A/N: Happy Neji Week everyone! Over in the NejiTen discord (link on my profile!) we're celebrating Neji's birthday with 7 prompts! I know these are short, but I hope you enjoy them!

This takes place right before Neji's match with Naruto. There is a lunar eclipse today (although not a total one like I've written) and I'm using a lot of the themes and astrology of this particular eclipse. Since it was also Neji's birthday yesterday I've worked that in to. So, following the canon timeline, he would have just turned 14.

Day Seven
Eclipse

It was a cool night. The early July heat had broken early in the day with a brief shower, a welcome reprieve after several days of sweltering humidity. It was the perfect night to lay out under the stars.

Team Gai had gathered at their training ground to watch the eclipse.

"When will it start, Gai-sensei?" asked Lee.

"Soon. You must be patient. We cannot rush nature."

Neji watched the moon, waiting.

"Tenten!" said Gai, "Tell us all about the celestial meaning and messages for this most magical event!"

To his left, Neji heard Tenten sigh.

She was only pretending at desperation; Neji could tell. He could feel her energy vibrating and humming with excitement at the prospect of discussing the astrological aspects of the eclipse.

"Well, I'm still learning," she admitted, "but eclipses are about change - really intense change. But some people are more sensitive to it than others. It depends on your natal chart."

"Tenten! What does the eclipse mean for me?" asked Lee.

"Hmm. Well, Lee, this eclipse is in the sign of Capricorn, and —"

"Capricorn! That's Gai-sensei's sign!"

"Yes, it is."

Neji rolled his eyes. It wasn't that he put too much stock in the stars, but he was curious about what Tenten had to say.

"As I was saying. The last eclipse was a solar eclipse in Cancer. That was last month."

"Last month?" Neji asked.

"I don't remember that, Tenten," added Lee.

"It was only visible over Suna," said Tenten, "as I was saying, Capricorn tends to deal with matters of your career. Capricorns tend to be hard workers who are confident in their purpose and goals. Cancers tend to be very family-oriented, so, from what I've been reading, this eclipse will bring matters of work and family to light. Lunar eclipses also deal with conclusions, so you should look for resolution or endings instead of worrying about new situations."

Neji frowned. Family-oriented? He was a Cancer, but… his family wasn't exactly something he enjoyed focusing on. Tenten poked his arm, and he turned to look at her.

"Family-oriented doesn't mean one big happy family, but it does mean your family has a large impact on your life and the decisions you make."

Neji turned away from her and pondered his response.

"Work?!" Lee asked, "Do you think the eclipse could help with my leg?"

"It must, Lee!" Gai said.

"Then, I think I should get the surgery."

"Wait… what?" said Tenten.

Neji looked over to Lee. Gai had sat up and was looking down at him, shining with pride and freshly shed tears.

"Lee, are you sure?" he asked, "Tsunade-sama said the chances of recovery were—"

"It doesn't matter, Gai-sensei. Tenten said this eclipse brings about conclusions, and it is time I decided."

"But Lee…" Tenten's voice was quiet. "What if the conclusion is your career?"

"That's the same conclusion if I do nothing. I want to try."

They were quiet for a while, watching as the sun slowly slid in front of the moon. It was hard to see at first, but then the moon was no longer full.

"How long will it take, Tenten?" asked Gai.

"Maybe an hour or two?"

"And what does this even mean for my other two students?"

"Similar as with Lee, same for you too, Gai-sensei. It will bring us some family-work conclusions. Some people, like Lee, may feel it stronger than others."

"Oh!" cried Lee, "Then surely Neji will have a very busy eclipse!"

Neji frowned.

"Why would you say that?"

"Because your birthday was just yesterday! Surely that means something!"

"The chunin exams are just a couple days away," added Tenten. "I bet you'll have quite the conclusion."

"I'll defeat Naruto and become a chunin. It's expected."

They fell silent again, and Tenten rolled into his vision, leaning over him.

She whispered so that only he could hear.

"But it could also be about family." And then she was gone from his line of sight, back watching the moon.

Neji stewed on her comment as the sun crept its way across the face of the moon. If they had been alone, he might have said something sharp and unkind - something he'd regret. They hadn't talked much about his match against Hinata. Tenten had been angry at him, and it had stung worse than Gai's disappointment. Hiashi had been livid too and punished him accordingly. But that was expected. Tenten wasn't supposed to get angry at him over his family; she knew too much, was too understanding. And Neji had thought they'd moved on from this topic, but she had brought it right back into focus.

The moon was a bright white crescent now, sliding through a month's worth of phases in just over an hour.

Neji wouldn't have minded Tenten's anger or the ensuing fight they'd had if she didn't have a knack for being right about these things.

The moon was visible again, full and stained red, like a sunset.

Conclusions were in the works.

A/N: And that concludes Neji Week! (See what I did there?) If you enjoyed this, as always, please leave a review!