Cool autumn wind blew and brown leaves flew through the air as the sun began to rise over Konoha.

Hinata and Naruto walked slowly and silently down the long, wide sidewalk in the middle of the cemetery. They saw a few small families gathered around grave sites, but the cemetery seemed mostly empty.

Hinata sighed, and looked down at her feet, frowning.

Naruto looked forward with a stoic look on his face.

Today was the anniversary of the second day of the Fourth Ninja World War, and the anniversary of Neji's death.

They reached Neji's grave site, and Hinata couldn't help but gasp softly. There were already so many gifts at his tombstone: food, flowers, small packages, bottles of sake, even small notes. She clutched at her heart - deeply touched but also saddened by the sight.

She hears Naruto blow out a long, soft sigh, and watches him lean down and produce several items from his pockets to place on the edge of the tombstone.

A roll of bandages; "Because I owned him one...from the last time we trained together."
A small can of beer; "Because I told him I would buy him a drink after we trained, but never got a chance to."
An envelope; "All the things I want to say, but can't."
And a small feather; Naruto just smiled slightly and said nothing, before backing up and standing — soon replacing that smile with the same stoic look again, staring at the tombstone.

Hinata looked at his eyes - and she felt like she could see his mind racing, and could see pain. But she dismissed it, and turned to the tombstone and sat down on her knees in front of it, placing a large bundle of sunflowers in front of it. She closed her eyes and bowed her head.

Hinata remembered one of the last conversations she and Neji had together, before leaving for the war:

Neji knocked on her bedroom door, cracking the door open slightly. "Lady Hinata, can I…talk with you a moment?"

They had just come out of a clan meeting, and she had come back to her room to change and was planning to head out to meet with the other kunoichi.

"Sure, Nii-san. What is on your mind?" She was removing her yutaka, and was putting on her jacket and pants.

He walked in, and closed the door. He sat on the edge of the bed, and seemed to be looking at himself in the mirror in front of him. His expression was serious, but there was something else underlying.

"What's wrong, Nii-san," said Hinata, pausing to look at him.

He looked down at his feet for a moment, then looked up at her and said, "Lord Hiashi spoke to me today and told me that he would would like to groom me to eventually become your husband."

She froze, looking at him confused. "Wha—" she began, but Neji continued, expression unreadable.

"He will put me in charge of the troops in hopes that both sides of the family will accept me over time as your husband, based on my performance during the war. I will lead the troops, though this is something you should be doing as his oldest."

Hinata bit her lip uncomfortably.

Neji sighed deeply. He turned away from her, closing his eyes painfully, then opened them again and looked at her stoically, "But…I will not marry you."

She continued to looked at him in shock, but also confusion, and couldn't seem to figure out what to say. Shakely, she tried, "N-nii-san, I…shouldn't we talk-"

"No, Hinata," he said firmly, dismissing the "Lady" portion of her name, telling her that he was being very serious. "I won't marry you. Our marriage will be filled with a love that is one sided…whether it be from the start or…for the rest of our lives."

Her eyes widened, and she stared at him opened mouthed, trying to process that. "O-one…one-sided…what-" she stammered.

"You know what I am saying, Hinata," said Neji, looking away from her. "It's been obvious for a long time."

Neji may have thought she couldn't see him, but because of the mirror she saw the look in his eyes at that moment and saw pain and long suffering. She had seen this look several times before, but hadn't fully understood what it was for.

She gasped. His words and their meaning sunk deep into her, filling her with dread as she recognized the truth behind them. Memories flooded her mind. Long glances, gentle touches, things said and their deeper meaning...

She grabbed at her chest, and said, "Nii-san…Neji, I can't...you should have...why didn't you...we need to discuss this-"

"Hinata, it's been decided. I have already declined."

"Declined?"

"Yes."

A strange heat boiled up inside her belly. She didn't recognize it at first, but would some years later. Right now, her mind was racing a mile a minute. Didn't they always talk about things? Didn't Neji trust her enough to want to discuss this with her before making a rash decision?

"Without talking with me first," she said slightly angry, not really sure how to respond, feeling hurt and betrayed.

"Why would I," he rounded on her, anger flashing in his eyes. "It's not going to happen. I won't allow it. You and I don't belong together."

"And who are you to tell me who I belong with and who I don't belong with? Who are you to make this decision for me," she said angrily, tears rising to the corners of her eyes.

"Hinata…" Neji looked away from her, closing his eyes tightly in anguish and pain. But then he relaxed, and sighed. "Hinata. You're not thinking straight."

"Neji, don't tell me what I'm—" she started angrily, but was interrupted by a hand raised by Neji.

"Hinata. You love Naruto. And whether he's prepared to admit it yet or not, it's incredibly clear that he loves you, too. I've seen the way he looks at you, the way he talks to you, and how much he cares about you over anyone else. You are both made for one another, Hinata."

She froze. Then she looked off to the left uncomfortably, blushing slightly. "But…Neji…You're…But we should...We should talk about this..."

"Hinata, he is a good man. I want to see you two end up together. He is an idiot, and he can sometimes do foolish things, but he is a good man. And he will be lucky to have you," said Neji, giving her a small smile.

"But…Nii-san…I just," she looked at him exasperated, and walked over and grasped his hand, "I want you to be happy," she said, "And I will do anything in my power to make that happen."

He sighed and looked up at her and smiled a little wider, though the smile never quite reached his eyes as he said, "I will be, as long as I know that you are."

Tears streamed down her face as she knotted her fingers together tightly. "Nii-san," she whispered softly, "I'm so sorry."

Naruto moved closer to her, and leaned down beside her, looking at her sympathetically. He reached over, and grabbed her hand.

She paused, surprised by this, and looked at their hands before her eyes trailed up his arm and to his face.

He smiled at her softly, and reached to wipe a newly forming tear in the corner of her eye.

"N-Naruto," she asked softly, questioningly.

He turned away, and looked at the tombstone with a deep frown.

"I'm sorry for a lot of things, too. And, I miss him." He paused, closing his eyes and bowing his head for a moment before turning to look at her. "But, he wanted us to live on. And so, we will live on. And, we will keep honoring his memory."

He smiled at her again, and she returned the smile. He turned to look at the tombstone again, and she continued to look at him.

Nii-san, she thought, thank you...