A/N: Bruh, I don't know what happened...
Chapter 6: It's a Dress
Hinata was nothing if not punctual, which Sasuke appreciated immensely. It seemed no matter how old he got over the years, he was always cursed with friends who disregarded time as a concept. It was certainly a welcomed change compared to waiting around for his former mentor and enduring his never-ending train of excuses.
"Good morning, Sasuke-kun," Hinata greeted pleasantly. She was dressed a bit more casual today, wearing a light pastel dress rather than her usual mission gear. It must be her day off today, Sasuke noted.
"Hinata-san," he said, giving a courteous nod. He lifted the curtain to the tailor shop entrance. "Shall we?"
Inside, Mitsuyo was already waiting.
"Finally! There you two are," she said, shuffling away from the counter to meet them. "Come, let me take a look at you."
Sasuke was confused. "You saw me a few days ago, Tanaka-san."
"Not you. Her." Mitsuyo waved him away impatiently. "I see you all the time."
Hinata laughed lightly and covered her mouth with her hand. "It's nice to meet you, Tanaka-san," she said politely. "I've been an admirer of your work for many years. It's a shame that my family doesn't take advantage of your skills more."
Mitsuyo looked proud of herself, puffing up her chest. "Well, at least this one's got good taste. I always said a Hyuuga's eyes are never wrong."
Sasuke raised an eyebrow in doubt. "When did you say this?"
"Quiet," Mitsuyo said snippily. "Come, Hyuuga-sama. The dress is this way."
The pair followed the tailor into the back of the shop, lifting the curtain into a private well-lit room. Mikoto's wedding kimono laid unfolded and open on a lacquered kimono stand. The soft glow from the lantern accented the small pearls along its collar, specks of light dancing off of the beads. If there were any work done to restore the gown to its former beauty, neither Sasuke nor Hinata noticed. A true testament to Mitsuyo's skills.
"Oh, it's-" Hinata circled the gown slowly, admiring the craftsmanship. "It's beautiful."
She reached out a hand toward the silk kimono, but hesitated as she turned to shyly look at Sasuke. The man blinked and gave a quiet nod, ignoring Mitsuyo's assessing gaze flitting back and forth between them.
Hinata ran her hands gently through the fabric. She briefly recalled their last conversation, and felt the weight of this very moment in her hands.
It's for something that holds great importance to my family.
A handful of silver flowers. Pearls and beads grasped in her fingers. Phoenixes intertwined with thread. The way the silk shined with care and love despite its age.
I hope you can come to appreciate the importance of it too.
"Did this belong to your mother, Sasuke-kun?" She asked, turning around to look at the man.
Sasuke breathed through the tightening of his throat. It always happened whenever his mother was brought up. "Hn."
"She must have looked beautiful," Hinata smiled.
"She was," Sasuke said softly. His eyes lowered to the floor. "Always." His voice trailed off into silence, lips sealing shut on the matter.
Hinata's eyes softened with understanding. She turned to Mitsuyo appreciatively. "I'm sure it's no easy feat to capture Uchiha-sama's beauty, but if anyone could even come close, it must be you, Tanaka-san."
"Such a sweet mouth. I love this girl already," Mitsuyo crooned and elbowed Sasuke in his side. "If you hurt her, I will let myself die and haunt you."
Sasuke grunted.
"Tanaka-san has always had a penchant for drama," he said flatly. "I trust you're equipped with much more patience than I am to deal with this, Hinata-san."
Mitsuyo made a shooing gesture with her hands. "Brat!" She said, but her lips twitched with amusement. "Have you no respect for your elders? Is this how I'm thanked after years of faithful service? Woe is me, I say. Woe."
Hinata just giggled into her hand.
"Now, out with you!" Mitsuyo said impatiently as she tried to chase the man out of the room. "You two can reminisce later. A lady needs her privacy during the fitting."
Sasuke made his way to the door obediently, but walked slow on purpose just because he could. He didn't care much for being ordered around, as evidenced by the petulant way his narrowed his eyes. It was such a miniscule change in expression, but Hinata noticed, her eyes dancing with silent mirth.
Her fiancé was quite cute.
"What was she like?"
Mitsuyo looked up in surprise. "Hm?" She hummed; her lips sealed tight against a small handful of pins. She got up to reposition Hinata's arms within the too-long sleeves and pinned the extra fabric back to show off Hinata's hands.
"Uchiha Mikoto-sama," Hinata said quietly and stared at herself in the mirror. "I don't wish to overstep by asking such a thing but...I am curious about her."
Mitsuyo's eyes softened at the mention of Mikoto, nostalgia gripping her heart. She sat back on her heels neatly and ruffled the hem of the dress.
She sighed. "That woman could go anywhere and it's like the sun follows her. She made Uchiha men smile, and that is no easy feat."
Hinata smiled. "I'm sure she was a gem. Sasuke-kun rarely speaks about his family, but perhaps I'll hear more stories about her if I give it time."
Mitsuyo measured Hinata's waist. "Getting that boy to say anything is like pulling teeth," she huffed. "But I'm sure if you ask, he would share. He's been through a lot. Just have patience with him."
Hinata nodded.
With the last of the measurements done, Mitsuyo stood back up to observe her work. She winced in sympathy for her old knees, and plucked the small spectacles resting on her bosom and slid it onto her nose bridge.
Hinata's hair was pinned up to keep it out of the way, loose strands of hair falling down to frame her face. The kimono draped itself over her nicely, complimenting her porcelain skin and hugging her figure. Mitsuyo was suddenly struck with a sense of déjà vu. From this angle, that figure, that face, that hair-
"You...remind me..." Mitsuyo's mouth felt dry. She cleared her throat. "Ah, pay no mind to an old coot's ramblings. Come, let us see what your betrothed thinks of my adjustments."
Sasuke was patiently waiting in the front room when Mitsuyo carefully led Hinata out by her hands.
"Careful, careful," Mitsuyo tutted. "Mind the pins now."
Hinata walked out gingerly with a faint blush, fiddling with her fingers underneath the sleeves; an old habit from childhood that couldn't die. She could practically feel the pair of dark eyes staring at her from across the room, and tentatively spared her fiancé a peek through the curtain of her hair.
Sasuke was quiet, but his eyes were sharply fixated on Hinata dressed in his mother's wedding gown. An old picture of Mikoto on her wedding day suddenly surfaced in his mind. From afar, for a moment, it almost looked like-
"Hinata-" he started softly, but the words were drowning in his throat.
Mitsuyo looked proud, completely unaware of Sasuke stressing in the corner. "Not too rusty, eh?" She puffed her chest. "I'll have to re-do some of my adjustments here and there, but I still got it."
Sasuke took a deep breath. "Hn. Tanaka-san has a good eye, as always."
"I'll have to make room in this area though, it seems," Mitsuyo said slyly as she tugged at the collar folded in front of Hinata's chest. "We can't give all our cards away. Leave some to the imagination, hm?"
Sasuke felt his eye twitch.
"E-Eh?!" Hinata turned beet red at the implication, her stutter returning full force as she covered her chest. "I-I...T-Tanaka-san, please..."
Mitsuyo belly-laughed and pointed to the changing room. "I'm only teasing, girl. Go change already."
Hinata made herself scarce with impressive speed.
Sasuke gave Mitsuyo a dry look. "Must you-"
"Yes," Mitsuyo said shamelessly. "She's a pretty one. Wouldn't kill you to give her a compliment once in a while."
Sasuke glanced away. "She looked fine," he said. She looked more than fine. It's been a long time since anyone was able to stir up old memories within him the way Hinata had. But no one needed to know that.
"Just fine?" Mitsuyo scoffed. "That girl walked in here today all dolled up just for this and all you can say is, 'she looked fine'?"
Sasuke frowned. Was the change of outfit supposed to mean something? "It's a dress," he stated the obvious.
Mitsuyo rolled her eyes. "A lady always presents her best when the occasion calls for it," she lectured. "It may be just a dress, but it's the effort that you're complimenting."
"Hn." Sasuke nodded and filed that piece of advice away to consider later.
"And might I suggest that you take my advice for yourself," Mitsuyo said. "It's about time you stopped dressing like you're preparing for a funeral."
"I think we're done here."
Mitsuyo's parting words stuck with Sasuke as he and Hinata made their way to the busy market streets. With nothing on their schedules on their rare day off, they wanted to take advantage of the sunshine and their free time. Lunch was spent in companionable silence. The walk was peppered with occasion questions about each other's errands. Hinata picked up some cut flowers for her room, and Sasuke went to buy some groceries for the week.
He noticed she liked lilacs. She noticed he only bought non-perishable foods. Neither said anything.
Sasuke glanced at Hinata.
It wouldn't kill you to give her a compliment every once in a while.
Mitsuyo was trying to help them. Despite her constant need to test his patience, she was trying to help them both warm up to each other. A marriage arrangement was already stressful when both parties were willing, and while Sasuke was aware of the alienating effect he could have on others, he didn't want to make their engagement an unbearable one for Hinata.
He had promised them a friendship. He could put in the effort if this was what it took.
"You looked nice."
Hinata's eyes widened as she stopped to stare at him. "Pardon?"
Sasuke pressed his lips together. "My mother's kimono," he said. "You looked nice...wearing it today."
"Oh," Hinata said with a soft laugh. "Thank you for letting me try it on today."
"It's tradition," Sasuke said. "My mother would've wanted you to have it."
Hinata nodded. "The kimono is very well-loved. I will treasure it dearly."
Sasuke looked pleased. "And your dress."
"Eh?"
"It's nice," Sasuke mumbled in a softer tone. His heart was racing oddly.
Hinata looked dazed for a moment. What was happening today? "Thank you, Sasuke-kun," she said, blushing. "Y-You look nice too."
"Hn."
That wasn't so hard. Mitsuyo would be proud.
To be continued...
