Mikoto is buried under a swarm of other girls when Kushina walks into the classroom.

It's not the most unusual thing in the world to see when crowding around Mikoto because, by Kushina's estimate, she's the most popular girl in the class. All the other girls come to her for advice, and all the boys are observant enough to be afraid of her when they spar.

"I just cannot believe—" one of the Hyuuga girls gasps, hands on her hips. "Of all people, Mikoto!"

Two girls next to them giggle, and Yoshino shakes her head, looking unimpressed. "You had some of the highest scores on the grade reports they just released, do you think it has something to do with that?"

The Hyuuga girl makes a disinterested noise and hip-checks Yoshino, butting her out of the way. "Who cares about grades? What did he say, Mikoto? You can't keep all the details to yourself!"

Their chatting is active enough that no one seems to notice Mikoto isn't actually replying, that she probably isn't even paying attention. Instead, she's looking down and skimming over her class notes as the other girls talk around her.

Kushina gives her a long look but Mikoto doesn't look up. She decides to avoid the mob and approaches Tsume instead, since Tsume is sitting far away from them at the back of the class, her feet propped up on her desk, arms crossed behind her head. Normally Mikoto would say something about that, some comment about respect or proper behavior or being ladylike, but since she's busy Tsume doesn't seem too worried about it.

Kushina sits on the desk in front of her since that means Mikoto can't reprimand her either. "The heck is that all about?"

Tsume snorts. "We got ourselves a little lovebird. Mikoto got engaged last night to Fugaku—he's that Uchiha hard-ass a few years ahead of us."

Kushina wrinkles her nose. "I know who Fugaku is." She looks at Tsume warily, because usually she understands Konoha's customs pretty well but she's drawing a blank on this one. "Aren't they kinda young for that? I don't think she even knows him…" She thinks for a moment. "I mean, I've never heard her talk about him before." And if Kushina hadn't heard it, who else would have? Who could possibly be closer to Mikoto than Kushina?

(Kushina can answer that herself: no one is closer to Mikoto than she is.)

Tsume gives her a flat look. "It's an arranged marriage. They won't actually get married for years from now. This is just a chance for them to get to know each other before the wedding."

Tsume's grin isn't a particularly kind one, full of sharp, canine teeth. "What, was every marriage where you're from a love marriage?"

"Yes!" Except Kushina doesn't actually know that; she only left Uzushio a few years ago, and was way too young for anyone to talk to her about marriage, of all things. Nonetheless, she's confident her country would never do something as stupid as tell kids who they were gonna marry. "Of course they all were…"

She corners Mikoto after class.

Mikoto is—well, Mikoto is quite obviously the prettiest girl in their class. She's shorter than Kushina but broad-shouldered, pale like she never went outside but Kushina knows Mikoto goes outside because she watches her practice sometimes, watches Mikoto throw dozens of perfectly aimed shuriken after class, her long dark hair always tied up in a ponytail that looks effortless but would probably take Kushina half an hour to get right, the bangs framing Mikoto's face in a way that brings out her high cheekbones.

Mikoto is probably flawless, because if there was a flaw to her Kushina would have found it by now.

But Fugaku…

"Fugaku looks like a toad," Kushina blurts out when she finally finds Mikoto at one of the training grounds meditating on a high tree branch. Kushina stands at the base of the tree, and yells up at Mikoto. "I think he's smiled once in all the time I've known him and that was just because Hizashi tripped Hiashi during an obstacle race. You've barely even talked to him before!"

Mikoto briefly opens one eye before closing it again and rolling her shoulders back, not even breaking out of her meditation. "Fugaku-san will be the heir to our clan. It's a honor to have been chosen as his wife."

"It's an honor to have been chosen as his wife," Kushina mimics. "It really isn't!"

Mikoto hums, and Kushina can't tell if she's agreeing with her or not. "He's going to be the head of our clan one day and if I am his wife I will be the matriarch. The matriarch has always been a highly respected leader in our clan."

Kushina frowns. "So what, that's all it takes for you to fall in love with him? A cushy position?"

Mikoto finally opens her eyes, and even though her face is calm Kushina can't help but think she looks unusually sad.

"No," Mikoto says softly, her hair falling down into her face when she looks down at Kushina. "That's not it at all."

"Well, it must be if you're suddenly in love with the guy!"

"It's not about love at all. It's about marriage." Mikoto frowns, and finally slides down from the branch, making a perfect dismount and taking a few steps closer to Kushina, her body strangely limp, her arms not even moving.

Kushina waves off her comment because Mikoto is acting plain strange. "Love and marriage are practically the same thing."

"No." Mikoto takes another step towards her. "They're not."

Mikoto comes even closer, and it never occurs to Kushina to back away, to keep any space between them. She's unusually close, though, near enough that their noses are almost touching, and Kushina can make out the cracks in Mikoto's lips, places where, to Kushina's eye, it looks like she's been biting them.

Kushina swallows a lump in her throat and tries, really tries to sound confident but when she replies her voice cracks, comes out as barely more than a whisper. "If you're gonna marry him, you're gonna fall in love with him too."

"Maybe," Mikoto says, her dark eyes suddenly soft, her lips curling into a smile. "But maybe not."

"You didn't even tell me about it beforehand," Kushina grumbles, scuffing her shoe in the dirt. "I just—" her voice cracks.

"It wouldn't have made a difference, would it?" Mikoto reaches a hand up and tucks an errant strand of hair behind Kushina's ear. "It won't make a difference."

Mikoto's hand slides down her arm and grabs her hand, giving it a light squeeze. "I'll see you tomorrow, Kushina."

A/N:

My first fic for rarepair bingo! For the prompt, "arranged marriage."