He sat on the edge of his bed, his ebony locks falling over his shoulders. His pink kimono hung down a bit, and his eyes focused on the floor as he thought about the events that were to take place the next day. His eyes made their way from the floor to the mirror, and as he looked at his reflection, he hardly recognized himself. Who was the person looking back at him? Surely he would know his own reflection by now.
Night had fallen over the tiny village, and he knew that if he was going to go through with this, he would need to be well rested. He laid his head down on the soft white pillow and did his best to clear his mind, but the thoughts he fought so hard to forget made their way back into his head. he got up and walked over to his window, opening it to let the cool breeze in. Then he stepped once again across the wooden floor and over to his bed.
The breeze helped to ease his mind, and he was finally able to drift off into the dream world. He slept well, although every now and then a strange dream would make its way into his sleep. But it seemed that every time he felt the wind on him, the dream blew quickly away. He was thankful when he woke, fearing that his sleep might consist of thoughts of what today would bring.
Now he sat up slowly, seeing the sun's light dancing across his floor. He got up and walked over to the open window once again, and looked out upon the village. The sky was blue, and there was not a cloud in sight. The village was illuminated, seeming radiant as the rays hit the rooftops. He smiled at the sight of his village, and then a thought came to him. He might not ever see this village again. The thought dropped down to his stomach, making him feel sick. It did not recede as he looked in the mirror at the boy dressed in a pink kimono. Must I really go through with this?
He looked at the door, feeling like it was the mouth of a monster, waiting for him to walk through so that it could swallow him whole. As he got closer, it seemed to get further away. he felt his stomach churn as he finally felt his hand upon the cold handle. he pushed the screen aside, only glancing once back at his room before going downstairs, never to set foot in it again. He loved this village, and he did not want to leave, but he had no choice. As he made his way down the stairs, his mother smiled proudly, while his father scowled.
"See, now doesn't she look beautiful?"
"You mean he? Or have you forgotten that he's our son?" He spoke it with a hint of ridicule in his voice. Now his scowl was returned with one of her own. Haku decided not to get in the middle of it. He didn't want to upset either of his parents. His father was the more rational of the two, usually liking reason and order. He had felt that this whole scheme of hers was absolutely absurd. Sometimes, Haku's father being so sensible held him back from living his life. This time, though, Haku wished that his mother would listen to him.
"She is ready," his mother shot back, fixing Haku's kimono a bit. He looked at her, feeling his heart sink at those words. He hoped that they would not leave until the afternoon so that he would have time to say goodbye, but she made it very clear that directly after breakfast they would make their way to Uchiha Manor.
His father shook his head unnoticeably, not sure what to make of the whole situation. Not only were they going to try to marry off their son as a bride, a woman, but they were going to marry him off to the wealthiest family in the country. He feared what consequences Haku might suffer. After all, the Uchiha family did not appreciate mockery, and that was probably what they would see this as.
After breakfast, they quickly prepared the wagon, then they were on their way to Kyoto. Haku looked back, feeling his heart sink even more at the sight of his home as it got smaller and smaller. Although he had been adopted and this had become his home after the fact, he had fit in well with the other children. He made fast, easy friends, and he felt welcome. Now he was leaving all that behind. When they got to Kyoto, he would be married to the only son of the Uchiha family.
Sasuke looked out the window, seeing how beautiful the day was. The cherry blossoms were in full bloom, the sun was bright, and today was his 16th birthday, but he couldn't enjoy it. He remembered the day that his fiancée's mother had first come to the manor. They were a poor family, but did their best to raise their only child, a daughter named Haku. They were having a hard time supporting the family, so they were looking for a family to marry their daughter into so that she would not struggle as they had.
His father had been looking for an appropriate bride to marry his only son, and after seeing a picture of Haku, both parents had agreed that they would make a good match. It was a forced marriage. Neither Haku nor Sasuke had agreed to it. Sasuke didn't even know what his future wife looked like. Any time he asked, his father would tell him that he would find out soon enough. For all he knew, she could be the ugliest thing to walk the planet.
He let out a sigh as the cool breeze brushed up against his face. It was his only comfort on this day. Sasuke then made his way back over to his bed, falling back on it and looking up at the ceiling. He loved his parents very much, especially since they had taken such good care of him.
A criminal named Itachi had killed his real parents when he was only a child, and he had been orphaned for some time. He hadn't really gotten along with the other children at the orphanage. Instead, he had been quiet and withdrawn, spending most of his time studying and training so that one day he might get his revenge. When they came to the orphanage, they had quickly decided on Sasuke, thinking that he would make a strong heir.
The longer he lived here, the more he enjoyed it, and he soon found himself very attached to his new parents. He knew they could never replace his real parents, as did they. He smiled at the memory, one of the best that he had. Then he snapped back into reality, feeling the dread coming back to him. He looked at himself in the mirror, seeing the tuxedo. A question popped into his head. Why had his parents arranged a Western style marriage for the two? He thought about it for a minute, figuring that it was probably just easier than traditional.
Sasuke heard the wagon pull up. They were already here? He heard his father call up to him, and he hesitated a moment before making his way down the stairs and outside to meet his bride. The environment seemed very relaxed, and his father was smiling. His mother looked proudly at her son, and then whispered in his ear.
"Believe me, you will be in awe of her beauty." She smiled, and then watched as Haku's parents got out of the wagon.
Haku had been sleeping up until this point as he often did in the wagon. Now he woke, feeling them come to a halt. They were at the manor. He let out a sigh. And now I have to masquerade around as a girl for the rest of my life. He thought about it for a moment. His mother had never cut his hair. She said she couldn't bring herself to. His long, ebony locks were like silk. And after her visit to the Manor the first time, she had started treating him as a girl.
She had told him of his engagement to the Uchiha when he was 15 years of age. Ever since, she had been preparing him for it, making her son into the perfect daughter. But he knew that no matter how much he looked and acted like a girl, there were other ways of finding out. He had been drifting in and out of sleep a bit earlier and had heard his parents arguing.
"You do realize that as soon as they find him out, there will be dire consequences. Just because you made him think and look like a girl doesn't make him one," he had heard his father trying to reason with her.
"He needs a good life. They can offer him things that we can't," she had shot back, refusing to listen to him.
"A good life until they punish him for lies and deceit." He had said it more or less to himself, and Haku's mother hadn't noticed. Haku had then gone back to sleep.
Sasuke watched as his fiancée's parents helped her out of the car. This was his moment of truth. He had been so curious about her since their engagement had been announced, when he was still only a child. And now, the person that he would marry was about to be revealed. He felt his stomach churn as he waited.