|| Love's Unveiling Colors ||

|| The Pond || Chapter 1 ||

In the vibrant city of Tokyo, where the bustling streets and neon lights contrast the quiet corners and hidden alleys, a renowned, male artist named Ikeda Hiroshi was commissioned to paint a mural in a park called Gādenpāku*. Not too far from Gādenpāku, a small flower shop called Hanami* was owned by a passionate, male florist named Shimizu Yuji rested.

Hiroshi arrived at the blank wall, planning on drawing something that resonated with the park's scenery. He looked around with a stoic expression until he saw a vast area with dozens of colorful flowers. His stoic demeanor broke for a moment, admiring the way the light shines on the flowers, making their color appear much more vibrant. Hiroshi made a quick note about the flowers in his journal before walking out of the park and to his art studio, grabbing his paints.

As Hiroshi was leaving the Gādenpāku gates, Yuji went in. Yuji had always been fascinated with greenery and floral areas, hence his job relating to plants. He had originally aspired to be a botanist though, due to his family's poverty issues, he could not go to college. Yuji leaned against a wall, the wall where the mural would be painted once Hiroshi came back with his paints, not that Yuji knew that though.

He stayed there for a while, admiring how the flowers swayed in the light breeze and shone in the sun. Yuji went around to each individual flower, trying to determine which would be best for him to add to his flower shop. He looked to his right and saw the pond not too far from where he was standing so he decided to go sit by the pond for a bit. There he spotted a red twin lotus flower floating gracefully in the middle of the pond, his eyes lit up.

"A red lotus means passion... it symbolizes deep love and desire.." Yuji whispered to himself, captivated by its beauty. He couldn't help but wonder if he could incorporate this flower into his shop's collection.

Hiroshi finally returned with his paints and walked over to the blank, concrete wall. He turned his body toward the boundless flower field, admiring it once more before his gaze  landed upon a male who was sitting by the pond. The male's jet-black hair shone bright, reflecting the sunlight. Hiroshi stood there as his face warmed ever so slightly, staring in astonishment. He quickly grabbed his sketch pad and drew a rough outline of the man, planning on using the reference for his mural.

Hiroshi started painting a base coat of white on the gray wall, his eyes straying to the male's frame from time to time.

~~~~~~~~~~A few moments later~~~~~~~~~

Soon enough, it was dusk and Yuji had to leave to head back to his flower shop. He took many pictures of the red twin lotus so he may be able to find a seed for it. The sunset beamed in his eyes causing him to turn around. He caught Hiroshi staring into his eyes with fascination for a quick moment before Hiroshi immediately turned back to paint his base coat for the mural.

Yuji was startled, the distinguished artist was staring at him of all people. He quickly turned his body to walk the path to the gates, he cheeks faintly flushed.

Hiroshi finished the base coat of the wall soon after Yuji departed from Gādenpāku. He decided to sit where Yuji had sat by the pond, wanting to see why the male stayed there for as long as he did. Hiroshi sat down on the grass and stared out at the pond. There he saw the same red twin lotus that Yuji had seen moments earlier.

"I've never seen a red lotus flower.. let alone a twin lotus...", Hiroshi thought to himself with a calming expression. He took out his sketch pad and began to draw the breathtaking scene of the pond in the little sunlight that was left.

After a couple minutes of drawing, Hiroshi decided it would be best to leave, it was getting too dark by the minute. He picked up his paint and walked along the path that led him out of Gādenpāku.

A bit further down the path, he spotted a quaint and colorful flower shop. He stopped to admire it before noticing movement through the window, it was the man he saw down by the pond. It struck Hiroshi that the male owned said shop. The man in the window looked up, meeting Hiroshi's gaze. The male smiled and waved before going back to what he was doing.

Hiroshi swiftly turned his head to look at his front, an embarrassed expression creeping on to his face. He strolled forward in the direction of his studio, trying to look as stoic as possible but failing miserably. Hiroshi quickly opened the door to his studio and shut it before leaning his back on the wall with a soft sigh.

"Why... why do I feel this way..?", He contemplated. His mind flooding with questions and theories about why his heart is beating so fast.

"Could I be sick?"
"Am I hallucinating?"
"Is this a curse?"
"Could that man have been an evil entity?"
"What is this unfamiliar feeling?"
.
.
.
"Is this... love..?"
.
.
.
.
"What even is love...?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Author's Note:
This is my first attempt at writing a story like this so I'd love for the reader's feedback☺️

Translations:
Gādenpāku - "garden park"
Hanami - "flower viewing"