UNBEATED
SAKURA AND VERSACE
10
DRESS UP
Sakura put another dress back on the rack, disappointment clear on her face. Her mother was on the other side of the dress store looking through the fabrics as well. They'd been to three different dress shops and were slowly running out of options, Senior prom was only two weeks away and Sakura had hoped she'd have a dress by then.
"Maybe we can order one?" Mebuki asks, coming to stand next to her daughter. Sakura shakes her head, "Custom dresses take months to make, it'll never be finished in time."
Mebuki sighed, her kid was stressing over her dress, From what Sakura had told her, Naruto was shopping for his tuxedo in the next city over with his Godfather. They'd found so many, neither of the men could make a concrete decision. Meanwhile, the two women were struggling to find one option.
"I wanna look good mom," Sakura explained, "Naruto has never seen me dressed up before and I'd be meeting his Godfather. I want to make a good impression!"
Mebuki sat her hand on Sakura's shoulder in comfort, "You're going to look amazing, I know you are."
"You're supposed to say that, you're my mom." Sakura responded back despite the smile pulling at her lips, she really knew how to make her feel better. "Let's just keep looking, we'll find something." With a reassuring nod, the women walked into another part of the store together before splitting up again.
There weren't many dresses to pick from to begin with in the store, but it seemed like Sakura had found a goldmine in the small corner of the shop. There was a princess-style gown with a low neckline and sleeves that she put back after realizing it would be more fitting for a wedding than a prom. Another was satin with a sweetheart neckline with no sleeves but wasn't her preferred color. The next one she picked had tulle and a trail that Sakura immediately put down knowing she'd probably trip over her own tail. Her mother calls to her before she could move onto another rack.
"Come look at this one, it's absolutely beautiful!" Mebuki holds it up, a spaghetti strap dress in the mermaid style. It's red in color and the fabric is something between silk and glitter. It's stunning and Sakura drags her finger over the fabric, "This is it, it's the one I want."
Her mother squeals excitedly, "Stand here while I go get the attendee!" The woman disappears quickly and Sakura takes out the time to text her boyfriend.
sakura : [have you decided on a tux yet?]
narubaka : [we're down to two options]
sakura : [ thts good, ive found my dress :3]
Her mother appears just as quickly, an older woman with graying hair at her side. "The dress will need to be hemmed," She says immediately upon looking at Sakura, "Let's try on the dress and see where."
They all move to the dressing room, where Sakura sheds her clothes, dons the dress, and steps out onto an elevated podium. The older woman has a handful of pins and measuring tape.
"We'll need to tighten the torso area," She pins the fabric there to fit snuggly to her chest, "The hips and bottom area fit nicely but we'll cut some of the fabric at the bottom to around your ankle so your shoes can be seen."
"Do you suggest anything to go with it?" Sakura asked the woman as she pinned and measured her. She stopped to think for a split second, "A little is a lot with this piece, no extravagant jewelry or hair-dos. It will take away from your face and dress, the same goes for your shoes, Nothing too much."
Mebuki nodded in understanding, "Simple yet elegant, we can pull that off."
"I will be in contact over the status of the dress," The woman helped Sakura out of the dress before escorting her back to the dressing room, Mebuki followed obediently. "It will take a week for everything to be fixed up, I will call then when it is complete."
"Of course, thank you." Mebuki bowed her head respectfully. The older woman clicked the pen she was holding, "I will be working personally on it, and I will want to see the final product to hang on the store's walls. I take pride in my work and it would be incredibly stupid of me not to add this to my collection."
"Of course! Mrs…"
"Chiyo and it is Ms."
MOON RIVER
"Well, Sakura's got her dress," Naruto said to Jiraiya, the older man eyeing Naruto's tuxedo options. "That just leaves us."
His Godfather barely pays him mind, "A full red tux would be too dramatic, it's best we go with an old-fashioned one with a red tie? You don't want to outshine your date." Naruto scratched the back of his neck, "That's probably for the best." He picked up the tux and let an attendee take the other to put back.
"Are you excited about graduation? It's coming up pretty fast," Jiraiya questioned as they paid for the tuxedo, "I don't even remember my graduation."
"You're older than dirt, that's why."
"Watch it baka," Jiraiya warned with squinted eyes, "Just because I'm old doesn't mean I won't thump you."
"Before I see my girlfriend? That's so mean." Naruto pouted causing the older man to roll his eyes, "Speaking of your girlfriend, when am I gonna meet her?" Sakura had made it apparent she wanted to meet his family under better circumstances than he'd met hers. Luckily for her, they could meet on prom night when Naruto came to pick her up.
"Soon, you're gonna love her." Naruto cooed, a love-struck look on his face, "She's so amazing Jiraiya."
"She has you wrapped around her fingers."
Naruto sighed wistfully, "Without a doubt."