The first snow of winter was a light dust that covered the shoulders of the customers walking into the warm cafe for a hot drink. It was a relatively dreary evening. The sky was already dark, and shadows flashed across the walls as passing cars brightened the dining area for a moment with their headlights. The murmur of the room was small and quiet. People seemed more determined to warm their hands and souls with a mug of coffee than chat idly with one another.

It was a slow shift. Not that Hinata minded much. She set out to clean a table and bring the dirty dishes to the back. Temari was out sitting guests in between her rounds, and when she heard Table 6 being mentioned, she glanced up to see if Sasuke had come to see her.

No. Not at all.

A familiar face followed Temari to the booth, and for a moment, Hinata could hardly remember the name to it. Dark hair. Pale shin. Beautiful features.

Where had … she … .

Wait.

Hinata felt it, suddenly. Water falling around her. Orange and red leaves. Thunder. Wilderness. Flooded streets. She was out in the middle of it all with a broken heart because –

"M-Mikoto?"

That was not how she was supposed to greet her guests, but the name tumbled from her mouth before she realized it. Dark eyes glanced up at her. They blinked, then narrowed with focus, then widened with bright realization.

"Oh my goodness. It's – you!"

Hinata turned to look for that familiar, small face.

He was there, too: Itachi. On the opposite side of his mother, by the window, right next to –

"Hin … ata?"

Sasuke Uchiha.

Chapter 24

It's a Big World. People Just Gather, Sometimes.

"You know them?"

Leaning against the counter that held the registers, Kiba gave Table 6 another suspicious glance as he waited for Hinata to fill her pitcher of water. His arms were crossed as a rather peculiar frown turned the corners of his lips down to the ground. He didn't seem peeved or annoyed; if anything, it looked like he was contemplating something.

"Sort of," she whispered, scared they might hear her despite them being across the room. "That's the woman of the lost child I told you about. And across from her – that's –"

"That blind kid at college."

Nodding, Hinata lifted the gate and left the employee's only spot behind the counter. She swiped two menus from the counter and sandwiched them under her left arm, making sure to not spill any water. Kiba watched for a moment, then turned back to the table.

"Huh," he breathed, shaking his head, "small world."

Somehow, Hinata blamed it more on her luck of things. She somehow met and started dating the Devil who shared the same looks and name as Sasuke Uchiha, so of course this would happen to her.

…

"I feel like I should really thank you again."

A crisp fifty was placed on the end of the table when Hinata came over to fill their glasses and hand out the menus. Mikoto was eying her uniform carefully, as if making sure she wasn't seeing things, and Itachi shot her a knowing smile as he flipped the menu to the kid's side. Sasuke said nothing, and Hinata wasn't sure if she should be glad or not.

"O-Oh, no." Hinata tried to push the fifty back to the woman, who in turn placed a firm hand on it and shoved it back her way before leaning over the table.

"Sasuke," she said, "this is the woman I was telling you about. The one who called when she found Itachi. Ah, what's your name again, dear –"

"Hinata," Sasuke said before she could open her mouth. "Hinata Hyuuga."

Mikoto blinked at him. "You know her?"

The pause was long enough for Hinata to find her words and speak. "We've gone to the same school for two years and studied together. U-Um, and he lives next to me." Eying the familiar, maroon frames he had folded onto his lap, Hinata got the courage to add, "We're friends."

"And you also work here." Mikoto placed a hand on her forehead and leaned into the booth. "What a small world."

Hinata smiled and clicked her pen. "Can I get you anything else to drink while you look over your menus?"

"Oh, you simply have to sit with us." Mikoto was already scooting over, patting the seat next to her. "It will be my treat. Please. I owe you so much, after all."

Sasuke fidgeted, looking uncomfortable, and Itachi dropped his menu, smiling.

"Momma," he said, sounding so much like a kid. Hinata had to look twice to make sure it was actually him, the previous Grim Reaper whose soul got trapped in such a small body. "I think she works here."

Mikoto hummed at her son's words, then shot Hinata a guilty smile.

"I'm sorry."

"U-Um." She hated seeing that face and glanced at the clock on the wall. "My break starts in twenty minutes. I can … come over then."

That seemed to satisfy the woman, who grinned and read through the menu quickly. She ordered a small, chocolate milkshake for her son, which made Itachi grin and Sasuke shake his head. "And for him," she added, gesturing to the boy across from her, "a black coffee. Is that fine, Sasuke?"

But … Sasuke hates coffee. "I don't –"

"That's fine," Sasuke told his mother. "Thanks."

She stared at him, decided it was best to not intervene, and scribbled down the orders before leaving.

…

She turned a few moments later, handed Itachi his milkshake, and hesitantly placed the coffee in front of Sasuke, who instantly rested his hands against the warm sides of the mug.

When Mikoto ordered food for them all, Hinata made sure to watch Sasuke drink his coffee as she wrote down the orders. As expected, a subtle twist came to his face, but no word or noise of protest dared to escape him as he kept sipping at the hot, dark beverage.

Confused, Hinata took the menus and went to give the chefs their orders.

…

"Has twenty minutes passed yet?"

Itachi asked the question that time, and Mikoto laughed as Hinata set their food in front of them. Pulling back the sleeve of her sweater, the woman looked at her watch and hummed. "She has a few minutes. Why, Itachi?"

He nodded his head to the window. "I want to play in the snow with Hinata."

If it had been any other kid, she wouldn't have thought anything more of it. But this was Itachi. Surely, he had something he wished to say to her in private. Sharing a glance with Mikoto, spotting no refusal in her gaze, Hinata nodded. "I'd love to."

"After you eat all your food," his mother piped.

Itachi began to scarf down his fries, and Hinata laughed and turned to leave.

"Oh," Mikoto called, "and could you please refill Sasuke's coffee?"

He's already done?

With a quiet nod, Hinata went to the back, stood in front of the coffee machine for a moment, contemplated, then pulled out packets of tea, instead.

…

She watched closely as he took a sip. His brows raised in shock, his eyes fluttering slightly, and then he cooled his face once again and continued to drink as if nothing happened.

Trying her best to hide her grin, Hinata turned down to Itachi, who tugged at her sleeves and stared at the door.

"We'll be just outside," she told Mikoto before leaving with him. Winter was a biting cold that was merciless when compared to the warmth of the cafe. Snow was still falling from the ashy sky, piling up on the sidewalk and in the small yard between the cafe and the parking lot. Itachi took her where the snow had been untouched by the footsteps of people and crouched down to dip his bare hands into the snow. Hinata settled next to him, staring. "What is it?"

"How's Sasuke?" was his first question, and the concern in his voice made her smile.

"Like he usually is."

Itachi gave a light chuckle. "That's good to hear." His dark eyes glanced over his shoulder, towards the front of the cafe, and he continued. "Somehow, even when I'm away from my little brother, I'm still reminded of him." And when he turned back to her, there was a curious sparkle to his gaze. "Sasuke Uchiha. I barely remembered him when I first came into this body, but now … I remember him well. I've known him since I was born. He and my mother are very close."

"I was shocked to see him there." And it was even more shocking to know that Itachi knew both his brother and this Sasuke so well.

For a moment, it was quiet as the snow fell silently and landed in their hair, sparkling in the artificial light of the street lamps.

"It makes me wonder." Itachi pulled his hand from the snow and looked at it. Comparing it, maybe, to something. "How far can we call things coincidence, and when is it the right time to say it was destined to happen – or that it's a sign given to us?" That aged look came to his face when he locked eyes with her, and no longer did she feel like she was talking to a little boy. "Hinata, do you suspect it, too?"

Such vague words, but her heart was already skipping painful beats in her chest.

But not a word escaped her. Instead, they froze on her tongue as the door opened, and out came Sasuke Uchiha, cane carefully leading him onto the sidewalk. Itachi jumped to his feet and ran to his side.

"Watch out, Sasuke," he said, grabbing the older boy's arm. "There's some ice here. I don't want you to fall."

Sasuke's foggy gaze fell to the ground as he dropped a hand on Itachi's head, messing up his hair slightly. "You left your gloves inside," he said. "Go back and let your mom put them on for you."

Itachi sent a passing look her way before moving to go inside. Hinata made her way to Sasuke, watching the puffs of mist lift his lips.

"I'm sorry if he's bothering you," he said eventually.

"I don't mind," Hinata affirmed, making sure he could hear the smile in her voice. "It's good to see him again."

"Yeah. Thanks for that. I didn't know it was you, or I would have …."

He trailed off, scratching the back of his neck.

Hinata took that moment to ask the big question in her head. "How do you know her?"

His lips turned into something of a smirk, and his face brightened considerably for someone who did not tend to show his emotions much. "She was going to be my step-mom," he said. "My dad was going to marry her, but then the accident happened when she was pregnant with Itachi, so it … never happened. But I've known her most of my life. I … consider her my mom. Usually."

Mom. That smirk morphed into something more of a smile when that word left him in a puff of white fog.

And Hinata's chest warmed knowing that even after the death of his parents, he wasn't completely alone.

"She loves you like her own son, too. I can tell."

That light pink flush came to the tops of his cheeks as he clicked his tongue. "Sure."

"But … why won't you tell her you hate coffee?" she asked.

Sasuke's hands gripped his cane as he frowned. "Father liked coffee, and I think I remind her a lot of him." He gave a heavy sigh that allowed his shoulders to slope. "It's just easier this way. Don't mention it to her."

Hinata laughed and shook her head in amusement. "Alright."

…

"But while I have you here …. When you had Itachi when he got lost, did anything ever … happen to him?"

Against the wall of the cafe so that the wind did not blow directly against them, but still out of the way of the door for people to enter and exit easily, Hinata and Sasuke stood shoulder-to-shoulder, soaking in the little body heat they could get from one another.

His question was quiet and hesitant, and the fact that he was asking it away from Mikoto and Itachi was not lost on Hinata.

"No," she said. "He acted normally, and we only ate together and washed his clothes. Why?"

Sasuke's head tilted back, jaw hanging a bit.

"He's acting differently," he explained. "I don't know if Mikoto's noticed, but I have. It's strange. He's not completely different, but … he seems more aware of things. He doesn't throw fits or get his emotions in a twist like any other kid his age. Before, Itachi was still a bit confused with my blindness. Now, it's like he understands it perfectly. It all reminds me of …"

He trailed off.

"Of what?" Hinata asked.

He scoffed and shook his head. "It's stupid. He kind of reminds me of someone I knew years ago. But that doesn't matter. If you say nothing happened, I believe you."

Sasuke, Hinata knew, had every right to be suspicious. And, desperately, she wanted to tell him the truth. But he wouldn't believe her. Surely, he wouldn't. So she swallowed her words and gave his shoulder a comforting squeeze as the door opened and Itachi poked his head out.

"Momma says you'll freeze."

Sasuke forced a smile and went towards Itachi's voice as the boy opened the door for him.

"We wouldn't want that to happen. Come on, Hyuuga. Mikoto still wants to pay for your meal while you're still on break."

So she followed them back into the cafe, dusting the snow off her shoulders and leaving behind a quiet, white world.

Chapter 24 - End