Making You Mine

Dreams and Dark Matters

A twelve year old [Name] peered from behind a tree and looked around for the boy she met yesterday. She looked to her right and left to no avail, and she sighed in disappointment. He promised to meet her again today, yet he was nowhere to be seen. Could he have gotten into trouble with his clan?

[Name] sat down on the grass and leaned back against the tree. She would wait for a few more minutes for him. Before she knew it, [Name] felt herself drifting to sleep. Her eyes kept on closing, and the sun was warm enough to make her comfortable. Suddenly, [Name] heard someone laughing from behind the tree. She quickly opened her eyes and got up to see who it was.

"Why are you sleeping in a place like this? It's not safe, you know." laughed the boy as he approached [Name].

[Name] sighed in relief and smiled at him. He didn't get in trouble with his clan, and she was glad to see him again. The boy came up to her and poked her cheek, causing [Name] to take a few steps back in surprise. She blushed at the touch of his finger on her cheek. Amused by this, the boy took a few more steps towards [Name].

"Say, I never asked you for your name yesterday. What is your name?" he inquired.

"My name is [Name]. What about you?" she asked with a shy smile.

The boy softly gazed into her eyes before he spoke. "My name is-"

[Name] instantly woke up from her dream, feeling sweaty and anxious. Her heart was beating rapidly against her rib cage, and she held onto her blankets tightly. Just now...she almost remembered the name of the boy she met in the forest! She breathed in and out to catch her breath again, but as she did so, she woke up her sisters, Tayumi and Hanari.

"Nee-san, what's wrong? Did you have a bad dream?" asked a sleepy Tayumi.

Hanari crawled out of her futon and sat next to [Name]. She reached out for [Name]'s hand and held onto it for comfort. [Name] looked at her and raked through her hair in disbelief. 

"Just now, I had a dream about the boy I met in the forest. He had short spiky hair and he was about to tell me his name, but I woke up before he could say it. Damn it all..." she muttered. 

Hanari looked at Tayumi with a worried look. [Name] was obsessed with the boy she met in the forest, but she would be married off to Izuna Uchiha within four days. What could they do at a time like this? 

"Nee-san, go back to sleep. The sun did not come out yet, so maybe you can try to continue your dream." suggested Hanari with a small smile.

[Name] nodded and released Hanari's hand. She fell back onto her futon and closed her eyes. Hanari and Tayumi exchanged sighs and returned to their futons to sleep too. Why couldn't their older sister just let go of her feelings for that boy? The war claimed many lives, and it's possible that the boy didn't live up to adulthood. Only the prodigious and talented children would survive this warring era.

Four days have passed, and [Name] was in her mother's room with her maids. Today would be the biggest day of her life, as Izuna and the Uchiha clan would come back to the Himura clan's estate to take her home with them. In other words, today was her wedding day with Izuna Uchiha, the man who she held no feelings for. The wedding ceremony would take place in the Himura clan's estate and the reception would be at the Uchiha clan's estate. 

Ayuka entered with a beautifully designed  white kimono in her arms, and she ushered the other maids out of the room. She wanted to say a few things to [Name] before she was married off to Izuna. As she instructed [Name] to take off her clothes, she pulled out a golden necklace with the Uchiha clan's symbol attached to it out of her kimono sleeve. After she put the white kimono on [Name], she tied the necklace around [Name]'s neck. 

"You look very beautiful today, [Name]. The necklace suits you too. It was a wedding gift from Madara-sama." she stated as she inspected her daughter thoroughly for one last time. 

[Name] looked at the mirror in front of her and she frowned. It may have been her wedding day, but it was also a funeral for her freedom. Ayuka gently placed and secured a fan in [Name]'s obi as a symbol of happiness and a happy future. She looked up at her daughter and pulled her into a hug.

"Oh [Name], please smile for me. It is your wedding day, and you should be happy. Izuna-sama would love to see your smile too, you know."

[Name] remained silent as she hugged her mother back. Her happiness died the day she discovered about her arranged marriage to Izuna Uchiha. She would just play along with the events for the wedding, but as soon as she was alone with Izuna, she would not pay any attention to him. 

"[Name], look at me." commanded Ayuka with a slight frown on her face. [Name] obeyed and stared into her mother's dark green eyes. 

"Starting today, you will be the wife of Izuna Uchiha and a member of the Uchiha clan. You cannot jeopardize your status. Everything that you do from now on will affect our clan as well as the Uchiha's. Do not bring us shame, you can only bring us honor. Please fulfill your duties as a strong and loving wife since you will no longer be allowed to go to the battlefields."

[Name] nodded silently at her mother and sighed. "I understand, mother." she replied in a monotony voice.

"And one more thing," added Ayuka, "Please try to love Izuna-sama with all of your heart. I know that this is an arranged marriage, but you've forgotten about his feelings and opinion on it too. Please consider his feelings, he doesn't deserve your poor treatment." she said as she furrowed her eyebrows to show her seriousness in the matter.

A maid came in from the hall and interrupted the conversation between them. "Please excuse me, Ayuka-sama, but the Uchiha clan has arrived. You are needed at the main entrance to greet them."

"Right, thank you Shiharu. I'm coming right now," answered Ayuka as she released her daughter from her arms and left with the maid. [Name] took a seat on a nearby chair and sat next to her mother's window. She saw her clan members running to the main entrance gates to catch a glance at the Uchiha clan. A few girls around her age were squealing when they caught sight of Izuna. 

"Kyaaaa!!! He's so handsome!" cried one in delight.

"[Name]-sama is so lucky! I'd do anything to marry a man like Izuna-sama!" another said as she hugged herself tightly.

"Look! He's so cool and kind! The Uchiha men are quite the catch, aren't they?" shouted another.

[Name] scowled at the girls and turned away from the window. "They could take my place any day," she thought as she left her mother's room to find her sisters.

Meanwhile, Izuna smiled and greeted the Himura clansmen at the main entrance gates. Ichirou patted Izuna on the back and welcomed him to the Himura clan, as well. As some of the maids took Izuna away to prepare him for the wedding, Madara chuckled at the sight of Izuna flailing his arms. "The Himura maids are rather strict and straightforward..." he noted as he watched Izuna beg them to let him go, for he wanted to use the bathroom first.

"Madara-sama, please follow us to the main ceremony hall, the wedding will take place there today." declared Ichirou as he turned to lead the way. Madara nodded and followed him, along with the others who came with them today. Behind Madara, a girl with wavy ebony colored hair and mysterious grey eyes followed him. 

"Madara-sama, should I follow them to make sure that Izuna-sama isn't harmed by them?" she asked with a slight irritation in her voice.

"No, that won't be necessary, Misaki. They have a job to do, and I expect Izuna to listen to them for awhile." replied Madara.

Misaki glanced back at the maids as they ushered Izuna into a room and slid the shoji screen door to close it. She felt waves of jealousy struck her emotions, but she looked straight ahead instead. She knew Izuna since they were children, and she fought alongside him at the battlefield, as well. She dreaded for this day because her best friend was going to marry someone else other than her. Her feelings for Izuna were never reciprocated, but she wanted to try anyways. As they entered the main ceremony hall, Misaki looked around for the bride-to-be.

"Hmph...I bet I'd make a better bride for Izuna-sama than that girl..." she thought to herself as she took a seat next to Madara and gingerly pulled off her black gloves. 

End of Chapter 3