𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐏𝐘 | sasuke uchiha

二十三

"[Name], dear. You have a visitor." [Name] raised an eyebrow as Mikoto alerted her of a new presence; she was currently having her makeup applied, which meant she could use only minimal movements so as not to disrupt the artist, a young, bouncing redheaded woman in her early twenties.

"Who is it?" asked [Name] stiffly, resisting the urge to look over in curiosity. Her eyes were shut as glimmering silver eyeshadow was applied to her eyelids, blended into the smoky grey shade that coloured the corners of her eyes.

"I think you want to see for yourself." At Mikoto's words, the makeup artist began quickening her pace, finishing the eyeshadow and moving onto the dark, liquid eyeliner.

"Um... do I want to see them now?" [Name] quipped in a sharp tone; for some reason, being pampered like this and having everything done for her made her feel special, like someone important- and people just randomly showing up on her wedding day unannounced didn't quite fit the criteria of royalty she was aiming at. Mikoto nodded, even though she knew full well [Name] couldn't see, which made the artist hasten even more.

"Yoko, please don't rush," Mikoto lightly pleaded with the redheaded makeup artist, who had her tongue sticking out of her mouth as she furiously applied the final touches of [Name]'s eyeliner. With a sigh, she drew away from [Name]'s face, slipping the lid of the liquid eyeliner back on and nodding with approval.

"You can go talk to that person, [Name]-san," said Yoko politely, bowing her head slightly as [Name] opened her eyes. "But I'm afraid you'll need to come back in for me to finish the rest." [Name] nodded at Yoko and rose to her feet, still dressed in her pajamas, and headed towards Mikoto, who stood at the door of the powder room. She had her back to the door with one hand behind her on the door handle, and gave [Name] a little smile as she approached. Instantly, [Name] went into defensive mode.

"Who is it?" she asked cautiously, inching suspiciously towards the Uchiha matriarch. Mikoto put a finger over her pursed lips, indicating [Name] to hush, and stepped away from the door.

"Come see for yourself." [Name] grimaced as Mikoto stepped aside and opened the door, letting her through. Once [Name] had passed, the door was shut behind her, and she was standing in an empty corridor facing none other than Mako [Surname], a middle aged, greying man dressed in a formal, suave black tuxedo.

Her father.

"Hello!" greeted the man, awkwardly waving at his eldest daughter. For a few minutes, [Name] just stood there, staring at him. He withered under her gaze and chuckled, nervously scratching the back of his head.

"... tou-chan...?" [Name] was confused as to what her father was doing here, of all times and places- she thought all ties to her family had been severed the day Natsumi had disowned her, and was now thoroughly befuddled. She shook her mind clear, and asked in a stronger voice, "What are you doing here?"

Mako smiled sadly at [Name].

"I came to walk my baby girl down the aisle, of course," he said in a throaty voice, struggling not to burst into tears. The sight made [Name]'s lip tremble, and she had to chastise herself, otherwise she would start crying and her makeup would be ruined. That didn't stop a few stray tears welling in her eyes, though, and to think of a positive side, [Name] thought, Thank goodness Yoko hasn't put my mascara on yet. Ugh.

"B-but kaa-chan... said..." [Name] trailed off as Mako approached her, holding out his arms and taking his daughter into a tight embrace.

"Oh hush, you," he said briskly, patting [Name]'s back as she buried her face into his shoulder. "You know your mother can be crazy at times- in fact, she's at home as we speak. Even if your mother is mad, [Name], that doesn't mean I am. I mean, I know that you're just as responsible as I am for this whole situation." He lowered his voice and added, "We all know how crazy these yakuza folk can get. Hopefully you can straighten them out a bit." [Name] choked on laughter as she held her face away from the fabric of Mako's blazer, trying not to ruin her makeup or his tux.

"That's a nice thought, tou-chan, but they're gonna need more than "straightening out," she chuckled, pulling away from her father. He looked down at her with pride in his tear-streamed eyes, shaking his head softly.

"You're a strong girl," he whispered in an almost inaudible voice. "I'm sorry... for letting things drag out like this..." [Name] laughed and shook her head, slapping her father on the chest.

"Tou-chan, none of this was your fault, it couldn't have been helped!" she exclaimed, trying to ease her father's guilt. In fact, nothing would've helped, but she wasn't about to point that out. She was trying to elevate her father, not stomp him back down into the guilt pit.

"I still should've done something, [Name]! My daughter, kidnapped and taken hostage by the yakuza! I shouldn't have waited for the police to do anything- I should've come looking for you myself! I'm such a terrible father, [Name]- please, forgive me!" In a flurry of movements, [Name] leapt back with a yelp as her father threw himself onto the ground at her feet, forehead and palms pressed to the ground as he begged for her forgiveness.

"Tou-chan!" squeaked [Name], crouching down to her father's side and frantically looking side to side to see if there was anyone around. She reached out and shook his arms, willing him to stand. "Tou-chan, please! You haven't done anything wrong-!"

"I've been a horrible father for the last couple of months, [Name]!" When it reached the point of [Name] not being able to watch her father, a grown man in his late forties, grovel at her feet for forgiveness, she sighed and said, "I forgive you, tou-chan. Please get up? You're ruining your tux, and you're kind walking me down the aisle. No offence, but I don't want you walking in front of other people looking like you just rolled out of bed." Mako managed a small laugh as he sat up on his legs, grinning at his eldest daughter.

"You haven't changed a bit, have you?"

"It's been a couple of months, tou-chan, not ten years," [Name] joked, holding out a hand and helping her father stand up. "You know I don't change that fast." Mako chuckled and ruffled his daughter's messy hair, making her yelp and slap his hand away in annoyance.

"Don't touch me!" she squealed, pushing him away from her. Mako chuckled, and the door to Mikoto's powder room opened just a crack, and [Name] saw the tip of a nose poke through the small gap.

"Hello, [Name]-san? We have to get the rest of you ready now!" chirped Yoko. The door opened to its full extent and [Name] saw Mikoto step out, smiling graciously at her and Mako. The man tensed, and [Name] could feel his anger begin to build up against the Uchiha woman. With a small sigh, [Name] tiptoed and leaned forward to place a kiss on her father's cheek, saying, "I'll see you soon, tou-chan." Mako grimaced, but nodded as [Name] walked back towards Mikoto.

"I'll see you at the aisle!" he called out as the door shut behind [Name]. As soon as she stepped through the door, [Name] was bombarded by movement on all sides of her body, and could barely see who was doing what as she was forced back into her salon chair.

"SIT STILL, WE'LL MAKE YOU LOOK PRETTY!" With another sigh, [Name] closed her eyes as Yoko and various others worked on her remaining makeup, hair, and jewellery.

Woah. I'm getting married.

The thought was still surreal to her, still too alien for her to grasp- maybe it was all just a bad dream, and she would wake up the next morning, complaining about how much she hated school. Her mind then flickered to the reason behind all of this, and a frown creased her delicate features.

Sasuke.

I wonder how he's doing.

[Name] amused herself by picturing various wedding scenarios in her head; in every one of them though, either she or Sasuke had skipped the entire thing and done a runner, which planted a seed of doubt in her. She knew that she, however reluctant, was ready to dedicate herself if it meant protecting her family.

However, she couldn't help but wonder.

Is Sasuke ready for this?