Till There Was You


The Star among Dust


Every week, Natsume Hyuuga came into the library to borrow books. It became a part of his routine and he liked it – not only because he loved books, but also because he liked a certain person working there. He did not admit it to himself yet, but his mind was already whispering to him that he was slowly walking towards her direction.

There was one week he walked into the library and he did not see her behind the counter. His heart fell for a moment until he heard her voice from somewhere behind the shelves. He tiptoed to the spot and watched her from the other side. He had to smile at seeing the scene in front of her.

''Now, who wants to read the prince's part?'' she asked with a kind smile, the group of small children enthusiastically raising their hands.

''Me!'' they called over each other, almost jumping on their small chairs. They looked so happy with their eyes big and bright, their voices high and pitchy. Mikan smiled gently at them and choose one of the boys.

''And who wants to be the princes?'' she asked the few girls in the group – they were all sitting in a circle, all having an open book on their laps. The girls too raised their hands. Mikan choose one.

''All right, and I will read the story. You ready?'' she put a hair curl behind her ear and Natsume's heart skipped a beat. She looked to beautiful surrounded by children. Her voice pulled him out of his thoughts.

''The evil king chased her out of the kingdom and she had no choice but to run away.'' She spoke with a deep, dramatic voice that kept the children on their toes. They were looking at her with big, expecting eyes, drinking in everything she told them.

''The princes hid herself in the deep, dark forest. She was alone and scared, and she did not know what to do.'' Mikan looked at the girl who had to read the princes and the little girl read.

Natsume watched the reading session and was fascinated with the way Mikan was handling the children. They were all in love with her and he felt that if she gave so much attention to him, he would not stand a chance against her. She was so gentle and innocent that he could not help himself but feel attracted.

He was about to move away and go home, when Mikan glanced his way. Her eyes widened as she noticed him and she held her hand in the air to tell him to wait a moment.

''Who wants to be the storyteller?'' they all wanted and she laughed. ''What do you say that each one of you reads a line? All right?'' They all enthusiastically agreed and she stood up, telling them she would be right back. They kept reading without her.

Once she reached him, she smiled brightly. ''Hello. I'm sorry I wasn't at the counter. We have a reading session for the children today and-''

''It's all right. I brought the books back I finished. I still have a few to read, so no problem.'' He interrupted her gently, still feeling that strong warmth in his chest.

Mikan sensed the change, but did not comment on it. ''Great. But I do have one book prepared for you. Come.'' She indicated for him to follow her and he did. Once they arrived at one of the book shelves, Mikan searched for a book and pulled it out.

''Here. Tales of Otori. Wonderful thing. You will want to read it.'' She gave him the three books and he looked at them, then at her. ''They don't have the library code on it.'' He noticed.

''They're mine. They're all borrowed already so I decided to lend you mine.'' She smiled shyly.

He was surprised, but very happy. ''Really? Thank you. I will take good care of it.'' He grinned at her and noticed she averted her eyes. He wanted to ask if something was wrong, but then noticed the gentle blush on her face. It made him feel fantastic.

She cleared her throat. ''All right then. I have to go back to the children. Please take care of the books and I'd love to have a discussion about them sometime.''

''Sure.'' They walked back down the aisle where the children were still reading.

''You're great with children.'' He told her.

''Thank you. I love them. And I love to show them the wonders of literature. This group here is very enthusiastic.'' She smiled.

''I noticed.'' He laughed and then scratched the back of his neck. ''All right then. Don't want to disturb anymore.''

''Oh no, you aren't. I would ask you to join us if it weren't for the fact that you-''

''Yeah… Someone could see me.'' He shrugged. ''Ok, Thanks for the books. I'll bring them back safely next time.'' He smirked, walking towards the exit. He heard her say 'bye' and glanced her way one more time, realizing, she was watching him go. He waived one more time and then walked out.

A few weeks later, things changed again.

It was a great morning for Natsume Hyuuga. His manager called him that after his almost one year long vacation, his group would give 20 more concerts and interviews – and that would be just the beginning. He should enjoy freedom now that he still has it. After the vacation, work was guaranteed.

Natsume also used this time to think of new songs. He already had a few ideas. He had two melodies and lyrics for six different songs. He did not like them yet, there was still something off, something missing, they were just words in a perfect form, but… To put it frankly, he was an artist, and artist needed the feeling… You know… When you create something, you need to feel it, associate it with something, someone, but he still does not. There is a form building in his mind, but it is still just a form, not something that would make his heart beat a little faster.

As usually, he sought inspiration in the morning while jogging through the park. The fresh air, the quiet, and the calm atmosphere always made him feel content. It was not perfect because he still had to wear sunglasses and his hat, but it was better than being in a gym.

This morning too he jogged in the park and thought about different things. He thought about his career, his band, and his life in general. He also thought about Mikan Sakura, the hot librarian girl that made him feel confused. She was a beautiful and smart woman, but he knew nothing about her. He guessed she was a fan because she knew a few things about him, but he did not know what kind of a fan. There were people who went to his concerts, sang his songs, and screamed his name. There were also people who wrote him fan letters, tried to make any kind of contact with him, and told him they loved him. And then there were people who stalked him, were obsessed with him.

Another group; however, were people who just wanted his fame. They loved him as long as he was popular, because it would make them popular if they were associated with him. He met many people like that and he did not held grudges, because it was part of a job. But it made him insecure at times. Because there were people who seemed really all right. And in the end they were not. And it made him sad.

It was strange to have met a person like the librarian Mikan Sakura. She not only seemed all right, she actually did not tell a person about having met him. She even avoided addressing him by name. It was something new for him. Of course, he also met people who did not lose their mind when they met him, but those were usually people working in the same branch. Mikan Sakura was from another world if you put it like that. And maybe it was this that made him notice her more.

While his thoughts swirled around, Natsume jogged through the park, passing a few other joggers, some older people, and those who took their dogs for a morning walk. No one even glanced at him. He was invisible. And he loved it.

He just jogged past a woman who jogged with her akita dog, and his mind did not make the connection until her perfume reached his nose. His eyes widened in surprise and he stopped, abruptly turning around, seeing her run the opposite way.

''Sakura-san!'' he called, addressing her by name for the first time. It made him feel something. The female stopped and turned around in shock, her dog waiting and waging its tail. ''Mother of god…'' he heard her say. Then she smiled and walked towards him, her dog right next to her.

''I can't believe it.'' She stopped in front of him, a little out of breath and red in the face.

''I should be saying that.'' Natsume grinned and relaxed, glancing at the dog. Mikan noticed this and told the dog to sit. It did and waited. ''This is Mr Bear. Mr Bear, this is Hyuuga-san.'' She introduced and told Bear to give Natsume his paw. He did. Natsume laughed when he shook his hand with the dog's paw and his breath hitched when he heard her say his name.

''Hello, Mr Bear.'' He scratched the dog behind its ears and it made a sound of pure pleasure. Mikan laughed. ''Good, you got a new friend.'' She looked at Natsume then and his heart skipped a beat. She was here, in her jogging clothes, her hair in a high ponytail, her face flushed.

''I'll start thinking you're really stalking me.'' She joked and Natsume shrugged. ''Tokyo isn't that big if you live nearby. So you were serious when you said you wake up early.''

''Of course. Mr Bear and I go for a run every morning. He needs it because I work almost the whole day.''

''That makes sense. I usually run just twice or thrice a week. How come I've never seen you here before.'' He asked curious.

Mikan shrugged. ''Not sure. We're here every morning. I guess one doesn't notice if he doesn't search. How in the world did you see me today? I didn't notice you at all…''

Natsume smiled sheepishly, hiding his embarrassment. He could hardly tell her he smelled her, for Kami-sama's sake. ''Uh… I… I coincidentally looked up the moment you passed me and well…''

Mikan nodded, accepting his answer and smiled. ''This is really a surprize. What's your distance? Or time?''

''Don't really know, I run for an hour or so. What time is it?'' he shrugged and glanced at her watch. Mikan took a look and nodded to herself. ''Eight. I still have half an hour. Want to run with me or are you finished for today?'' she asked and Natsume blinked in surprise. He hid it right away and grinned. Never has a fan of his asked him if he wanted to run with her. This woman was really interesting. ''Sure.''

They took her route and jogged, Mr Bear in the middle. ''Does Mr Bear manage to run the whole time?'' he chuckled then. ''Mr Bear… Where did the idea for this name come from?''

Mr Bear glanced at him and waged his tail, a soft bark escaping his mouth. Mikan playfully glared at him. ''Well if you must know, Mr Bear got his name after my teddy bear that I lost when I was a child. It meant a lot to me and Bear means even more to me, so he's Mr Bear. And he's all fluffy and cute, and just like a bear. I could cuddle with him nonstop!'' she explained, a smile making its way on her face, while she looked at her dog.

''A teddy bear, really?'' Natsume wanted to make fun of her, but he would wait a little, to get an explanation. Mikan glanced at him, for a moment a reserved expression on her face.

''Yeah, my parents got me the teddy bear before they passed away, so… Anyway, he was very important, but I lost him when I was 9, so…'' she quickly explained and smiled again.

This… was something deep… Natsume realized. So she was an orphan. What she told him was quite personal. Should he ask for more information? ''How old were you when-''

''Three. I grew up in an orphanage. It was a nice place, so no worries. So this is why Mr Bear is Mr Bear. I found him injured four years ago. He was such a small puppy. Some idiots beat him and injured his left eye – he can't see with it. Then I adopted him and voila, we've become a nice pair.''

Natsume smiled at her, but thought about what she had told him. She explained it as if it were not a big deal, but he knew she had to grow up far too soon. He felt good now that he knew more about her. He wanted to know more of course, but he did not know if it appropriate to ask.

It would wait.

''I also found my cat on the street. Though she wasn't injured. She was a stray cat that always followed me around, so I took her in. I wasn't quite honest last time. I actually have her with me on tour.'' He admitted and smiled sheepishly.

Mikan's eyes widened and she smiled. ''Really? That's so cool. You're allowed to have her with you? I wish I could take Bear with me to the library…''

''Of course I can have her. I can do whatever I want, actually.'' He smirked. He laughed when she rolled her eyes. Bear barked happily. ''She always sleeps on my back or on my face. I guess she's my boss.''

Mikan laughed and Natsume felt the familiar warmth spread all over his chest. It was that feeling. The feeling he was missing. Her voice was soft and girly, and he had the urge to take her hand and pull her closer, sniffing that wonderful perfume she used.

''That's great. Good girl you have. But I'll be honest. Bear here also like to take my bed. He's a little too big to throw himself on me, but there are mornings I find his snout on my shoulder, his saliva dripping down my arm, while he groans in sleep.'' Natsume laughed and imagined the scene, while Bear barked as if knowing what they were talking about.

They reached the end of the park and jogged out, up the street towards Mikan's apartment complex. They stopped in front of it and Mikan smiled at him. ''Thanks for the company, once again. I'll find a nice book for you until next time.''

Natsume gave her a confident half-smile. ''Ok, then see you then.'' He saluted and jogged down the street, feeling her eyes on his back.

As he came home, showered and ate something, he looked Mikan Sakura up on Facebook. She really had a profile there. He checked it out and learned a few things about her. She was a 26, single, and had 594 friends. The majority of her photos had her and her dog in it. There were a few of her traveling and there were those that made him chuckle. She had been on one of his concerts, wearing RED T-shirt, smiling into the camera as if she was the happiest person alive. There were two other women on each of her side, having their arms around each other, standing in front of the bright stage where RED was about to perform. They were far from the stage, but close enough to be able to see RED.

Natsume leaned back on his chair, staring at the girl's picture. She was beautiful. She had a wonderful smile and a wonderful body. She was also nice to talk to and he had no problem listening to what she had to say. He would have nothing against starting something with her.

He blinked in realization.

Just what was he doing?

Did he really have intentions with her?

Would it be all right?

She was a nice girl and all, but she was also his fan.

And he did not even know if she was romantically attracted to him.

He sighed. It had been a long time since a girl that was not a celebrity caught his attention in that way… And caused emotional turmoil for him.

It had been a long time since he was nervous around a girl, and it seemed she was that one girl that made him nervous again.

What now?