In Another Life

Untitled part

Sasuke was walking through the village when he saw Ino's flower shop. He had just been in the Hokage tower dealing with another session of Tsunade trying to be a therapist...She was trying her best; he knew this. He just wished that things wouldn't have gone the way they had. He wished everything had been different... he slowed his pace down more and sighed as he saw the variety of flowers she had. A month...An entire month has passed since she was killed by Tobirama.

He glared down at his hands, he felt the familiar clench in his chest and burning at his eyes. He turned and walked into the flower shop. His footsteps were silent, but the sadness in the air is what made Ino jolt around. She had been tearfully setting up a bouquet of Red and white roses, pink lilies, yellow daffodils, and those small white space consuming flowers that no one knew why they were there, they were just there to take up space and give specks of white throughout the flowers. She wiped her eyes and set the bouquet on the counter. Her sniffles made him frown. Her eyes were red and puffy and she bit her lip as she looked up at him.

"What can I help you with, Sasuke-kun?" she asked and he looked around. "Can...ban you get me a dozen red roses?" he asked softly and she nodded. "Yeah..." she whispered and she made her way around the shop gathering her supplies. She clipped the ends of the roses and set them on the crinkling green plastic. He watched as her fingers delicately folded the plastic around the roses and then she set them in a vase. Sasuke opened his mouth to stop her and she gave him a sharp look. "I know where you're going. I'm going with you...there is someone I want to visit as well." She said as she turned and grabbed the other bouquet of flowers and put them in a vase as well.

He opened the door for her and she nodded politely in thanks. The walk was silent and both of them were obviously saddened. "You loved her..." she said suddenly and he nodded. "I loved her, but she loved him. I was always the friend she could talk to and she was the one I could open up to without being treated differently." He said and Ino nodded. "That's how Neji was. He was hard and a little rough around the edges...but if you needed anything he would always be the first one to offer to help me." she said and Sasuke offered a pat on the back and a light smile. "So you loved him, but he loved Tenten...those situations are always the hardest." He said and she nodded.

"She always loved Naruto... there was no room there for me... but Naruto always chased Sakura... and Sakura chased me... everything was just.... complicated. it wasn't like she would have ever looked my way anyways...I was a traitor. I had run off and joined akatsuki. I was the exact opposite of the one she spent her entire life chasing after...I was the demon in the dark while he was the angel in her eyes..." he bit out and Ino nodded. "That sounded sappy, but...I get it..." Ino said and Sasuke chuckled lightly.

They reached the graves and they went their separate ways. Ino had not only come to visit Neji's grave, but her father's as well. Sasuke looked down at Hinata's grave and frowned. The leaves had already started to fall and cover her grave. He hit his knees and with gentle hands, he brushed away the leaves to reveal the stone beneath. His fingers brushed over her name and he smiled sadly. "Hello Hinata-chan." He greeted and the wind blew around him. "I hope you will wait for me, wherever you are." He said and placed the red roses as he looked up towards the bright blue sky.

He then stood and waited on Ino to finish saying her greetings and goodbyes. He saw an extremely elderly woman with a cane making her way over to the grave sites. He watched as she slowly forced herself to sit in front of Hinata's grave. Her white eyes admired the flowers and her long delicate fingers brushed over the petals and then they moved towards the name on the headstone. Ino turned to see the woman as well and she smiled. "Apparently she was loved dearly in her family. I heard she took care of the elderly men and women in her family." Ino said and Sasuke nodded. "I guess she must be her great, great grandmother then..." Sasuke said and the old woman made a move to wave them off.