A/N: a very short chapter, but I worked on this for a month, so I want to show it to you guys. I might re-upload this, because it is so short. Please don't forget to post an encouraging review! Thanks for reading.
In Sasuke's workshop, the same day Hinata took Sayu to the nursing coach
With a frigid air of decisiveness m, the dark tailor told the messenger of the Water Daimyo, "it will only take a few minutes."
The young messenger cowered at the sheer coldness of the tailor's stare and cursed his past self for accepting to take on the errand. He felt as if he was hearing the loud thundering roar of a black panther with garnet eyes from behind.
The name of the "Eyeless Tailor" caused everyone in the messenger's department to shudder with horror and indignation. He just hoped the tailor wouldn't use the sharp silver needles to stab him on the neck, as he looked irate at the little, trembling intruder.
Seeing how he was scaring the messenger who was just simply doing his job, Sasuke sighed and turned his back and started carrying out the daimyo's orders.
When the frightening man finally turned his back to him, the messenger had a chance to study the physical appearance of the notorious "Eyeless Tailor."
When he at first heard the terrible epithet, "eye-less," he envisioned a ghastly old man with glass orbs as his eyes or an eye patch. Crooked and ugly, spatting on the ground and cursing the world. So when he saw the famed tailor, Uchiha Sasuke, he felt his heart sink because he thought he had the wrong guy, and his superiors will blame him for his failure.
But luckily, one of the townsmen affirmed that it was the Uchiha tailor, and when the messenger held onto him, begging, the dark brooding man threw him a single look of disgust and grumbled as he told him to wait in the shop. The messenger at first, was barely able to understand the man's muttered, "Come in."
Now that he didn't have to worry about failing his mission, the messenger got to take a careful look as he was very curious about this so-called legend of embroidery.
So he was amazed, as he saw by the soft day light of the wide window panes, a tall, lean man with wispy dark hair cascading on his broad shoulders. He looked much younger than expected, but because the former refused to show his face for too long, the messenger couldn't quite pin point how he looked like. The tailor moved his muscular, powerful looking arms with slow languidness, but somehow he was able to achieve great efficiency and even grace with his commissioned costume.
The Daimyo aristocracy of the continent already knew the notorious elusiveness of the tailor, and how he wanted just two things, 1) no visitors to his home and workplace, and 2) timely payment. At first, a lot of Daimyos were horrified by the eyeless tailor's refusal to come to their court as bid and measure them and shower them with flowery compliments like how other tailors do. But no amount of compliments and sweet honeyed words could put them on the same pedestal as the eyeless tailor whose skills were so unparalleled that he was said to have the hand of the clever crafts god.
But the Water Daimyo decided that he deserved the underling tailor's respect and pushed his messengers to find him and have them bring the commission a month earlier, instead of using these "silly delivery birds." The messenger and the rest begged to defer. The ladies in waiting and the mistresses loved petting the beautiful cranes' silky white wings and scarlet red heads and feeding them rice biscuits.
Understandably, the daimyo's disrespect of their terms of agreement caused Sasuke to throw a massive fit and cast away the poor messengers as if they were coakroaches. But, because he was sick of having more visitors, Sasuke decided to give in, provided that he will be paid twice the commission fee for expediting the order.
He ordered the messenger to wait as if he was used to be in a position of ordering men and continued to work as if he was not even there.
The messenger was dosing off in the corner until he heard a sound of a phone ringing.
He looked up and saw the tailor open his phone to view the message. The soft white light emitted by the phone screen illuminated the tailor's face, and he was surprised to see his face.
He had a face that was every courtier artist's dream and poet's song.
So when he saw a gorgeous, breathtaking smile of a marble statue spread over that unbelievable face, the messenger didn't know what to say as his head went blank.
As if unaware that the messenger was still standing there, the tailor started calling someone on the phone. As he waited for the recipient with baited breath, the messenger could clearly see the anxiousness in his eyes and the way he pursed his lips.
After a while, the tailor lifted his obsidian eyes and said,
"Is Sayu there...?" He bared his white teeth like a beast with immaculate incisors as he whispered into the phone.
'Sayu? Who was Sayu?' Even though it was none of his business, the messenger couldn't help but wonder who was the one being who the tailor was so eager to talk to. There was even a hint of worship in his voice.
Then he gasped. Was this person called "Sayu" even more powerful than the Daimyos of the Countries, themselves? Was this person "Sayu" wealthier than the rulers of the nations?
A pause.
There was a faint tremor in the tailor's voice, "Sayu?"
It seemed that someone on the other end of the tailor's phone was talking. There was an attentive, long pause.
"I see...Hmm...Yes, I understand. Yes you are right, Sayu, whatever you say is right. Always." The tailor nodded his head affirmatively, as he spoke into the phone. It seemed that they were having a serious, important conversation. But it wasn't a conversation, if one party keeps showering the other with "yes's."
'Scratch that, ' the messenger thought, 'it was not a hint of worship. This one called Sayu, who is he?"
The air was full of tension, and then suddenly the tailor turned off his phone. In a matter of seconds, he ran back to his table and started working away with fury.
The messenger silenced the sound of his own breathing, thinking that the tailor was going to straight up murder him for disrupting his flow. He was more than happy to hand him a hefty commissions fee and leave the premise once he received the arts.
A moment ago, Sasuke glared at the shivering messenger but decided to not give the lad a further scare of his life and get to work.
A leather overcoat and a gold kimono were in order. He mentally checked the steps he had to take to finish the task.
He was spreading a fabric of soft calf leather on his wooden table, until he heard a ring from his cell phone, signaling a message. He lifted his head and gave the phone a curious look, as he only uses his phone for Hinata. She was the only person in the world who has her phone number.
He flipped his phone. Then, he couldn't help the smile spreading over his face, making his dark eyes crinkle in amusement.
It was a photo message, showing Hinata holding Sayu who was only clad in a white diaper.
Sasuke looked at the photo more carefully. It showed Hinata sitting on a chair, holding a half naked Sayu. She wasn't looking directly in the photo so it seemed the nurse was taking her photo. Sayu couldn't hold her neck on her own, so Hinata was holding her head up by supporting her chin. She was also helping her baby to barp by patting her back. Their little baby looked like a tropical baby frog as she pressed her hands all over her mother's hands and stared into the distance with her large shiny eyes. She was also puffing her cheeks as if she was trying to hold in a barp.
He laughed, his lips spread wide and his usually coal black sooty eyes were glittering with pure mirth and adoration. His pale cheekbones were dusted with pink as he grinned widely.
The message said, "We finally succeeded in teaching Sayu how to latch, Sasuke! The nurse said in a delightful accent that Sayu is in 'hog heaven' whenever she successfully sucks on the teat. Sayu has been having a hard time latching because she kept thrusting her tongue instead of sucking. She weighed in at 7 lbs 8 oz before our visit, and she gained 2.5 oz during the half hour observation/tutorial!"
Sayu's innocent face was staring into the blank space as she rested her adorable chubby chin on her mother's lean pale hand.
Staring into the photo, he was seized with the desire to call his daughter. Of course he knows his daughter couldn't talk into the phone but he had to feel her presence anyways. He cursed his past self for not buying a technologically advanced mobile phone or else he would video-call his daughter and see her live all the time. He could have been able to call Hinata and get her to show him Sayu's sleeping face, nursing face, looking out of the window face, and if lucky, her one in a million chance of occuring babbling.
Secretly, he was amazed by his attachment to Sayu. Even when he was dating Hinata, it never crossed his mind that he wanted to video call her. Probably because if he wanted to see her, he would just wait until they had private time to themselves. He felt a little embarrassed for making his mind to get a new phone just so he could watch and see his cute daughter even from a distance. Despite Hinata's chiding and teasing, he never got a new phone.
He pressed the call button with a beating heart and hearing the connecting tone felt like eternity.
Dduoo-dduoo-dduoo
At the tenth ring, he heard Hinata's voice, Hello? Sasuke?
She seemed to be a little surprised by her husband's sudden phone call.
"Is Sayu there?" He almost smacked himself. Of course Sayu was with her mother. Her month and a half old baby. His month and a half old baby. He beamed and felt his heart swell at the thought of Sayu's cool baby pink cheeks and large lavender eyes that reflected daylight. And how she would stare at everything as if she had the clearest, purest soul on earth. He wanted to tell his parents and brother if they were alive, this was his baby!
Nice to hear that you care about me so much too. She laughed good naturedly. He blushed and scowled as she teased him. Then he heard her voice,
Do you want to say hi to daddy, Sayu? Daddy called.
It was the most electric moment of anticipation for Sasuke as he heard his heart beat like a maddening dream in anticipation of his little princess's voice.
But it also felt like an eternity so when a minute or two passed, he could barely hide the sense of disappointment in his face, "Did Sayu say 'no?' Again, he knew that Sayu couldn't answer but it brought him a huge sense of sadness to think that his daughter whom he would pull his heart out for didn't even want to hear her daddy.
Then finally, he heard Hinata's amiable voice.
Sayu is on the phone now, Sasuke.
He could hardly hold his breath as he called her name tentatively,
"Sayu...?"
'Fuck, even my voice is trembling,' he thought. It did. It was barely noticeable, but the end of his voice rose in a slight tremble. He didn't remember the last time he spoke like this since he last faced Itachi's spirit.
But what returned to his eager plea was Sayu's cruel doll-like silence, "..."
To his slight disappointment, Sayu didn't even let out a gurgling sound or a squeal.
He heard Hinata's laughter from the distance. She must have sensed his chagrin. He swore she was using her byakugan on him.
He heard her suggest softly Sasuke, why don't you try talking to Sayu the way you see me talk with her? She is a stoic baby, despite her deceivingly sweet looks, but sometimes, she responds to that.
He remembered how Hinata would hold their baby and speak to her as if they were holding a private conversation. She would speak in a syrupy voice, "How was your day? Oh, really?"
He uttered into the phone with a soft breathy voice, "Sayu?"
"..."
The silence flowing in the air felt longer.
Sasuke didn't know what to do, except just holding the phone dumbly.
Then he heard a soft voice from the phone receiver, Ss-
He felt the most instantaneous surge of happiness until he heard his wife's feminine voice, Sasuke? He felt his shoulders drop and his chest calm immediately.
Could you try continuing to speak to her please? Sayu is looking bored with the phone pressed to her. I think she wants to continue looking at cats.
"Cats?"
"She was squirming and looking confused when I took her in from the garden. She was busy looking at cats and rabbits and chipmunks before you called.
'Cats? Cats?!' He, Uchiha Sasuke, has just lost to a bunch of cats?
He was so busy absorbed in his thought process that he had forgotten about the messenger staring at his constantly changing expressions with a kind of fearful fascination.
He coughed slightly and spoke into the phone, in the most agreeable way he could think of.
In a meditative, pensive voice, he nodded into the phone, "I see...Hmm...Yes, I understand. Yes you are right, Sayu, whatever you say is right. Always."
But then he heard a muted sound of clicking. And then a long beep.
Sasuke closed his store front and stretched his back and beat his shoulder. He was tired but he was just too happy to be done with his work and see his family.
He passed by little stalls of crafts, but something caught his eye.
When he approached the stall, the artisan stood up and smiled, "hello."
He gave a curt nod and fixed his gaze on the various kinds hairpieces glittering by the dimming sunlight.
'Hinata was noticing how other girls were doing their hair. But she has been too busy to get anything for herself.'
He remembered when she was breastfeeding Sayu in public, with a cloth hung over her neck that concealed her breasts. She was gazing quietly at a group of young women trying on various hairpieces and laughing. It pained him to see her just turn her head away and smile down at her baby.
He thought, 'she would look lovely with a pearl hairpiece.'
After dinner, Sasuke broke out the question, "Why did you hang up on me?" Fugaku was sitting on the table next to him, trying to solve the Rubik's cube his father got for him. Sayu was upstairs, sleeping, her left cheek and tummy pressed on mattress.
Hinata was sweeping the long fringe of her indigo hair covering her forehead with Sasuke's new gift-a hair clip decorated with pearls.
Her eyes widened as she thought about his question a bit, and she laughed, remembering what just happened during Sayu's phone call.
He asked with his brows furrowing in concern and disappointment, "Did Sayu cry? Is that why?"
She shook her head and resumed washing the dishes with cold, cooling water, "Oh no, no. Sayu might be challenging at times, but she is not a serious cry-er."
Sasuke looked visibly relieved, "Then why did you hang up?"
Her eyes twinkled meaningfully, "I didn't. Sayu did."
He tilted his head to a side and crossed his arms.
When she laughed, Fugaku explained instead, his grey eyes still pinned on the Rubik's cube, "Mom told me that Sayu got so frustrated that she slapped the phone to the floor."
When Sasuke didn't know what to say, she laughed, "Sayu has taken after my looks, but I think...personalitywise, she has taken after your family."
NO! Both Fugaku and Sasuke rose from their seats at Hinata's words. She looked back at them, amusement making her eyebrow arch upwards, looking at the exact replicas of the Uchiha bloodline turning pale at the idea that baby Sayu has inherited their character.
She looked at Sasuke with amusement and teased lightly, "I didn't make Sayu all by myself, anata. You really didn't expect her to take after you...in some way?"
Fugaku protested, "But mom!" He seemed at loss of words, "But Sayu-she-" He looked at the family photo where Sayu was in his arms, looking very content.
Sasuke slightly glared down at his son, resentful that his son was so against having the Uchiha's character. Yes, they have the famous Uchiha temper, and they are notoriously stubborn and prideful and maybe inflexible, but they are still honorable people.
But then when he imagined his dear porcelain baby Sayu, with her large doll-like lavender eyes, being rebellious like a wolf cub, he felt his heart shrink a little. It is not like he wants his daughter to be a china doll, fragile and useless, absolutely not. But he still wanted to indulge in his fantasy of being a father to his beautiful moon child baby.
He used to be so happy when he saw his moon child daughter staring up at the rustling leaves when he changes her diaper by the window sill. Or when he takes her out on walks by the little pond and she looks at the world around her, and her pastel lavender eyes catch the light. Her long, ash brown lashes would blink at the marvel around her. How happy he was.
He used to secretly feel relieved, because he thought his daughter inherited her mother's cute looks and sweet, sensitive personality. But now it turned out to be just a wishful thought.
His daughter, who was not even 4 months yet, had the strength, boldness, and impatience to slap off her mommy's cell phone to the ground. With that perfect, doll-like indifference.
He felt a sort of loss he didn't feel for a long time.
Hinata smiled at both of their crestfallen faces, "Fugaku, you and your father have wonderful personalities~"
She almost chortled when she saw the same wry expression copied and pasted on both the boy and man's face.
But she continued, "You both are brave and know what you want. And honest. I'm glad Sayu has taken over those traits. She is still a baby, but she'll grow up to be a strong, good girl."
"But Sayu-looks like you!" Fugaku balked, "It would look so weird to see you grumpy like dad!"
Hinata's eyes widened. Despite her sweet spokenness, this time, she didn't really know what to say, except "Oh."