The Eyes of Fate

Chapter One: Attonement

"I'll be heading out now, mom." Kairi slipped on his shoes and grabbed his katana, he paused and waited for her to respond. Not hearing anything, he walked out the front door and made his way to the back of the house where his mother sat, feeding the animals. "I'll be going now."

Hinata looked up at him and nodded, "are you going to wait for your father? Did he say you can wander the forest yet?" She stood up, and lightly dusted her pants.

"Mom, come on, I'm seven now." He groaned.

"Seven is still a child, Kai." She patted him on the back and followed him back into the front 'yard'. "It's not like I don't trust you to be safe..."

"I'm meeting dad near the river for some training. He didn't wait for me, so I'm going alone."

"No wonder...alright. Just be careful, stay out of the animals' way and don't go around swinging that thing just because you can." Hinata scolded, "I'll see you both for lunch?"

"Mhm!" Kairi grinned and skipped off.

Hinata shook her head and sighed.

It's been three years since the war, three years since she's been living in the forest, three years since they settled down. Occasionally, they'd be sent missions by Kakashi, or Naruto would stop by when he was in the area — which was becoming rather frequent although the Leaf was a long way away — but those days went by quickly.

Finishing with the animals, she sat on the small bench and looked around. They've changed up the backyard a little bit more. Crops grew to one side, while the animal pens were further away — Sasuke had complained about all the noise the wild pigs made. A stone path was barely visible as it sunk into the soil, and grass grew in patches, nonetheless, it was pretty.

"What should I make for today's lunch and dinner?" Hinata thought out loud to herself. With a partner like Sasuke, and a son who loved everything the Uchiha liked, she has to deal with the stomachs of picky eaters — not that it was a problem. It was just a hassle to have tomato related request made when they took a while to grow.

Settling on just sandwiches for lunch, she went inside to start baking the bread. The house was filled with its nice aromas, making her stomach growl.

When the two boys returned, they were nothing more than a soiled mess. Their faces were covered in dried mud, and their clothes held tiny stones.

"Shower, this instant." She didn't leave room to argue as she cut the warm bread and put together their lunches.

"We're not—"

"If you're not going to shower, then you're sitting outside, not at my table."

"But—"

"You heard her." Sasuke placed a hand on the dejected boy's shoulder. "I don't want to deal with an angry Hinata any time soon." He grumbled the last part, pretending that she wasn't staring at him. "Are there any—"

"Tomatoes?" She held out their plates; a nice sandwich with tomato slices on the side.

"Fresh bread and tomatoes! My favourite." Kairi grabbed his own and went outside.

"Since when did you like fresh bread?" Hinata followed behind with her own lunch.

"Since Aunt Sakura brought some." He chewed happily on the tomatoes. "Though, your bread is better."

"I'll make note of that."

The trio sat and ate their food, talking amongst themselves. Soon, lunch was over and she was left alone again while they continued their training. Heading into their bedroom, Hinata took a quick shower and sat on the bed as she combed her hair.