The Start of a New Story

1540; Kyoto, Japan

Kan zooms throughout the halls of the Capitol building, making sure he isn't late to his meeting, managing to run into just about everyone he comes in contact with. Bouncing off the walls as he hits them at full speed, flying faster than ever. Kan, who is right out of high school, is on his way to his job of a lifetime. He finally arrives at the door. He straightened himself up and knocked.

*knock* *knock*

"Come on in," an unfamiliar voice echoes out.

Kan opens the rugged, creaking door to a desk, where a man with the nametag, "Tsuchiya Takahiro - Vice Chairman."

"Sit down Kan, you're already late."

"Sorry sir, the goats got out again. It won't again."

"Well, I'm sure the goats will get out again. You better not be late again," Tsuchiya explained. "Now, to why I called you here. Your father was a dear friend of mine, a friend of just about everyone in this here city. He always praised you highly and told me explicitly that you should be the one to succeed him," Tsuchiya went on, "I want you to take on a position in the Board of Directors. Just someone overshadowing for now, but if you do well, you may, with your legacy, become the Chairman your father was."

Kan sat there stunned for some time. He grieved his father's death the most. The person he looked up to the most died, and he felt lost in life. His father gave him the name Kan, written after the kanji for "oversee" or "government office". He always wanted his son to follow in his footsteps, and Kan always wanted to be like his father. After his father's sudden death from disease, he wanted more than ever to be like his father. He just didn't expect that his death would propel him forward in life.

"Y- yes I'll do it, Mr. Takahiro."

"Good, I will do all the paperwork. I'll come by your place once everything is finalized."

As Kan left, he saw the slight smirk on Mr. Takahiro as the door closed.

Kan was joyous on his walk back home.  His gray eyes, passed down from his mother glinstned in the light. His brown hair flew in the wind as he kept his way home. As he was walking, he saw some familiar faces.

"Hey Sumu and Shinu!"

"Hey Kan, how are you today?" Sumu exclaims in a pleasing fashion.

Sumu and Shinu are from the noble family. They live in a castle in the northern region of the city, in the mountainside of the country, giving space to the family. 

Sumu, whose name means life has long, bright, blond hair with a pair of blue eyes that go along with her blue kimono. She is the heir to the throne behind her father and has royalty coursing throughout her body. Despite this, she doesn't act as if she is nobility, which is something Kan finds alluring.

"My day is going great. What about you and Shinu?"

Shinu clings to Sumu. Shinu, who is dressed in a green kimono, lets her crimson red hair wave in the wind. Shinu also wears yellow silk gloves with her everyday outfit. Ever since Shinu was born, she has been able to kill people by touching them. She is able to see into the future, how they will die, when they will die, their last moments. She has seen the deaths of many and seemingly caused many to die.

"Me and Shinu are having a wonderful day! We were able to take the horses out for a ride this morning, then Shinu helped me with my artwork."

"Shinu and I," Kan corrected, always a stickler for grammar, "and that's great."

"Yeah, I was wondering if you may want to come over to our place for dinner tonight?" Sumu asks.

"Sure, I'll be there."

Shinu sighs.

Over the last couple of years, Sumu and Kan have gotten closer. Starting from when they met in school to the time they spend together, they are basically a couple, even if they deny it. The noble family loves someone like Kan, who is on track to become head of state and a high power in the country. The only person not happy with this relationship is Shinu.

Dinner time comes, and Kan arrives at the castle that Shinu and Sumu reside in. It is a gorgeous spectacle. Lit up with lanterns and the moon reflecting off of it, the castle is exquisite. As he enters, he is greeted by the maid. This is the second one he has met; the last one, touched by Shinu, succumbed to disease a couple of weeks later and died only a couple of days after diagnosis. Shinu didn't attend the funeral.

The castle is the only place Shinu is allowed without her gloves. Whenever Shinu ventures outside and away, she is forced to wear her gloves to protect the people she comes in contact with. She is required to travel with Sumu as well, to make sure nothing happens. Her home is the only place she has freedom. Before dinner, she cleans up her messy hair, fixes her black-haired roots, and looks at herself in the tiny mirror. Looking at her heterochromatic eyes. Her red and hazel eye respectivly. Wondering why she, of all people, would have this curse.

"Let's raise a toast to Kan, who was so kind to come to our household tonight." Sumu and Shinu's father, the emperor, Kenjirou, exclaimed in excitement.

"Thank you for having me. This food looks delicious."

"Thank you for dating my daughter Kan, it is the least I can do."

Both Sumu and Kan get flustered

"Haha, let's eat!" Kenjirou proclaims.

As the dinner carries on, everyone stuffs their face with the rice and vegetables that were picked specifically for this meal. Eventually, after fellowship, the meal dies down and everyone retires to the drawing room except for Kan and Kanjirou.

"This was really a fantastic dinner, Mr.Takase!" Kan proclaims.

"Thank you, you should really thank our new maid, she worked all day on this once she heard you were coming." Kanjirou stammers. "Listen, there's something important regarding your father I ought to tell you about."

Kanjirou and Kan's father were good friends, two people who worked in the government together and had two children who were friends. Once he died, it was a loss to everyone in the country. Kanjirou took it especially hard.

"Listen kid, your father, he-"

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH"

A scream came from the drawing room, causing Kan and Kanjiro to rush in. The scene laid before them was one of confusion and horror. Sumu was screaming her head off, crying endless tears. But she would only say one thing.

"I'm going to die."