The trees danced in the breeze of the warm summer air bringing with them a feeling of solitude for the lone girl in front of solid stone. Her face remained to the ground as the flowers in her hands crunched slightly under the pressure of her fists. No sound could be heard as the girl remained hunched over, a single tear dropping from her eyes as she clenched them shut in vain. It didn't matter how much time passed, this day would always bring her sorrow, and pain. Knowing that her friend, her partner, her- she couldn't even finish the thought- still could have had time, time spent celebrating his birthday, with his family, with his teammates….. With her…
She stooped to the grave, sniffing slightly as she placed the sunflowers there, laying them gently next to the bundles placed there hours or days before. At that moment she did not care, to caught up in the misery, and the loneliness to do anything else. She stayed in that position for hours, not even noticing when the sun set below the horizon, it wasn't until she felt a warm, steady hand come to rest upon her shoulder that she looked up .
There, standing before her with an unusually concerned look on his normally joyful face was her other teammate: Rock Lee. In his hands he held a set of kunai Neji had first gifted him after their first chuunin exam. This had been the first time Neji acknowledged anyone else's strength other than his own, this had been the moment he had turned into a man of strength, wisdom, and leadership. The man in which, they mourned now.
Lee remained standing, offering no words of comfort or praise, letting the silence and his presence offer that which words could not. Companionship, company, a familial bond that could only be reached through years of training and fighting, a bond of one's family. They remained for an unsurmounted amount of time, Lee letting her decide when they should leave. Eventually, Tenten gathered the strength to stand, allowing Lee to support her as she moved away from Neji's tomb. A routine in which they had settled into for years now, a routine in which they would follow for years to come.
As the pair moved from the grave, a gentle gust blew by the tombstone turning the sunflowers towards the ever setting sun. Tomorrow would be better for the both of them, for they knew in their hearts that Neji would always be watching over them.