Towards the Sun

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The unexpected collision brought Sasuke immediately out of his reverie, and successfully substituted his previous scowl with a startled look. From the corner of his eye, he saw something white fall.

"Ah! E-Excuse me...," came Hinata's mellow voice. It sounded surprised too. Glancing upwards, she added, "Oh... Good morning, Sasuke-kun."

Yin and Yang clashed. A young woman with white eyes and a young man with black eyes looked at each other for the briefest moment.

"Good morning..." Sasuke's voice trailed off as his gaze settled on what the dark-haired girl was holding.

A bouquet of white flowers.

Huh?

Before he could start analysing the situation, though, Hinata had already made her way swiftly around him, shooting another clumsy "Excuse me" as she passed him by. The young lad watched her go away, his gaze lingering momentarily on her long cascade of midnight-blue hair... Then, he began wondering why she was wearing a long-sleeved jacket and training pants that reached down to her mid-calves in summer. The girl was soon out of sight in the growing crowd. And gone was his musing... Well, almost.

An Uchiha's reflexes were known to be sharp, deadly. No, forget that.

An Uchiha's reflexes were awesome.

So, how come the Uchiha descendant had actually allowed a lapse of focus to engender something as evitable as a... bump? He inwardly frowned at this.

And now, why were his Uchiha reflexes returning to him, merely to deftly pick up a simple flower off the ground, right before a careless pedestrian could step on it? The frown deepened.

Plus he was almost instantly rewarded with a sudden sting: he had inadvertently pricked his forefinger on the only thorn along the flower's stalk.

Glaring at the white rose in his hand, Sasuke thought that today would be an unpleasant Monday. And to render matters more irritable than they already were, the self-righteous part of his mind just had to start nagging him to go and give the flower back to Hinata. He made up his mind.

If he hurried now, he could still catch up to her - well, he hoped so.

Oh, duh. His breakfast would have to wait...

The summer sun was scorching, noted the dark-haired teenager irritably. Good thing it was still morning. He didn't want to imagine the intensity of the sun at its zenith... Sasuke mentally berated himself for wearing a black T-shirt. As he trod on, the Uchiha lad took to examine the rose since he had already pinpointed Hinata's location: she was headed towards the cemetery. The pristine white hue of the flower which he was holding lightly in his hand, immediately reminded Sasuke of its owner's eyes. And of the December snow. As a kid, he had always loved playing in the snow, mesmerized as a child could be by this natural phenomenon.

A wave of nostalgia unexpectedly washed over him at that moment: for a split second, the image of his smiling elder brother had crossed his mind. The orphaned teenager gritted his teeth at the thought, trying to suppress the feeling of guilt that now threatened to overwhelm him. He quickened his pace. A futile attempt to disperse his thoughts.

Under this bright light, unbeknownst to Sasuke, his hair took on a dark-bluish hue, the highlights reflecting the colour of the sky above.

It was child's play to find Hinata upon reaching his destination. From the entrance, Sasuke could perceive her crouched figure in front of a grave some yards away, her head bent, causing her veil of dark hair to conceal her face. A refreshing breeze blew past, temporarily sending the scenery into motion. The iron gate creaked in greeting as Sasuke stepped inside the vast cemetery, clutching the rose ever-so-slightly. And almost immediately, he stopped in his tracks.