How many Flowers fail in Wood -
Or perish from the Hill -
Without the privilege to know
That they are Beautiful -
How many cast a nameless Pod
Upon the nearest Breeze -
Unconscious of the Scarlet Freight -
It bear to other eyes -
Emily Dickinson
Prologue
The paling willows leaned over the tea-coloured river. The wind shivered through the curtain of leaves sending a shower of gold over the fading grass. The moment was perfect; the darkening sky, the long strong lines of sun and shadow, the contrast of the dark trunks against the lighter leaves. He quickly snapped off a few shots before turning away. His lens roved across the landscape searching for more color contrasts and intriguing lines. Slowly the camera lowered and he stood up speechless. The color was an unmistakable shade of blue -- shimmering almost iridescent. The bright highlights in her hair rivaling a bird-of-paradise's wing. It was the the deep blue of twilight.
Mizuno Ami leaned over her book absorbed in the minute details of cell structure. Absently she pushed a few long strands of her midnight hair behind her ear and continued her study of mitochondria with a sigh. A thin yellow leaf fluttered onto the page. Ami gently picked it up-- the slender shape tapering like a candle flame along her palm. The division of cell walls could almost be seen without a microscope as a gentle intricate maze or pattern.
She turned around, her eyes searching for the stand of willows along the bank. Her gaze stopped, eyes widening --leaf forgotten and flying out of her hand. Ami stood up walking slowly towards him before softly asking,
"Mamoru?"