Making You Mine

False Faults

[Name]'s eyes were wide open as the scarlet blood splattered onto her face and kimono, and she was at a lost for words.

When Misaki threw the sake bottle at Emi, [Name] initially pushed her away to safety, but the flying bottle couldn't be stopped in time. Just when she thought it would be the end, Tatsuo ran and blocked the bottle from hitting her. As a result, the bottle crashed into the left side of his head and shattered into many pieces. With the impact of the crash, it also caused him to fall back onto the main table and into the hands of a traumatized [Name]. 

"Tatsuo-kun!" she screamed.

[Name] cradled Tatsuo's bloody head with her hands as horror filled her face, and she looked up to meet the eyes of the terrified wedding guests. 

"[Name]? Are you alright?" he asked with a frail smile. Tatsuo was slowly losing his consciousness, but he was glad that she was safe.

"Don't worry about me, just hold on! Quick, someone come and heal his injuries!" shouted a fearful [Name]. 

As four medic-nins came forward towards the main table to take over the emergency, Misaki let out another booming laugh that echoed throughout the room.

"There you have it, everyone! If Tatsuo-kun dies, it is all of [Name]'s fault! Because of her, we have already lost Tsubaki-san, and now we will lose Tatsuo-kun! How many sacrifices will there be for only one insignificant girl?!" yelled out Misaki with a wild grin on her face.

With those hurtful words, [Name] panicked as more blood gushed out of an unconscious Tatsuo's deep cuts. When the four medic-nins arrived, two of them placed their hands above Tatsuo's head. A green glow emitted from their hands as they tried to heal him, and the other two bandaged and disinfected the cuts on his face.

"You are worthless to this entire clan! Tsubaki-san and Tatsuo-kun's deaths will be your heavy burden to carry with you to your grave!" exclaimed Misaki as she was dragged away from the party by Madara and a few others.

[Name] was stung by Misaki's cruel words, and rage slowly filled the contents of her heart. When a pillow arrived for Tatsuo's head, [Name] gently laid his head on it, and murmured a soft sorry in his ear. Angry tears formed in her [eye color] eyes, and with the intents of attacking Misaki, [Name] attempted to run away from the scene. Before she could jump over the table, she felt something grab her arm tightly, and [Name] looked up to meet the flaring Sharingan-filled eyes of Izuna.

"Izuna, let me go! I have to go teach that insolent liar a lesson!" demanded [Name] as hot tears trickled down her cheeks.

"[Name], I know you are mad, but please calm down! Fighting fire with fire isn't a smart move in the first place!" he replied back.

At this point, [Name] was overwhelmed by all the chaos and pain, and she shook her head in disagreement.

"I don't care, I won't let her get away with this!" she cried out as she tugged her arm away from Izuna's grip.

Before [Name] could turn on the heels of her feet to run after her Aniue-sama, Izuna pulled her back again and quickly hauled her over his shoulder.

"You are going nowhere tonight. We are going to go clean you up right now." he irritably said as he walked passed the main table and headed for the exit.

No matter how many times [Name] screamed and pounded on his back on their way back home, Izuna held a nonchalant demeanor. He understood that [Name] was upset and traumatized by everything that occurred tonight, but all he could do was remove her away from the situation. 

When they reached the bathroom, Izuna put a mute [Name] down on her feet. [Name] was done with throwing tantrums, and she only allowed her tears to fall down onto her warm cheeks in silence.

"Shh...it's okay, [Name]. We can go and talk to Madara about it, and I promise to have Misaki punished. Sit down on this stool; I'll clean you up before I leave." he said as he pulled her along towards a wooden bucket filled with clean water.

[Name] obediently sat on a wooden stool and stayed still as Izuna wiped away the blood on her face and hands with a wet cloth. Once she was free from the blood stains on her skin, Izuna ran a hot bath for her and placed clean towels beside the wooden bathtub. 

"I'll come by with your nightgown later. For now, just relax and take a nice warm bath. Be a good girl while I'm gone, okay?"

[Name] nodded in response as Izuna left the bathroom, locking the door behind him too. After [Name] undressed herself, she dipped herself into the warm awaiting waters of the bathtub. As she sat in it in a comfortable position, her tensed muscles were able to relax. 

Even though [Name]'s body was in a relaxed state, her mind was filled with terrifying "what-ifs". She soon blamed herself for ruining Emi and Hideo's special night, and for also scarring Tatsuo for the rest of his life. 

A headache started to wash over her mind as Misaki's words rang in her ears, and it soon drowned her in guilt and remorse.

"I have to make things right again. It wasn't fair to both Emi-san and Hideo-san...and because of my presence, Tatsuo-kun got hurt..."

Ten minutes later, [Name] heard someone knocking on the door, and she got out of the bathtub and wrapped a towel around herself. When she opened the door and peeked out of its crack, she met the worried eyes of Konami.

"Ah, here is the nightgown that Izuna-sama asked me to give to you. Would you like some assistance, [Name]-sama?" she asked.

[Name] sheepishly took the nightgown and shook her head. "Konami, where is Izuna?"

"I believe Izuna-sama is currently at a meeting with the council. From what I have heard, they are discussing the possible punishments for Misaki-san." she responded.

"What? He left without me? Ugh, I have to go to that meeting! Where is it taking place at?"

"In the main meeting room near the water lilies pond. The meeting starts in five minutes so-"

[Name] quickly slammed the door and turned around to get dress. She couldn't believe it. Had Izuna tried to take matters into his own hands without her opinion? Before Konami could knock again, [Name] flung the door open and ran down the hall without having the chance to dry her hair.

"Kya! [Name]-sama, your geta*! Won't you wear them instead of running barefoot?!" called out Konami.

"I don't need them, they'll be a nuisance! Besides, I have to attend that meeting now!" she responded as she she turned a corner and headed straight for the main exit of the building.

Konami sighed and entered the bathroom to clean up after [Name]. "She really can't be a caged bird..." she murmured to herself with a faint smile as she picked up [Name]'s clothes and hair accessories.


The breezy night air made [Name] shiver a little bit on her run, but she was determined to attend this meeting, even if it made her sick. This was her chance to put Misaki in her place, and to bring justice for Tatsuo.

[Name] eventually passed the water lilies pond, and she lifted herself onto the wooden boards of the building. She looked around the area to see if anyone was around, and when the coast was clear, she walked towards the shoji screen door and placed her hand on the inward handle.

To relieve her anxiety, she inhaled one final breath of air, and gathered her courage to slide the shoji screen door open. Upon doing so, [Name] held her head high and entered the room, surprising most of the council members and elders. Izuna immediately stood up from his seat and made his way towards her.

"[Name], what are you doing here? I thought I asked Konami to send you to bed after your bath." he whispered to her.

"You told me that we would go to Madara Aniue-sama and discuss about Misaki's punishment together, but you left without me. I was told about this convenient meeting too, so naturally, I wanted to attend it." she answered coolly. 

A few of the council members and elders chuckled at [Name]'s bold answer, and Izuna groaned as she walked pass him and took a seat next to an amused Madara. 

As they waited for more of the council members to show up, Madara leaned into [Name]'s ear and whispered, "I'm not surprised to see you here. However, didn't you know that Izuna would take care of everything for you?"

[Name] glanced in his way and frowned. "I'm capable of solving issues by myself. Although I'm thankful for his help, I can't stand here and do nothing. Everything was my fault in the first place."

Madara raised an eyebrow as Izuna reluctantly took a seat next to his wife. "Your fault? You might want to rethink about that conclusion of yours, [Name]. Misaki was the one who caused all that ruckus at the wedding, and unfortunately, you became her target."

"Yes, but even so, Tatsuo was injured because of me. I ruined it for everyone tonight at the wedding." she stated.

"[Name], that is not true. Misaki is the one at fault, and Tatsuo intervened at his own will. The event was unpredictable, so you shouldn't blame yourself for it." commented Izuna as he began to braid her hair.

[Name] contemplated this for a moment and crossed her arms. Izuna was right, but it didn't change the fact that Tatsuo was still in his critical condition. 

"Izuna, why did you leave without me? I thought you were going to wait for me."

"I didn't want you to worry about anything, so I decided to take matters into my own hands. I shouldn't have lied to you though, so I'm really sorry, [Name]." he replied as he tied her braided hair with a red ribbon.

[Name] let out a sigh and Izuna reached out for her hand with her bracelet around it. He played with it for awhile before bringing it to his lips and kissing it. 

"Just promise me that you won't lie to me to protect me, Izuna. I appreciate your intentions for me, but I need you to support me in my way too."

"Fine, I'll promise just for you. After all, it seems like you were never meant to be a caged bird." he teased.

"Oh? I'm glad that you have finally recognized that trait of mine." she said with a smirk.

When the last council member entered the room, Madara coughed into his arm and proceeded with the meeting. The atmosphere turned into a serious one without levity, and [Name] knew that this would be her chance to put Misaki in her place.

End of Chapter 19

*geta = sandals worn with kimonos or yukatas.