many times before , until his master was ready to meet with him and felt that he knew the room by heart . The large fireplace set opposite the door was marble and magnificent , but no fire burned on its hearth . The rows and rows of shelves , housing books from every time and place around the globe , stood along the walls . Even the sofas , chairs , and chaise lounges had been there as long as he could remember . It was a room that never changed .
However , something was different tonight . At first , he could not quite put his finger on it . As he began to look over the works of art , he noticed what was out-of-place : the painting of the Japanese girl in the beautiful , pale-gold kimono was no longer hanging above the fireplace . Instead , there was a new painting in its place . There were a few similarities to the previous one , but the differences were much more evident .
The old painting showed a young Japanese girl of about sixteen standing on a bridge - over some river or other - in Japan , a wagasa – a Japanese umbrella - opened above her to hold back the sun . Her hair had been pulled up in the latest fashion of the times and her kimono spoke of a girl from a well-to-do family . She seemed to be entranced by the sakura blossoms blooming in front of her , her violet eyes absorbed in the beauty before them . A faint smile played around her mouth , her laughter seemed to be held just below the surface , waiting for the slightest reason to come bursting forth . It was a beautifully painted picture of the girl who had captured the heart of a monster .
This new picture however , showed what appeared to be the same Japanese girl , but in more modern attire : a salmon colored shirt , charcoal pants , and a long black duster ; her long hair pulled back in a ponytail , a long onyx 72