It was midday but the sun was gone. Thick gray clouds cover the sky, provoking an early night. A few rumbles of thunder frightened the townspeople with a threat of rain. The streets were empty, so were the market and the offices. The feeling of a ghost town was in the air, with its few souls, who dared to challenge the havens and its warning of rain. The town itself was pretty much empty, except for one place. The most unlikely place for people to be in on a day like this in any normal circumstances, but today wasn't just any other day in the cemetery.
Family and friends were gathered sadly to say their final goodbyes to him. It was surprising to everyone how many people were present. But the most surprising thing of all was who wasn't there, or at least not with them.
At the edge of the forest facing the burial site, a girl was standing, half hiding herself behind a tall, old tree. She washed the burial from afar; her eyes were read and puffy from days of letting out that horrible pain. Under her eyes were bags from her restless nights spent crying, and patches and bandages covered parts of her body from the horrifying night when she'd lost him.
She watched as their friends said their lasts goodbyes before the coffin was buried.
She grabbed from her pocket a necklace. She looked at the star shaped pendant and caressed the orange corners of the star with dark blue in the middle.
Why did it have to be this way? He was the strong one, the brilliant one, he was the important one. Why was she the one to survive? The reality was she did know the answers to those questions. He had decided that she was more important in that fatal moment. He decided to put her first, and this was the result. She was never meant to be put first. She was just that, she was her. She wasn't someone. She wasn't meant to be first or last, but that one who is forgotten, the middle. And this is what happened when he attempted to change that fate. Because she wasn't strong enough neither a weakling, she wasn't a genius nor an idiot, she wasn't important nor hated. She was in the shadow, she was never going to sparkle in the light or be ignored in the dark, but instead she was in the very middle; where you are truly forgotten. And that's what she hated the most; she was just normal, average. She wasn't special in any kind of way. Her accomplishments were meant to be over shadowed and her pain was just a shallow pond against the vast oceans of others. And this is why she hated herself so much, no matter what would she do this wouldn't change, and now because of it, because of her stupid unbreakable average, the dearest person in her life was gone. And it was all her fault.
She wanted to kill herself and end all of the pain, all of the tears, all of the loneliness. But she couldn't, because of the simple reason that she was a coward. She could face an army and put her life on the line on missions, but she couldn't hurt herself at her own will. She had tried but she was just a coward. Another reason she hated herself, and other reason she should be the one dead and not him.
She looked at the necklace once more, but this time a hand grabbed hers, it was joined by another, she could recognize those strong but gentle hands anywhere.
"Don't move" He said as he grabbed the necklace lock and put in place around her neck. A tear fell from her eye.
"Neji…" She was holding back sobs.
"Shh…." He said hugging her from the back "Tenten…. I just came here to tell you one thing…" He turned her around and hugged her, burying her head in his chest "It's not true… Please… Do not think that way… you are very special and you are not forgotten and yes, it was worth saving you." He said with a peaceful and caring voice. "Please don't do anything stupid." he said, she looked up but all she cloud see was a perfect angelic smile before he was gone. Another tear fell, she closed her eyes for a long time. When she opened them, she was still looking at the necklace he had given her years ago in the palm of her hand.
Stuff like that only happened in movies. But this was reality and he wouldn't be back in a mythical way to tell her his last goodbyes. She grabbed the necklace lock and put it on herself. She looked at the few people left as they put many flowers on the tomb. She knew perfectly well that they knew that she was there, but if she came out they would see how much she was suffering and they would pity her, and she hated to be pitied. And so she hated herself for not having the courage to show her pain.
She looked at the sky while the thunder rumbled and roared, but the rain never fell. She looked down. Not even the rain could reflect her sadness. She just didn't felt enough pain… and she hated herself for that.