A/N: Hey there! Let me just say, I have huge respect for those people with long chapters. It looks so much longer in Word! I have no clue what I'm doing as far as the story goes, so critique and reviews are great!
Disclaimer: This is mine. *double checks characters* Yup, it's mine. The next few won't be...
It was just another typical hot morning. Thankfully, or perhaps boringly, it was summer break so I didn't really have anything specific to do. As I wandered about my quite home, I contemplated what to do with the hours to come. I went grocery shopping yesterday, so I couldn't use that as an excuse to get out, and I had cleaned every surface in the house the day before that. Actually, you could barely call my place a house. It's way too small to garner so impressive a name. To say it was a tiny cottage would be closer to the truth.
Anyway, I was too lazy to try to think of something productive to do, so I went over to my DVD case, picked a disc at random, and slotted it into my trusty laptop without really paying attention. As the opening theme played, I visibly jumped with surprise. I sighed as the familiar notes of "True Light" washed over me. "This is so not what I need right now," I groaned aloud.
It's kind of pathetic really, but I get way too emotionally involved with my favorite characters, whether they be someone else's or my own. Just now, I was busy getting over a totally irrational crush on everyone's favorite Kaito, Dark Mousy. I closed the laptop's lid and got a Coke out of the refrigerator, unusually full thanks to my shopping spree the previous day. The rational part of my psyche knew full well that neither Dark, nor any other character, actually exists anywhere other than imagination of their fans, but some other annoying part of me persisted in falling hard for these guys.
"How great would it be Dark actually was a real person though?" I wondered. The rational part of my mind promptly retorted with a cynical, "even if he did exist, why would he ever want to talk to you?" I shook my head, vainly trying to rid myself of this ridiculousness. I needed to do something; to get out of this silent house that seemed to haunt me with all of the things I couldn't have and didn't have a right to desire.
"I know, I'll go to the library and get some manga." I thumped my fist in my palm with a determined attitude. Nothing like a good manga to get your mind off your problems. I grabbed my keys and wallet and headed outside. Even though the day was hot, walking would be good for me, and the library wasn't too far away.
Since walking isn't really a trying task, I let my mind wander and observed the familiar scenery around me. The heat was keeping everyone inside today, so the streets were unusually quite. Heat visibly shimmered across the pavement of the street and the cement sidewalks. The rustic brick of the various building I passed seemed to contribute to the stifling atmosphere as they loomed over me, despite their short statures. It seemed as if the very street lights were wilting.
The library itself was a small building, but well suited for the equally small town. There were not many people who used its resources, so I hoped to find some peace of mind amidst the comforting shelves filled with well-worn, familiar stories. As I stepped inside the worn building, a wave of cool air rushed over me and I wondered why no one was here, if only for the air conditioning. I waved a quick hello to the librarian, James. I was always here, so the staff, mostly consisting of James and a few of his friends, knew me well enough to know what I was here for.
"Hey Aya. You need something new?"
"You know it. Got any suggestions?" I was pretty sure the library had just acquired some new titles, but I didn't know if there was anything of interest in the shipment.
"The new stuff is mostly classics, but go ahead and take a look. The box is over in the reference section." He knew I would want to look through them myself. I thanked him and he chuckled as I practically ran to the reference section. After all, there are only so many times you can read the same manga over and over again.
I didn't really expect what I saw there.