Chapter 1

Tokyo, Japan, September 28, 1940.

"Ambassador Saburu Kurusu signed the pact between Germany, Italy, and Japan" the information made Mamoru Aiko turn towards the female voice.

"Who said that?" He asked, suddenly apprehensive.

"If listened to the radio with more interest, you would know" the old Nana got irritated, waving her fat arms in the air in a comical posture. "This is an extremely popular topic. Do you know what that means?"

"That there is now an alliance of military, political and economic cooperation?" the boy murmured, his steps slow so that the old woman could accompany him.

"Say more than that, Mamoru!" She scolded, her tone low, escaping from one side of her mouth. "It's only a matter of time before things get worse ..."

They walked side by side through the dirt streets of the Tokyo suburb. The boy with long, straight black hair, thin and of impressive beauty, decided that this was not the best place for a political discussion and just shrugged. The old woman immediately saw her decision and shook her face in agreement.

"Japan has been at war with China since 37. Things are not going to change," he said, ending the matter definitively.

The feminine sigh turned him back to her. He smiled and squeezed her shoulders, affectionately, placing a chaste kiss on his puckered cheek.

"Damn you! " Nana cursed him. " Don't kiss me in the middle of the street!" she ordered.

Mamoru was amused. They looked like grandma and grandson, walking like equals. But the truth was, Nana was just an old prostitute who had raised him before and after his mother died.

Masami Aiko had been the third geisha of a generation of Aiko women. Housewife in a yūkaku neighborhood[3], she was one of the most popular and beautiful women of her time. However, Masami decided to end his "activities" shortly before she died of sadness. Mamoru took over then, seeing, in his beautiful property, the chance to be able to live comfortably and still have access to all kinds of information without being noticed. Thus, the geisha house became a brothel, which in its structure had as a differential only the most refined environment of the neighborhood.

In a short time, Ai, or simply "Loves House", was already home to half a dozen beautiful women who knew how to dance, sing and entertain men, enough to make it one of the most disputed places in the region. There was a list of fixed customers, and some were waiting. They said, and whispers among gentlemen, that the drink and the music would be worth the ticket. Women were just the pearl inside the oyster.

Mamoru missed the beautiful times when his home offered the purity of women instead of the malice of their smiles, but the young man admitted that his time was cruel, especially for men like him.

"What will we do for dinner? " Nana asked, taking him out of his reverie.

The male smile came with a glance at the stall selling vegetables.

"Oh, I want your cabbage soup, Nana," he replied happily. " Something very hot because it has been some years since autumn is not that cold."

The woman acquiesced.

"I'll buy a cabbage. Go after the fish."

The young man shook his head in agreement. In seconds, he was already walking towards the fishmonger.

The streets seemed calm, despite the heavy climate that flooded the air. People were frowning, but that was nothing new for the young man. Tokyo used to be a cold and introverted city. However, on their nights, when the family women slept, their husbands lost their icy posture and threw themselves into the carnal pleasures of the neighborhood where they lived.

He heard a few sighs in his direction, but he ignored it. His perfect appearance had long been an eye-catcher, but he didn't care. He knew he was wanted, both by men and women. He had already received numerous invitations and proposals to have sex, but he refused them all. It was celibacy, not by choice. He just loved and was not reciprocated, like many, by the way.

"Sir?"

A low, urgent voice came to him. He turned to a young man with a scrawny face; he looked to be about sixteen, but he knew that hunger used to play tricks on people's appearance. His poverty was visible, both by his dirty skin and by the smell he gave off. He stood next to an old wagon, about to collapse.

"What you want?"

"I have something to offer you, sir," the boy called him behind the wagon, with his face.

What would it be? Pervitin[4] was being sold in some parts of the city, under the thick sight of the police. But the most certain thing was that he would be offered opium. He did not like to stimulate himself with drugs, so he thought about simply continuing his journey. However, something made him follow the young boy. Maybe the hope in your eyes, and the trembling in your hands.

"I will be generous, sir," he said, climbing up the tarpaulin that covered the cart. "You can use it for two hours in exchange for just one plate of food."

Mamoru's eyes narrowed into the cart. There was a boy there, maybe twelve or thirteen, lying on filthy covers, and shivering with the cold. As he was sweating, the young courtier understood that he was feverish.

"He is dying?" Asked the other in front of him.

"It's just weakness, sir" the other responded, quickly. "We haven't eaten in three days. Food is starting to become hard to find."

Mamoru turned his eyes back to the lying boy. The dusty face and the horrible smell that spread in the air made it clear that the situation inside the wagon was terrible.

"How old is he?"

"You will be fifteen next summer, sir. "

It was a child, in Aiko's view. He closed his eyes, thinking about what to do. They lived in a cruel time. A Great War was at hand, and the future - and especially his - was still uncertain and frightening. But, how to turn your back and leave that sick boy behind?

He put his hand inside the cart and pulled out the cover, discovering the fragile shape. He saw the dried blood on his legs and the bite and scratch marks on his arms and chest. He felt nauseous.

"Where did you find him?"

"He's my brother," the other explained, uncomfortable. "Will you want it or not?"

Mamoru looked at him again, feeling a mixture of hatred and pity. What was hunger capable of doing?

"How many days have you been to Tokyo?"

The other shrugged.

"Two or three. We came from the interior."

Aiko took an intimidating step forward.

"Do you know what Kempeitai is?"

The boy agreed, suddenly terrified.

"Do you know what Kempeitai does with those who practice illegal prostitution?"

The boy's eyes widened in a dilemma. There was in him the desperation for the need and the rush of the flight for fear.

"How much do you want for your brother?" Mamoru asked firmly.

The black eyes cleared.

"I told you, sir ... A plate of ..."

"I do not want to sleep with your brother, I want to take him to my house and stay with him " was firm. " I know he's your breadwinner, but he won't last long. Him is dying, you know? I will give you money and you will be gone. Inside, you'll find work."

"But ..."

"You have to learn to earn a living with your sweat, young man " his voice was rhythmic. " Or with your ass, if you prefer."

There was a hint of doubt in the other's dark eyes. However, after a quick look at the cart and the realization that the younger brother was perishing, the decision was instant.

"Done deal."

***

The smell of tea flooded the beautiful traditional room. The heir of the Ryo family entered the environment and faced his lover with a beautiful smile on his lips. There was nothing that pleased him in that room, but he liked to look at the beautiful woman who sat with candor in an armchair.

"I bought your ticket to Kyoto," he said gently.

"Already?" The black eyebrows rose inquisitively. " I thought I'd stay a month."

"A month is too long, dear," he remained smiling. " Lovers are like fish, after three days in a house, they start to stink."

The beautiful woman snorted angrily.

"How can you talk to me like that? I thought you loved me!"

Ryo drank tea. It was calm by nature, even at times like this.

"I bought you that jewel you liked so much, Mina," he said. "And your train ticket is first class. Also, your payment will be more than enough to keep you going for a long time."

The twenty-year-old girl fell silent. Especially because she had slept with that man for three years and he always treated her the same way. The heir to the most important fishing fleet in the north was even respectful, in his way.

"If the war lasts too long ..." she started, but was stopped.

"I will not be summoned, Mina. In addition to having money to keep me safe, I'm a close friend of Shin Sakamoto."

Mina closed her eyes in disgust, remembering the Emperor's hateful protégé. She had seen the man a few times in those three years, but the short meetings were enough to make him disgusted.

"But Shin Sakamoto is dying to be called to the forehead ..."

"Shin has romantic illusions about war," he objected. "When faced with the truth about what goes on between the shots, heroic acts, and worldly justice, I bet he will stop being such an ardent fan of the imperial army."

Saying that could lead to Ryo being shot, but he trusted Mina to say those words.

"And your wedding?"

"What wedding?"

"You will be twenty-two soon, and I am aware of the Ryo tradition of getting married in the twenty-second spring of life."

The man laughed, drinking more tea.

"I'm not getting married, Mina. The woman of my dreams hasn't shown up yet, have you forgotten?"

She laughs softly.

"The woman of your dreams doesn't exist, dear," he pestered. "How long will you insist on looking for her?"

He shrugged.

"I dream about her since I was a kid, I know her face, her voice, and her smell. Kami-sama[5] would not give me these visions over an illusion. One day, it will appear. Then I will marry her and be quiet, taking care of my queen and my little kingdom, with the devotion of a dog."

The Japanese woman opened her mouth to reply, but the entrance of a servant shut her up.

"Ryo-san " the middle-aged man heals. "Did you send for me?"

The young man nodded.

"Tadao, I want you to send a missive to Mamoru Aiko in Tokyo."

"Will leave Hokkaido[6] ?"

"Yes, I intend to live in my house in the capital. I will take advantage of the little time I will have with Shin, who will probably travel with the ambassadors to Germany and Italy, to make arrangements for the alliance."

The woman in front of her shifted in the chair.

"I hope he goes to War and dies there!"

Ryo took the last sip of his tea and stood up. He bowed to her, inclined to walk away.

"At nine o'clock, Tadao will take you to the station. Bye."

She blushed and stood up.

"So cold!" Her complained. "Could you have more consideration?"

The man just turned away. The matter was closed.

***

The young and beautiful Japanese Mina never knew, but the main reason that led the rich Ryo to cross it from his list of "sexual servants" was her unveiled criticisms of Shin Sakamoto. Young Ryo knew that all coarse words were well-founded. Shin was, in the cheapest and weakest word, an arrogant stupid, with no respect or manners. Even so, he saw him as a brother, and that brotherhood was beyond failure.

They had known each other in childhood, at the age of nine. Both were the same age, but Ryo was born a few months before his friend. It was on a cold January afternoon that they met for the first time. It was Shin's birthday, and all the children of the most important members of the nobility were invited to the boy's birthday. He still laughed when he remembered the way he disqualified all the kids who tried to get close.

"Bakas[7]", he said, while looking at Botchan[8]. But, he did not have the same dislike for the boy with a round face and kind appearance.

"I can be your friend," he said, even before Ryo opened his mouth.

And it was.

Inseparable friends in all youth arts. They liked to run away together and go to bathe in the waters of Arakawa. They also walked around the suburbs, looking with interest at the poor and admiring the forms of prostitutes.

"I'm going to marry a woman I see in my dreams" Ryo whispered to him once, at eleven.

He waited for a smirk, but his friend looked at him with interest.

"Do you have visions?"

"Every day," he confirmed. "I see a beautiful young woman with black hair and loving eyes. She has skin as pale as a geisha and is as beautiful as sakuras[9] in the spring.

Shin looked surprised.

"Then never tarnish that image," he advised seriously. " Not everyone gets such precious gifts from Kami-sama. Respect that."

Ryo knew at that moment that no matter what man Shin became, I would always love him.

It was around the same time that Mamoru Aiko appeared. Shin and Ryo were wandering around the brothel area when they saw a beautiful black-haired boy playing with a wooden cart. It was instinctive, especially for Shin and Mamoru. They saw each other, talked for half an hour, and they are already best friends. Ryo was not jealous, because everything seemed natural.

But, visibly, Shin's mother did not find the same thing. A distant cousin of the Emperor, the superb woman discovered that the heir was walking with the son of a geisha. Banning Shin from the company only made her discover that the boy's free personality was even more impetuous than she imagined. After breaking all the room, the boy ran away from home. It was found a day later in an abandoned house, next to Mamoru. With no way out, he was taken to a boarding school in the mountains and remained there for years. However, as soon as he was free, as an adult, the family had the unpleasant surprises of discovering that Shin's feelings remained the same.

Despite this, the Emperor loved him as a son. He was the only young man in the family with whom he could talk and discuss all kinds of matters. The rest, exhausting, could barely maintain a dialogue at an acceptable level. The converse, incidentally, was the same. Shin idolized the Emperor, whom he affectionately called "uncle", loving him above all else. And, perhaps because of this, the Sakamoto left their son alone, to live his strange friendship with that boy of such low strain.

Ryo laughed at the thought of the two best friends so different, so opposite. Even so, they need each other's company. Separating them was an impossible mission.

They were always together. It was the Ai house that Shin frequented most with interest, and it was in Mamoru's room that he slept whenever he was in Tokyo. This was something Ryo did not agree with. Two men sharing the same bed was the strangest thing he had ever known, but luckily, he knew that his friends were not involved in anything immoral. They were just brothers who liked to talk until their eyes were heavy and sleep knocked on the door.

Ryo sat in his beautiful chair in the family's office. Thoughts still turned to Shin and Aiko, and how much he wished he could be with them both for a night out of sake and sex with the beautiful prostitutes that Mamoru managed.

Life was fun. And he did not plead with every moment, for he knew that as soon as the beauty of his dreams appeared before him, there would be no more space for anything and no one.

"Mr. Ryo" Tadao interrupted his thoughts. "I brought the delivery list for that week," pointed out a report.

The man was pale and despite not having much interest in the lives of the servants, Ryo asked:

"Did something happen."

"No sir..."

"Why tell me!" he got angry. "We worked together for so many years, you were my late father's most loyal and faithful servant, I just want to hear from you."

The man seemed to weigh, but finally, he murmured.

"I heard some rumors about ... " the voice failed.

"About what?"

The silence lasted a few seconds.

"They say that many terrible things are happening in China."

Ryo laughed.

"And you are Chinese, by any chance?" he countered. "Keep your mind off what is not in your hands," he advised. "Do you know what would happen to you, your wife, and children if someone heard you?"

"Yes sir."

"So get out now and go and occupy your mind with work. I am going to travel and I want to keep everything tidy. We are in a turbulent time, and I do not need an employee being smashed into the public square by Kempeitai. " scolded.

When the man left, Ryo finally calmed down.

"Idiot ..." he sighed.

And taking the image out of his mind, he went back to work.