You sighed while pulling your knees up to your chest and you buried your face in them. Today was you birthday and everybody seemed to have forgotten. Even your sister! How could your own flesh and blood forget their sister's birthday?! Mom and dad never would have forgotten, you thought, trying to ignore the fact that they were gone. Of course they wouldn't, they're your own parents for God's sake.

The sun was already beginning to set, and still not a word from any of your friends or your Sensei. Not even just a simple happy birthday text or call. It's not like you were expecting much, just someone to acknowledge you on your special, sixteenth birthday.

'My crush didn't even remember either," you thought, sorrow coming over you at the thought of Neji Hyuga. You shamed yourself for thinking about him. If your own sister didn't remember your birthday then why would Neji?

A ghost of a smile began to appear at the thought of the boy who had you smitten. You've liked him for what, three years now? He's probably the smartest ninja you know, next to Shikamaru, and yet he never caught on to your hopeless infatuation with him.

You lifted yourself up off your porch and realization struck you that-it's not as if the world will end just because someone didn't say 'Happy Birthday' to you. You shouldn't rely on others to celebrate the anniversary of your birth. So without even telling your sister, you left and set off for the village, to go dine at your favorite ramen shop and maybe stop by the jewelry store on your way home, since you loved doing that so much.

On your way to Ichiraku Ramen you made sure to watch the sunset and admire it's beautiful colors. You took notice of how serene and tranquil the village seemed to be at nightfall. Shops were closing early, the way they always did on weekdays, and the villagers began to head home to their families and children. You loved peace and quiet, even if it meant you had to experience it alone.

Lifting the curtain in place of a door to the ramen shop, you noticed none other than Naruto sitting in one of the chairs alone, eating his usual dish. You decided to take the empty seat next to him and enjoy the company of the blond haired knuckle head, even if just for a few minutes

"Name-chan! Nice to see you here!" He greeted with a wave and a mouth full of ramen. He perked right up seeing you, and you couldn't help but smile.

"Hello Naruto!" You greeted.

You ordered your quick dinner and chatted with Naruto until you were done and full. As you were handed the check Naruto did something you'd least expect from him, he paid for you. But before you could even thank him he was off with a wave.

You smiled in gratitude, even though he never saw it and you made a mental note to personally thank him later.

You then went to a local jewelry store owned by a cute old woman whom you loved to chat with. She knew your parents very well and enjoyed telling stories about them. Ones they never had the opportunity to tell you themselves. Noticing that the shop was closing within the next twenty minutes, you quickly headed in, greeting the woman and complimenting her on her kimono before going straight to browsing. You finally settled on a simple black necklace with a kunai charm hanging from it. It was very inexpensive and you made the purchase right away.

While on your way home you adorned your new piece and admired it's simplicity. You thought it mirrored you perfectly. You always never put too too much thought into things and when a situation didn't go your own way, you accepted it or atleast found a way to move on. You never dwelled on anything too much and you think that's why you were attracted to Neji. You both balanced each other out. While he focused too much on destiny, you just walked the path of life. You both were simple people, not as simple as Shika, but still very simple, and you both never drew attention to yourselves.

As you walked up the path way to your home, from afar you could make out the form of somebody with unusually long, dark hair. You quickened your pace and and you could see his long, tied hair flick behind him as you met each other's gaze.

What's Neji doing here? You thought.

You stepped up to your porch with an inquisitive and confused expression on your face, while Neji's held one of relief.

"Neji-san?" You questioned, furrowing your eye brows.

Neji wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead and walked towards you, setting his hands on top of your shoulders. You noticed he was still in his jounin uniform instead of his usual Hyuga robes.

"Name, you had me worried." He said, taking in every inch of your face, almost as if making sure it was you.

"What do you mean? Why were you looking for me?" You inquired before widening your eyes "Did something happen?" You nervously asked. Why else would Neji be so relieved to see you, unless he was looking for you or needed to tell you something?

As he was about to answer your question he stopped mid-sentence, his attention now being directed at the jewelry hanging from your neck.

"What a beautiful necklace." He complimented.

You blushed at the indirect compliment, even though it wasn't exactly for you.

"Thank you. I actually just bought it for my-" You stopped yourself mid-sentence. You didn't want to tell Neji it was your birthday because you knew he would feel bad for forgetting so you intended to spare him from any embarrassment.

"For your birthday, I know." He sat you down onto the step of your porch, and reached out for the charm with his hand, admiring it and the way the kunai sparkled in the moon light.

You were shocked. Completely bewildered.

"You see, I just got back from a mission and I came here right away to wish you a Happy Birthday but when your sister told me you weren't here... I got worried." He explained. He even seemed a little embarrassed when revealing to you he was worried about your sudden disappearance.

You literally never had felt happier. Out of all the people to remember your birthday, the one and only Neji Hyuga cared most about it! During your little mental meltdown you grabbed the boy and kissed his cheek affectionately, right at the corner of his lips.

You didn't mean to do it and pulled away almost immediately, cheeks flaming as red as a tomato.

"Oh, Neji! I'm sorry!" You whispered in embarrassment, covering your mouth with the sleeve of your jacket.

Neji's eyes widened almost as if he'd never been kissed before, before, with a completely serious expression on his face, placing both of his hands onto the side of your face, pulling you closer to him. He gently pressed his lips to yours, very softly, for several seconds before pulling away, with a small smile across his lips.

"Happy Birthday, Name" Those words came right out of his mouth, like music to your ears. After a whole entire day of waiting, someone finally spoke it to you.

Your lover reached next to him for something, revealing to you a plate with a chocolate cupcake on it, adorned with fluffy pink icing and an unlit candle stuck into the center. Neji lit the candle with a lighter he pulled out of the pocket of his vest and handed the plate to you, wrapping an arm around your shoulder, lovingly.

Before blowing out the flame, you contemplated what your birthday wish would be, but nothing came to mind. Probably because you already had everything you could possibly wish for.