"Welcome to the Yaman-? Oh, Tenten!"

Her blonde friend smiles upon seeing her. Tenten looks at Ino, dazing. It takes her a few minutes and several hand waving for Tenten to snap back to reality.

"O-Oh, Ino…"

"Are you okay? Did something happen?" the blonde tilts her head, puzzling at her friend's odd behavior.

"No, n-nothing happen."

But her flustered face doesn't escape Ino's eyes as the blonde looks at her again, a small smile appears on her lips as she decides to drop the subject. Prying information from Tenten proves to be useless as the brunette rarely shares her personal life with anyone.

"Well, since you're here…" Ino steps back to the counter, greeting "Welcome to the Yamanaka's flower shop. How may I assist you?"

A soft giggle escapes her lips as Tenten looks around for some flowers. She's going on a mission tomorrow, maybe it's a good thing to come to Neji's grave today before she leaves.

Wait a minute…

Since when did she make plans to go visit him? She has been doing that for ages, but all of them are just due to her habit. Today, somehow she feels like today's visit is different from the rest. Is it because she's consciously doing it? Or is it because of how good she is feeling right now?

Tenten recalls the dreadful face she always makes whenever she comes to pick up some flowers to visit Neji, even Ino notices that but said nothing about it. It's part of her everyday life to come to his graveside, pouring her heart out until her eyes are red and puffy, then go back to her apartment, shutting herself from all the fun around her.

But today, she feels different. No longer wearing a dreadful face, the sad and lonely feeling no longer resides in her heart and instead, they're being replaced by something different, something warm and cozy…

"Tenten, may I ask…" Ino stops for a brief moment then continues "Did something good happen?"

The brunette looks at her friend, her face becomes redder at the question. Something good did happen and she's almost too embarrassed to admit it out loud.

"I saw Temari today…" she answers quietly "…she mentions something about Lord Kazekage."

She thought that Ino would overreact to the piece of information she just received. The blonde loves these kinds of conversations, talking about men and relationship stuff. But to her surprise, Ino lets out a soft giggle before giving her a warm and heartfelt smile.

"Well, I'm glad to hear that. I heard your team is going to the Sand Village tomorrow?"

"H-how did you…?"

"Shikamaru told me. He has been whining about how troublesome this mission is."

"And yet, he's the most reliable partner I've ever known." Tenten laughs at her response.

Of course, Shikamaru is whining. He always prefers the lazy, cloud-watching days rather than forcing himself to go on a mission. It seems like this peaceful time has once again brought out that lazy side of his.

"Can I have some sunflowers?"

Ino nods her head. The sunflowers today are so beautiful and vibrant. Each one is big with sturdy stems and the yellow color is bright and lively. These are probably the best sunflowers her shop has so far. Tying the sunflowers into a big bouquet, for some reason, looking at it makes Ino smiles. It's not because of how beautiful they are, or how lovely those bright petals are, but the way Tenten chooses the flowers.

Whenever Tenten comes to the shop, she always asks for a specific bouquet, a sunflower bouquet. If she remembers correctly, Hinata once said that they are Neji's favorite flowers. As bright and vibrant as the flowers may be, they don't reflect back to the person who purchases them. Tenten always accepts the bouquet with a smile, however, that smile never once reaches her eyes.

But…

There's something different today…

"Thank you."

Tenten accepts the bouquet in her hand, feeling the soft petals against her fingertips. A faint blush appears on her face as her lips curl up, forming a soft yet genuine smile. Ino is surprised to see this side of her, how long has it been since she last saw that smile on Tenten's face?

"Before you leave, Tenten… Let me tell you something…" Ino walks up to her friend, smiling at the sunflowers in her friend's hands "Do you know the meaning of sunflowers?"

"Wha…?"

"It's a symbol of loyal and sincere love, just like how your feelings are for Neji…" she looks at Tenten, observing her reactions "…however, it is also the seed of a fresh, new beginning. You will do well to bear that in mind."

The brunette looks at her friend, wondering why she tells her this. She has always asked for sunflowers whenever she visits his graveside, they are his favorite flowers. And yet, something about Ino's words makes her chest feel heavy with many emotions. Too many that she can not describe…

Tenten walks out of the flower shop, thinking about what Ino told her. Sincere and loyal love, but also a new beginning...

What does that mean…?

"Tenten-san!"

She hears a soft, feminine voice calling her. Tenten turns around, only to see Hinata waving her hand at her. The brunette notices it too, there's a sunflower bouquet on the Hyuga heiress's arm.

"Are you going to visit Neji-niisan?" her smile is kind and gentle "Let's go together!"

"Of course."

On their way to the graveside, Hinata and Tenten share many things together. Apparently, the elders of the Hyuga clan are very pleased with the wedding preparations. While Naruto still has many things to learn, her father, lord Hiashi, is kind enough to teach the young hero everything he needs to know about the history and tradition of the clan.

"Naruto must be quite exhausted by all the information…" Tenten giggles.

"He is, but he also tries very hard to learn everything."

Talking to Hinata is nice as she tells her more about what her team has been doing, and how her little sister, Hanabi, is learning to take over the role of clan leader after Hinata's marriage. The talk about marriage is fun while it lasts, as Tenten's mind wanders back to that day, when Neji proposed to her.

The brunette wonders, if Neji survived the war, would Hinata be her sister-in-law by now? She has heard rumors of how the Hyuga clan is changing their clan structure, uniting both the main house and the branch house instead of separating it as an honor to Neji. While there had been a reconciliation between the two branches of the family prior to the war, it was only when Neji passed away that the elders decided to end segregation for good.

She also wonders whether or not his family will accept her, a young woman that has nothing except her skill in weapons. She doesn't even have a last name and yet, Neji accepted her. He once told her how the Hyuga clan is slowly changing, that his uncle wanted him to be the clan leader instead of Hinata. There were talks about this and even Hinata agreed that her cousin was the better candidate for the leader position.

When she asked Neji what would happen when he became the leader, the man just smiled at her, saying that he would still choose her of all people. The seriousness in his words made Tenten giggle. No matter how absurd their conversation may be, she always took his words to be true. Neji Hyuga was never a liar.

"Had Neji-niisan survived the war, I would have had a chance to call you neesan…"

Tenten flinches at her words but she doesn't respond. Her hand touches the sunflowers on his grave, playing with the soft petals.

"I always know that Neji-niisan would choose you to be his wife. Back then, no matter where we were, his eyes always fell on you…"

When those words leave Hinata's lips, Tenten hides her face as she starts to cry. She misses him, she misses Neji so much her heart is going to burst. Her mind is filled with all the happiest moments she shared with him, from the academy days to their first mission together then the Chunnin exam then the day she blurted out her feelings for him, only to get a chuckle out of Neji as he said that he feels the same way.

And then, that night, when Neji asked for her hand for marriage, telling her that they would build a loving, happy family together. The way he worded his sentence, the seriousness in his eyes, how firm his hold was, everything about it felt so real and yet, it was like a dream at the same time.

A beautiful dream that she never wants to end…

Hinata gently holds onto her friend's arms, pulling her into a hug. She knows how much her older cousin loves this woman. He had brought her up on many occasions and her father was very pleased with the idea of them being together. Lord Hiashi encouraged Neji to bring her home and introduced her to everyone, it didn't matter if she was not from a noble family, as long as Neji loves her, he would approve.

Neji sacrificed everything for the Hyuga clan, even to his last breath, he was protecting Hinata. He died as an honorable man, but it's the person who got left behind suffers the most. Tenten loves him, she loves him so much that so many years have gone by, she still stays faithful to him.

Hinata admired Tenten for that, loving someone wholeheartedly and keeping her vow to only be with him. However, seeing her life crumble as her love slowly turns into an obsession breaks Hinata's heart. She never wants to see Tenten like this and she knows very well how painful Neji must have felt if he knows that this is the result of him laying down his life.

"I miss him, I miss him so much…" she said through her tears "Why… why…?"

"I know, Tenten-san. I'm sorry…" Hinata combs her hair, whispering soothing words into her ears "But… Neji-niisan would never want to see you like this…"

The young heiress wants nothing more than to see Tenten happy. Fate is cruel to separate her from the person she loves dearly, but it doesn't mean that Tenten should put her life on hold like that. She has suffered enough and Neji would never want to see the woman he loves the most in this state.

He wouldn't…

It's too much for anyone to see, even for him…

"Tenten-san, it's time…" Hinata looks at her, smiling sadly "It's time to move on…"

The brunette breaks down into tears again, hands around her whole body as if to shield her away from this cruel world.

Neji… Hold me… Please…

She wants to be in his arms, to listen to his soft heartbeat, to feel his lips touch her forehead lovingly. To Tenten, no matter how difficult this life is, as long as Neji is there with her, she knows she can overcome anything.

But he is not here…

He is no longer in this world…

A life without Neji, a life where Neji is no longer her sole reason to live. If she accepts the truth and move on, then who and what is she?

"Who am I supposed to be…?" she whispers "Neji is the only one who accepts me, if I move on now, then…"

"No Tenten, everyone loves you. We want you to be happy, just like how Neji-niisan wants you to be happy." Hinata cups her face, shaking her head "And deep down, you know who you are and what you want…"

Who she is and what she wants?

What does she want?

She can remember that little girl, crying out for help, hopelessly clinging to whoever offers her a helping hand. That little one always looks so lonely, her brown eyes swim in tears. She looks around, hoping to find someone, anyone to notice her, to take her away from the pitch-black world.

That little girl…

She recognizes her now, that little girl is no other than Tenten herself.

In the end, Tenten only wants one thing, she wants to be happy. She has been seeking for happiness for so long that when Neji comes into her life, she is so sure that this is the happiness she has been looking for. But he passed away, leaving her behind, along with the memories they shared with each other. So she hangs onto them, convincing herself that is the only thing she needs. It doesn't matter if she is pushing everyone away, as long as she still has these memories with her, Tenten is happy…

But is she…?

If she is happy, then why are those nightmares still haunting her? Why are those voices telling her to die? Why is the little girl inside her still crying? Why is her life so miserable right now?

"Tenten-san…" Hinata holds her dear in her arms, whispering comforting words into her ears "Please, you are not alone anymore. You have us, you have him…"

Him…?

"It's time now, Tenten-san, it's time for you to get back on your own feet. It's time for you to move on."