This was sad and I cried. I should probably stop crying when writing my own stuff. But I miss Neji too much. I still live with the belief that he will be revived somehow.

Naruto keeps his promise to Itachi and Neji to look after their little siblings by pairing them up.

(Requested by an anon)

Naruto wiped his angry tears with his sleeve, looking away. Funerals were always a terrible thing to attend. But lowering Neji to the ground was too much for the Uzumaki to handle.

The war was over and they had won. Madara Uchiha was defeated. The tailed beasts were split between the shinobi cities, just as it should have been a long time ago. And everything was peaceful. Everything was fine now.

Except that Naruto couldn't overcome the pain in his chest. He wiped his face again, feeling as his sleeve was soaked with his tears. Sakura rubbed his back. She did not care for her wet cheeks. She would cry all she wanted.

Taking a few deep breaths, Naruto finally managed to look up, fixing his blue eyes on the small group before him. Right in front of Neji's grave was his family. Hanabi, much like Naruto, wiped her face fiercely, her white eyes swollen. The girl's teeth were grit tightly as she tried not to cry out loud. Because seeing her brother dead was something she could not cope with.

Hiashi was stoic. He had seen too many Hyuugas die and get buried. And still, his eyes seemed somewhat translucent. As if he had distanced himself from what was happening. He refused to acknowledge that he had failed to protect his brother's son. His own son.

As for Hinata, it was clear that she had cried her eyes out. But the young woman only stood there, staring at Neji's peaceful face, tracing his forehead with her eyes. She was happy that the cursed seal was no longer there to stain his features.

Her hands hung lifelessly on both sides of her body. Her hair was damp from the drizzle and it stuck to her face like a sateen veil, providing her with some solitude. She was one that did not like showing her sadness to people. It was something personal to her. As much as she always appeared emotional and unstable around her comrades, Naruto knew the actual truth.

Hinata closed her sadness within herself. She did not share this part of her soul with anyone. Because no one could understand her. Not many have had their brother die to protect them.
Well maybe not anyone.

It surprised Naruto to see Uchiha Sasuke at the funeral. He did not wear an official dark kimono that was common for such situations, but his usual attire was just as good. His black pants and black shirt were perfect for the occasion. Only the Uchiha fan on his back revealed that he had not actually dressed up for the funeral.

And yet, there he was. His arms were folded on his chest and he leaned on a tree in the distance. His onyx eyes drifted from Lee, and Gai, who both cried bitterly, to Tenten, whose face was as blank as humanly possible. Then his gaze fixed on Hinata and lingered there before noticing that Naruto was giving him a stare.

The blond let go of Sakura's hand and, wiping his eyes for the hundredth time, he walked to the Uchiha.

"Didn't expect to see you here," Naruto spoke. The two men exchanged serious gazes.

"Didn't expect to come here myself."

"Then why are you here?"

Sasuke fell silent for a moment.

Why was he here again? He wasn't sure himself. Or maybe he was. He just wouldn't admit it. Running his fingers through his damp bangs, he looked ahead.

"Itachi died twice," he finally spoke, his voice low. "And I never managed to give him a proper burial."

"So..." Naruto also directed his eyes to the ongoing funeral, feeling somewhat relieved that Neji's coffin was finally closed. "This is your way of doing it?"

Onyx eyes fixed on blue ones. "In a way."

The two fell silent again. The ceremony was soon over. People started heading back to their homes slowly, some of them stopping by the Hyuugas to pass their condolences. Hanabi seemed at her limits as she stormed off at a point. Hiashi Hyuuga bowed thankfully at everyone. As for Hinata...

She paid attention to none of those people. Still facing the grave, she stared at her cousin's name written there, still unable to fathom the fact that she would never see him again.

Soon Konoha's graveyard was emptied. Only Sasuke, together with Naruto stood there, hidden in the shadows of the trees. The blond stared at Hinata, feeling as hot tears rolled down his face again.

"He died because of me."

Sasuke shifted his eyes to his friend, giving him his blankest expression.

"He died to protect her."

"And she had to protect me because I was weak."

Sasuke sighed, looking at the clouded sky. The rain was getting heavier. "Itachi gave his life so he could save mine. Believe me, it is enough of a burden for Hinata to live with her cousin's death. Don't get yourself involved in this."

Naruto blinked. He parted his lips, but couldn't find the words to say. He wanted to do something for Hinata to make her feel better. But all he felt was guilt. He had promised Neji to protect and care for her. And yet, he couldn't find the strength to even walk to her and give her a hug.

"Then what am I supposed to do," the Uzumaki asked, feeling a painful lump in his throat.

"Give her some peace. This gets a bit better with time"

Naruto nodded abruptly. He only stared at Hinata, watching as the rain soaked her clothes. He thought that she was finally going to leave, but the girl only dropped to her knees, her long, wet hair hiding her face. She was shaking.

Naruto almost gasped. He took a step forward only to be stopped by Sasuke. The Uchiha held him by the shoulder, pulling him back.

"Don't."

"But-"

"I said don't. This is her way of cooping with this."

Naruto clenched his fists, feeling utterly useless. "Then you do something."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Because... You know exactly what she is going through, don't you?"

The Uchiha did not move. "I do not know her. We've never even spoken."

"Well, maybe now's the best time to do it."

Sasuke stared at the Uzumaki for a while. He wasn't one to have compassion for others, nor one to offer his shoulder when someone was in pain.

But this girl was a mess. If he was going to be a part of Konoha again, he would need to get used to communicating with people. And the Hyuuga girl was a good way to get started. She was calm and quiet. And reminded him too much of himself.

Exhaling, he let go of Naruto's shoulder and walked to her. He towered above the girl for a few long moments, seeing that she couldn't care less that he was there.

"It get's better with time."

Slowly, Hinata turned her head, fixing her sore, pale eyes at him. It appeared that she was just noticing his presence. "W-what?"

"The pain. It will go away eventually."

The girl shook her head, squeezing her eyes shut. "No it won't."

It was the worst time to do it, but he smiled. Who was he kidding. Of course it wouldn't go away.

"You're right." Communicating wasn't something Sasuke was good at. He sighed and looked at the sky again. It was getting darker. The cold rain wet his face. In the end he leaned down and sat on the ground next to Hinata. They remained silent for a while. Sasuke waited for her breathing to even out. It appeared that his presence somehow soother her nerves, though he wasn't sure why.

Within a few minutes the girl shifted her face to stare at him again, her eyes barely seen through the thick curtain of her wet hair.

"Thank you," she whispered and he had no idea what she thanked him for, but nodded.

"The pain will remain," he finally spoke, his voice only a murmur. "But in time you will remember only the good things."

She blinked and a faint smile curled her lips. Taking a few deep breaths, the girl stood up.

"I'll be going home now. Thank you, Sasuke-kun."

The man nodded again, raising to his feet, feeling rather odd. Even though she was grieving, he couldn't help but still find it nice to speak to her. She was rather different than all the other women he had been around.

"I'll walk you back," he spoke.

The girl nodded hesitantly and headed to the Hyuuga manor, accompanied by the Uchiha. They didn't speak. But his presence made her feel somewhat better. She knew that he was from the few people that could understand her right now.

Naruto stared as the two disappeared into the distance. A faint smile appeared on his face. He had promised both Itachi and Neji to look after their siblings. And maybe the best way to do this would be to let them look after each other. Smiling again, he headed back as well. They would make a great couple.