.:Some Things Are Forever:.

"Ne, ne, sensei! Do you have somebody that you love?"

The question caught Tenten off guard. She glanced back at her three twelve year old students with a light smile. The bright blonde kuniochi of the group bounced joyously on her heels as the other two boys continued pulling weeds from the vast garden they were standing in. She briefly noted how the two boys had slowed in their own work and cocked their heads to the side in curiosity.

"Why do you ask, Setsuna?" She turned to face all her students, still pulling up a few of the weeds nearby.

"Naoki and Kazou," she pointed to her male teammates, "and I were just wondering because Lee-sensei says that you are, but he never says much when we ask."

Tenten frowned a bit, but it quickly turned into an exasperated smile as she pictured Lee declaring her "undying love that transcended even the vast boundaries of youth with its eternal flames of passion".

"I love many people, Lee and all of my other friends. I even love you brats," she snickered as Setsuna put on a sour face.

"Sensei!" she whined loudly. "That's not what I meant. I mean are you in love with someone. There's a big difference," she flicked the disheveled strands of her lengthy hair back over her shoulder.

Tenten was quiet for a moment.

"Yes," she stated softly her eyes drifted up towards the sky. "For a very long time."

Tenten looked back at her team to see Setsuna glowing, a wide smile stretched across her face and her vibrant green eyes alight with excitement. Naoki stood up straight his dull blue eyes obscured only slightly by his lengthy black hair, his calculative gaze narrowed and then widened as he too looked up at the sky and then back to her in silent understanding. Perceptive kid. Kazou sat sprawled out in the grass his curled brown hair whipping carelessly around his head as he watched with interest, listening intently.

"Does he love you back?" Setsuna asked her hands clasped in front of her chest.

Tenten just smiled.

"Finish your work and I'll take you to meet him," she ordered her students turning back to her own cluster of weeds.

Setsuna whirled around pulling weeds left and right. Kazou groaned softly turning over on to his hands and knees. Naoki stood silently for another moment before he too turned and began pulling weeds again.


"Can we go? Can we go?" Setsuna pulled on Tenten's arm her green eyes wide and pleading.

"I suppose so," Tenten answered slowly.

Her small cluster of students walked beside her as she continued at a calm pace through the village towards the training fields.

"Eh, the training grounds?" Setsuna sounded disappointed. "I thought we were going to meet the one you're in love with?"

Tenten placed a calming hand atop Setsuna's head. "We are, have patience."

They reached the third training grounds in a relatively short amount of time. They passed through a small cluster of trees bringing them to a vast clearing. Tenten walked forward up towards the large black marble stone at the far end. Naoki looked back up towards the sky as his pace slowed. Setsuna looked slightly perplexed and Kazou looked around with a minutely confused expression as well.

They reached the stone and the three twelve year olds could make out the hundreds, no thousands of tiny names carved into it.

"I-I don't understand," Setsuna said after a moment watching the back of her jounin sensei.

Tenten motioned for them to come closer. She pointed to a singular name carved into the black rock.

Neji Hyuuga

"This is the man that I love," she told them with a soft smile gracing her lips.

Setsuna looked back from the name to her teacher. "Neji Hyuuga?"

Tenten nodded.

It was silent.

"B-but this is a me-memorial," Setsuna struggled to string together her words.

"He died during the fourth shinobi war probably a year or two after you were all born," Tenten's fingers grazed over the name.

"What was he like?" Naoki asked suddenly. Tenten's eyes brightened a bit.

"A gentleman," she laughed. "He was very kind and strong. My trusted teammate," she smiled at each of them.

"And did he love you too?" Setsuna rubbed at her eyes looking hopefully at her sensei.

"He did, very much."

"Sensei…"Kazou began slowly. "Why are you still in love with him after all this time?"

It was silent once again. Wind swept through the forest blowing loose leaves about with its force. In the sky a startled flock of birds twittered excitedly as they flew off into the distance.

"There are some things in life that can never be replaced. When you cherish something with all your heart it can never truly leave you, even when the physical part of it is gone," she closed her eyes gently. A vision of his long chestnut brown hair, pure white eyes, and that comfortingly familiar smirk pulling at the corner of his thin lips flashed across her eyes. "There is always something that stays with you, forever."

What did you think?

It occurred to me that Neji probably would not have a proper burial considering he is one among the thousands lost in the war. Also the fact that Chapter 615 opens say the battle field becomes Neji's grave, all that considered he would most likely have his name carved upon a memorial rather than have an actual grave….which depressed me, but inspired this.

I have the next story all written out (actually I wrote it before this one) it just needs a bit of revision and it should be posted in the next day or two.

Let me know your thoughts or possible story ideas.

Until next time.