HIROSHI: Truth And Illusions

Ch 1: Something Like A Rose

*** I'd like to dedicate my first chapter to my oldest son John Micheal who worked hard and fast to edit and polish this chapter! I greatly appreciate his strong contributions of making magic with words! He transformed my draft into this amazing chapter! Thanks for everything JM, I love you! ***

In an estate, just outside the main city, lived an extraordinary young woman called Mayu. The property was beautiful inside and out just like Emperor Kogon had desired it to be. The grounds were sensationally rich with lush gardens full of brightly colored flowers, smooth stone walking paths, and a tranquil pond full of goldfish and white lotus flowers. A stream of gentle water flowed quietly around the eastern side of the property. The estate was cradled between the foothills of the tree covered mountains above the city.  

Inside of the house was exquisite. It was well furnished and adorned with lavish art. Guests were immediately soothed by the scent of lavender and rose flowers. A property this grand was rare in this part of the world because it was based on European design and architecture. This estate was originally designed to be a vacation home for the Emperor whenever he wanted privacy and solitude, but he never could find much time to use it.

Stone walls surrounded the entire manor to keep out unwanted visitors and intruders. In addition, his Majesty deployed his elite guards, the Samurai along with some imperial army officers to guard Mayu. Some were stationed at the main gate while others made routine patrols around the estate. A full wait staff was present to accommodate her every need.

By sunset each day, letters and gifts accumulated at the estate's front gate for her. She had many admirers whom sought various things from her like companionship, affection, attention, and or even just a glimpse of her. Mayu's presence fell on men like a gentle tsunami of warm tenderness; quietly flooding their inner faculties with intoxicating feelings. Her way with men was so natural, it seemed unnatural.

There was much talk about this young lady in town, but few words if any could describe her. Mayu was not like any of the women in the city nearby. In fact, she was not like any of the women in the entire kingdom in terms of appearance, substance, or personality. She was quite unique and it was because of her uniqueness she was forced to lived outside of town. Mayu was described by some to be like water; mysterious, soft, relaxing, but yet refreshing. While others said she was more like fire; passionate, illuminating, consuming, and stimulating. 

However, far beneath the layers of beauty and fire, hidden deep within, was a vast chasm of tempered ice. A glacial desert of far reaching gorges. Almost no one knew that Mayu's heartbeat barely flickered like a dimly lit star, frozen in a dark corner of space: virtually unseen, untouchable, unchangeable. Although she had many secrets, this particular one could never be spoken of. There was just one other who knew, but always remained silent like the wind. Every so often Mayu discreetly tapped her chest when she felt excessive chills there.

Getting Mayu to reveal any information about herself was like trying to squeeze water from an iceberg. When people asked her questions like where she was from, she would often smile and reply, "Where would you say?" With so little to go on, the locals often debated unconfirmed information they believed to be true about her. Mayu's origin became a greatly contested topic among them. She was known to speak at least three languages; Japanese, Chinese, and English due to living many years in the mainland and abroad. Regarding her ancestry, people believed her bloodline stretched as far north as the Tibetan/Mongolian regions and as far southeast as China and Japan. Some travelers who claimed to know of her in China, swore that she had a European father. No one knew for sure because her ethnicity was never confirmed.

While many of the men in the main city were delighted to have her living nearby, many of the women were not. In particular, the Emperor's wife Masami often flamed about the lavish living quarters her husband provided for Mayu. It was widely believed that the Emperor himself had already been smitten by the extraordinary charm of the woman. There were rumors of the Emperor dressing incognito to visit Mayu at the estate. The rumors fell hard upon the Empress like toxic rain, causing her heart to become a basin full of foul waste water. Masami's face frowned slightly on the left side as if the stench from her heart floated right up to her nose.