A/N: AU.

When Hiro had bought his house the yard had been over grown, there was ivy climbing up the side of the house, which at the time may or may not have had a little to do with his choice. But as he worked around the house, in the yard, slowly his neighbors began to see a difference.

It had taken him a few months to get the yard cut and completely cleared, but he did it (though it was hard to keep up with it when you were a shinobi). At first the twenty year old man, still trying hard to impress his father, didn't give any thought to putting flowers in the area that had once been a beautiful garden.

But when a young woman, a neighbor (a civilian, as he'd opted to move out of the area nearly all of the active Shinobi in Konohagakure lived in), brought him a small Alium (strength) in a pot he planted it carefully following her instructions.

The purple Alium was beautiful, and went nicely with the ivy, but as Hiro looked at the in the morning, on his way out for a mission, he realized that they looked lonely. His neighbor, the same woman, offered to water it while he was away, smiling he thanked her.

Hiro returned to the village almost eleven days later, and realized it was his mothers birthday. The Yamanaka flower shop was on the way to his fathers house. On his way there Hiro saw Itachi, the young Uchiha prodigy, and smiled at the boy, who didn't smile back.

Hiro went into the flower shop, and asked the attendant, a Yamanaka male, for assistance. His mother liked flowers he said. In the end he picked the Impatiens (Motherly love) over the Light pink Roses (Admiration). On his way to the counter Hiro noticed an Astible (I'll still be waiting), and asked the attendant to ready several for him as well.

The Astible, Hiro thought smiling down at the tray of flowers he was carrying to his fathers house, would look nice with his Ivy and Alium. Hiro didn't spend long with his mother and father, his brother and sister, before rushing home to plant his flowers.

His neighbor was there checking on his Alium, and she seemed excited that he had bought more flowers. She helped him plant them, and when there was only one left he asked her to take it, as a thank you. She took it and kissed his (right) cheek before rushing off.

No woman had ever acted like that around him, and Hiro was confused. More confused over the fact that she'd kissed his right side, then the fact that she had kissed him. Hiro went into the house and began to wash his hands. Looking up into the mirror Hiro scowled at his reflection, the scars on his right side always made him feel depressed.

The next morning Hiro had to leave for a three day mission, again he asked her to water his flowers, but this time he introduced himself. Her name was Aiko, and he thought it was beautiful, just like her.

On his way home, after his mission, Hiro stopped, once again, at the Yamanaka's flower shop, and perused the flowers. He chose, in the end, to by ten Arbutus (Thee only do I love), to line his walkway, and an Allspice (Compassion) for Aiko. Much to his relief Aiko was there when he came home with the shrubs.

He asked, once again, for her assistance with the planting. When they were done he gave her the Allspice, and asked her if she would like to come over the next afternoon for some tea, she happily agreed, and went home singing.

The next morning Hiro, having the next several days off tried to decide what to do. While he needed to buy some food, and tea (and a tea pot, much to his surprise), Hiro found himself, once again, at the Yamanaka flower shop. The attendant laughingly told Hiro that he was supporting the clan the way he'd begun to buy flowers.

Hiro smiled as he picked out a Acacia (Concealed love), and then the Attendant asked something strange; "So, how long have you been betrothed?"

Confused Hiro responded that he wasn't, the attendant responded, embarrassed, that he was sorry. Hiro paid, giving the attendant a strange look, and left quickly, without asking why he had asked the question.

Hiro went shopping, still carrying the flower, and ran into, much to his embarrassment, several people he knew. They all commented on the flower, but Hiro offered nothing, just the type.

When Aiko came over for tea, she saw the flower, and commented that it was one of her favorites. They had tea in near silence, she seemed ready to speak, when suddenly Hiro leaned forward, and whispered something he'd never told anyone else before; "I'm gay."

Aiko's face flushed and she looked slightly despondent, until suddenly she smiled, and seemed pleased. She's never known a gay man before, she commented, excited. And Hiro bet she had, but none had admitted it to her.

After that Aiko began to accompany Hiro up to the Yamanaka flower shop when he wanted a new flower, she and the attendant talked one time, as Hiro looked at the flowers. They both thought the flowers Hiro picked spoke volumes of the things he wouldn't put into words; he was in love, but his love either didn't know, or didn't share his feelings.

The first trip with Aiko Hiro had bought an Asparagus fern (Fascination), the second a Flowering Almond tree (Hope), the third a Black Poplar (Courage), the forth Anemone (Forsaken) that day, she'd noticed, he'd seemed in a rather depressed state of mind.

She enjoyed the trips with Hiro though, he was a pleasure to be around.

When Hiro, now thirty, decided to renovate his house, he turned to Aiko for help. Aiko, now his closest, and possibly only, friend, offered the suggestion that he build a glass room, for the plants he kept inside. Hiro thought this an excellent idea.

He had full length windows out in the walls, and a bay window was added, over looking the garden out back.

This became Hiro's tea room, with flower shelves under the windows, which had sheer curtains. It always smelled, as Aiko put it, of spring. No matter the time of year.

All the windows had flowers under them, to soak up the sun.

All but the bay window, which had sheer curtains like the rest of them.

The bay window had shrubs under it outside, however. Azaleas (First love). And a small Aster (Elegance) garden lay in front of the Azaleas.

But what was most obvious out the bay window was a group of Camellia (Gratitude), Pink (Longing for you), Red (You're a flame in my heart), White (You're adorable).

With Carnations (Distinction) surrounding it, ranging from a circle of White (Faithfulness), Pink (I'll never forget you), Purple (Capriciousness), Red (Alas my poor heart), Yellow (Rejection), and finally Striped (Refusal).

These flowers made Aiko a little sad to look at, as Hiro had chosen them one fall while he was particularly depressed, almost two years ago now, but Hiro seemed to love to look at them.

She personally loved his collections of Dahlia's (Forever), Daisy's (I'll never tell), Forget-me-nots (Remembrance), Gardenia's (Secret Love), Hyacinth (Rashness) Purple (Sorrow) Yellow (Jealousy), Jasmine (I attach myself to you), and finally his Snapdragons (Deception).

While they'd been working on these collections she'd asked him one time, if he understood the meaning of these flowers, he had nodded solemnly. She never brought it up again.

During the summer while Hiro was gone on a mission Aiko was caring for his plants, when she went inside to water them. As she entered the tea room she noticed that there was a flower sitting in the bay window, it was a Tuberose (Dangerous Pleasure). Unsure of how the plant came to be in the room she checked it, and left it where it was, thinking that perhaps Hiro had picked it up before his mission.

The week after that, when Hiro was on another mission she went across the street to his house to feed his koi, and check his flowers. When she noticed, yet another strange flower sitting in the bay window, beside the Tuberose, this time it was a Rhododendron (Caution).

When Hire returned he put the Rhododendron out back, where you could see it from the bay window. Very close to his collection of camellia and carnations.

The third time a plant appeared Aiko began to wonder if Hiro knew who was putting them there. Aiko walked slowly over to the bay window, and looked carefully at the Primrose (I can't live without you) and wondered who on earth was bringing these.

When Hiro was thirty two he returned from a mission with his left arm in a sling, and bandages over the majority of his body. He was on leave, he told Aiko. A forced vacation of sorts. Aiko laughed before walking him into the tea room, as they entered the room they both immediately noticed a purple Orchid (Rare beauty), that was rather large, and had many blossoms on it.

Aiko, who'd never seen an Orchid so large, and beautiful, approached it slowly as Hiro stood in the doorway, looking at the Orchid with a strange expressions. He'd seen that very Orchid before. Aiko took a note from the pot and read it to him slowly;

It's like an Orchid, Hiro. It doesn't blossom over night.

I'll return it when I can.

Aiko didn't understand. Turning to Hiro she was surprised to see him smiling so happily. She guessed he understood. After they had tea Aiko went home to attend to her children, and Hiro remained in the tea room.

Hiro went to the window and opened it slowly, as he wrote a note out with his right hand, it looked awful but as his left hand was broken, he figured it would do. Climbing awkwardly out the window, Hiro attached the note to his Flowering Almond, and went inside, leaving the window unlocked, before he headed to bed.

As soon as Hiro was asleep Itachi slipped out of the trees out back of the mans house and went to the tree where he'd seen Hiro put the note. He was almost nervous to look at it, but slowly Itachi took the note from the tree and unfolded it. Hiro's handwriting was shaky, and nearly ineligible.

'I'll wait forever'.

A/N:

Uhg, gosh this was hard to write. AU from the other Hiro fics I wrote. AU in which he isn't... crazy as heck.

I don't particularly like this, but it's just something I did out of boredom, and lack of RP. Also, might be a set up for me to write more from this AU.

This AU in which Itachi did not massacre his clan :|.