Naruto sighed as he worked through the growing pile of assignments that were due soon. It was as if time was passing so slowly that tonight would never come. He wondered if Sakura would be happy. He wondered if Neji would come. He wondered if…he wondered if…

However, the night did come, and Naruto found himself walking to the cemetery. When he got there, Hinata and Neji were nowhere in sight. Oh well, it was still early. Naruto settled down on the bench and watched the road intently. Once again, right at 10:30, Hinata appeared, walking beside a tall man. The man was probably a good ten years older than Naruto and Hinata, with long, dark hair and a perfectly tailored outfit. Naruto assumed this was Neji Hyuuga, and watched him as he walked towards the gates. In Naruto's imagination, it wasn't Hinata who would be beside Neji, but Sakura, her voice full of life and laughter as she laughed and talked with her lover. Sighing slowly, Naruto got up to greet the newcomers.

Neji paused and looked Naruto over as Hinata introduced them to each other. "You brought me here to meet your classmate, Hinata?" Neji's voice was tired, but still amused. "You must really like him," Neji teased.

Hinata blushed and stammered, "No, it's not to meet Naruto. It's for someone else…"

Neji frowned. "I don't understand who you would meet here at a cemetery…we should go out for dinner or something. Come on, it'll be my treat."

Naruto grinned. "If only we could meet somewhere else, but we can't. It has to be here…so come in."

Hinata walked in immediately, but Neji didn't follow her. "This place looks really creepy in the dark…"

"Scared? I didn't think you were like that," Naruto teased.

Neji's frown deepened. "No, nothing like that. It's just that I…my fiancé…well, she's there. I've been here so many times already…ever since…every day…even this morning." Neji's eyes looked suspiciously damp, and Naruto couldn't help but feel surprised. This morning as well? For Sakura?

Hinata reached out and grabbed Neji's arm, pulling him into the cemetery. Naruto locked up quickly. Hinata let Neji's arm go, and walked beside Naruto. Neji walked ahead automatically, as if his feet already knew where to take him. But, as he rounded the last bend in the path, he let out a hoarse sound of surprise.

Naruto and Hinata grinned at each other, as they already knew what Neji had seen. They hung back as Neji ran towards the pink haired woman on the bench. Sakura got up immediately; it seemed that she had been waiting for Naruto and Hinata, so she was directly looking at the path. She tossed the roses aside and ran towards Neji. The two lovers met each other halfway and embraced…or, at least, they tried to. Unfortunately, Sakura, in her enthusiasm, and flown right through Neji and ended up right behind him. She was now facing Naruto and Hinata, who were watching the scene embarrassedly. Sharing secret smiles, the two teens sat on a grassy knoll and waited.

Neji cursed loudly as he spun around to face Sakura. She turned back and walked to him. They stood very close together, and, with many tears from Sakura, and many more curses from Neji, the whole situation was explained. Tender smiles and glances were exchanged as the two lovers were finally able to see each other.

After a while, Sakura waved Naruto and Hinata over, indicating that the private reunion was over. Neji expressed his shock and joy many times over by smiling brightly at the two teenagers. Sakura just kept thanking Naruto and Hinata breathlessly. Naruto grinned at her and asked, "I'm so happy that you're happy. Now you and Neji can be together!"

At this, Sakura's joyous expression melted off her face. "No Naruto. I'm so glad that you brought Neji here, but what you gave me wasn't an eternity with my beloved. No, it's my chance to face my destiny. It's time for me to move on and…rest in peace. I can't stay in limbo forever; it was the connection to Neji that tied me to this world."

Neji looked crushed. "Sakura, you can't stay? But you were here for so long! Why wouldn't you be able to stay forever? I promise, we'll find some way to make this work, but, please, stay, at least for a little while…please…"

Sakura smiled gently. "I love you, and I always will. But you must understand and," here Sakura turned to the two teens, "and so must you two. I'm so glad that I was here, and that I was able to meet you. But, it's because Neji and I couldn't let go of each other that I was stuck in this graveyard for the past three years. Neji, you brought these roses everyday because you couldn't forget me, and because of this bond, I couldn't leave this world. Neji, you're nearly thirty years old. If we had been married and together, we would have a long and fulfilling life. I know this. But we weren't given the chance, and it's time to accept it and move. Please. I need let go."

But Neji didn't want to let go of Sakura. He had suffered for all this time, and now…

Sakura could feel his stubborn spirit rising. She knew he wouldn't do as she asked, but she also knew that there was no other way. "Neji, I need to tell you something…something that I should've told you two years ago, on that night. Neji, I love you and I'm so proud of you. I knew that day was very special to you, and that it marked the beginning of a new stage in your life. I'm so happy and thankful that you wanted me to be a part of it too. I love you so, so much."

Neji was overcome with his emotion. He leaned close to Sakura and whispered, "You make me feel like the luckiest man in the world. I don't know what I did to deserve you, but the time we had together was wonderful. If this is what you want, I will let you go. I won't hold you down anymore. I love you so, so much." His hoarse voice and moist eyes echoed her sentiments. The two lovers shared a final parting half-embrace.

Naruto and Hinata had been standing there awkwardly the whole time through the romantic exchange. Hinata was crying freely at the sadness of it all, and Naruto's grip on her hand was hard and tight. It felt so wrong that Neji and Sakura had to part again when they had already been apart for so long. The pair watched sadly as Sakura began to dissolve, and Neji cursed furiously, trying to reach for her. Sakura's last gesture to him was a beautiful smile and a wave goodbye.

Neji just stood there in shock, before he knelt to the ground and cried. Hinata ran to him and wrapped him in her arms to offer him some comfort. Naruto just sat on the bench where he first met Sakura and glared at something in the distance. It just wasn't right.

A/N: Well...almost done. I was going to leave it like this, but I thought there should be a little more...