Sundays

99 7 3
                                    

post-war. canon-divergence au. hurt/comfort. romance

Sasuke supposed he was curious.

It didn't help that Naruto basically pushed him into finding out who was responsible for the flowers on Itachi's grave every Sunday. Sasuke suspected random villagers wanting to pay their respects to his brother after word spread of his sacrifices for Konoha.

She never crossed his mind. The Hyuuga heiress, the kunoichi with a warm smile who welcomed him back to the village together with Naruto and Sakura. But there she was at the memorial park, kneeling in front of Itachi's grave. A familiar bouquet of white hyacinths carefully arranged beside the marble stone.

He observed her from the trees, his shoulders resting against the trunk, hands inside his pockets. Not wanting to alert her of his presence, he concealed his chakra. Sasuke wanted to reach her, to find out what her lavender eyes see. To know the answers to the questions that raced his mind the moment he found out it was her. Why was she here? How can she understand their pain when she lived a sheltered life as a spoiled princess. When she hadn't lost a part of her life with the death of someone close to her.

He was about to approach her, his Sharingan activated unknowingly when a hand grabbed on his shoulder, a familiar faint of chakra seeping into his skin. "I knew I'll find you here."

Naruto appeared in his peripheral, his cerulean blue eyes softening at the sight of the Hyuuga heiress.

A long silence passed before Sasuke heard him speak. "She brings white hyacinths to Itachi's grave every Sunday after the war."

Sasuke stood motionless, trying to remember how to breathe, totally stunned by what he just heard.

"Why?" he whispered.


Naruto carefully chose his words and looked at his friend thoughtfully

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Naruto carefully chose his words and looked at his friend thoughtfully. "She lost a brother too." Sasuke heard the quiver in his best friend's voice. "Neji died protecting us."

No words were spoken but the blonde knew the former avenger understood.

Sasuke felt a soft and warm feeling in his chest, a sensation so foreign to him. Hyuuga Hinata was an anomaly; a beautiful, haphazard broken thing unknowingly worming her way on the walls he had built around himself.

"Is that why you led me here?"

Naruto shrugged, smiling sheepishly, "I guess I wanted to help the two of you. I may not understand your pain but I know someone like her would. Someone who's grieving just as much as you."

Sasuke stood in silence, his eyes trailing her every movement until she left the memorial.

A week later, Hinata found a bouquet of blue hydrangeas on Neji's grave. She thought it was from her sister Hanabi, but noticed a similar-looking set of flowers a few steps to her left on the grave of a beloved brother.

Taking a deep breath, Hinata closed her eyes. A single drop of grief welled up from the corner of her eye, the rest following in an unbroken stream. She dried her tears with the sleeves of her shirt. Her lips turned up into a smile and a wash of emotions settling over her heart.

"Thank you, Sasuke-kun."

--

Flower Meanings:
White hyacinths - Praying for someone
Blue hydrangeas - Gratitude and understanding


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