked up the light marble steps to the third floor which was the home to all of her favorite books, and a few prospects that had sparked her interest from their summaries on the back covers. Moving over towards the shelf that held her next obsession, she bent down, letting the long edges of her black pea coat pool around her legs. She bit on her bottom lip gently as she skimmed the titles on the spines of the books until she found the one she wanted.

"There you are," she whispered to herself as she plucked the book from the shelf and made her way over to her usual spot by one of the large windows that looked out over the snowy city. Shrugging the snug black coat off her shoulders, she kicked off her snowy boots and tucked her legs underneath herself. She never had an issue with making herself comfortable in the place she considered a second home.

The female signed with content at her comfortable position as she opened the book and inhaled the unique scent of its pages. Some people may consider what she was doing to be weird, but the smell of library books had such a unique and wonderful smell that she wished came in an air freshener scent. Having her apartment smell like a library would be a dream come true.

As she immersed herself in the story where she left off, she began to loose track of time in the real world as the author of the book pulled her into a story and world that she could only dream of creating. A few hours had passed when she finally surfaced to the real world but only because her story had ended so abruptly. It was as if there were pages missing that contained the most prudent information to the story. What was going to happen to the main character? Did she find who she was looking for? And what of the dark mysterious man? Was he really the protagonist in the end?

There were so many questions that weren't answered as she gazed at the back of the book with frustration and also heartbreak.

"The last chapter is missing," a deep voice spoke up, catching her attention. "A patron unfortunately spilled coffee on it and thought it better to rip out the damaged pages as opposed to ruining the entire book."

The female glanced up through her lashes to find a tall male pushing a cart full of returned books. He was very handsome with god like facial features and beautifully pale skin. His light ginger hair only further complimented his beauty. What stood out the most were the multiple silver piercings that covered his face. They lined down the sides of his nose with four on each side, he also had snake bite piercing which only showed under his bottom lip. There were silver hoops and studs training down the cartilage of his ears with no particular spacing order. They matched the silver flecks in his eye. She had never seen a man quite like him before, but she had read about them. He was just like the mysterious male in the book that was currently in her grasp.

"Well how unfortunate for the perspective readers who picks it up," she replied back with a sigh as she glanced down at the book once more before looking up into his grey eyes again. "Why not replace it?"

"It's quite difficult to find a book of this age in a condition that would be considered readable," his sultry voice responded as he walked slowly towards the same bookcase that she retrieved the cut-off book from. He bent down slightly to the shelf above the one she visited and gently pulled out a different book. The pierced librarian let his long legs stride towards the seated pinkette and let his arm extend the new book choice. "This one might interest you in the time being."

She glanced at the long limb that extended out towards her and tentatively took the novel that was being offered. She flipped it over and skimmed the back cover, deducing what the story would be about. Noting that it would be a good read, she smiled lightly at the male before her.

"Thank you," she spoke up softly as she looked down sadly at the other book. "It's sad that I'll never know what happens now."

"I wouldn't say never," he retorted as he reached for the abruptly ended novel, bending down closer to her form letting her get an even better look at his features. "I'll see what I can do about the book."

Her eyes widened at his closeness of his form and the fresh scent of his cologne she was detecting. "You don't have to worry about it," she shot back waving her hand to brush it off. "I'll just keep my burning questions to myself and hope I find a new muse that can occupy my thoughts."

He seemed to like her answer as one side of his mouth quirked up slightly. He backed up slowly and made a move to go back to his work when her voice stopped him.

"Wait!" she shot out as she stood from her comfortable seat. His attention returned to her and he noticed that she was holding out a petite hand towards him with a smile on her face. "I'm Sakura."

A small smirk appeared on his lips as he returned her gesture and took her smaller hand in his. "I'm Pein."

"Nice to meet you, Pein. And thanks for your help."

"Of course."

A few days later, Sakura had finally finished the book that the new mysterious librarian had suggested for her. It was amazing. It was as if he knew her precise taste in literature. There was action, adventure, romance, tragedy, and angst all wrapped into one binding. She didn't know books like this could even exist. For any other person, they would have read it over a longer period of time. But since she couldn't put it down, she finished it in just two days while still finding time to go to work and feed herself.

Now that she had finished the book, she thought it was acceptable to return to the library and thank her new acquaintance for his marvelous taste in text. She made her way into the library, holding the finished book to her chest as she arrived on the third floor. She peaked over towards the bookshelf where they had first met and didn't see him. Making her way towards the third floor desk, she saw him standing behind the separating furniture sorting through the books that had been returned.

She set the book down on the counter, the sound catching his attention. He glanced into her emerald eyes with his silver ones before looking down at the book he had given her with a small smirk. "Finished already?" his baritone voice questioned simply as he moved to be across from her at the desk.

Smiling sweetly, she gave him a simple shrug, "I just couldn't put it down."

"I thought you'd enjoy it," the pierced male replied as he grasped the book off the counter and added it to the collection of books that needed to return to their homes on their respective shelves.

"And how exactly did you know I would enjoy it?" Sakura retorted with a pink eyebrow raised towards him with skepticism.

A handsome smirk played across his lips at her question as he sat down at the desk chair clasping his hands in his lap and studying her. "It's very rare to find someone who enjoys the book that you were reading the last time you were here. Most readers find it to be too complex or overpowering with its multifaceted storyline," Pein began to explained as his endless eyes drank in her bundled up form. "But you, on the other hand, went right towards it without a second thought and easily lost yourself in the story not paying any attention to the world around you."

Sakura felt her cheeks burn slightly at the underlying statement that he had seen her lost in her book and she hadn't even noticed him. "I guess the fact that I just enjoy reading doesn't quite do any justice," the pink haired female replied sheepishly as she ran a manicured hand through her tresses.

He let out a short laugh, "Not in the slightest."

She returned his laugh with a small smile as she placed her hands on the counter and leaned towards the high desk. "You wouldn't happen to have any other fine book suggestions, would you?"

Standing from his chair he moved out from behind the piece of furniture to stand next to her, extending a hand in front of him signaling for her to move forward. "I'm sure I can find something."

Sakura smiled and allowed him to lead her towards a new shelf thinking to herself that she now had another reason to come to the library.

A little over a month had passed and Sakura had made visits to the library more frequently than usually. She now had books upon books to read and her very own personal book shopper, as she liked to refer to him as, who knew exactly what she would like to read next. It didn't hurt that the more often she came to the library, the more often she would get to see him.

And she loved to see him.

It may sound cliché, but Sakura had found that the dark and mysterious librarian was really starting to grow on her. He had the most wonderful taste in not only books, but music, food, and other interests as well. They found that they had a lot in common when they spent their time after his shifts at the library sitting in her favorite spot by the window talking the time away. More often than not, Sakura would be the one who did most of the talking. Pein would ask a few questions and listen contently to what she had to say. She found that she didn't have a problem with this. He was a great listener and she could tell what he was thinking from the subtle changes in his expression as he listened.

Today when she arrived at the home to all the best books, she brought two cups of hot chocolate from her favorite little coffee shop down the street. She made her way up to the third floor and went straight towards the desk where she usually found him. Instead she was met with a middle aged woman with glasses trailing at the tip of her pointed nose.

"Hi," Sakura greeted tentatively catching to woman's attention which she only responded with raised a penciled on brow in her direction. "Could you tell me where Pein is?"

"You mean the hoodlum with the god awful piercings everywhere?" she spat back in disgust as she shuffled through the paperwork she had across her desk. "You won't find him around here anymore. A nice girl like you shouldn't even be associating with someone like him."

"I beg your pardon?" the pinkette shot back with a questioning look.

"You heard me," the older librarian shot back as she took her glasses off her nose and looked into Sakura's eyes. "Money has gone missing and I'm sure that freak was the one to take it. Proof is in the pudding since he put in his two week notice and yesterday was his last day. Do yourself a favor and stay away from him."

And with that comment, she went back to work leaving the pink haired female to stand in her confusion. She stiffly placed her most recently finished book down on the return counter and turned to leave back the way that she came. To say she was disappointed would be an understatement. Not being able to see him every time she came into the library was upsetting but the fact that the older woman talked so poorly of him upset her even further.

Although Sakura had only known Pein for a few weeks, she wanted to believe that she knew enough about him to know that he was truly a good person. As she walked away from the desk with her two drinks in had, she thought back to the first time she really felt that her and Pein had become friends.

/Flashback/

Pein had gone to go clock out since his shift was over and Sakura waited for him at her usual spot by the window. Her elbow was resting on the arm of the chair and her chin was resting in her hand as she gazed out into the snowy wonderland that the city had turned into during the latest winter storm.

She heard his foot steps approaching and she turned to find him taking a seat next to her with a new book in his grasp. Sakura smiled as he handed her the novel and she ran her fingers over the cover, admiring the picture that was used to depict the story.

"Will I like this one?" she asked as she held the book to her chest and glanced into Pein's silver flecked eyes.

"Would I have pulled it for you if you wouldn't?" he questioned as he raised a brow towards her.

"I suppose not," she replied with a short laugh as she adjusted herself more comfortably in her seat. "Tell me about it."

"The main character suffers a great loss and is forced to redefine his whole life to find the path he is destined for," Pein begins slowly, his baritone voice caressing the air around them. "He must find his path, or he will never have a future. Without a future, he will perish alone."

"That sounds…horribly depressing!" Sakura retorted as she adjusted herself in her chair to lean closer to him without even realizing it. She was partly bent over the arm of her seat as her pink locks moved with her reposition. "I mean I'm sure the writing is heartbreakingly beautiful and it sounds like it would be an amazing tragedy, but I can't read a book that doesn't have any happiness or hope. Without either one, the character is set up to fail. If the character doesn't have either, why should I?"

Pein watched Sakura intently as she spoke passionate and truthful words about the travesty of the story and how she felt about main points that she liked to be involved in the literature she read. "Why do you connect so deeply with the characters in books?"

"Because if there is no hope or happiness for the character and they live in a world that doesn't really exist, then where is the hope that I'll have these things too?" Sakura responded with a short shrug as she continued to glance at Pein.

The librarian continued to stare at the pinkette as he reached forward without thinking and tucked a stray strand of pink hair behind her ear. "And do you have hope for your future, Sakura?"

Pink spread lightly across her cheeks as she sat back in her seat once more, "Of course. Without it, I wouldn't be alive. I believe everyone has hope for their future whether they realize it or not."

"And what about the people who have made mistakes or lost their path, can they still have hope?"

Sakura simply smiled at him, "Of course. Anyone can."

/End Flashback/

As she exited the front doors of the library, she looked down at the sidewalk with disappointment. Now that he wasn't there, did that mean she would never get to see him again? Not that it was a huge deal, or at least that's what she was trying to tell herself. She liked having someone with her same interests to talk to and Pein was like no one she had ever met before.

The pink haired girl let out a sigh as she stared at the unnecessary beverages that we in her hands before she looked up at the snow that was falling from the sky above her.

"Sakura," a voice called out to her, successfully catching her attention. She was met with the sight of Pein, who adorned a black wool jacket and a gray scarf. She smiled at him. It was as though her previous thoughts had summoned him right to her. They walked towards each other, Sakura's plump lips still pulled into a smile.

"I came looking for you," she began, her words sounding more nervous and desperate than she wanted them too. "I even brought you hot chocolate. But one of the women told me that you no longer worked there. What happened?"

She watched him brush some of the snow out of his hair as he met his silver eyes with her emerald ones. "Let's go somewhere else to talk about this. I assume there is a coffee shop down the street where I can replace those cold hot chocolates."

He took the drinks out of her grasp and motioned for her to follow him as they made their way down the street, first stopping at a trash can. "What? You don't like chocolate milk?" Sakura questioned as he tossed the drinks.

He smirked as he held out his arm for her to take, "I never said that."

She brushed her wind blown hair out of her green eyes before she smiled and took the offered limb, "Well then I'd say that you just wasted two perfectly good cups of chocolate milk."

A short chuckle made its way from his pierced lips as he watched the pink haired female snuggle into the thick material of his coat. They walked down the street partaking in light conversation until they reached the small coffee shop. Pein held the door open and ushered Sakura inside.

"Find us a seat," he told her softly into her ear causing her to blush lightly as she went to find them a seat. She waited a few minutes for her companion to return as he sat in the seat across from her.

"And before you ask, just drink it. I can assure you that you'll enjoy it," Pein quipped as her took a sip from his own drink, gazing at her over the lid as it was placed against his pierced lips.

Sakura let out a quick sigh as she grabbed her mystery drink and took a sip of her own. Her eyes widened in surprise at the delightful flavor that caressed her mouth as she looked back at Pein, "This is amazing. But really, what is it?"

The orange haired male smirked, "Hush, Sakura. Just enjoy it."

Sakura raised a playful brow back at him as she glanced down at her drink before looking back at the male, "Are you trying to drug me so that you can bring me home with you?"

A deep chuckled rose from his throat as one side of his mouth quirked up, "If you wanted to come home with me, Sakura, all you needed to do was ask."

The bubblegum haired girl blush furiously as she returned the drink to her lips to cut off further conversation on the current topic. Pein noticed her embarrassment and continued to smirk at the female before him. Sakura set down her drink and took a small breath before looking up to meet Pein's gaze once more. "Pein, I have to ask," she began as she adjusted herself in her seat. "Why did you put in your two weeks notice? I thought you loved the library."

"I do love the library," he replied back quietly. "I could honestly spend most of my life in the building and be content."

"Then why quit?" Sakura questioned as she looked earnestly into his eyes for the truth.

His thumb ran across his cardboard coffee cup as he gazed down at the ring surround one of his fingers. "I don't mean to sound too forward, but meeting you has made me realize something about myself that I never thought I would."

Sakura remained silent, urging him to continue as she was now more interested in what he had to say. "You have your way of looking at the world and the people in it. You never questioned my past or who I am. You have accepted me and showed me that even someone like me can have their second chance in life."

Sakura looked at him with surprise dancing through her features. She was speechless. She had no idea that Pein took her ideals so seriously and though so highly of the way she held herself. She wasn't even sure that he liked being around her all that much. "I…I don't know what to say," she whispered as she stared deeply into his eyes, noticing more than she saw in him before. "So what does this mean for you?"

"Meeting you has made me realize that I can have a second chance that I never thought I could have," he replied quietly as he reached across the small table and grasped her manicured hand. "For that, I can never truly express my gratitude."

Sakura smiled, but there was sadness behind it. "I won't ask about your past because it is not my place to do so. But since you put in your two weeks, you're leaving aren't you?"

Pein simply nodded in reply as he noticed Sakura's face fall slightly, while she tried her best to hide it. "When are you leaving?" she asked almost hesitantly, knowing that she didn't want him to leave at all.

"Tomorrow."

Sakura let out a small breath as she looked down at the table with disappointment. It was selfish, but she didn't want him to leave. She found that she had really grown to care for him because of their similar interests but also because he was like no one she'd ever met in the world. He was so mysterious and perfect, but she knew about his mistake ridden past although he tried to keep it hidden.

"So soon," she muttered under her breath as she took in a deep breath to try and steady her raising emotions. "So you were coming to say good bye then."

"Yes."

He could feel the disappointment coming off of her in waves. He knew he felt something for the pink haired library patron that he met, but he still couldn't pin point exactly what it was. All he knew was that she was important. Reaching towards her face, he cupped her cheek and returned her attention back to him. He saw her fighting back tears and seeing that he noticed, she pulled away.

He heard her apologize under her breath as she stood up from her seat and wipe the small amount of moisture from her eyes. "I'm really glad I could help you realize your potential for happiness, Pein. I'm really glad I met you and I wish you the best of luck on your second chance."

With that, she gave him a sad smile and left.

Pein wasn't sure how to handle the situation. He had never had many friends who were women, but he could tell she was upset. He shrugged his coat on and abandoned his drink on the table as he followed after the distressed pink haired female. He easily spotted her pink hair walking down the street and he jogged to catch up to her.

"Sakura," he called out as he grasped her wrist to halt her movement.

"Please, Pein, she replied as she stopped in her tracks and refused to look up at him while her eyes remained on the sidewalk. "I'm making a fool of myself because I don't want you to leave after only knowing you for a month. I'm happy I could help, but it would just be easier if you just left."

"Sakura," he tried again as he grasped her chin and saw her upset features. He stroked his thumb across her cheek and moved closer so that his other hand grasped her at the small of her waist. "I will be coming back."

Her features revealed that she didn't believe his words, so he did something that most of the heroes in the books he read did to their heroines. He pulled her face forward and he placed his pierced lips upon hers. He could never relate to the books her read when they tried to perfectly describe a first kiss, but when he felt Sakura's lips upon his own, he finally understood. As he was about to pull away, he felt Sakura's tentative hand weave through his hair on the back of his head, responding into his sign of affection.

When they finally separated from their kiss, Pein pulled away to find a tear rolling down Sakura's pale cheek. He wiped it away and moved to press his forehead against her own. "I will come back, Sakura. I promise you that."

She nodded simply as she was forced to laugh at the embarrassment of her situation before she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him into a tight hug. She had to believe what he said was the truth.

Days passed then weeks passed and months had passed and she never heard from Pein. Now hitting the ten month mark on their separation, she felt that he may never come back and she would have to learn to somehow accept that. She kept thinking on the last moment she saw him after he kissed her. There was so much potential behind the gesture that she had continued to force herself to believe there was something more than just a simple kiss. More than just friends who bonded over books. More than just the attraction between two individuals who were both obviously into each other.

Sakura let out a sigh as she tried to push her painful thoughts away and focus on the newest book she had picked up, which she was unfortunately finding she absolutely hated. She couldn't seem to find anything that would interest her like the books she had been introduced to when she met Pein. She tossed the piece of literature away from her and moved off her couch and towards the kitchen. A sound interrupted her path and she made her way to her front door. When she opened it, she was greeted with the sight of her local mailman holding out a package for her. She received it gratefully and signed for it before waving god bye to the man and returning to the inner workings of her apartment.

The package had no return address in the upper corner which she found odd, but she overlooked the detail and ripped open one of the sides. The item inside was wrapped neatly in simple brown packing paper, but there was a note attached to the top. She plucked it from the top of the paper and read it.

'It took me forever to find it, but I did. I hope it ends in the way that you hoped it would.'

Confusion was the first feeling she felt as there was no signature at the end of the note, which was already extremely vague to start with. She moved to the packaging and began to unwrap whatever was in the brown packaging paper. When she finished tearing the paper away, she realized it was a book. But upon further inspection, she realized it wasn't just any book. It was the book she never had the chance to finish. The book she was reading the first time she had met him. The book that he earnestly promised that he would find a way to get to her so that she could finish it. The book was from Pein, and with this simple gesture, she knew he would come back and that their relationship was something more than a librarian and a book lover.

They had the chance to be the hero and heroine of the stories that they had developed a bond over. And Sakura was willing to take that chance no matter how long she had to wait.

So this one-shot has been promised for like….two years? Yeah. Sorry. I suck. But it's here now! I hope you guys like it. Writing Pein, especially in an AU, is super difficult. Wow. But I hope you enjoy this. Send me your love. And this means my profile picture will be changing to the next most desired one-shot. I will also be creating a new poll for you to take so that you can choose who you'd like next. So take the poll. Love you guys!