The Path Home

Mother's Garden

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"I can't believe you're graduating!" Hinata said smiling happily. Her short indigo hair had grown past her shoulders to mid back, it swayed with the breeze catching the suns light sparkling.

"Yeah…too bad you wont be though, I was hoping to be there with you."

They were sitting on the veranda, a plate of sandwiches between them drinking iced tea. It was spring again, reminding Sasuke of when he and Hinata had first met five years before and he smiled slightly. It was a happy memory, one that he carefully placed in the back of his mind with the memories of his mother.

"Don't worry. You'll get to see her graduate next year-just think you'll be in the audience with the rest of the parents clapping happily saying 'that's my girl!' and all that…" Itachi said from the garden. He looked odd with the hoe in his gloved hands as he worked with the flowers but it seemed also oddly natural.

"No, her father will be the one crying like that Itachi maybe even you…the way you carry on." Sasuke said with a light flush. Hinata giggled.

"Oh really? I didn't think that Hiashi would be there." Itachi said then looked at the girl beside his brother still laughing at his flushed cheeks. "Don't get me wrong Hinata, it's just that your father doesn't seem like the type to attend something like that."

"Oh no, I understand. I've already told him that he doesn't have to go. He's been very supportive of me with my appointments and hospital stays." She said. "After all it must be hard for him, since he was with mother when she was often sick too…sometimes I feel so bad for being so sickly."

Sasuke shook his head, dark tendrils of hair whipping by his face.

"Don't. It's not your fault."

"Oh I know."

Itachi shook head. He plucked an orchid from the garden, examining its soft red violet petals. Looking towards the young teenagers sitting beside one another on the veranda he smiled. 'They look good together', he thought.

Itachi shut his eyes, inhaling the sweet perfume of the flowers he had so diligently worked on. His mind took him to days long ago, when his father had fixed the veranda just for his mother.

He could see them, sitting there and smiling like they used to, still so very much in love like the teenagers they had been when they had met. Sasuke had been so little, with a gentle smile on his face. Sitting in his mothers lap playing with her long dark hair.

'Itachi are you sure?' His father had asked, his hand in Mikoto's hair. 'A garden is an awful lot to take care of for a six year old.'

'Oh I don't know Fugaku, I think he can handle himself. Besides a garden would be a splendid idea.' She said and almost as to add his own opinion the one year old in her lap squealed happily clapping his chubby little hands.

'See dad! Even Sasuke wants me to, so can I?'

Dark gray eyes, aged slightly at the corners creased as Fugaku smiled brightly and almost goofily as he nodded, brown hair falling into his eyes.

It had always amazed Itachi, even when he was small, the physical differences between himself and his father. Although he'd inherited the deep creases below his eyes from him the similarities always ended there.

He had not inherited the deep olive skin or the coffee brown hair.

Just like Sasuke, he looked like his mother.

'Yeah! So what kinda flowers should I grow? Oh! Should I do tomatoes to? Sasuke likes those.'

The infant, Sasuke, squealed happily again his chubby little hands flying up and waving.

'So tomatoes and oh I know! Orchids are mama's favorite so orchids too. Definitely orchids.'

So it was no wonder why now that orchids were his favorite.

"Hey, Hinata, do you want this?" He lifted the plucked flower, holding it up so that she could see. "It's pretty isn't it?"

Hinata stared at the flower; flush coloring her face deeply, beside her Sasuke scowled although in his eyes mirth began to surface. He poked the girl's side. "You know you want it."

She nodded; her eyes gleaming as she lightly jumped of the veranda and walked towards Itachi's out stretched hand, Sasuke following close behind her. "Thank you. No one's ever given me a flower before."

Sasuke smiled, putting his hands on her shoulders and squeezing. He seemed happier about the gift then Hinata did. Itachi couldn't figure why.

"Well now Itachi and I will have to fix that."

"Yes."

Hinata nodded, taking the flower into her small hand and examined it carefully, holding it as though it would shatter. "Fix it?"

"Yes."

The brother's laughed slightly at the blushing girl, as memories of happier time came to mind of their once whole family. Again the thought of their mother came to mind, happy as she held a bouquet of orchids in her hands, picked from her children's hands themselves on one of her birthdays.

Now, there was no reason to sit there in the garden, mourning the times they would pick these flowers and arrange them for someone no longer there.

It was easy for them to give Hinata their mother's orchids. Mikoto would have wanted it that way they figured…besides, seeing Hinata smile while holding them always made their days a little brighter.

The Uchiha brother's began to feel like a real family again.

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Sera: Woot! Chapter 3! I know there was a skip in years, but the story will probably progress this way. It also jumps from past to present. Chapter two was Sasuke and Itachi, as adults recalling Hinata and their mother. Flashbacks are a big part of it. I hope you enjoyed it.

It was easy to place Hinata into this type of particular role. She is, in the manga portrayed as kind of weak…so making her sickly here was simple-a lot of you probably already know where it will lead Hinata and some of you will be right however it will have an impact that will overcome the cliché-ness…I hope.

Review please but no flames…I hate those!