𝐑𝐈𝐒𝐄 | sasuke uchiha

13

That night on yet another stroll together, Sasuke finally found the courage to address [Name] about her inconsolable state. While her beauty shone through her outfit that night, it did little to mask the heartache that was clearly visible through her facial expressions and body language.

"Is our last night as single souls really that despondent for you?" joked the Uchiha playfully, walking beside [Name] with his hands behind his back. The Kouhage broke out of her trance, and looked up at the Uchiha in a daze.

"Huh?"

"I'm sorry," sighed Sasuke, noting how his humour wasn't getting anywhere in terms of lifting [Name]'s spirits. "I just feel so guilty now, whenever I see you. I'm the one causing your sadness."

"What?" [Name] perked up, blinking at Sasuke. "No, it's not like that!"

She reached out and grabbed her fiance's hand in an act of reassurance, giving him a small smile.

"Please don't feel guilty about anything," she said sheepishly, squeezing his hand. "You and I both know that neither of us are responsible for anything that's going on right now. I'm sorry for not being more excited about the thought of marrying you. It's just... it's just taking me a long time to get used to it. I'm really sorry."

"What's bothering you, [Name]?" asked Sasuke softly, stopping in his tracks. The Kouhage came to a halt, and the pair stood face to face, [Name] still clutching onto his hand.

With a frown, she slowly dropped his hand from her grasp, and cracked her neck as she tried to think of something to say.

"Please be honest with me, [Name]," said the Uchiha. "Please. I'm asking you as your friend."

[Name] gave Sasuke a weak smile, still contemplating whether or not she should be honest about her relationship with Naruto to her husband-to-be. While she had no doubt that she and Sasuke had already solidified their relationship as one being on good terms, she was clueless as to how he could possibly react upon learning that his future wife was seeing another man.

"It's just... hard, you know," murmured [Name], staring at her feet. "Leaving like this. There was so much I wanted to do. So many children I wanted to teach. I'm my parents' only child, and now I'm leaving them. Although they're adopting Mai to take my place, I can't help but feel a little... you know, replaced? When I go, no doubt people will forget about me within a few months. It'll be as if I never existed here. What hurts the most is knowing that no matter how hard you try to leave a legacy, in time your memory will eventually fade away. I don't want to walk away from here knowing that no one will remember me within the next couple of years. It's saddening, to say the least."

"You can't jump to conclusions so suddenly," said Sasuke sympathetically. "Even over these past couple of days I've been able to see your influence on your clan, [Name]. You don't give yourself enough credit for it, but you've had a tremendous impact on your family. It'll be hard for anyone to forget Kouhage [Name], especially since you're technically everyone's beloved princess!"

[Name] chuckled at Sasuke's words, feeling slightly better about her situation. However, leaving her family behind wasn't the only thing clouding her mind. And she knew that the more she tried to hide it, the more Sasuke's curiosity would grow.

So she decided to come clean.

"... that's not the only thing, though."

[Name] placed her hands in front of her and bowed her head at the Uchiha, catching him by surprise.

"What is it?" he asked inquisitively, wondering if this would finally shed some light on [Name]'s sadness.

"I... actually, I don't mean to offend you, Sasuke, but... I was seeing another man before you came along."