Flashback

I married a man named Kai Takahashi when I was seventeen. My parents were dead by then so there was no one to dispute the pairing. Kai was twenty and had shot through medical school to fulfill his mother's wishes.

It didn't bother him that I was a witch.

Most people were polite to me due to the rules that had been set in place to prevent witches from harming the village. I was only allowed to practice healing and precognitive magic while I lived in the village. Though I had never broken that rule and had complete control over my magic, people were still weary and prayed theis sons didn't bring me home, or worse, elope.

None of this hindered Kai. About two months after I turned sixteen, he approached me while I was buying rice.

"You seem to be handeling the household well," he began. "How is your sister?"

"Alissa is doing well," I told him. I was puzzled by his sudden inquiry.

"Is it difficult? Living without parents, I mean," he asked. He looked honestly curious.

His family was the closest thing my small village could get to aristocracy. There were rumors that his family, when they appeared three years before, came from a large city. Some more outrageous rumors said that they ruled that city.

"I don't see why I should discuss that with you," I told him.

"Excuse me for asking something so personal then," he waited a moment. "I guess you wouldn't discuss such personal things with a stranger."

I felt as if he was going to say more. It was like he stopped speaking involuntarily. He was only staring blankly at the different bags of rice.

"I won't be a stranger forever," he said suddenly. His eyes caught my attention. They pulled me in like a whirlpool in dizzy swirls of light grey and white. "You're going to become my wife," he said so that the vendor wouldn't hear. "I'll see you again soon, Chouhi."

I ended up buying the wrong amount of rice.

There was no way I would marry him! I ran his words over and over in my head. We're they a threat? Was he just teasing me? Was it a dare his friends put him up too? Was it a joke? Make the witch fall in love with you and I'll pay you. It had to be any thing but sincere.

My little sister Alissa asked me what was wrong. She was thirteen at the time and didn't inherit magic from our mother. She took after our father. Her hair was blonde and wavy, the opposite of my dark straight hair. She was also taller than me, with a thin body. The only thing we shared was our eyes. We both had dark blue eyes.

I told her what had happened. She was suddenly excited. "It's true he doesn't have much of a reputation because he hasn't been here long, but I've heard he was always honest."

"You're too optimistic," I complained.

"You just don't see yourself clearly but Kai can," she stated with an all knowing tone.

"What does that even mean?"

"That you are amazing and he can see it."

...

He kept his word. Two days later he found me shopping and offered to carry my basket. A few days later he spotted me walking to a client's house and accompanied me there and back. It was like he always knew where I was going to be. By the time I figured that out, I didn't mind his company. In fact, I looked forward to it. It was nice to have some one to talk too who wasn't blood related or had known me since birth. Kai's views were open and he often asked me about the spells I casted. I almost always had to break down the spell I was going to perform on the way to my client.

"Why do you do it?" He asked once when I explained a pain relieving spell to him.

"Take the pain in to me to relieve someone else's?" I asked, thinking that had shocked him. "It's only a fraction of the pain and-"

"No. Why do you practice witchcraft?" I stopped walking. The wind blew softly. Autumn was coming. Kai was giving me that same curious stare. The one he had when he asked about my parents.

"It's in my blood," I said, sounding dumbfounded. "More like it is my blood. It's a part of me. Such a big part that I never questioned it. I've never thought of not being a witch because there is no way I could stop."

"You've never thought 'what if...'?" He asked. I started to walk again and he kept pace beside me. I shook my head to answer.

This caused me to trip.

I tried to turn in mid air so I wouldn't land face first in the dirt, but I never hit the ground. Kai caught me and picked me up princess style. On instinct, I wrapped my arms around his neck. Because of our height distance, my face ended up very close to his and his eyes drew me in again. We stayed in that position for a long time. My face grew red when I saw a faint lust in his eyes. He moved his face closer to mine and I closed my eyes. His lips brushed my forehead and he set me down.

"Are you okay?" He asked, his voice filled with concern.

"Yes," I whispered. "Thank you," I managed in a stronger voice. He smiled, causing my heart to beat abnormally and continued conversation on another topic.

I don't remember in the slightest what that topic was. I don't even remember walking home or getting into bed because when he saw me off at my garden gate, he kissed me on the forehead again.

The effect wore off soon though. Kai begain using the kiss as a greeting and as a good bye. It didn't matter to him where we were when he gave me this greeting. He executed it several times in the middle of the village. Rumors exploded through the small town. I even heard one where a girl thought I was using magic to control him.

I asked Kai if the rumors bothered him. He looked at me for a moment and then kissed my cheek. "I know what I'm doing, and I believe you know my intentions as well. Why do they matter?" A sudden thought came to my head. In our close friendship I had forgot his prediction.

"You mean you intend to marry me? Like you said when you first spoke to me?" I said with faint disbelief.

"Of course. There are few men here that wouldn't want to marry you, Chouhi. I am one of them." My heart beat rapidly at his words. My emotions couldn't decide weather they they were thrilled or defiant.

"How do I know I'm to marry you then?" I asked, my emotions settling on thrillingly defiant.

"Because," he said, not knowing his voice sounded seductive because he chose that time to toy with a piece of my hair. "I want you, not because I could use your magic to further a business, or because your beauty is unparalleled. I want you simply because I can't see a future with out you." His eyes were intense. They kept mine open until his face was a centimeter away. My eyes closed, and he kissed me.

I knew I would marry him then.

There was no doubt. But something nagged at me. I decided to address it when we broke apart for air several minutes later.

"No human can actually see the future, Kai. Even when I use my magic to predict the crops, I'm using signs and interpretations,"

"I do." He said softly, as if he was afraid to tell me this. "I see the future as clear as I see you now."

...

no, Kai does not have innocence. I just have to shoot that theory down now because people might think he will come back. He will not. He is dead. This is a KandaXOC no matter how slow it is going. As I said earlier the next chapter will fast forward, most likely touch the middle of training the go to Anna's first mission (start Kanda fan girl squealing). My goal with this chapter was to break the gloom I've been feeling with this one. I wanted Anna to be kinda childish but she came out super shy and I want her to be a little more happy. So, we'll see where it goes I guess.

thanks for reading. Please R&R.