Looking for the Way: Book 1

Flowers

The smell of bleach and window cleaner filled the halls, every now and then you'd hear a couple of chatty nurses gossiping about their favorite drama. There were only three stories to this hospital, not too big nor too small, although almost every corner had a patient laid up in a white painted room with pink curtains. Most patients that were attending the hospital were being treated from injuries due to a mission, unlike the special little patient in room 222. Knock, knock, knock, knock. A fist slammed against the door, taking a break between each thud. "Come in." A frail high pitched voice called from her bed to allow her guest to visit. Watching as the knob turned slightly, she waited curiously to see who's head would poke around the corner, instead a bouquet of moonflowers appeared in the doorway, which were being kept alive in a tiny blue vase. "Happy birthday, my beautiful princess." That warm, gentle voice, the one she waited to hear for so long. "Hajime, welcome!" The anbu removed the flowers from his view only to see his precious baby sister in tears. He quickly shifted the vase onto the table next to her bed, in a hurry to wrap his arms around her delicate body. "No, no Kana, why are you crying? You're much too beautiful too cry!" She giggled, pushing the heavy male away from her as she wiped her eyes. "I'm just... So happy to see you." Several years had passed since Hajime had met his little sister, although she was much too young to even remember him, the girl would write to him everyday though. Well not technically, she had a nurse write down whatever she had to say, also having her read what it said in the letters he would write back to her. Even though they've met years ago, this was actually her first memory with Hajime. "You had me worried there for a minute." The anbu sighed with relief as he eyed his sister, her health wasn't exactly in the best state. Actually, the doctors made a comment of how they don't expect her to live much longer. "That reminds me, I brought you something else. I'm sure you'll love it." Hajime poked her nose and the child became wild. "What is it? What is it?" Excitement overwhelmed her, until a pair of hands covered her vision, they sat across the bridge of her nose for quite awhile. When his hands finally removed from her face, her lids opened in a flash, seeing even more flowers of brilliant colors, but who was holding them had her stumped. "Happy birthday!" Both a tall boy with long hair and a shorter boy with spiked hair chimmed in harmony and immediately she knew who these mystery boys were. "Woah, Hajime was right, she really is beautiful, brother." The small boy exclaimed as he got up on her bed to stare at her. "Sasuke don't be rude." His brother said in an irritated tone, even though the girl didn't seem to mind. "I picked you a bunch of roses, Itachi said it would be weird to give them to you since they're love flowers." This was her first time seeing roses, her grandfather would bring moonflowers everyday he'd go to visit her. And the only reason why Hajime knew to bring her favorite flower was all thanks to their grandfather, who also wrote him a list of things to know about Kanako. "No worries, I think they are gorgeous flowers!" She giggled and reached out to give him a hug, causing him to turn red in the face. "Kanako, I brought you tulips, I hope-." No need for unnecessary words, she'd raise her hand up to silence him speaking those last words. "I love them, thank you very much." Itachi was amazed at how mature she was at her age, smiling at her response.

An hour or so had passed by, Kanako had so many questions to ask them all. Such as, how did Hajime enjoy being in the anbu forces, how did Itachi and Hajime become such close friends, how many jutsus did they know, did they all have girlfriends. The topics weren't very serious, but her throat was becoming dry from talking so much, which was something new to her, most days she would listen to her grandfather read her stories and ease drop on the nurse's conversations. "Haji, could you get me some water?" Itachi couldn't help but smile at the cute nickname she had given her older brother, he rolled his eyes after hearing his low cackle, as he was already across the room pouring a glass of water. The room became silent, coughing filled the area, a loud gasp terrified the audience that had now witnessed a blood bath, a glass fell to the floor and Hajime ran back to her side. "Kana!" He went to reach out to her but was rushed out of the room by a couple of nurses who also scrambled Itachi and Sasuke from the scene. Dramatic coughing and hacking alerted the whole third floor, Hajime and the Uchiha brothers were on their toes, it all happened out of nowhere. "Explain." Hajime finally turned to look Itachi in the eyes, unlike before where he was starring at the room number on the shiny door. "It looked like she was about to say something, but she was having a hard time trying to spit her words out. That's when she started coughing like that, she was coughing up blood... Everywhere." That's when a doctor stepped out of the room and gestured for the Takashi to join him, once gathered around the corner the man sighed and pointed back to her room. "Old man Daisuki doesn't believe that her time is almost up, but you saw with your own eyes what that little girl has been going through." Hajime looked confused. "Been going through? Grandfather said he just checked her into the hospital a few days ago.." The doctor looked more confused than the boy, correcting Kanako's hospital time. "Kanako has been a patient here for four years now. And her condition has only grown worse by the day. " Patting him on the shoulder he gave him stern advice before going back to the main lobby. "Spend as much time with that child as you can, I give her maybe three months before she finally turns over..." Returning to room 222 he wiped his face clean from all possible tears he could've shed from his walk around the corner. He walked in to see her hand in Sasuke's, now fast asleep with a beautiful cotton blanket in her other hand, that was covering half her chest and a quarter of her arm. His eyes grew heavy, here came the water works again, tilting his chin into his chest as he bit his lip. Itachi chuckled, and of course Hajime figured it was because he was caught being a little bitch, his head raced up to find the ravenette pointing at the blanket his baby sister held in her hand. "I still remember that week when you would carry around a bag and every time you caught a break, you'd get right back to knitting that blanket." Hajime wiped his face in his sleeve and smiled like an idiot. "You made that blanket Hajime?" Sasuke gazed over at the silver blanket that read 'Princess' across the front in kanji, he nodded, also looking in the same direction but instead of admiring the blanket he was gazing at the beautiful little girl sleeping in peace. He walked over to the other side of the hospital bed to lean over and place a famous kiss upon her forehead.

"Hajime, wake up." A frail whisper caught the older brother out of slumber and his eyes grew wide. "Hello sleepyhead." He went to cover his mouth as a yawn slipped his lips but a tiny hand had captured his grip, looking down at the boney structure of a pale little girl he had finally gotten a closer look and while scanning her tiny figure he stopped on her eyes. The one blue hue, had changed to a lighter color from the dark blue he had seen once before. Thinking to himself he figured it must've had something to do with her illness as to why she had another eye color. "Please don't look..." She turned her head away from him, now staring down towards the tiled floor. He jumped up and cradled her against his full arms. "Please forgive me, I didn't wish to make you feel uncomfortable." There was no word from her against his chest, he felt bad for disturbing the child, it must have been a touchy subject for her. "Kanako, I have a confession." He muttered under his breath and she looked up into his eyes. "This isn't my first time meeting my darling princess." She made a curious face. "Yes, its true. You were even smaller than you are now. I was there the night you turned one. And that's the first day grandfather witnessed me crying since I had been a child like you." Kanako questioned why he was crying. "I was crying because that was the day I got to meet my baby sister for the first time. I didn't stay very long, I had to leave soon after I arrived. But I can tell you that, that night was probably one of the most emotional moments of my life. Even today couldn't beat that day, I know you can't remember that night but that blanket there, in your hand... Do you know who gave it to you?" She brought the blanket up to her heart and smiled at the thought. "I knew there was a reason why it meant so much to me, now I know." She giggled. "I drag this thing around with me, no matter where I go." He chuckled at her response. "How cute is that." Looking out of the window he noticed the sun rising back up, he ran his fingers through her glossy hair and gave her a kiss on the forehead. "Get some rest, I'll be right here when you wake up." Her hand was empty once he had slid back into his chair along with the two guests who were passed out next to him. Kanako hesitated to close her eyes until seeing Hajime do it himself. Looking out the window she bowed her head and put her hands together as her eyes shut. "When I wake up please, please let me wake to his loving smile." Unclasping her hands from one another she laid back into her oversized pillow to end her night.