Author's Note: This is pretty sad, you have been warned. Also, this contains spoilers from the manga.

Sometimes it was odd to think about the past, to think back on all that had been and all that could have been. Tenten smiled as a key was handed to her. "It's all yours," the man to her left said, following her gaze up to the building that now belonged to her. "Or rather it will be."

"Thank you," she told him. "Tomorrow at 9:00a.m., right?"

The man nodded. "Yes, we'll finalize everything then."

Tenten bowed, feeling almost giddy at this new chapter in her life. "Can't wait."

Her own business.

Her own shop.

A laugh was her answer. "I'm sure your store will do well, I heard you are going to sell weapons, correct?"

She turned to him with a grin that momentarily stunned him though she didn't notice. "That's right, the best in Konoha, you'll see."

The seller chuckled a bit, trying to hide the red in his cheeks. "Well, I'll be sure to recommend you once everything is set up, I heard you're Konoha's master weapon's specialist."

"That would be great and thank you again, really."

As the man bowed and left, Tenten turned back to the building. It wasn't very big nor spacious, but it was just what she was looking for, with a second floor apartment and a large room in the back for storage. She took a few steps forward and used the key she had been given to open the door. It was empty as expected, with old wallpaper she would change soon and a well-worn floor that she would probably keep to maintain some ambiance. As she walked inside, she pictured where everything would go. The shuriken to the right, swords on the left, kunai hanging from the shelf atop the counter.

"I need to tell Neji," she told herself, the smile still in place. No one knew of this new endeavor she had undertaken. She'd been saving up money since she turned Jonin and after being invited into ANBU two years ago, she finally saved enough to buy the whole place, just what she had wanted.

After she closed the door and pocketed the key, she went toward the soba shop just outside the southern entrance of the village and ordered two bowls of herring soba for the road. With the food in one hand and the key in another she happily made her way toward the southeastern outskirts of the village toward the thick foliage separating the village from the training grounds.

As she walked next to the Konoha Memorial, she bowed as was customary and muttered a small prayer, wishing for eternal peace for those fallen since the founding of the village. She read over the names carefully, especially the new ones added at the bottom. Her reverie was soon interrupted by a pair of genin carrying some flowers and she kept walking to give them the space they seemed to need.

It was dawn when she walked across Konoha cemetery, taking her time and savoring the evening warmth as she reached her destination. "Hmm," she observed clinically, sitting down in front of a recently cleaned grave. "Lee brought you those flowers he promised he'd bring even though they don't bloom this time of year."

As she said this, she opened the bag of food and began to lay it out accordingly. "He said he would and I quote 'take three thousand laps around the village barefoot' if he didn't get you them." She chuckled a bit as she placed one of the bowls in front of the grave.

"Before we eat," she said letting out another small laugh, "I have a surprise." Slowly, she revealed the key to the building she would officially own the very next day. "I bought it, Neji, I'm finally going to get the shop I used to tell you about. You always said it would happen…that it was only a matter of time…" she trailed off as her smile diminished, looking at the worn key distantly.

But her look changed quickly and with a smile, she placed the key back in her pocket and raised the bowl she had gotten for herself. "Anyway, I just wanted to let you know, especially knowing what today already means to us."

She paused and watched the steam rise from the untouched bowl in front of the grave.

Tenten breathed out, trying to keep her smile.

"Happy birthday, Neji."

It's been almost three years since I uploaded something. It's very odd to see how fast time goes by. I would love to post more, but I'm adult with adult things to do. Hopefully, I will have times like this again, where I can spare a couple of minutes and submit something.

After the events in the canon, I wanted to write something concerning Tenten's mourning process since she was barely appeared at all, let alone shown how she grieved. I do think the reason she wasn't very expressive about his death in the manga was because Tenten couldn't handle sadness well and so this was the result. I'd like to think she would mourn him in her own way, especially on his birthday.

Thanks for reading, and sorry for the long wait.