Shadows of the Future

As he looked at the sky with his dark fiery eyes, completely drenched with the tumultuous rain that seemed to match the maelstrom within him, he felt the burning sensation that clutched at his empty chest.

His heart is no more.

Against the uninterrupted downpour from the grieving firmament, his aflame orbs brought forth a series of fierce thunder that struck the forest, breaking the humungous trunks of many trees. A part of the forest became bare from the supposedly evergreen broadleaf trees in an instant.

The sight was frightening. As if no life form from the abundant and diverse animals before could exist on the place. Even the unseen sacred entities cowered in fear as more lightning came crushing down without any warning, faster than its usual speed. Killing everything on its way, not sparing anything.

Raiden is enraged.

Ken Inamori is no more.

----

A few meters away from where Ken was standing, unseeing and unfeeling, Ren stood in complete awe. The occurrence in front of him is unbelievable. He would not believe it if he has not seen it with his own very eyes.

'Ken is not human', he thought.

He stared at the previous No. 2 of the Shadows of the Wind, who became No. 1, and resigned. Ren Yanagi never once thought that Ken possesses such a power within him. It sounded so farfetched the first time he was told that Ken is not an ordinary human.

'How could a human be not an ordinary human?'

He glanced around him, and wondered how long it would take Ken to burn the whole forest down. To turn everything into nothingness.

Just because Kana died.

In front of his eyes.

Kana looked at her reflection on the mirror. She smiled with a satisfied look on her face. Her hair is arranged in a slightly-messy bun on top of her head, with some curls that were left dangling on the sides of her ears on her nape that gave her a look like a real princess. On top of her bun was a tiara with a piece of a large diamond. It was a gift from Hideo Yamada, her great, great-grandfather.

Her elfin fingers touched the piece of an exquisitely-designed jewelry that decorated her slim neck. It was a gift from Hideo as well, but it was actually the Kodama's family heirloom. It was just nobody from her immediate family was able to pass it down to her.

The smile on her lips flickered when the door to her room opened. The woman who was helping her to get prepared suddenly stopped from what she was doing as she could not tear her eyes away from what looked to her like an apparition.

Ken stood on the door, unmoving.

His eyes was fastened firmly on Kana, negligent about the admiring stares from the other women in the room. The ones who have helped her get dressed and did her hair and make-up are the two professional beauty salon-owners in the Yamada estate. Both of them are quite young, in their mid 30s and are both single. They heard that the would-be Master of the clan is a handsome man, but their expectations were nowhere to compare with the presence who stood in front of them. It's their first time to see Ken. And they could not do anything but look at him with wonder and appreciation.

He was dressed elegantly in a traditional wedding kimono for male with a mixture of black and blue pattern variants, with his raven hair brushed back firmly with a gel, but some strands were left loose on his forehead, giving him a faintly rugged look. His blue eyes pierced passionately on Kana's reflection, meeting her gaze in an affectionate manner.

She blushed.

The only times she saw him looking at her like that were during the few times that they kissed. The memories of those brief exchange of passion burned to her and made her cheeks reddish on top of the blush on. She, also, could not tear her eyes away from him on the mirror.

He is an embodiment of an utter perfection.

His face, his aura, his physique, his stance.

Everything in him was beyond spotlessly venerable. He exudes an unrivalled flawless beauty and manliness.

'How was she able to make him her?'

Kana smiled and was about to turn to face him when he spoke.

"Stay still." His voice was deep with restrained emotion. Emotions that only he could understand, for he knows that is he tell her the things on his mind right now, she would convulse in fright.

'How could she look so appetizing and pristine at the same time?' He thought.

Her wedding kimono fits perfectly on her lissome body. The body that he has been dreaming about for so many nights yet, has restrained himself painstakingly for this one special event. The dress fully covers her curves and her smooth skin, which added to the excitement that he is feeling in unwrapping the fully-wrapped package.

His personal package. And only on his hand that the ribbon tied on the package would be untied.

He could not quench the stirrings in his blood. It's boiling like a magma that was threatening to overflow.

He needs her. Without a doubt.

He sauntered towards her, ignoring the presence of the two women, whose eyes turned envious towards Kana.

Kens topped just beside her, while their eyes never left each other on the mirror. He held hers captive, just as she with his.

"You look perfect." He said, slightly lifting a hand and touching a strand of her hair that hangs on her nape. He played with it, making her feel tickled.

She let out a nervous laugh so as not to give in to his temptation.

"You are not supposed to see me before the ceremony." She said, masking the feeling of wanting to touch his face and give his gorgeous lips a gentle kiss.

He angled his head a little, indicating that he knew what he was doing. His lips twitched a little.

"Whose rule is that?" He asked lazily, his voice becoming husky as he continued to play with her hair.

She rolled her eyes.

"Come on Ken", she said, "Ladies need more time to get ready than men. So please allow me some more time, ok?"

He let out a gentle smile that made his eyes a little smaller. He let her hair go and straightened himself.

"Inamori-sama, Master Hideo is looking for you."

Ken turned and saw a male staff of Hideo, bowing at the door. His face became neutral and formal. Kana always admire how easily Ken could manipulate his expression. He was an expert at being unreadable.

"I'm coming." He answered, and the man retraced his footsteps backwards.

To the two women in the room, he turned to look at them for the first time. They blushed like teenagers.

"Please don't tie her up too much. I don't want to spend time unwrapping the gift." He winked, and the two women gasped and clutched at their chests in an exaggerated motion of having a heart attack.

Kana felt her face heated as she realized the meaning behind his words.

"Ken!" she warned, and he turned towards her and gave her a mischievous grin.

"See you later." He said and went out of the room, closing the door behind him.

Only then did Kana realize that she was holding her breath the whole time that Ken was there. She shook her head and wondered until how long she will stay feeling so mesmerized every time he would get so close to her.

He was her greatest dream and goal.

She had never felt the urge to want anything or somebody as much as she wanted him. The feeling she had and has for him is unrivalled.

He is her all.

Ken was able to finally calm his senses as soon as he was a few feet away from her room. When he was in there, he had to use every ounce of self-control he has not to claim her kissable lips that were already colored with a rosy lipstick.

It made her look a little coquettish and mature, but the innocence and pure aura that emanates from her was still there. He is really looking forward to the night after their wedding ceremony.

The night that he could finally make her his.

His bride, his wife, his partner for life.

With a faint smile on his lips, he went to Hideo's chamber.

----

"Inamori-sama, please wait for a while in here. I shall call the Master."

The lady was one of Hideo's staffs who greeted him and ushered him towards the meeting room. Ken just nodded in acknowledgement and the staff retreated outside the room.

Ken stayed standing, then after a while, he walked towards the wall. He looked through the faces of the former Masters of the Yamada clan. Soon, Hideo will retire and the leadership will be passed on to him.

He and Kana agreed that after the wedding, he would take on the position as the Master, so as to calm some members of the clan who are still against a female as the next Master. This set up was also expected to assuage the unspoken uncertainties among the citizens of the estate.

Since the four previous Heads were punished into banishment, as Hideo announced to the clan, nobody dared to speak their minds anymore about Kana being a Master. Although the atmosphere when she goes around the estate is usually rather tense, she was always accepted with utmost respect.

When Kana visits the hospital or the market or even the farms, she would always be greeted with the warmest smiles but she could feel the apprehension behind those facades. Her senses have somewhat been trained to be sensitive to implicit malevolence especially towards her.

She was a Shadow, after all.

But Kana never minds at all what everybody thinks of her nor how anybody looks at her. The only thing that she cares about is how Ken thinks of her.

However, when Ken Inamori was officially announced by Hideo as the next Master, she was surprised by how things changed almost too sudden. She became regarded with esteem as the first Lady of the Clan.

Ken's lips twitched a little as he thought about the irony of people's mindset. The male chauvinism in the country is still stuck with the olden days.

Especially in the Yamada Estate.

The buildings and facilities indicate a mixture of the traditional Japanese and modern architecture, with the exemption of some old structures that were being kept in a preserved state as requested by the government. To Ken, who spent many years in different foreign lands and experienced a myriad of both the western and eastern cultures, he appreciates the equal treatment between a man and a woman. He does not enjoy it when he hears men talking about women in a degrading manner. He has a penchant for a woman who knows her worth and has a strong bearing, no matter how many afflictions she may have experienced.

Like Yuki Iguchi before.

And now, like Kana.

He smiled a little when his thoughts once again wandered on to her.

He honestly does not care about the Estate. He has no attachment whatsoever to the place. Yet, he once heard Kana talking with a female staff, with whom she has been friends for a while now, that she would love to live in the estate, if he would be with her.

Although she may look and act like she did not care about her being alone since their house was burned when she was little, he noticed the very slight change on the tone of her voice, and on the manner that she breathed. She was lonely. Yet, she never let it hindered her life.

Since then, he decided to take on the leadership so that he could offer her a life where she would feel at ease. The whole Yamada estate would be the place where they would create their home.

However, Ken was sometimes deeply reluctant about something. For whatever reason, he could not shake-off the uncertainty about their coming marriage. He wondered if it has something to do with him or with her.

"I am sorry to keep you waiting, Ken."

The deep voice of Hideo brought him back to the moment. He turned and faced the man, who stood on the doorway, with his extravagantly designed kimono.

It was fit for a King.

Just as the way Hideo carries himself.

"It's alright, Master. A man finds peace in silence." Ken answered, following the older man who motioned for him to sit in front where he was about to sit.

Hideo slightly tilted his head and a faint smile showed on his lips.

"I could not agree more." Hideo answered. "Anyway, I called you over here to let you know that the Heads' Table has confirmed the transfer of leadership to you once the wedding ceremony is over."

Ken has a bland look on his face.

Hideo's smile widened.

"Don't worry, the transfer ceremony is scheduled two weeks after your wedding ceremony. You can have a two-week vacation together. I guarantee that no one will bother you."

Only then did Ken smiled.

'This old man is really something.' He thought.

"Thank you, Master. I appreciate your consideration."

A moment of silence enveloped the whole room, as the two men just looked at each other. Hideo has a somewhat somber expression on his face, while Ken has an understanding look on his.

"I know that I am in no position to tell you this, Ken." Hideo cleared his throat. Ken just waited patiently.

"I have no request from you other than to make her happy. That child has been through a lot after she lost her family in that fire."

Ken's expression softened.

"I know Master. I will not make a promise to you, but I will do everything I can so that she will only have happy memories from now on."

Hideo smiled faintly. They talked about the Estate for another fifteen minutes when Hideo looked at the time.

"In that case, shall we go to the altar then? We shall not make the bride come ahead of us."

As they both went out of the Master's chamber, they were followed by two pairs of eyes. One pair was beaming with admiration while the other one was loaded with hatred.

----

As Ken stood in front of the altar, he could not help but feel a mixture of emotions. As he saw Kana walked towards him, his breath was caught in his throat.

'How lucky I am.'

Before he realized it, he felt a lump in his throat, and his chest welled with flowing appreciation to the beauty of his bride-to-be.

It was then that Ken acknowledged her place in his life. Now, he admits that whatever will happen to him, he will not let anything bad happen to her.

How could he let such a beauty who looks so delicate and fragile as she lovingly let her eyes linger on him experience even a slight suffering?

Ken smiled, as he took her gloved hand on his. He slightly lifted her hand and kissed it, which made her cheeks blushed deeply. There was a sudden hush among the crowd, as Ken's action was beyond the expectation of anyone.

Ken does not mind.

His action speaks his emotions.

On that moment, all the uncertainties within him have vanished into nothingness.

He is marrying the right woman for him.