My Past
Chapter Two-
Later that week I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, finally accepting the fate that my father put before me, as butterflies danced around in my stomach. "Okay Katai, it's either now or never. Time to face your mother." I took a deep breath and knocked on the tall wooden door that stood before me.
"Come in." her voice was soft yet filled with hardened dignity. I opened the door and entered my mother's parlor. "Ah Katai, come in. what is it you want?" I took a step toward her. "Close the door." A maid scurried behind me and quietly fulfilled my mothers demand. I walked in front of my mother and bowed slightly. "Sit down." I sat, clasping my hands together so that no one would notice the shaking. "Well child, what is it?"
I took a deep breath. "Mother, I've come to tell you that I accept the fact that I must be wed to an Uchiha, it is the fate chosen for me by my honorable father. I'm sacrificing myself for the good of the clan, and so, I ask you, my mother, to grant me one last wish."
"It depends, what is it you want?"
"Freedom."
"What do you mean?"
"I'm asking for your permission to allow me to go off and live the next year in solitude. In order to prepare myself spiritually for the upcoming marriage."
"Hmmm." I squirmed a little as my mother considered my offer. I could tell she liked the thought of getting rid of me. But of course she couldn't seem too excited. "You didn't get this idea on your own. You're not smart enough to think of something so brilliant."
I just love my mother, don't you?
I sighed, "You're right, this isn't my idea. I went to Seisho Lemoto, our spiritual leader, and he suggested it."
Okay I admit, I really didn't talk with Seisho Lemoto. But it's not like my mom would check to see if I told her the truth. I was the perfect angel-child who never did any wrong to those who crossed her path, and always did what her parents told her to; like getting married against her will to someone she never met.
Yeah right. My family doesn't know me that well, and I guess it works to my advantage. If you were in the same situation as me, wouldn't you fight for some freedom, even if it was for one short year?
"Okay, but let's get some things straight before I tell you my answer." I nodded my head once as she continued. "You wish to go away to an unknown place, to be alone for a year, to spiritually prepare for your impending marriage. Am I correct?"
"So far yes, but you have something to add, don't you?"
"Yes," her eyes filled with venom. "If you don't return the day after your fifteenth birthday, we'll assume that you won't show for the wedding; track you down and hold you prisoner until after you marry. Do we have an understanding?"
"Yes mother."
"When are you planning on leaving?"
"I was thinking on the day after tomorrow."
"The day you usually disappear?"
"Yes ma'am."
"Very well. I'll have a maid send up some bags."
I quickly bowed to my mom and hurried off to my room to start packing. It was a really hard job on the account of, most of my things were not something one would want to take into the wilderness, except, of course, for my ninja training outfits. I couldn't take anything else unless I wanted to ruin miles upon miles of silk and lace. Hmm…come to think of it, that doesn't sound that bad. Too bad it came to me a year too late. When I finished packing I looked at the mounds of suitcases piled in my room. Did my mother really expect me to fill all of those? If so, what does she think I was taking? The sofa?
Finally, the day came. I rose with the sun, got dressed in a training uniform. I grabbed the backpack that held my things and set off.
I loved the next year of my life. I lived in a forest growing and hunting my food. I studied medicine to earn money. It was hard and challenging. But, for the first time in my life, I felt relaxed. Everything I did, I did for myself. I didn't just sit there watching a maid do everything for me; looking lazy. As for my friend that I mentioned earlier; we continued meeting. But instead of our regular place, we met at my new house. He helped me build it.
Now, I bet you're wondering about my childhood. Right? Well, let's see… I have two sisters, the eldest is Suki. She is two years older than me. (She's the one that suggested that I be the one that gets married. I don't like her very much.) My little sister is a few years younger than me. Her name is Batafurai, Bata for short. She thinks of me as her role model. She's always following me around trying to do what I do (sometimes with success and sometimes without.) Since Suki has her group of friends, and I didn't have any, I let Bata hang out with me. Suki is an extreme girly girl, she refused to go to Ninja Academy, and you can't get her into a pair of pants to save her life. To her life is all about "Boys! Face paint! PINK!!!" It still makes me sick. I swear she spends two hours minimum in front of the mirror a day. She is the girl that my mother wants me to be.
My parents are very rich, so they buy everything we want, no matter the cost. I grew up with maids and butlers and guards for protection from thieves. Everything. My dad wanted a boy to continue the tradition of having ninja in the family and my mother didn't want her girls getting dirty and sweaty. She wanted a bunch of proper girls. Suki is the girl my mother wanted. Because of the lack of boys in the family, he enrolled me in the Ninja Academy. Bata attends the Academy too, following in my footsteps. My mother doesn't like it, but there's nothing she can do. The men in my family have the final say in these kinds of matters.
My house is a large mansion filled with priceless artifacts, portraits of ancestors, gold, and silver. If my family moves, somebody could turn the house into a museum. Anyway, moving on, my mother is just as obsessed with her image as Suki is, and my father is the most powerful person in the clan.
My mom thinks my sisters and I have grown up in this awful environment, like war victims with no house, family, food, or money; just because we grew up in the midst of a family feud. But compared to the…um…"less fortunate" children in our village, we have it easy. I say "less fortunate", but let's face it; I think they're luckier than me. I mean, no one other than Bata and I are forced to wear yards upon yards of petticoats. (Suki wears them willingly.)
And now, after my life in the forest; I stand here uncomfortable and out of my element, just moments before I get married and become Katai Uchiha.
-End