"Happy birthday, Rin-chan."

The grass squelched beneath his sandals as he approached the simple gravestone. One of many, it helped form a long line of creamy blocks, each bearing a heartfelt inscription. A vase of fresh flowers stood on the grave's stone base, their colorful petals waving gently in the breeze. Probably a gift from her parents.

Kneeling down, he dug in his pockets until his hand closed around a short red candle that was supposed to smell like strawberries. Placing it beside the vase, he pulled a lighter from his hip pouch and flicked it open, letting the flame devour the wick until it caught fire.

"Sorry I'm late," he murmured, the smoke from the candle curling into his silvery hair. "I had to walk my students home. Have I told you about them?"

The candle flickered. "You'd like them, I'm sure." He smiled a little beneath his mask as he settled into the plush, damp grass. "Naruto looks just like Sensei, but he behaves like Kushina-san." He chuckled under his breath as the shadows cast by the candle danced merrily across the ivory stone, as if laughing with him. "And I have an Uchiha, but he's nothing like Obito. He's a little cold and quiet, but he's a good kid. They all are."

He tilted his head up to gaze at the dim stars beginning to peer out from the big blue depths of space. "There's a girl on my squad too. Her name's Sakura. She reminds me of you." He sighed. "She's a pretty girl—intelligent and full of potential. Her chakra control's excellent. Maybe she'll be a medic someday, just like you."

His voice died away as he studied the candle. A pool of glistening wax was forming around the wick and had already begun to stream down the sides. The label had indeed been correct; perhaps it wasn't the smell of real fruit, but the burning candle's scent was certainly reminiscent of Rin's shampoo.

"I wish I had been there, Rin," he whispered regretfully, a phrase he had repeated more times in his life than any other, his own sorrowful mantra. "Maybe I could've done something to save you."

The wind stirred, jarring the flame's elaborate dance so it wiggled frantically, like a person shaking their head. He rolled his eyes at the ridiculous notion that she might be sending him a message through a guttering candle flame.

Sighing again, he looked around at the quiet cemetery. "So this is the future, Rin-chan," he said. "What do you think? Is it everything you hoped it would be?"

There was no response, but he hadn't expected one. Instead, the wind rustled the grass brushing against his legs and far off in the distance, there was the low rumble of thunder. "Maybe it's going to rain," he murmured, looking up just in time for a raindrop to land in his exposed right eye.

Rubbing at it, he moved to stand up, letting his fingertips ghost along the edge of the cold stone. "At least that means tomorrow will be sunny, right?"

Shoving his hands in his pockets, he smiled at the candle and the delicate vase. "Give my regards to Sensei and Obito, hmm? And my folks if you see them."

Spinning on his heel, he left the cemetery, pausing momentarily to say a small prayer at the rest of his loved ones' graves. As he passed between the two stone statues marking the entrance, the rain began to fall harder until his uniform was soaking. He would suffer from sneezing fits all the next day, a sight his students would find extremely amusing.

But the little red candle burned throughout the night, only sizzling to silence when the hungry flame had burned through the stump of scented wax. It oozed across the stone and hardened with the cold pattering of rain. If someone had walked by the next morning, they would notice the dripping flowers and the solid dull wax that, when viewed from a great height, faintly resembled the character for love.

A/N: The end! I hope you enjoyed it! Stay tuned...