"In my heart, there is a dream for love. To be the star of someone's life, and for them to be my own. But perhaps it's not as good as it seems to be a star, and be just me."

Sighing softly, Arashi slumped with a somewhat sorrowful air to the blanket of grass beneath her. Tossing her diary aside, she allowed the pen in her small hand to drop limply to the dirt as she embraced her knees to her chest. She sighed again, gently brushing her hair away from her pretty face with her careful, slender fingers. The autumn breeze glided soothingly across the grasses and leaves, creating a soft melody of music of rustling and soft swaying. A distant crunching could be heard as some small children stomped happily in a vast field of dry leaves, yelping and screaming with their untouched innocence. Looking towards them, Arashi smiled a little and mused, her thoughts leaning somewhat towards slight envy. "How easily kids are content," she whispered to herself, "Just so easy for them, life is so easy for them," She paused momentarily and shook her head tiredly. "Just so easy," She repeated, her soft voice growing even fainter.

The diary lay quietly upon its side where it was tossed, fighting the wind that sought to open its secrets to the world. It battled momentarily, but the cover finally gave way to the seemingly innocuous breeze. The thin, weak pages fluttered in the wind as nature's breath gently but firmly flipped the pages along, painfully, excruciatingly unraveled the secrets that they held. Filled with words, the pages were, all of black writing written neatly along the printed lines; the words together held all of her feelings, her emotions, but most of all, the words captured her very essence of existence. The pages made portions of her life seem sad and lonely, and others expressed her happiness, and of one was to read her diary, it would uncover her entire life before the reader's eyes.

The cries of the children were enveloped quickly by the clap of thunder. The wind was no longer calm, but instead grew into a sort of invisible, howling beast, lashing and thrashing at helpless trees swaying under its force. Arashi gave a little cry of surprise as the thunder cracked sharply, much like the firing of a brand new rifle. Gently placing the diary into her bag and snatching her pen, she walked hurriedly towards her home. The rain had begun to fall; the drops were like tears, Arashi couldn't help but think, tears from the angels in the sky, then she smiled a little and mentally scolded herself for being such a child. Soon, the sprinkling developed into an overwhelming cascade of showering water, drenching her clothes as she clutched her bag closely to her chest, as if providing a sanctuary for it. When she finally closed the door behind her and heard the click of the lock, there was not a part of her that was not drenched, except for perhaps the diary in her bag.

Despite that she was only fifteen, she lived alone; Arashi could not stand either of her parents after their divorce and how both of them fought to keep her as if she was an inanimate. So here she was, living alone in an apartment. Pulling and kicking away her saturated shoes, she draped her jacket and socks on hangers as she made straight for the showers, struggling with the shirt that clung tightly to her skin as if it were part of her.

Some while later, after the steaming water warded away the biting cold, Arashi buried herself deep into a large winter coat as she set water to boil on the stove. The emptiness was devoid of all others except herself; most of the time it gave her tranquility and peace, but there were occasions that the feeling of loneliness had begun to creep in on her life of independence, but those of course, were just on occasion. Her long silky hair, damp from the shower, was allowed to drape behind her as she collapsed into her sofa, sighing a long sigh of contentment. What sudden change that overcame her had caused this sudden metamorphosis from despair to contentment perhaps she even did not know.

The rain fell still, still growing in strength as countless numbers of the drops beat relentlessly against the window panes, forming miniature alleys of running, gushing streams. The winds blew harder as if to compliment the rain, shrieking with its hideous cry as its invisible hands sought to uproot the trees caught within its awesome power. Arashi closed her eyes and ignored the sharp ringing of the phone on the kitchen counter as she savored the continuous concert of weather. She ignored the click of the answering machine and the voice of the unwelcoming advertiser on the other side of the line. As the sales person ranted on and on about their company's services, Arashi reached over with slight annoyance to lift and drop again the receiver. Nature's music was once again hers.

When the water had boiled the longer of the two fingers upon the clock pointed to the ominous five while the shorter jabbed its stubbiness towards the even darker number of four. Sighing, Arashi poured the heated water into a mug along with some chocolate powder and four marshmallows; other than when the short finger read four, the number was her favorite of all. "Once again, life is on the move," she talked aloud, glancing despairingly at the clock. She sipped the hot, sweet drink as her unblinking gaze remained on the longer finger. It shifted once, then was overrun by the swift second hand before it shifted again; then it repeated itself four more times. The stubby one was pointing to the number four as well; again with the number of four. Draining the mug, she rinsed and dried it carefully before setting it briskly on the dish rack.

The walk to the coffee shop was short but in a sense tortuous through the oncoming labyrinth of reckless traffic and alleyways. The merciless rain beat harshly upon her great coat as the wind sought to blow it away as it had attempted with the trees, but she arrived beaten but unscathed. The glass door opened with the sharp chime of a bell as she entered and closed it hurriedly behind her, shutting away the outside world for the tranquility of the quiet store. Breathing deep the strong aroma of coffee, tea, and scones, Arashi paused momentarily before calling out. "Sorry I'm late!"

"It's alright; you weren't late by much, just hurry and get changed before we open for the evening." A voice called from within the bakery kitchen. The smell of baked sweets and pastries continued to linger about in the warm shop as Arashi hurried into the changing room. Shivering as she climbed out of her drenched coat, she quickly undressed and slid into her uniform skirt and blouse; as she fumbled with the buttons on her top, Arashi could not help but think again how perfect her job was compared that of the people she knows. But her thoughts quickly transferred to other subjects as she stood typing her hair before the mirror, somewhat dazed. "Arashi, we're opening, hurry it up!"

Shaking her head to clear her mind, she stammered. "Coming!" Quickly finishing with her buttons, she hung her damp clothes on the hanger as she scrambled out of the room, slamming the door shut behind her.

Behind the polished marble counter, Arashi could not help but shiver in her skirt and short sleeve uniform as the glass door opened on this occasion and that, accompanied as always by the familiar, cheery jingling of the bell. The few customers that came on the rainy day bustled about with their lives after they made their purchase, and the store was empty once again. From within the sheltering glass panes Arashi could not help but notice the couple that was walking by the store, sharing an umbrella and a paper cup of drink. The girl outside the store smiled and blushed a little as the boy kissed her lightly on the tip of her nose; then falling into the embrace of the other, they kissed.

Arashi smiled a little as a faint dash of rose appeared on her pale, frosted cheeks. But after the pair had disappeared around the curb, the streets were empty again, save the few parked cars flooded now by the streets. The biting coldness had returned to haunt her skin once more, and the shivering came again, as if it was a plague that never ends. Pulling unknowingly away the ribbon in her hair, she let her strands fall behind her; her mind was a sort of void, unconsciously committing actions that she does not realize. Her gaze had wandered outside again, hoping to find another person that seemed to be in the world with her. It was an emotion that she was quite familiar with; loneliness.

A jacket was wrapped about her shoulders and a warm mug was set before her with a soft sound. Looking across her shoulder, she smiled gratefully at the boy who now stood besides her, leaning against the marble counter. In reality, he wasn't a boy, for he aged seventeen. Tatsuko his name, and he seemed to be the older brother that Arashi never had; he smiled back as he nudged the mug into Arashi's hand, nodding a little. "It's on me," he said as he dug a few coins from his pocket and insert them into the cashier's box.

"Thank you," Arashi smiled, nudging him playfully, "With all the things you've been buying me, one would think that you were in love with me."

Tatsuko laughed a little, "I'm always in love with you and always will be," he said as he pushed her lightly back. "That's what I'm here for."

Arashi nodded, "And the same with me," she said softly, taking a trying sip at the scalding coffee. She paused a moment, swallowed, and felt the heat return the life she had lost to her body; putting the mug in Tatsuko's hands, she gestured for him to drink as she refilled the machine with fresh coffee and water before settling back next to him again.

Taking a small nip at the liquid, he placed it in her hands again before saying, "I think the boss would let us both go early today," he mused a little, "It's so empty on the streets and in the store that I think he would like to go home too." Pausing briefly, he shifted a little to untie the apron strings behind his back before he called out. "Is it alright if me and her go off early today? It's kind of empty today."

"Yeah, it'll be alright, just as soon as you two help me clean up the kitchen." The voice called back from within again.

"Darn," Tatsuko sighed as he pulled the apron over his head again as Arashi tied the strings behind him.

"At least we'll be off early today," she said as she made a neat little bow behind his back, "You can stay at my place, seeing how you live alone and all at your apartment. Don't you ever feel lonely sometimes?" She asked inquisitively.

Nodding his head, he replied, "Yeah, but just sometimes. Hey, you live alone too, do you ever get lonely?"

She nodded as well, "I guess so, but it's usually alright," she paused to consider a moment, "maybe I could move in with you or something someday, or you can move in with me, if it isn't a problem; after all, its not like we date or anything."

"Yeah, I guess we could sometime, we can talk more about it later, after we get to your place, but right now, let's see if we can get some of the stuff that didn't sell today to take back. I'm sure he wouldn't mind, the stuff won't be so good tomorrow anyways," he added, "And the boss is a good guy."

A short while later, they were leaving the store with a box in between them; the rain had stopped, and the traffic has dwindled to a much calmer state. They walked briskly towards her apartment, reaching timely their destination, for the rain had once again picked up as Arashi fumbled with her keys to open the door.

They both breathed a sigh of relief as they peered out from behind the safety of their sanctuary to the outside world. Flashes of lightning followed by thunder could be seen and heard and almost smelled, as if they were next to the bolts themselves. "My poor flowers," Arashi sighed hopelessly as the plants surrounding her apartment were beaten and shredded mercilessly, "My poor, poor flowers." She repeated. "I knew I should have taken the potted ones inside. Especially the roses."

"Well, it's a bit too late for mourning now," Tatsuko consoled her, putting his arm around her shoulder, "We'll just have to replant some when spring comes along."

"Yeah," she said as she peeled her damp coat away from her like an orange and hung it on the rack. "On the hangers," she reminded as Tatsuko clawed his way out of his manteau. "I'm going to go change, help yourself to anything in here." She gestured with a sweeping motion of her arm before closing the door of her room behind her.

Finding the dish cabinets, Tatsuko dug out dishes, cups, and forks; despite his attention to the setting of the table, he could not help but glance sadly at the single framed picture of both of her parents holding her in their arms, smiling. It saddened him not only because he sympathized, but also because it was almost identical to his experiences. He shook his head a little then began setting the dishes on the table before a sudden thought took him.

Behind the closed door, Arashi had begun again to write in her diary. The pen marked along the lines cleanly and briskly; it reflected her personality in her style of writing, for it was sharp, brisk, and always with a sweet touch. The ink made imprints of her cursive handwriting as the tip of the pen brushed along the paper, only stopping when she paused momentarily to think. Smiling a little, she tossed the pen aside and set the notebook carefully on her desk before clicking off the lights.

"Thought I'd make something hot for us," Tatsuko said without turning as Arashi's soft on the carpet sounded behind him. "Coffee and chocolate can only hold a body up for so long." He stopped to add the chopped potatoes into the pan. "It'll be done soon," he added, now looking up, "Just settle down a while."

Nodding gratefully, Arashi rubbed her stomach a little as she turned to tidying the apartment. The strong, luscious scent of curry soon permeated the entire complex as she beat the dust away from the sofa pillows. Just the lingering aroma of the spices made her feel warmer and closer to herself; it smelled of care and love and the air seemed to caress her skin with its comforting touch. "It's only eight," she said aloud, partly to herself. To whom other she did now know; she knew that Tatsuko could not hear her voice over the hissing and humming of the stove. "We must have left work really early today."

"Yes we did," Tatsuko chimed behind her, holding two plates and spoons. "Dig in," he said as he set her plate and fork before her.

"Thanks," Arashi smile tiredly, famished. Eating quickly, she flushed a little when Tatsuko reached over gently to pick away a grain of rice from her cheek. "Thanks," she repeated, as she wiped her cheek with a napkin. Why am I blushing, she could not help but question herself. Sighing within herself, she chided her own foolishness and continued eating. After a temporary hiatus of silence, Arashi suddenly blurted, "Why don't you stay over tonight," she pointed outside to the lessening rain, "You'll catch a cold if you go outside again." Fidgeting for some distraction, she pierced her fork into a curried piece of potato. She did not understand her rationality; he was just her brother, and what was there to be embarrassed about inviting a brother for the night?

"Sure," answered Tatsuko in his usual, eternally calm manner as he gently dabbed at his mouth with his napkin. "It gets awful lonely sometimes alone anyway. It'll be good to have some company."

"Great!" Arashi laughed, "So you get lonely at home too?"

"Of course," he replied, "Everyone gets lonely sometimes. It doesn't feel so good, loneliness." He sighed. "But that's alright; we're not lonely right now, are we?"

Shaking her head, she reached out and touched his hand. "Of course not!" She stammered, "How can we be lonely when we're around each other?"

Smiling a little, he held her hand in his as he agreed, "True, true," he nodded contently, his voice still calm. There was a momentary awkwardness when they both noticed that their hands were entwined with each others; giving a soft, simultaneous gasp of surprise and embarrassment, both withdrew their hands and flushed with rose to the tips of their ears.

"Maybe we should clean the dishes up," Tatsuko finally said, regaining his composure as he stood up, stacking the dishes atop each other and placing the forks above the miniature stack.

Rising from her seat, Arashi took the pile and scrambled into the kitchen. Tatsuko smiled a little and sat down again, still smiling faintly. Inside the kitchen, under the mask of running water and dish detergent, Arashi felt as if her cheeks were aflame. Putting her hand to her chest, she felt her rapid heartbeat and a tingling sensation on her skin. Still, she was confused somewhat, but the confusion had given away mostly to thoughts of sweets and dreams. And of stars.