Yakuza Boy: Or the Man with Painted Flesh (~Unedited~)

Chapter 27

Four days had gone by and the wedding was officially set in stone.

A group of older women arrived at the house one evening and I was bombarded with measuring tape, pin cushions, beautiful lengths of fabric and expensive hair pieces. Yuji spoke to them briefly and I played mannequin for hours while he took care of business on the other side of the house.

I wasn't one to believe in auras but Yuji gave off a different vibe now.. It wasn't threatening... it just felt..weak? On the outside he was still composed but he was quieter with his steps and seemed to drag along at a snail's pace.. shoulders slightly slumped. It had been a while since I had woken up to an empty house but that's how I had been starting every day for several days. He came back late in the evening and we ate dinner together before he guided me up the stairs, hand on the small of my back and only shutting the door when I had pulled the sheet up to my chest.

I started to feel like I was being watched and once when I had turned over in the middle of the night, I heard the door of my room roll open. I cracked one eye open slowly and I could've sworn that I saw Yuji standing there..

Dark circles were starting to form underneath his eyes and I was starting to worry.

Something was bothering him and I wanted to know what it was.

A small hand clasps my own and I shake the mental fog from my head and turn my attention back to the small elderly women.

One of the women held up lengths of silk to my half naked form but quickly switched them out, finding each more unsatisfactory than the next.

Another women, the smallest of the bunch and curvaceous in her old age, smiled at me and got to work on what looked to be an elegant hair piece with orange in various shades.

I barely spoke as they continued to dress me up.

Their hands moved with a graceful speed and a picture of my dress was already sketched out and handed to me.

It was simply beautiful. I would be wearing a traditional white dress with a few unique touches. Each woman bowed and I thanked them all as the filed out of the house and walked toward a sleek black car. Two men in suits opened the doors for the them, helping them into the car before taking off at a slow, steady pace.

I'm lost in the beauty of the sketch and when Yuji returns, I'm like a child showing off a picture they have drawn for their parents.

"I love it."
Yuji responds after studying it silently.

"Get dressed, the Boss is treating us to dinner and a few members would like to meet you. It's customary to do so as a way of wishing the bride and groom success before their wedding day."

Three hours later, we arrive at a large building with expensive fixtures on the outside. The off shoulder amber dress I'm wearing has long sleeves and it stops an inch or two above my knee. The dress itself isn't skin tight but attention is brought to my curves. I pair the dress with nude heels that have straps that wrap around the ankle.

We're greeted as soon as we step over the threshold and everyone stands, bowing slightly in our direction.

"Everyone, meet Maggie."
Yuji announces lifting our interlocked hands.

"Hello."
I reply a bit nervously now that I've been put on the spot.

A few people laugh but they're all smiles.

"You sure you want to marry this guy? Yuji is such an ugly motherfucker."
Somebody calls from the back of the room, causing the whole room to roar with laughter.