Chapter Four

Current Age: Sasuke & Hinata, 6

The bright sun and clear sky seemed to contradict the mood of the day. Hinata stared up at the sun. The warm breeze did nothing to dry the tears in her eyes as she made her way through the forest.

On this day, a funeral was held at the Hyuga compound. The ceremony had ended and many of the attendees have long since retired back to their homes or previous duties. It was business as usual for them, just another day in the week.

For Hinata, it felt like her world ended.

Even though winter had long since passed, and the seasons gave birth to spring. Even though it was her favorite season, because she had the opportunity to tend to the garden and watch her favorite flowers bloom. Even though she was going to spend time with Sasuke, which she had done every single day so far since her birthday.

None of these reasons were enough to ease the sadness in her heart.

Because she couldn't imagine what a world without her mother was going to be like. How was she supposed to survive without her mother's guidance? How was Hinata expected to navigate things without her mother's wisdom? How was Hinata expected to deal with horrible moments, such as this one, without her mother's love?

She didn't want to practice her cooking anymore because that was something she did with her mother. Bathing was out of the question because how could she feel comfortable if her mother wasn't helping her? Even tending to the garden, her favorite thing in the world, was an activity she shared with her mother. In fact, she only loved it so much because it was a moment she shared with her mother. Her mother inspired her love for flowers, for food, for love, for life.

Her mother was everything she inspired to be.

Who will make me pretty kimonos for my birthday, now?

Hinata choked back another sob as she stepped over a branch on the floor.

The long-anticipated birth of her little sister was supposed to be a joyous occasion. But with Hanabi's birth came a price. It was a price that their mother paid with her life. And there was a part of Hinata that was angry at her mother for it. Hinata didn't like it, she felt it was selfish, but it was true. She was angry at her mother for abandoning her. She was angry, devastated, sad and…. Lonely.

Hinata finally made it to the clearing and found that Sasuke was already waiting for her. Without the snow, the clearing turned into a flower field, and she loved sitting and being surrounded by so many pretty flowers. It was the best part of her day. But today, her heart just felt heavy.

Sasuke was seated in their usual spot in the middle. Despite her sadness, seeing Sasuke still gave her the feelings it usual did. Even if just for a moment.

He was sitting without his backpack today. There were no toys. There were no coloring scrolls. No kunais that he snuck from Itachi's room. None of their usual "hangout items". Just him and the brown box she knew contained dango. He stared at her with an understanding look. Though the Uchiha's weren't present at the funeral, she knew that he had heard about the events that occurred today. Everyone knew.

Hinata also knew that she probably looked like a mess. She was still in her funeral robes. Her hair was probably sticking out of her clips since she had spent the last hour in her room, crying under her sheets. Her cheeks had fresh tears making their way down them. She knew she wasn't presentable. And still, she came.

Because she couldn't miss a moment to see Sasuke.

Hinata closed the distance between her and Sasuke and took a seat in front of him. She sat back on her heels in a kneeling position. The box of dango sat between the two of them. She focused her attention on her hands, which were placed on her knees, even though she could feel Sasuke's gaze on her. She tried her best to choke back her sobs. She tried to gather her emotions. She didn't want to scare him away.

"Hey, Hinata-chan." She heard him say. She felt fresh tears threatening their way out of her eyes. She didn't dare to look up at him. "I um… I brought you dango."

"Th-Thank you, S-Sasuke." She managed to let out. She heard the box being opened before she saw Sasuke's hand come into her line of sight. He was holding a stick of dango. Hinata raised her head and met Sasuke's concerned gaze.

"I'm… sorry, Hinata." Sasuke said. "I don't know how you feel… but I know it's not great. I don't know what I would do if I lost my mother." Hinata felt the tears escape her eyelids and slide down her cheek. "I just – I hoped the dango would help." He took his hand that contained the dango back and placed it on his lap. "I'm sorry if it didn't."

Hinata placed her hands on her face and started sobbing then. Sasuke just watched. He didn't know what to do. He'd never had to deal with the death of a close family member before. He didn't know how to comfort her or make her feel better. He didn't know how to help.

So, he just watched as Hinata cried into her hands.

Once her crying seemed to ease a bit, she lowered her hands and reached for the dango stick that he was still holding. He handed it to her. He watched as she laid down on her back on the flowers before she took a bite. Sasuke decided to follow suit. He grabbed a stick of dango from the box and laid down next to her. They laid there in silence while they ate, staring at the bright blue sky.

"I um… I never met your mother before." Sasuke stated once they finished their dango. He continued to stare at the sky. "I've seen her a few times, but I never spoke to her. What was she like?"

Hinata sniffed into her sleeve as she watched a bird fly above them. "She l-loved flowers and sh-she was really… really nice to e-everyone. Even the m-mean ones." She said as a small smile started to appear on her lips at the memory of her mother. "She always s-smiled at me… and gave m-me lots of hugs and kisses. She always s-said that love was v-very important… because it g-gave people a reason to l-live. So, she reminded us h-how much she loved us every day."

"She sounds like a great person." Sasuke stated.

Hinata's smiled again. "She.. She w-was. I want to b-be just like her when I g-grow up."

Sasuke turned his head to watch her. Hinata was still staring at the sky with a smile on her lips. Even in a moment like this, even while sad, Hinata was still the prettiest girl in the world to him. He wondered if she ever had a moment when she wasn't pretty. Sasuke doubted that was even possible.

"I…" Hinata started as the smile slowly disappeared from her face. "I'm going to m-miss her a lot."

"That's understandable." Sasuke responded. "I'd miss my mother too - if she was gone."

He watched as fresh tears made their way down her face. She still stared up at the sky, never once turning to him. "I n-never even… I d-didn't…" She started to sob again. "I never got t-to tell her a-about you."

Sasuke stared at her as her sobbing got louder. She placed her hands on her face.

"I k-kept our secret, S-Sasuke." She said into her hands. "I w-wanted her to know. I… I wanted t-to tell her about you. But I d-didn't. I kept our s-secret…. And now she'll n-never know…"

He didn't know how to respond to that. So, he did the only thing he knew he could do. He grabbed one of her hands from her face and held it.

They stayed like that the rest of their time together that day. No more words were shared between the two. Hinata continued to cry as they both laid on the flowers.

Sasuke offered her his company.

Sasuke walked back from the clearing feeling heavy that day. A part of him felt happy that he got to see Hinata. But another part, a much bigger part, felt sad. He was sad that she was sad. Most importantly, he was sad because he felt responsible for her feeling sad.

Their secret was his idea. It was under the instruction of his father. It was easy for Sasuke to keep the secret since he still had his father to talk about it with. He didn't fully understand what keeping a secret like that meant for Hinata.

Especially now that she'll never be able to tell her mother.

"You should learn to be more aware of your surroundings." Sasuke heard a voice say, suddenly distracting him from his thoughts. He stopped walking and looked up to see his brother, Itachi, leaning against the gate to the Uchiha compound. His arms were crossed at his chest.

"I didn't bump into anything..." Sasuke stated in confusion.

Itachi only stared at his little brother. "When was the last time you've worked on your senses?"

"I don't know." Sasuke didn't understand what the point of this conversation was. "Maybe 2 weeks ago? Master Yuji has only been working on taijutsu with me recently."

"I'll make sure that your next lesson will focus on sensing your surroundings, then." Itachi stated as he started to walk by Sasuke.

"Wait, why?" Sasuke asked. "I don't understand. Did I do something wrong?"

"It's only to help you, brother." Itachi said as he continued to walk away without turning back to look at Sasuke. "So that the next time you're somewhere holding hands with your mate, you'll be aware of anyone who might be watching."

Sasuke's eyes widened. "She's not – we're not –"

"Whatever you say." Itachi said as he turned a corner down the street.

A few months had gone by since Hinata's mother's passing.

Hinata had slowly become adjusted to her new world without her mother. Her little sister Hanabi was partly to thank for that. She was a great distraction for her. She gave Hinata a new purpose in life. Since Hanabi would never get to experience the love and care that was brought by their mother, Hinata wanted to be that for her. She wanted to give Hanabi everything that their mother gave her.

So, she resumed back to the activities that she once shared with her mother. She tended to the garden, she practiced her cooking with the clan chefs, and she even started to learn how to sew. One day, she wanted to make a kimono as pretty as the ones her mother made her.

Sasuke was another major reason for her to be able to get back to her life.

He was the best distraction that she could ever ask for. Her secret meetups with him, and the usual "sparring sessions" they had, brought so much joy to her day. He made sure to always show up for her. He never missed a day. And she didn't realize how much she needed his company.

At the Hyuga compound, she was Hinata Hyuga, daughter of Hiashi and heir. She had to be perfect. So, that's what she was. But when she was with Sasuke, she was just Hinata. She had an outlet. She had someone she could vent her emotions too, so that she could go home and play her part afterwards with no issues.

She was so grateful to have him as her friend.

"I'm done, Hinata!" Sasuke exclaimed as he tied up the last piece of string. They were at their usual flower clearing spot. Hinata had recently learned how to make bracelets and wanted to teach Sasuke how to do it as well. So, she brought the equipment, and they spent their time making each other a bracelet. "It's all done!"

Hinata looked up from her finished bracelet at the one Sasuke was showing her. "It's p-pretty, Sasuke!" She stated. He had chosen to use the purple and lavender strings to make his bracelet for her. Hinata honestly did think it came out nice.

"I'm glad you like it." Sasuke said in an accomplished tone. "Now can I see the one you made for me?"

She handed him the bracelet she was done making. She used the navy, black and white strings to make his bracelet. He never really talked about what his favorite colors were. But she always saw him in these colors.

Sasuke grinned at her. "It's awesome." He handed it back to her. "Can you put it on me?"

Hinata blushed. "Y-You don't have to w-wear it if you don't want too-"

"Why wouldn't I want to wear it?" Sasuke asked with a risen eyebrow. "It's a cool bracelet. And it's one that my closest friend made me. Of course I want to."

"Cl-Closest friend?" Hinata asked.

"Hmm.." Sasuke stated while tapping his chin. "Best friend. That seems better."

"Best friend." Hinata said with a smile. "We're b-best friends."

"Yes, and best friends can wear bracelets made by their best friend." Sasuke responded with. "So, can you put it on me?"

Hinata nodded. "S-Sure." She tied the bracelet around his wrist before sticking out her own hand to him. "Can y-you put mine on for me?"

"Sure can." Sasuke said with a grin. He tied the bracelet he made for her around her wrist. Hinata stared at the bracelet on her wrist with an appreciative smile. "Now, whenever you look at that bracelet, you can be reminded that you know the coolest kid in the world."

Hinata giggled. "My b-best friend." She repeated.

"Forever." Sasuke stated, causing Hinata to look up at him. He gave her a smile. "Destiny, remember?"

Hinata nodded at him before they resumed back to playing with their toys.

Hinata was happy because she knew it was true. It was fate. They were destined to be best friends. And she was happy that she would have him as her best friend for the rest of her life.

But little did she know, all of that would soon change. Everything was about to come crashing down. And the friendship that she cherished so much with Sasuke would completely vanish.

Because exactly one month later, the Uchiha clan would be massacred by Itachi Uchiha.

And Sasuke would never be the same again.

A/N – Hope you have enjoyed the story so far! I had these first 4 chapters written before publishing it on here. So I will be writing the next chapters in real time now. Please let me know what you think!