6.
Yuna's eyes were fixated on some imaginary point in front of her, kind of like a doll on the shelf. A meaningless point, but closing her eyes would've caused her to doze off so she had to look at something while not really seeing anything.
It was painfully slowly occurring to her that this was it. She was only minutes away from Madara coming to pick her up and 'get it over with' as she crudely put it.
It occurred to her that after the ceremony she can't predict what will happen then. The murky future was so frightening that it nearly crippled her senses.
From the very moment she opened that eyes on the fateful day, Yuna was more distant than ever, drawing some attention even from Madara when she didn't even rebuke his attempt to kiss her with some witty remark.
Yuna didn't notice when Saia dressed her up into the wedding garment, chosen by Madara. It looked dazzlingly beautiful, perhaps? Most likely it did, her eyes couldn't register what they witnessed in the mirror.
She didn't notice when Saia, along with another maid, managed to pin all of her hair in some flamboyant, elaborate hairdo.
It was all simply a mere blur to her senses, just another cluster of facts she acknowledged but didn't think about later. It felt like going to work every day. She did it with a mandatory smile plastered on her face while ignoring everything that went on around her.
"Yuna-sama...you look beautiful."
Saia's voice snapped Yuna out of her hypnotic state, finally drawing some reaction from her.
Her eyes moved to the mirror stationed comfortably in front of her.
It reflected a young woman, a young beautiful maiden dressed in expensive layers of white and pale blue garments, her lips covered with rouge and eyes circled with kohl. A small smile appeared on her lips, as an acknowledgment, to show Saia that there was a sentient being inside the shell.
"You did a wonderful job, Saia-san."
"I had a good canvas to work with," the woman replied with a witty smirk.
"Are you going to be beside me after the wedding?" Yuna asked.
The cheerful look in the woman's eyes faltered for a split second, but she covered it with a polite smile.
"No, Yuna-sama. Madara-sama is going to assign a guard to accompany you. I'm not built to keep you safe from harm," she said, her eyes falling down.
Yuna couldn't trace the emotions behind Saia's words. She wasn't sure if the maid and she had managed to form some strange friendship, or was Saia merely happy to be relieved from her duties.
"Oh, alright..." Was all that Yuna said. She didn't feel like trying to invade Saia's mind to ruin her reputation. Saia looked up from her lap.
"Don't do anything you will regret Yuna-sama. Try to regain the trust of the clan for your own good." Saia said quietly, repeating the mantra and lesson for the last time, causing Yuna to laugh softly.
"Your clan doesn't trust me nor don't they care about me. The majority of them will put up with my presence out of respect for Madara."
Saia couldn't deny this statement for it was true. During the past few days Yuna had made plenty of public appearances, even helping Tatsui train the younger boys and exchanging tips.
Yuna sighed and walked to the door. Her hands was about to reach out when Madara pulled the door open sharply.
Her eyes looked at him, and Madara took notice that the slight dullness was still present in the blue.
There was no denying that he looked...magnificent, fit to be the next leader as soon as the marriage is sealed.
Madara's eyes narrowed. He didn't know how to deal with Yuna in this situation, causing him to be irritated the entire day and it still hadn't subsided.
"Not bad." He noted dryly.
Yuna held back the urge to roll her eyes and pushed past the man to get out of the room.
Side by side they walked through the corridors. Madara glanced at Yuna only for a moment but a displeased look was already in his eyes.
"Stop looking like you're going to your sister's funeral," he sneered.
Yuna clenched her fist, holding back the urge to punch the nearest wall.
"You're not really the one to talk," she snapped back. Not as fiercely as her usual response, but Madara was glad that he managed to draw at least some reaction from her.
Not even on their wedding day could those two suck it up and just act like civilised people. With just that short dialogue the almost-peaceful air had turned back to the low-key hostility the two held for each other.
Neither of them pursued any conversation from this point on.
"Is this going to be big?" Yuna asked gloomily. The corner of Madara's mouth twitched, but it turned into a small smirk.
"You should kiss the earth I'm walking on, because the ceremony itself is private, but we're celebrating right after."
Yuna straightened the sleeves of the kimono without a response. She did feel grateful but not grateful enough to thank him out loud, her pride was still in the way of that.
"Oh joy I'm getting married," Yuna sang sarcastically.
Madara snorted, "Be happy that it's me, not a 50 year old man who wants your body."
Madara noted instead of smacking the woman for the annoying remarks, he had refrained from that slip of judgement. Yuna's head tilted on the side.
"Please do remember that you have implied that you're going to fuck me soon. I could castrate a 50 year old something man and that would solve the problem. You on the other hand are too strong for that."
Madara was appalled by her choice of words. Yuna held back a laugh, trying not to vividly imagine what people would say if they found out that the strong and cruel Uchiha Madara was castrated by his angry wife.
"Ungrateful little wrench!" He pressed through gritted teeth, but his irritation was ignored by Yuna who had grown accustomed to his manner of speech.
Madara felt almost relieved when they reached the room where the ceremony was held.
Without knocking Madara slid the door open and gently pushed Yuna inside.
The girl stumbled a little but regained her posture quickly, it remained unnoticed by the rest in her room, much for everyone's pleasure.
Up front were a table with two seats and a priest sitting behind the table. He had a pleasant artificial smile on his lips.
It didn't make Yuna feel more welcome in any way.
She walked forward and sat down on her knees, careful not to dirty the beautiful white garments. Not a moment later she found Madara seated on her right.
The priest had a small bowl with some liquid in it.
"We have gathered here to unify this couple as one." He said in a calm tone. Yuna felt like he was saying the words too slowly, but she refrained from interrupting the man out of fear that Madara might simply decapitate her for insolence.
Now followed their vows, as practiced earlier.
"I, Uchiha Madara, the leader of the Uchiha clan take this woman as the clan's mistress and my wife. Her family will be like my own."
Madara sounded blank and strangely sincere the same time, but the sincerity was simply an act. The priest's eyes turned to Yuna, Madara simply looked ahead of him.
"I, Kunisada Yuna, take this man as my husband. His family will be like my own."
The words left her lips seamlessly and it felt as if some life was returning to her.
The priest picked up the bowl carefully and gave it to Yuna, while monotonously chanting blessings for the couple. She lifted it to her lips and took three small sips.
She returned it to the priest who passed it to Madara who mimicked Yuna's actions. This was all accompanied by the lulling chants of the priest.
The priest placed the bowl on the table and took another one filled with cold water. He picked a small brush, dipped into the bowl, and drew a symbol on their foreheads for fertility.
"May the gods bless you and all of your offspring." He said.
Yuna and Madara both bowed and...
It was all over.
Yuna knew for sure that there was nothing to be done now.
The priest was still gathering his belongings when Madara got up and pulled Yuna up without using any force. He wouldn't do it in public.
He pulled her out of the room and to some arbitrary direction, it didn't matter much to her.
"Your family is here as well," he informed her, as if it were of some condolence.
Wife, it sounded darn strangely to her. Is it expected of her to refer to Madara as 'husband' from now on?
"Joyous," she noted dryly.
They walked to the middle of the Uchiha compound where a wide training field was morphed to a wedding party. The staff had worked for days to clear everything up and plant some flora.
Empty tables covered with food, flowers covering every possible surface, their scent pungent, and colourful lanterns made it feel like a real festivity.
Not everyone was allowed to attend, only the closest members and the family heads were invited along with a few closer friends.
When they arrived heads turned, cheerful chatter was transformed into a roaring applause.
Madara let go of Yuna's hand when he saw her eyes lit up. He didn't even have to guess to know who would earn such a loving gaze from Yuna.
Her little sister Eiko ran from the crowd to her older sister, the first to break out from the unity.
Madara felt out of place and retreated to personally greet the Kunisada delegation.
Yuna smiled and hugged her younger sister, ignoring all protocol. This was her wedding and she would not stand idly by when her pillar of comfort was so close.
"I got my ass kicked for visiting you, but I told that it was entirely your fault," she said with a giggle.
Yuna rolled her eyes looked around to spot her parents.
She saw them already coming to the sisters. Her mother had a soft, polite smile on her face while Yuna's father looked rather serious, but they both hugged her dearly nevertheless.
"I'm not sure if I should say congratulations, but stay strong will have to suffice," she said carefully. Yuna smiled politely, simply because she had to.
You were the one who dragged me in this in the first place, might I mention?
"You look lovely, my daughter," enthused Hikari, making Yuna spin around for her. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity to marry off your daughter after all!
Yuna didn't notice that Madara was watching her from the distance, pondering over her reactions and words. Izuna walked up to his brother with the usual pleasant smile on his lips and clasped his shoulder reassuringly.
"She looks almost happy, though this is probably the gloomiest wedding I've ever witnessed. The people are happy but the bride and groom look like a cat was killed," Izuna said with a perfectly cheerful voice. Madara's eyebrow rose.
"It'll be over soon enough."
"Hey," snapped Izuna and smacked his brother's shoulder, earning a deadly growl, "That's bad luck saying those things on a wedding day!"
Edited!