Hinata smiled as she looked up at the sky. It was a beauty summer day, with clouds dotting the horizon. She raised her hands up toward the sun, stretching the muscles in her arms and back. Her muscles were stiff, since she had stayed up late the night before packing and training for an upcoming mission.
She only had one more thing to do before she was completely ready to leave. First stop the Yamanaka flower shop. Hinata thought as she stepped off of the Hyuga grounds.
The bell over the flowers shops door rang as Hinata stepped inside.
"Hey Hinata!" Ino Yamanka called from behind the counter in the back of the store, causing all the other customers to turn and stare at the Hyuga heiress.
"Hello I-ino-chan." Hinata said in a voice barely above a whisper.
"It there anything I can help you find?"
Hinata shook her head no, a light blush covering her face. She hated it when people paid special attention to her.
"Okay, just holler if you need any help." Ino stated as she turned back to her customer to finish ringing up all his purchase.
"H-hai." Hinata said looking at the floor. She then walked directly over to the pot that held all the calla lilies. They were the same flowers she bought every year around this time.
Hmm... I wonder which color should i choose? White or red? Last year I chose yellow, so this time I think I'll go with white.
Hinata chose six white calla lilies and brought them up to the counter to pay for them.
"Aren't they pretty? They're probably one of my top… five, no three favorite flowers." Ino said, as she wrapped them up for Hinata.
"The-they're beautiful." Hinata said tapping her fingers together. "They were always m- my mother's f-favorite."
Ino smiled a sad smile as she stated to ring up Hinata total.
"W-wait." Hinata suddenly said, as she rushed back over to the calla lily bin.
She returned to the register with three more lilies, only these ones were red.
"Is that all?" Ino said in a humorous tone of voice, which caused Hinata to blush as red as the flowers she was holding.
"H-hai, Hai! That is all Ino-chan. I- I'm s-sorry." Hinata stuttered as she stared, once again, at the flower shops floor.
"It's okay Hinata, I was just kidding." Ino laugh as the Hyugas' face turned an even darker shade of red.
"O-oh, well, achmm... B-bye then Ino-chan"
Sasuke Uchiha looked up at the leaves of the tree he was sitting in. Watching as the summer breeze blew the branches forward and back.
He had been sitting there for hours, not moving a muscle, all the while thinking about life, death and the ways of the world, as he stared down at all the unmoving grave stones.
Just has he was finally about to leave something entering the cemetery caught his eye. Only it wasn't a something it was a someone.
Sasuke watched as Hinata entered the graveyard with an arm full of flowers; watched as she walked among the many graves.
He watched as she brushed her hand across the top of every headstone she passed like she was comforting old friends.
Sasuke Uchiha sat with absolute stillness as he watched Hinata Hyuga crouched down in front of one grave and begin to talk. The wind carried her voice so that Sasuke could just barely make out what the Hyuga was saying.
"Hello mother." Hinata said, as she sat facing her mother's grave. She placed the white calla lilies on the ground before she traced her mother's name with her finger tip.
She did this every time she stopped by to see her mother's headstone; it had become habit. Or maybe closer a ritual.
"It's beautiful outside today, bright with a nice breeze. I hope the weather stays this nice for my mission. My team and I are heading out tonight for our first mission in quite a while."
Hinata smiled as she continues to talk about her team mates and her family, Hanabi, Neji and her Otosan and how everyone is growing and changing.
Finally, noticing how late it getting, Hinata stood and bowed to her mother's grave.
Finally, she's leaving. Sasuke thought as the Hyuga finally stood up . But instead of heading toward the exit of the cemetery, Hinata walked the other direction, still carrying three red calla lilies.
Does she still have other family members buried here? Sasuke wonders has she continues down row after row of headstones.
Sasuke Uchiha freezes once again as Hinata stops in front of two more graves.
Graves that he is very familiar with...
MIKOTO UCHIHA and FUGAKU UCHIHA
Hinata gently places one red lily between Sasukes mother and father's graves, and whispers a short prayer before bowing and walking away.
Holding the last two lilies she brought that day, Hinata walks over to where Sasuke it still sitting, somewhat stunned, in the tree.
Slowly, lightly, he jumped down facing towards Hinata, "Why?" he asked with his eyes blank, and his face unreadable.
Hinata just started at him, with sad, quiet eyes. "D-do I need a r-r-reason Sasuke-kun?"
With a shy smile Hinata hands Sasuke the flowers, then brushes her lips across his cheek, and walks away.
With stiff movements Sasuke walks over and places the flower's Hinata gave him on each of his parent's graves, then, copying the action he saw Hinata do, he runs his own finger tip over his parents names before he follows behind her out of the cemetery.
How did she know...