It didn't feel real. None of it. She watched him get killed, but even so, a part of her expected to see him come back. But here she was, at his funeral. A shaky sigh broke through her lips, as lavender eyes stared at the ground. Death was common for shinobi, but it was still foreign to the her generation. However, this one really stung. It wasn't just any shinobi; It wasn't just one of the Rookie 12, after a moment, she bitterly corrected thought to Rookie 11. It wasn't just anyone, it was Neji. The man who had gone from her tormenter to her protector. Her glossy eyes looked around the funeral, her tears only adding to the torment she felt.

Guilt coursed through her veins, ever since she watched him die. He should have been alive, not her. Noticing most of the crowd had already paid their respects, she shakily took a step forward towards the casket, rose in hand. Once she approached the casket, it began to overwhelm her. This was real. He wasn't coming back. Tears welled up as she stared at the picture of him sitting atop the wood, the picture of the cousin she would never see again.

Gently setting the rose down, a tear escaped, rolling down her face. A sad smile broke out, "You were the best cousin I could have asked for. Thank you." The Hyuuga bent down, laying her arms awkwardly around the casket in the last hug she would ever give him, crying into the wood. She whispered, hoping her words could reach him, wherever he was. "I'm sorry for everything. Please forgive me."

"Neji-kun would never be upset with you, Hinata-san. You don't need to be sorry." Reddened lavender eyes shot up, finally noticing the hand on her shoulder. Through her blurry vision, she recognized the black and green blur as Neji's teammate. She gave a lingering squeeze to the coffin and stood up, facing Rock Lee.

Hinata had seen him around the Hyuuga compound a few times before, but she hadn't really talked to him before. Blinking away the tears, she tried to compose herself. She replied, her quiet voice hoarse. "Thank you, Lee-san."

Rock Lee put his hands back onto her shoulders, giving her the brightest smile he could manage. His whole demeanor seemed a lot more dim than it normally did. "He died protecting those he loved. I don't think he could have asked for a better way to go. He's happy, Hinata-san."

Her heart sank, "But I-"

The male's smile only widened, voice cracking as his own tears gathered in his eyes as well, "Don't be sorry. He chose his own death. He gave up his life for all of us. For you."

Her pale cheeks flushed as he wrapped his arms around her shoulders, pulling her into an embrace. "No matter what, Hinata-san, we should be happy for him." She weakly nodded into his chest, her eyes beginning to water again.

It seemed like he had been holding her for days, but he kept his grasp on her as she cried. The green-clad male rubbed her back in support as her breathing became more even. "Hinata-san? Are you okay?"

Her head rose from his chest, as she peered around the area. It seems like people were starting to leave, but Lee was still there, with her. Hinata wiped her eyes, before giving Lee a weak smile. "Let's make him proud, then. So he can be happy for us, too." Her voice was weak, but Lee could tell her feeling was strong, she really wanted to make him proud.

Lee stepped back, his smile growing. He pointed her vision to the casket again. "I wonder if they could even find a picture of him smiling. What do you think?" He knew it was risky to have her attention on the dead man again, but he felt the risk was worth it.

She paused for a minute, tears threatening to fall again, before she let out a contented sigh, "He is smiling, in his own way."

A/N: This is off of a little idea I had a while back. I'm not sure what will happen, but we'll see where this goes. :-)