Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any Naruto brand names in any way shape or form. And the Thirty Themes are from the LJ Group 30 Kisses

Note: AU

List Eta: Battle

Assigned Couple: Itachi and Hinata

Theme II: Snapshot

I never understood my mothers respect for cemeteries. A place of the dead was not a place I specifically enjoyed. I do own her the respect of visiting every once and a while though. I suppose it has been six years since my last visit. The dreary gate squealed as it scraped against the stones beneath it. The air was slightly more crisp I noted as I passed the threshold and into my mothers new home. An almost unnerving silence devoured the area, as the sound of gravel being pressed into the icy soil seemed to echo an almost solid lullaby. I passed the marked tombstones of the newly buried, my gaze ran over there names.

They all seemed so dreary the majority of flowers put on the small landings beneath the stones were dying. The petals slowly unfolding and shriveling. Almost appropriate for the occasion. The small set of orchids in my hand and the small photograph in my pocket seemed so frail. I wasn't the only one who had missed a few anniversaries. My eyes drifted around the area I didn't see any real color. The faded bronze, blacks, and grey dotted the frozen green of the grass and soil. It was almost saddening the dead lay forgotten their last bits of memory rotting in the soil along with them. I pushed passed the newer of the stones to the farther back lot. This cemetery was not for the public and the lots were filled with many important names. The more important the less decaying flowers seemed to exist.

I twisted between the names. The cracks and erosion began to show. The names were fading and twisting. Soon they would only become rocks in the soil, no name, no family, just another corpse in just another ditch. The almost visible line appeared between the center and back lot. A dead zone separating the lines of corpses. The ground was much more vibrant on the line. The frost of the morning was wearing thin in this clearing. I cautiously stepped over it. I looked into the scenery again. From here it turned from headstones to Mausoleums and family crypts. The simple traditional stones appeared occasionally. I looked up at the sky once again feeling a small pressure in the back of my head. The clouds threatened rain as if to spite my efforts. My once polished shoes dragged through the grass, the gravel path died between the line and here.

My attention was split when I heard the echo of a female voice through the stone. I tried to ignore it and walk past. The voice was soft and chanting as if in a solemn prayer. I keep my back to the figure and fought the temptation to see the owner of the voice. Mother lay nearby. I could almost hear her soft words in the back of my mind.

"A nice spot to lay me to rest? The shade of a tree, where only the ones I love will know I lay."

I saw the tree a few steps to my right. The once auburn leaves torn and battered The trunk looked gnarled from the early winter sure to come. The thick and withered roots slithered in and out of the ground as if to keep the corpse company. In between one of the lifted roots lay a soft bouquet of flowers. The variety bore some colors I was sure never had been seen on my pallet. Taped onto the stems of the flowers was a picture of my mothers smiling face. A snapshot taken while her attention was elsewhere. I could feel a smile slide onto my face. Someone remembered her anniversary. No one of my clan would have set the flowers there. Maybe… No, it is most unlikely. That voice could not have stopped here as well. I set my bouquet and the small family picture we had taken so many years ago down on top of the small stone sheet with her name engraved on it.

"Sleep well, may your dreams be as peaceful as your resting place."

I quoted her one last time. Hadn't she always said that at the large tomb of father? I felt a laugh spill from my lips. Such silly memories, too long ago to care for now. I turned my back to the stone and the gnarled tree and made my way down through the never-ending maze of tombstones. As I moved towards a mausoleum, the edges intricately decorated, I could hear the whispering again. Still in prayer, still a lull as if coaxing the dead to awaken to only fall into a deeper sleep. I supposed curiosity got a hold of me. The vibrant colors of those flowers and a snapshot I had never seen of my own mother before fueled the curious flame. I looked up towards the top of the doorway. Ah, so it was her. My hands slipped to the unlocked handle.

"The dead need not your prayers, Hinata. All they require is your memory of their happiness. No amount of prayer can substitute for that."

"Your mother never thought so."

I withdrew a little shoving my hands into my pocket. The once shy little neighbor girl had an edge to her voice. The room was significantly colder than outside, the candles and stained glass windows the only sign of warmth's existence.

"The flowers were not needed." He could feel the tinge of coldness in his own voice.

"I don't need your permission. She was like my mother as well." Her voice transferred into the calm whisper he knew so well.

"Why pray here then? Two mothers never quite works out." He scowled.

This was her mother memory. Dying while Hinata was still quite young was harsh but with little to no remaining memory, was there a point? The room has dust all through out. The only area dustless was a small trail to the candles and to the kneeling post where Hinata bowed in honor.

"Mikoto, was like my mother. She did not give me birth or nurture me while I was young. She was never a replacement for my mother."

I knew what she said was true. My pride bit and stung at me. I went quiet and looked towards the glass window. The picture was of a dove landing into a patch of purple flowers. I did not know Hinata's mother personally. My mother used to say Hinata was a clone of her though. If that was the case, the image matched. I paced in my position slightly. Her light whispers continued for only a minute more before she bowed and turned to leave.

"I need to leave Itachi-kun. Please move."

I stepped outside feeling the urge for a cigarette. I tended to get that temptation even though I quite six years ago. Many things ended six years ago. That was the last time I had spoken with Hinata. I snapped out of my train of thought when I heard the soft click of the lock.

"So what do you want?" She whispered as she turned towards the exit.

"I came to visit mother…" I looked up at the sky. Small droplets fell dousing the ground like kerosene for a flame. I smiled a little, irony.

"You two used to love the rain. It rained the day she died too."

I let out a small breathe. The air was going frigid. I watched her shiver. She was in a sundress. She shivered lightly. I took off my coat and handed it to her. I still had my dark maroon long sleeved shirt on. Once again I relocated my hands to my pockets. I could see the front gate once more.

"You know better than to wear a long sleeved shirt."

"Thank you, Itachi-kun."

I increased my pace of walking a little so I could open the front gate. Just like her Manners had been engraved into memory, unending subconscious habits. I watched her pass the threshold and into the street. She whispered her thanks again and waited for me to slip through. I stepped next to her.

"Where are you going?" I asked honestly curious.

"Home… the house." She stated quietly, correcting herself at the end.

"I could join you, perhaps?"

"I suppose."

Itachi needed to apologize for six years ago; they both knew it. I watched as we walked, people began to grow more common as I followed her. The desolate silence was replaced with the soft hum of engines and people talking. She wheedled through the people expertly. She was a lot shorter than I was so losing her was easier than I thought it would be. I pushed through the crowd looking for the soft blue of her sundress. I felt a small tap on my shoulder. She had come back through the mass and grabbed me by the hand as a mother would a child. I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding and began moving again. I lost track of the turns she had pulled me through. Soon the mass of business-clad jocks had ended into small bits of people just like the rain that fell.

"You still get lost like a child."

I sneered a little at her accusing comment.

"I've never been lost Hinata. I enjoy taking the scenic route."

I could have sworn I heard a snide comment about my intelligence, but I chose to let it pass. Soon we were at the doorstep of what could be a cottage. She jingled with the keys in her pocket. She finally pulled them out and slid them into the lock. A small click and a popping sound later; we were both inside.

She took my coat and set it on a small rack to the right of the door. She slid off her shoes and stepped onto the polished wood floor. I followed suite slipping off my shoes awkwardly and putting on the slippers that lay in the front. She giggled at the small pink fluffy items now attached to my feet. This would be quick, if not for my pride, for my sanity.

"Tea?"

"Yes."

The mechanical sounding conversation appeared every time. She knew exactly what kind I liked and the amount of sugar preferred. We had made a good couple long ago, before the arrangement between us was broken by my mother's death. I would have regretted it at the time but the loss of my mother was the only thing on my mind.

Minutes later a tray was set in front of me. I picked up the cup facing me and took a sip. I watched her pick up her own glass and stare into the almost translucent brown of it. She let out a small sigh, an eerie crack in the silence.

"We could try again."

Her voice sounded dry and hollow. I knew her implication. Try for happiness, peace, family. Things his mother wanted for both of them. I could hear the last of my conscious fight. We lost so much before. What was there left to lose? I could hear her nervously sip her drink as I lead the conversation in a dense nothingness of silence.

"For what now?"

She looked up at me. I could feel her gaze trying to translate me down into something simple.

"For something new."

New has always been a dangerous word for both of our worlds. New brought my mothers death, as well as Hinata's birth mother. New, killed father. New took Sasuke away. New left them both so terribly alone, so terribly cold. What could new do for them now?

"We shared everything before, Itachi-kun. Then something happened. New is something we both detest but it is required. I don't want what we had. I don't want a simple friendship, or something to heal the pain. I know all of those things are wanted, but they are not needed. I need you, Itachi. That picture at the cemetery was the day your mother first heard of the finalization of the contract between us. She was happy for us. Not the clan, but us. She knew we could do what we wanted and maybe we could have a shot at something new… happiness."

I watched her a small tear trickled unknowingly down her cheek. I stood up. A small smile reached her lips. I reached over to her and wiped the small tear from her face.

"Perhaps, we can try something new, but not for her or anyone else. This time let's make it for us, perhaps?'"

"I suppose" A whispered voice said.

The last of the silence bore not the coldness of the tomb, but the warmth of the glowing candle.

Author Note: There is the long awaited second chapter. My computer crashed and was going retarded so I could not submit. Anyway the battle, is another kind or word battle. This one is long and more mellow than the last. I have like 5 more things to work on now . I will try to update all my works soon. Thank you everyone! Read and Review!

-Riza