When Onyx Met Lavender

VII | "Closer"

The hours spent on the beach went by quickly, but everyone seems to have enjoyed it to the fullest.

Everyone gathered around a table, staring at Hinata as she shyly proceeded with checking the presents one by one. She started with the females, receiving stuff like clothing and beauty products. To everyone's surprise, Tenten even got her a nice but perhaps revealing pair of swimwear, given Hinata's size.

The swimsuit silenced everyone, with Tenten's eyes gleaming at her present. "Isn't it beautiful?!"

Hinata rubbed her cheek, not wanting to disappoint her good friend. She then nodded with a small smile as she proceeded with the other gifts. Neji glared at Tenten in disbelief, knowing that there was absolutely no way he was going to let Hinata wear such a thing in front of anyone.

The presents from the guys seemed to interest her more, ranging from stuff related to cooking, more clothing (and more decent at that), and stuff that she could put to use at home.

She looked at the jacket that appeared to be from none other than Sasuke himself. She wondered if Sasuke knew that she quite fond of the color Lavender, but nonetheless, she was really glad that he even got her something to begin with. The raven-haired male's heart beat furiously in his chest, hoping she wouldn't inspect it too much or else, she and everyone else will be able to see that crest that he had specially asked to be sewn onto it.

He wasn't sure if he regretted the decision of coming up with such a thing. But even if he did, well there was no turning back. Hinata clutched the jacket close to her while mumbling a quiet 'thank you' to Sasuke, proceeding on to Gaara's present.

It was a small black velvet box and one glance at it tells you that it may have cost quite a lot, something that the Hyūga slightly frowned upon. She wasn't against the idea of receiving presents at all, even if it was embarassing. But it would always make her feel bad whenever someone decided to spend just a tad more than they should have.

Ino, who sat across from Sasuke, eyed the Uchiha the entire time Hinata held the jacket. She wasn't sure if it was really Sasuke who had come up with it and went through the effort of making a patch. She didn't recall there ever being such a crest but nonetheless, looking at it makes you feel like it's familiar, as she has seen both crests separately, quite often.

The velvet box contained a beautiful rose gold necklace with a sparkling rose pendant.

The females that gathered around the table gasped and stared in awe, a little jealous of their friend who received such a beautiful piece. The redhead male stood in the corner, observing her expression as her cheeks grew pink in delight. She turned towards him and bowed, mumbling another 'thank you' before setting the box beside her.

The smile on her face was just what he had hoped for, and getting the (although expensive) magnificent necklace for her was proven to be worth it.

Temari knew the story behind all of it. Months before, Gaara specially dispatched skilled Jōnin from the village, including their brother Kankurō to collect the gift for the fair maiden.

After a bit of chatting between the friends, Hinata proceeded to open the last gift that was from Yamato. Carefully peeling off the wrapper, she held a beautiful music box that was simple but beautiful. She knew from the looks of it that Yamato made it himself, though she was unsure why he had gone as far as to do so.

Thanking everyone once again, she kindly asked if everyone was good to go to dinner now and everyone else agreed upon going to the bar shortly after. Hinata wasn't sure if she had much to do there except talk to her good friends, but decided against it.

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Dinner was light so that everyone could enjoy their time at the surprisingly calming bar that was right next to the main building. A couple of the guys split off to play pool and the some of the females gathered in a sound-proofed room to enjoy some karaoke.