Making You Mine

The Terrible News

[Name] sat quietly on a wooden bench and observed her clan's grand garden and the colorful butterflies around her. She liked to be alone at times like this because things were peaceful. It was her escape from reality, at least. Her father, Ichirou Himura, was the clan leader of the once powerful and large-sized Himura clan, but the war was not kind to them. Many of their men and women died tragically from the battlefield, so the numbers have decreased since then. A maid from the clan entered through the gates of the garden and rushed towards [Name].

"[Name]-sama, your father wishes to see you in the meeting room at once. This way please," she gestured with her hands.

[Name] sighed and reluctantly got up from her seat. Whenever she was summoned to the meeting room by her father, he usually had bad news to tell her. There was never anything good to report to her.

In the Himura clan's main meeting room, Ichirou Himura, his wife Ayuka, and their four other daughters sat promptly at the front of the room, facing the important clansmen and advisers. They were all waiting patiently for [Name]'s arrival. Ayuka looked at her four younger daughters with a sad expression on her face. In total, she bore three sons and five daughters with her husband. The maid who was sent for [Name], slid the shoji screen door open and stepped aside to let [Name] in. She bowed down to Ichirou and the others before taking her leave.

[Name] spotted a red cushion in the middle of the room and immediately recognized it as her seat. She held her head high and graciously took her seat without a word. Ichirou coughed into the sleeve of his yukata before he began, and then turned to look at his daughter with serious eyes. 

"[Name], I have summoned you here to tell you of important and great news. For the sake of our clan, I've arranged a marriage between you and the younger brother of Madara Uchiha. You will be wedded off to him in a week, so please fulfill your duties with great care. You must become an exceptional wife regardless of the situation or circumstances. Do you understand?"

[Name]'s mouth had dropped to the ground in shock of what she had just heard. An arranged marriage to a man she had never met before? For all she knew, this man could be abusive or wrinkly and old! [Name] closed her mouth after she spotted her mother glaring at her for her poor etiquette, and she quietly nodded at her father's words. Appealed by this, Ichirou adjourned the meeting. Everyone shuffled out of the room and congratulated [Name] before they left. Wanting to escape from further attention, [Name] left with her sisters following her from behind.

In their rooms, [Name] laid on her futon quietly as her sister, Fukiji, brushed her [hair color] hair with a brush. It felt soothing and it almost made her drift into a deep sleep.

"Hey [Name], you've been quiet since the meeting from this morning. Are you alright?" asked Fukiji in a worried tone.

[Name] sighed and turned to her side. "I don't know, Fukiji. I feel a little sad and disappointed. I don't want to get married to this man from the Uchiha clan. I know that father wants me to do this for the sake of our clan, but it's a huge sacrifice to make."

"Is something holding you back?" she inquired with a curious glance.

"Well, yes. You see, I still have feelings for someone else. Remember when I told you about that boy I met in the forest a long time ago? I never asked him for his name, but he was so kind and strong. I felt safe with him despite the fact that we were both from different ninja clans. To me, he was handsome, and I vowed to find him after the war was over, but it's been years since I've seen him. He stopped coming to our meeting place in the forest, and I never saw him again." she replied with a sigh.

Fukiji shook her head and laughed to herself. "Nee-san, the war has been going on for years now. For all we know, he might be dead, and that's just the sad truth."