Faceless Desire

Mikoto's True Identity

 "Mikoto, I can't accept this. We barely know each other!"

Sakura tries again to walk toward the dressing rooms, but the dark-haired woman grabs her hand and smiles warmly, "There's a dress code where we're going to dinner, so it's the least I can do! I'll hear nothing more about it!" The Haruno woman runs her free hand down the gorgeous cocktail dress she's been tricked into trying on and frowns, "But-!" "And you look so beautiful in it! I'll be heartbroken if you refuse me, Sakura."

Her mouth closes as Mikoto bows to the cashier. The older woman accepts her receipt and gently pulls the pinkette along toward the exit. In the car, Sakura is stunned to discover that Mikoto has her own personal chauffeur. Only when they're in the backseat and the vehicle is moving does she say something.

She hisses so the driver in question won't hear, "Um, Mikoto, just who are you?"

"I'm just a lonely woman with no daughters to dote on," the woman chuckles attractively at Sakura's bewildered face. "I'd have been honored to have been blessed with a girl like you, Dear."

What is she talking about all of a sudden? Sakura is confused but senses a strange sadness in her mysterious new friend. "You're too kind...."

The pair speaks about other topics while their car ride continues. Only when the vehicle comes to a stop in front of Prestige, the single most expensive and hard-to-get-into restaurant in Konoha, does Mikoto inform her that they won't be dining alone. The longer the evening passes on, the more the pinkette is coming to regret accepting the woman's invitation.

She whispers uneasily while looking around as a well-dressed host guides them from the vehicle to the entrance of the elegant building, "Maybe I should just go. I still have work tomorrow, and I'm really not cut out for places such as these. I'd hate to embarrass you in front of your friends."

"Nonsense," Mikoto smiles gracefully at the host before they're passed off to a separate one and led through a dining hall fit for royalty. "Besides, we'll be meeting some of my family members, not my friends."

Sakura's face warms. She's extremely uncomfortable and every atom in her is screaming to flee before she makes a fool of herself. She feels way out of her element. The host stops in front of a massive door and bows before gesturing to it, "Your private dining area, Madam. The rest of your party is already inside. Please enjoy your visit."

Mikoto thanks the young man and he opens the door with a grace that only comes from practice. Sakura nervously follows the dark-haired woman. The door closes behind them, and then her new friend's voice comes calmly, "Good evening, everyone. I've brought a friend to join us for dinner. Her name is Sakura, and she's studying to become a surgeon. Isn't that lovely?"

Sakura bows politely, feeling quite awkward. The room remains silent. It's unsettling to the point that she has to lift her gaze to figure out what's going on. Every bit of breath leaves her when her gaze lands on none other than Sasuke Uchiha, who looks every bit as stunned as she feels despite his obvious attempt at masking it.

"What a surprise to see you here, Sakura! I wasn't aware you were acquainted with our mother," Itachi, who she now realizes is at Sasuke's side, says with a grin that does little to hide his amusement.

"...Y-Your mother?!"

"My name is Fugaku Uchiha. What is your family name, young lady?"

An already overwhelmed pinkette's attention is stolen by the overwhelming presence of the patriarch of the Uchiha family and corporation. All the heat in her face turns to ice as his cold eyes take her in. She bows her head, intimidated by his unsettling aura, "Haruno, Sir."