When Naruto first realized he was going to be a father, his initial reaction was overwhelming and unrestrained excitement. Hot on the heels of that was paralyzing fear.

He had no idea how to be a father. Heck, he sometimes wondered if he knew enough to call himself an adult. That aside, he never really had much of a consistent father figure in his own life to look up. The more he thought about it, the more panicked he became. What if he couldn't tell what his kid needed? What if he wasn't there enough for him or her? How on earth was he to know how to change a diaper? What if he was too overprotective and smothering? What if his kid grew up to hate or fear him?

In the end, it was a mix of Iruka's sound advice and Hinata's persistent reassurances that at least partially calmed his fears. They were legitimate, Iruka had pointed out, and thoughts that any new father would have. But those doubts weren't necessarily ones to fear; on the contrary, it meant that he would always be aware of missteps he could take and were just as valuable in guiding him in making the right choices.

"Your instincts are always right, Naruto-kun," Hinata also told him as she watched him garden from beneath the shade of their apple tree. Though her round and heavy belly prevented her from comfortably squatting down in front of the plants, she never missed out on joining him outside. "Trust in them. And trust in my faith in you. Look at the care you give to our garden. Even Ino was asking me what our secret was. I don't doubt you'll be the best father this baby could have."

He looked at her, covered in spots of gold from the dappled sunlight and even more beautiful than the garden around them, but it was her smile that took his breath away. He knew he'd be alright as long as she was there to help him, as surely as he'd be there to help her.

When Boruto was born and first placed in his arms, red and squalling and absolutely perfect with a tuft of blonde hair on his head and two whisker marks faintly marking each cheek, the fears settled. Here was this tiny little someone absolutely new in this world and learning just as much as Naruto in how to grow.

Fatherhood came more naturally than he realized. He always loved kids, there was no doubt about that, but it never occurred to him how that would translate over to his own child. As it turned out, Naruto never thought he could love more fiercely and tenderly than when Boruto reached for him, or when Hinata sang soft lullabies to settle him to sleep.

Love, Naruto knew by now, didn't divide, and didn't diminish. It only ever grew, and he could feel deep roots sink in his heart and branch out until he felt it in every vein in his body. It made him alive. Most of all, it made him happy.

For three years, he treasured all the moments he and Hinata learned and experienced with Boruto: three years of baby burps and giggles, of diaper changes and animal onesies, of crawling out of cribs and almost off counter tops, of first steps and first words, of temper tantrums and questions with the most curious wonderment.

Naruto especially liked to take him outside to play in the garden. When Boruto was just a baby and more prone to crying and demanding milk or attention, Naruto would bring him to the garden mainly for his own peace of mind. He'd set him down in the shade to play with his various toys and keep a close eye on him as he dug up weeds and inspected leaves for beetles and aphids. By three years old, Boruto always joined Naruto and Hinata in the garden. Naruto showed him how to sift the dirt and laughed encouragingly when Boruto gleefully scooped up all the dirt in his little hands before throwing it up in the air to shower down upon them.

One of Boruto's favourite games was hide-and-seek and with the abundance of flowers, bushes, ferns, and young trees in their backyard, there was never a shortage of places for a mischievous toddler to hide. "No cheating!" he would always remind them before dashing off, his giggles fading as he settled in his chosen hiding spot. For all his rambunctiousness, he was always careful to do his best in not crushing the flowers. Every time Naruto found him, Naruto would smile so wide his cheeks would hurt before scooping Boruto up and tossing him high up in the air.

For a moment, Boruto would hang in breathless suspension, his limbs starfished out and his laughter spilling across the garden like sunlight before dropping down into his father's waiting arms. Hinata always laughed but she never scolded them because she knew Naruto would catch him every single time.

But the one thing that Boruto delighted in doing, particularly as he quickly grasped the particulars of speech, was mimic Naruto as he talked to the flowers. Naruto knew Hinata never missed a moment to capture them on film or video: two of her favourite boys kneeling in the dirt side by side, one the miniature of the other.

"Today's a good day for growing," Naruto encouraged the daisies as he gently patted fertilizer down. The sun shone bright and hot for a spring afternoon and Naruto glanced over his son to make sure he wasn't getting sunburnt anywhere despite the sunscreen he applied beforehand.

"A good day!" Boruto agreed beside him as he carefully tipped his small frog-shaped watering can over the daisies Naruto was working on. "Jus' keep growing, jus' keep growing, jus' keep growing!"

"That's right, buddy!" Naruto beamed at his son and got a delighted giggle in return. "And what do I always tell you?"

"Jus', jus' because you're small, didn't mean you can't do it!" Boruto cheered, raising a small fist in the air and accidentally flooding the daisies as his other hand tipped the watering can over too far. "You're gonna grow strong, strong an' big!"

"Just like you!"

"Jus' like me!"

"That's my little lion." Naruto raised his hand and grinned as Boruto's tiny hand slapped against his in a high five.

It wasn't long after that Himawari was born. Naruto was sure he was prepared for the long interrupted nights, the crying, the diaper changes and projectile poop, the coos and giggles, the confusing but wonderful process of learning her cues and needs and wants. The first two weeks since bringing Himawari home, he and Hinata picked up the routine like they'd never left it, even though they hadn't taken care of a newborn in three years. Boruto raced around their legs, doing his best to help by proudly bringing fresh towels and diapers to Naruto and making silly faces at Himawari when Hinata read them both bedtime stories.

From the beginning though, it was clear Himawari was very different from Boruto. She was fussier, taking longer to calm down, and had a harder time accepting Hinata's breast to feed. She cried a little longer and slept a little more restlessly. When she was first born, she emitted a loud and healthy wail and Sakura joked that she inherited Naruto's lungs.

Jiraiya had always remarked that he hoped Naruto would have a kid just like himself one day, if only so Naruto could experience the power of his own vocal chords. Naruto laughed it off then, but he wondered now if Jiraiya wasn't laughing at him from the grave.

Two weeks in, Himawari's crying, already fairly consistent, seemed to never stop. Naruto and Hinata did all they could to figure out what was wrong and to calm her down but it seemed like the more they tried, the more she cried. Boruto, who at first was excitedly curious about having a sibling, changed his mind and firmly demanded that they take her back. Aside from the incessant wailing, he was despondent at the sudden lack of attention on him. There was no more garden time, no one left to play with, no one left to give him kisses.

Of course this was not entirely true, but to someone who was used to having all the attention on him, Boruto certainly felt the loss of his parents' presence keenly as they tried to do all they could to settle Himawari down.

Naruto and Hinata ended up taking Boruto's advice, in a way. One hospital trip later, Sakura informed them that Himawari had colic. It wasn't life-threatening, it seemed, and it was still too early to deduce the exact cause but she had a hunch that either Himawari's nervous system was still developing, she was a naturally moody baby, or she was reacting to an overstimulation of light and noise due to hypersensitivity.

It was a subtle thing, but Naruto admitted that while Himawari certainly cried very loudly at home, it was nothing to the wail she emitted when they walked into the hospital. Even in the quiet of an examining room, Himawari never stopped crying. Naruto was only glad that Hinata had stayed home with Boruto. The way Himawari was carrying on definitely wouldn't endear her further to her big brother.

They adjusted a few things at home, in an effort to make her more comfortable. Her room was kept dark and quiet, lit only by the soft glow of flowers Inojin and Sai had painted on the walls. A rocking chair was placed in the corner and they even set up a recording of Hinata's heartbeat to calm her.

Outside, the summer sun shone hot and the heady scent of blooming lavender, wisteria, alyssum, and sweet peas hung heavy and sweet in the air. The dappled sunlight under the apple tree twinkled enticingly over the soft green grass. The buzz of hummingbirds rustled amongst the foxgloves and daylilies and jeweled coloured butterflies fluttered around the mint and sage blooms.

Only Boruto was able to appreciate their garden blooming full and colourful and fragrant as he raced outside to escape his sister's crying. There were always plenty of things for him to do, from chasing bumblebees to watering all the plants with his little froggy watering can, from sinking his bare toes in the cool dirt as he wove between bushes to patting each flower head and earnestly encouraging them to keep growing. After all, if his dad was too busy to talk to the flowers or even to him, at least Boruto knew he could find company among the flowers.

"Sisters are yucky, an', an' loud, an' no fun," he confided to the lavender bushes with a pout. A breeze tickled through the garden and the lavender flowers seemed to sway forward and brush against his small hands reassuringly. After a moment, he concluded, "I don' like sisters."

Naruto heard this from the kitchen as he tiredly prepared something to eat for Hinata, who was trying to breastfeed Himawari, and felt terrible. There wasn't much they could do, to endear Himawari to Boruto while she fussed and cried, and there was no denying she took up the majority of his and Hinata's time and attention throughout the day and throughout the night as well.

Colic usually vanished at around 3-4 months, was what Sakura told them, and Naruto hoped that he and Hinata could hold out that long. They were no strangers to very little sleep on missions and also running and fighting for days nonstop but adrenaline and soldier pills kept their minds sharp and their bodies limber. Rolling awake at Himawari's cries throughout the night and throughout the day (as they learned to seize the opportunity to take naps whenever she was taking naps as well) and walking over to soothe her didn't quite electrify their veins like adrenaline did. If anything, Naruto found himself constantly nodding off wherever he was and taking longer to respond to Himawari's calls, so muddled he became. The same exhaustion was stamped on Hinata's face with dark rings under her eyes and her forehead was constantly pinched in worry.

Boruto noticed. A three-year old with the attention span of a butterfly he might be, but he picked up his parents' moods and emotions with much more sensitivity than Naruto and Hinata expected.

It was the reason why he snuck into Himawari's room one evening when his parents were passed out in their bed. Himawari was sleeping also, a little fitfully but for the most part peacefully for once. Boruto stood at the side of her crib, and wondered how such a small little bean could make such a fuss. With the room dark and quiet, and Himawari wrapped in a dark cobalt blanket with only her tiny round face visible, she really did look like a bean.

A red bean. A slowly awakening bean. A bean whose face was beginning to scrunch up and whose mouth was opening up to cry.

Boruto panicked. He didn't want to get in trouble waking her up, not just when she dropped to sleep so recently.

"Hey, no, no, no," he whispered in a rush, his little hands grabbing the bars of the crib. His movements startled Himawari and she turned to look at him, her bright blue eyes blinking curiously at his face and blonde hair, the brightest thing in the room, squashed up against the bars. The crib rocked back gently from Boruto's grab and he cautiously and carefully rocked the crib the same way he'd seen his parents do countless times.

Himawari's cry turned into small hiccups and her eyes never left Boruto's face.

Boruto thought she looked a little lost, as strange a description as that was for one so young. It was in her eyes, and the way she looked at him. It was the same way Boruto looked at his parents whenever he lost them in the market and they found him again.

"Jus' because you're small, didn't mean you can't grow strong an' big an', an' fun," Boruto whispered encouragingly to her. "I wan' someone to play too!"

Himawari stared at him for a moment and Boruto was wondering if he really was going to get put in time-out for making her cry when she instead let out a happy giggle. Boruto brightened at his success and continued to whisper to her as he rocked her crib back and forth. Himawari's eyes never left his, even when she eventually tired herself out and closed her eyes to drift off into a peaceful sleep.

Naruto watched from outside the bedroom in disbelief - but he had to admit that he was not very surprised.

Sunflowers did, after all, turn to face the sun.

Boruto became much more involved with helping out in taking care of Himawari from then on, insisting that he was a big boy and he could calm her down when she was fussing again. And it was true. No one could calm Himawari down quite so quickly or effectively as Boruto, something he took great pride in as he saw how much happier and less tired everyone in the house became. Plus he liked the giggles and the way her small chubby arms and tiny hands would wave out towards him as he told her about the flowers in the garden outside.

Himawari still didn't quite like bright places, but she improved to the point where she was happy with the curtains in her room being drawn back to let the summer sun light the flowers on her walls aglow.

Boruto missed the garden. He missed playing outside on the soft grass and cool dirt. He missed the ladybugs and the apples that he could find hidden in the flowerbeds that dropped from the outstretched limbs of the apple tree and the feeling of the sun warming his face. He was happy, that he could help with Himawari, but he wished he could bring her outside.

"Why don't you bring some of the garden in to her?" Hinata suggested as she and Boruto sat outside by the bed of daffodils. Naruto was keeping Himawari company, cooing to her softly as he paced across the floor. Before, she would've been inconsolable. Now, two months since bringing her home, she fussed a little less and smiled a little more.

Boruto brightened. That was a wonderful idea! He immediately started scooping dirt into a mound to take inside before Hinata stopped him with a laugh.

"I meant the flowers," she corrected him. Her lavender eyes gazed over the splashes of colour that painted their backyard and lit upon a small bush of vibrantly blue cornflowers. "How about those? They mean health and healing. I'm sure Himawari would appreciate them."

"They're blue!" Boruto chirped as he ran towards the bush. "Like 'er blankee!"

"And just like your eyes," Hinata chuckled as she bent down to give Boruto a tight hug. He squirmed for a moment before throwing his small arms around her neck and planting a kiss on her cheek. Hinata even treasured the small dirt prints his hands left on her white shirt. These were moments she wanted to remember.

She let him go and Boruto excitedly picked a bunch of cornflowers from the patch. Hinata stood up, ready to go back inside but stopped when she realized Boruto wasn't following her. He stood there with a furrow in his brow as he contemplated the flowers in his hand.

"Boruto? What's wrong?"

"Can she see 'em, Mama?" Boruto turned to gaze earnestly at his mother. His vivid blue eyes held nothing but concern and confusion. "Can we give t'em to her in her bed?"

Hinata smiled, touched at his consideration. She folded her legs gracefully and sat down on the grass, patting the spot beside her. Boruto came over and plopped down in the offered spot, his hands still clutching the bouquet of vivid cornflowers.

"You're very right, she probably can't see them if we put these on her drawer. How about we make something to hang above her bed then?" Hinata suggested.

"Yeah, yeah!" Boruto cheered, enthused at the idea. His hands were already spilling the cornflowers down across the grass in front of them, ready for whatever his mother had in mind. Hinata laughed to herself, unsurprised at his eagerness to make something. He was constantly fascinated by the clicks and flashes of her knitting needles as she worked on a scarf for him, despite the fact that it was mid-summer, and he delighted in hauling himself up on the high stool to watch her cook, though Hinata suspected he also liked trying to sneak in bites before dinner when he thought she wasn't looking.

"Alright then. First take two flowers with long stems and lay them across like this. That's right! Now take this stem and fold it over..."

An hour later, Boruto watched with wide, excited eyes as Naruto fastened the strands of cornflower braids woven together to create a mobile over Himawari's crib. They slowly twirled in the air, the warm late afternoon light from the window painting them spots of the most intense indigo. Boruto glanced down and smiled wide as Himawari stared transfixed by the sight above her head, her blue eyes glowing with wonder and laughter bubbling up in small hiccups.

"Daddy, Daddy, I t'ink she likes it." Boruto tugged at the bottom of Naruto's shirt though his eyes never left his sister.

"Of course she does! She has the best big brother in the world who made something especially for her." Naruto laid a hand on Boruto's back and smiled at his two beautiful, perfect children. Everyday he loved them more and more. He wondered if someday he would wake up and find the roots in his heart flowering across the surface of his skin like the blooms of their garden.

"Can we make more?" Boruto turned to look at his father with shining eyes, pleased by his praise and by Hima's arms excitedly waving in the air as she tried to reach the dangling flowers hanging above her head.

"Of course!" Naruto chuckled. "How about we make a new one whenever the old flowers start drying out?" That would also save the garden from being plucked bare, since the moment Boruto took an interest in something, he thought of nothing else.

Boruto pouted but he nodded reluctantly in agreement. He turned back to look at the cornflowers and then at Himawari before remarking, "She's 'sn't crying anymore now."

"She hasn't cried as much since you've been by her." Naruto crouched down until he was eye level with his son. "She's very lucky to have a big brother like you."

"She jus' needed to finded someone," Boruto replied guilelessly, his eyes and attention clearly focused on Himawari.

Naruto paused for a moment, trying to muddle out his meaning. "What d'you mean by that little lion?" he inquired softly.

"You an' Mama feel loud," Boruto explained absentmindedly. "Big an' loud." He poked his fingers through the bars of the crib and wriggled them in an attempt to catch Himawari's attention. The baby paused in her pursuit of the mobile and turned to giggle at her brother.

Confusion and distress welled up in Naruto. Was one of his fears coming true? Was this something Boruto was distressed about? Did it frighten him? Naruto had been trying so hard to keep himself happy and calm when frustration and worry threatened to overturn him.

He shouldn't really be surprised though. Time and time again Boruto proved to be much more observant and sensitive to his and Hinata's emotions and moods than he'd expected. He wondered if this was normal, for his three year old son to be able to pick up in an instant when he was feeling stressed or playful or tired. Sometimes he wondered who was really the parent here.

"No no no no no," Boruto demanded and he planted a small hand over Naruto's mouth. Naruto raised his eyebrows in bewilderment. "You bein' loud now. Look, look." Almost as if that were a signal, Himawari, who had been giggling at her brother, now looked upset and uneasy, her blue eyes focused on Naruto and her face scrunched up in an all too familiar prelude of her cries.

Naruto's first instinct was to jump up and cradle Himawari in his arms until she inevitably cried herself to sleep and exhaustion and quiet. Boruto's small hand slapped over his mouth and his previous words stopped him. Loud, he was being? Naruto took a deep breath and calmed himself down, watching Himawari's face begin to smooth out as his emotions settled.

"Hima, Hima, look'it the pretty flowers." Boruto pointed up with his free hand and Himawari turned her head to where he indicated. Her eyes caught sight of the indigo cornflowers slowly circling in the gold light and her lips turned up in a smile and her arms waved as she once again tried to reach them. "You gonna grow big and st'ong and pretty an' healthy jus' like them!"

Boruto never missed an opportunity to talk to Himawari, telling her about his day or a random fact or thought or about the garden. Naruto suspected all the talking he did towards the plants beforehand led up to his ability to carry on a pretty one-sided conversation with her without pause or loss of interest. Every night before he went to bed, Boruto made sure to tell Himawari to keep growing, that she wouldn't always be a little bean forever. Like water sprinkled onto flowers, his words seemed to make her a little happier each day.

The three month mark came and passed and true to Sakura's prediction, Himawari's colic faded. She slept at regular intervals and settled into a bubbly and talkative baby, always cooing and making noises. Boruto remained her focus though. Whenever he was in the room or was nearby, she'd turn her attention completely to him. But when Boruto wasn't around, Naruto would catch Himawari fixated intently on the flower mobiles hanging above the crib and over her head.

They brought her a sense of peace, Hinata pointed out to Naruto, much in the same way Boruto focused her. The flowers changed every week or so and sure enough, Hinawari would fuss if they didn't replace the mobile promptly. There were some flowers she liked more than others, and it was an enlightening and entertaining process figuring out what flowers she responded to eagerly and which ones she was more or less indifferent to.

There were potted plants and vases of flowers scattered throughout the house but stepping into Himawari's room smelled like stepping into the garden on a cool and rainy day. The flowers that slowly dried in her room permeated the air with an everlasting fragrance. It was a relaxing and peaceful smell, the kind that lulled both Himawari and Naruto to sleep together whenever he took to rocking her against his chest in the rocking chair. Hinata never missed an opportunity to quietly snap a picture of them whenever they passed out together, Himawari curled up snugly on Naruto's chest, to add to the quickly growing family photo album.

Time sailed on smoothly it seemed from there, after the initial hiccup of Himawari's first few months. Boruto insisted on taking Himawari outside as much as possible so she could 'make up for all the sun she lost'. Hinata never felt more thankful for her Byakugan during those times because keeping track of a rambunctious three year old and a crawling baby amidst the bushes and flowerbeds was a challenge, to say the least.

When Himawari was a year old, Boruto's favourite game to play with her was fetching her flowers that she'd point at and grunt at. Considering that flower patches often overlapped each other and bushes were layered between trees, and ferns formed umbrellas which more flowers and weeds grew under, finding the right flower that Himawari wanted was often trial and error. It was a game that allowed Boruto to slip into the smallest crooks and crannies of the garden to whisper hello to the littlest and shyest flowers growing away in the corners and had Himawari laughing delightedly when the chosen plant was in her hands or tucked in her hair.

When Himawari was three years old, Boruto taught her how to make flower crowns. The first couple Himawari made fell apart in her excited grasp but she determinedly continued to copy her brother until she could at least make a crown that wouldn't fall apart at the first jump, hop and skip. She wore her creations proudly and from then on, was never without a flower crown on her head.

Hinata always smiled whenever Himawari would run into the house to show her the newest flower crown she wove together. Himawari often made one for Hinata, and Hinata would forget she'd be wearing it, only to remember with a laugh when Naruto would come back home and declare them both his angels.

"You always have a crown on your head," Naruto remarked as he scooped Himawari up to brace against his hip.

"T'ey always look happy," Himawari beamed at him as she reached out to pat his whiskers. "T'ey make me happy!"

"Do they!" Naruto smiled in utter adoration at his daughter and leaned forward to rub his nose against hers.

"Happy blue an' pink an' yellow an' green," Himawari informed him with an excited smile. "Like you! You's a happy orange. Mama a happy purple."

Naruto raised an eyebrow at Hinata, who only shrugged and replied with a smile that indicated she didn't quite understand either.

"Well if you're wearing flower crowns all the time, no wonder you're always happy!" Naruto turned back to the girl in his arms and smiled at how beautifully the daisies stood out in her dark blue locks, the same lovely shade as Hinata's. "My happy little Hime. Hima-hime."

Himawari let out a delighted laugh and tugged on Naruto's blonde hair. "Again, Daddy, again!"

"Hima-hime! Hima-hime!" Naruto swept her up and placed her on his shoulders, shooting an incredibly bemused Hinata a bright smile before adding, "Hima-hime, let's go find Boruto the ferocious lion!"

"Boru-nii! Boru-nii!" Himawari bounced on her father's shoulders and her laughter filled the room like bursts of colour as Naruto pretended to fly his way out of the back door and into the sunlit garden, a game they played loudly and often.

Himawari took to pressing certain flower crowns into her own little book, once Hinata showed her how. She marked in clumsy and simple hiragana the date and a little something about the day, just like Hinata showed her. The little red book, a gift from Akakiba-ojisan and Buggy-ojisan, was kept in the living room beside the bigger and more worn album of Hinata's.

The pages of Himawari's book grew thick as the years passed and more and more flower crowns were added. By the time she was 9, the book was already almost full and stuffed with flower crowns of aster, cosmos, geranium, azalea, daisies, snapdragons, and so many more. It was a her little book of happiness. She always felt most calm and reassured when she flipped through the pages and recalled the weight and scent of the flowers on her head. They reminded her of the mobiles that used to hang above her crib, long ago.

Nine years old for Himawari meant twelve for Boruto, the age which he started going to the Academy. With Boruto gone to school and Naruto gone to work as the Hokage, Himawari spent all of her time with Hinata running errands, going to the park, baking together, and visiting various aunties and uncles. Mirai was her favourite, even as a baby. She was always so fun and cool and taught her the best tips and tricks in getting the other aunties and uncles right in the palm of her hand.

The person they visited most often though was Neji-ojisan. Himawari loved skipping into the cemetery and setting the bouquet of flowers she and Hinata brought every time by the cool stone of his grave. The place was always quiet, peaceful, and comforting, like a warm blanket on a cold day. Few wildflowers grew in the grass between the gravemarkers but giant cedar trees, grandfather trees as Himawari liked to call them, stretched up high into the sky. Birds sang and nested on their branches and patches of sunlight that streamed through the branches would ripple along the ground like water. The cemetery was old, with gravestones of ninja marking all the way back to the time of the First Hokage, and Himawari always thought she could smell the sense of age and time in the air. The warm and rich smell of cedar was unlike anywhere else in Konoha.

Himawari never met Neji-ojisan but visiting his grave at least once a week, if not more, made her feel like she really did know him. She and Hinata always brought sunflowers and news to share with him. Himawari was only too happy to sit down on the grass with her mother and chatter on for hours about what trouble Boruto got into at school that week, how Naruto came home one day and surprised them by joining them for lunch, how Buggy-ojisan showed her how to pet bees properly, and her attempts on joining Lee-ojisan in running laps around the field on her hands. She wove the sunflowers into a crown as she talked, eagerly joining her strands with Hinata's to create one large wreath to drape over his gravestone.

They were always the only ones in the cemetery, mostly because the time that they visited often meant that everyone else was at school, work, or on a mission. So it was surprising when during one visit, Himawari opened up the wooden cemetery gate and found someone already at Neji-ojisan's grave.

The figure was hunched over on her knees, her back facing them but Himawari recognized the intricately braided buns of Tenten-obasan in an instant. But this was not the Tenten-obasan she knew. The Tenten-obasan she was familiar with always slipped her extra sweets with a sneaky wink, gave her red pockets of money on her birthday, and excitedly and enthusiastically did tarot card readings for her.

The woman in front of her was the colour of pain and loss. Tenten didn't turn to face them immediately but Himawari caught the subtle motion of Tenten's sleeve wiping her cheeks before she crooked her head to the side in acknowledgement.

"Tenten-san," Hinata murmured in greeting.

"Hinata-chan. Hima-chan. It's good to see you both. I didn't mean to spend so long here... I need to go report to the Hokage."

"Did everything go alright?"

Tenten tilted her head just a fraction down but Himawari saw the shadow steal across her normally warm and bright eyes. For a moment, Tenten looked lost.

"I should get going," Tenten evaded the question. She stood up, brushed her pants free of grass and bowed three times to the gravestone. She turned to face them with a smile. "Enjoy your time with Neji. I know he always loves the company."

Hinata smiled sadly in understanding and reached out to grasp the older woman's fingers as she passed, squeezing them comfortingly before letting go. Tenten's smile softened in thanks.

"Tenten-obasan!" Himawari called as Tenten was just at the gate. "Tenten-obasan, wait!" Tenten paused, her expression patient. Himawari hurriedly gave the sunflowers to Hinata and ran towards Tenten, her small hands slipping up into her hair and lifting the crown of peonies she'd woven just that morning from her head.

She offered the crown to Tenten, her blue eyes expectant.

"Everyone has a bit of sadness in them and Akakiba-ojisan always says to stop and smell the roses but not everyone does, even when they should," Himawari explained. "I wear these all the time because they make me happy and when I feel lost, they help me find myself again. That's what circles do. But I think you need it more than I do right now."

Tenten felt incredibly touched by her reasoning but she shook her head. "Thank you, Hima-chan, but I don't want to take this away from you."

Himawari tilted her head, a bright smile on her face. "The best part about flower crowns is that you can always make more. I'm sure Neji-ojisan won't mind sharing with me today." She gestured with her hands still holding the circle of peonies and Tenten bent down obligingly at the unspoken request. Himawari fastened the large pink blooms securely around Tenten's buns and beamed when Tenten straightened up.

Tenten gently reached up to run a finger along a soft petal and the lines of her face softened into a small but sincere smile. There was something comforting about the weight of the blossoms on her head. The stems encircling her buns and braids seemed to draw in all of her loose thoughts and emotions into the center, balancing her, and the delicate floral fragrance washed away the scent of blood and iron she'd been imagining ever since her mission.

"Thank you, Hima-chan," Tenten spoke softly, but there was a thread of peace in her voice that had been markedly absent before.

Himawari threw her arms around Tenten's middle and hugged her tightly. "Tell Daddy I say hello!"

"I'll even tell him how lucky I am to have been blessed with one of your flower crowns," Tenten hugged her back. Himawari nodded in satisfaction before running back towards Hinata. Tenten waved once to them before disappearing behind the gate.

"That was very thoughtful of you," Hinata praised her as they settled down in the grass before Neji's gravestone.

"I think I'll make more for other people. Flowers make people happy!" Himawari commented as she started to braid the sunflowers into two circlets. Her hands moved deftly and quickly with the skill of long practice. One circlet she gently laid at the foot of Neji's stone marker, the yellow of the petals as bright as small suns, and the other she placed on her head. She wrinkled her nose in good humour as she realized she was wearing her namesake. "What do you think, Mama?"

"I think," Hinata reached over and tucked a stray strand of hair behind Himawari's ear before cupping her cheek gently, her thumb brushing over her two whisker marks, "they suit you perfectly."

The little red book of pressed flower crowns very slowly reached to the last of its pages as more and more flower crowns were given away instead of pressed to keep. When Himawari pressed the last crown into the last page, she nodded to herself and gently shelved it high on the bookshelf.

No other books of pressed flower crowns joined it. People replaced paper and the smiles and light on people's faces was just as wonderful and comforting as flipping through the pages.

Naruto explained to her and Boruto once that every person in Konoha was a flower in a big garden. Himawari could see that. Her Daddy was like the sun that the flowers turned to. Her Mama was like rain, gentle and soothing and nurturing. Boruto, Himawari laughed to herself, was like a bee, buzzing around from flower to flower, from person to person and talking to see how they were doing.

Himawari didn't quite know what she was like, but she supposed it didn't really matter. If Konoha was a garden, then she knew it rested in good hands.

After all, the language of flowers was one their family knew best.

AN: I'm so sorry this took much longer than the 'couple days' I promised originally. I went through a pretty rough patch after I posted the last chapter unfortunately and it took me a while to get back on my feet. A very big thank you and lots of hugs to those who sent their thoughts to me! This chapter is for you.

This chapter in particular, with Boruto's sensitivity and Himawari's colour sense, can read as a prelude to their character development in Expectations by alabasterink. If you're curious to see how these particular traits mature and manifest, I recommend going over and checking her story out! You can find the story link under my favourites.

Cornflowers: health, healing
Aster: happiness, contentment
Cosmos: peace, tranquility
Geranium: comfort
Azalea: health, good fortune
Daisies: joy, innocence
Snapdragons: playful, fun, hopeful
Cedar trees: healing, cleansing, protection
Peonies: healing, good fortune, prosperity
Sunflowers: adoration, radiance