Chapter 12
Jasmine Peach Pulp
"Mother," Itachi sighed as he walked out of the campus building.
"Don't mother me, dear." Mikoto's silvery voice teased on the other end of the line, "you should call me more."
"Yes mother."Having raised him and Sasuke after their dad was killed at war, she worked janitorial jobs to put food on their table, take herself through school to gain a degree and pay their fees with her secretarial salary. His respect for her could not be topped.
"Anyway dear, you know what this weekend is right?" she went quiet, and he could hear her shuffling from side to side, even with the sun's harsh rays, he could see her, playing with her hair, her eyes falling in the pain of remembering the past.
"Yes mother." Every anniversary of his father's death was heavy in their home but especially for Mikoto. Despite it now hitting a decade, the pain seemed as fresh as it did when the news first hit home.
"Will you come home dear? We can visit together, like we always do." she pushed, almost dreamingly, trying to make it less heavy
"I have an exam that day." he could tell it broke her heart, and just knowing she tried to hide it under false laughter, "Of course dear! I understand." hurt the most
~.~.~
Night had fallen and Hinata began to feel itchy in his home, she had tidied as much as she could, which was not much to begin with. She had made food to last him a week and now was twiddling her thumbs on the couch, mindlessly flipping through channels. With nothing good to watch she found herself flipping through his books, fascinated with the human anatomy, the latin terms of everyday words and the sheer volume of information on the body's unique capabilities.
Time flew by with her eyes studying the pages and the words on them with her sore neck the only indication of time's passage. Taking a break she realized it was almost midnight, cracking her stiff bones and stretching tense muscles. His shirt as a dress, shifting as she moved.
The door opened with a quiet click, the sound of drugging feet and a slightly fermented smell followed.
"Itachi?"