Chapter Four: Outmaneuvering Fate
Sai rested, contemplatively, lying on the large sofa in Yamato's spacious apartment. Ino was tucked beside him as he absently stroked her waist-long golden tresses falling like a curtain across both of them. His recovered scrolls and tanto lay on the floor next to them. Although it was long past midnight, the comforting scent of green tea and ginger drifted from the kitchen along with the hushed voices of Yamato and Iruka.
He had initially been against the idea of a quick engagement when Iruka had offered it as an end-run around Koharu's scheme. He was more than ready to commit but, having read enough books on the subject, he knew that a milestone like this was supposed to be romantic and enchanting not desperate and rushed. And it required a gift. Iruka had given him an understanding look and handed him a black drawstring pouch. Inside was a delicate white silk fan edged in lace. Sai unfolded it to reveal the fan's elaborately embroidered floral pattern of camellias and lilies. It was one of the most beautiful objects he had ever seen.
"I thought you could use this for Ino's engagement gift. It was my mother's." Iruka said and quickly smiled at the suddenly stressed look on Sai's face. "It's okay, she had quite a collection and I still have several of them." He had spoken reassuringly but there remained an uncurrent of sadness in his voice that Sai instinctively understood.
Now, lying on the couch with Ino, Sai couldn't believe he was really doing this. His life had been like a winding path and tonight everything felt new—he felt worried and excited at the same time—she said he was "anxious" and that it was normal and okay.
Ino, on the other hand, had felt no hesitation about this plan. She had been attracted to Sai from the moment she first saw him and she felt irrevocably bonded to him after journeying through his mind in the Land of Silence. After that experience, they knew each other in a way that no one else would. Her only vague concern came from thinking of her two teammates who were like family to her. Because of the longstanding alliance mandates of their clans, her decision affected them too. But she knew they would have her back on this. After all, Choji found every excuse to see Karui whenever possible and Shikamaru and Temari were done denying their feelings for each other. It was time for them all to grow up.
A knock at the door startled everyone from their reverie. Sai stood up and bowed nervously as Ino's mother smiled at him and entered with her distant cousin Hajime, one of the Yamanaka clan elders. A few moments later they were all seated around a low table. Sai was seated between Iruka and Yamato. Across from them, Ino sat between her mother and her clan elder as they began the ceremony of exchanging gifts and words of commitment to each other and to the clan. Ino's mother wore her hair in a low ponytail and her eyes were newly misted with grief at the absence of her husband on this special occasion. She gave Sai several beautifully decorated round wooden boxes of tea and dried lavender. He then watched as Ino's eyes widened with delight when she opened the beautifully designed fan. To Sai, the fan seemed sacred-a remnant of Iruka's mother who had died protecting her son and the village. The idea of his own mother existed only in the shadowy corners of his mind like an insubstantial wisp of smoke drifting from an extinguished candle.
At the end of the ceremony he watched as Ino's mother embraced her daughter tearfully and departed, disappearing into the night. The momentary quiet was split by a sudden angry banging on Yamato's door. Yamato sighed and looked at Iruka. Ino held Sai's hand resolutely as they stood together. They all understood the storm that was coming. Yamato stepped forward and slid the door open to Koharu's furious glare.
"You can't oppose me on this," she began angrily, "He is going to the Rain Village tonight."
Ino looked at Koharu defiantly. "He is no longer eligible to be offered for a political marriage." She spat the words out, furiously.
Hajime, the Yamanaka clan elder, stepped forward, his angular face lined with wisdom, his long golden hair fading to streaks of white. He bowed politely to Koharu. They had known each other for a long time. "Koharu-Sama, our clan has granted its permission. Sai is now formally betrothed to Ino under our clan law." It was true that Sai had not been his first choice for Ino but he had also had enough of Koharu's nonsense. Her political wrangling reminded him too much of Danzo. And besides, Ino was relentlessly persuasive when she wanted something.
Koharu's face twisted into a rare glare of shock and confusion. She looked at him disbelievingly. "How could you accept him? He doesn't have a clan or even a real name." The elder's expression became thoughtful. "No. But he will soon have our clan and our name."
Koharu stood dumbfounded at the turn of events. She had no intention of directly crossing the Yamanakas but she wasn't ready to give up yet. "I will apologize to the Rain Village for the unexpected change in your status." She turned back to Sai and Ino, her voice laced with lethal anger. "But you must still greet the envoy as a diplomatic courtesy." No one in the room trusted her for a minute but they all knew they couldn't refuse her demand. Ino's fingers tightened around Sai's as they prepared to leave.