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.

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.

Sasuke immediately head for the bar itself, taking a seat and ordering some wine. Hinata stood by the entrance, observing everyone and the lonesome Uchiha. She quietly made her way towards him to make sure if he was doing alright despite knowing that sometimes he really just wanted to be alone.

He noticed this of course, and he pretended to be unaware as she took the seat beside him. "Are you okay, Sasuke-san?"

His glass of wine arrived just in time as he took a sip, glancing at her. At some point recently, he noticed that the honorific "san" irritated him whenever it came from her. He'd been called like so a couple times in the past but he never imagined she wasn't the type to address him by "Sasuke-kun".

As he remained silent, deep in thought, Hinata observed him, watching as he took sips from his glass of wine. She began to think that maybe she said something wrong or that maybe she was invading his privacy.

She got up to leave but he quickly stopped her, prompting her to sit back down. She found it strange but decided that he perhaps wanted a bit of company, and she was more than glad to be there.

"Where were you before I left the village?"

The strange question startled her, and she leaned over the counter, staring up at him. "I'm certain that I was recovering from the preliminaries against Neji-niisan. Why do you ask?"

Sasuke wasn't sure if it was okay for him to be here and talking to her so casually while they were basically all alone. It surprised him at how comfortable she seemed to be. He had expected that she would atleast be a little uneasy to be sitting here right beside him in a bar where all of their other friends minded other things.

He remained silent as he tried to think of something else that could grant him a conversation with her, since he wasn't around to witness her fight with Neji.

"I've heard that you merged and mastered great techniques at a young age. Like that silver-haired geezer. It seems interesting."

Hinata caught on to the point that maybe Sasuke was trying to start a conversation with her, something that caused her to giggle as she ordered a glass of wine as well. "Ever since my defeat against Neji-nii and seeing Naruto-kun's determination back then, I aspired to become strong and be able to prove myself that I too, can... be as strong-willed and truly powerful as the both of them."

The raven-haired male remembered seeing her in the training fields once with Neji and her younger sister Hanabi as she performed the technique. From first glance, he knew that it required excellent chakra control, and he wasn't too surprised that she was able to pull it off.

"Gentle Step Twin Lion Fists huh..." Secretly, he admired how strong she was and knowing that she worked very hard to get stronger with little help from anyone else. He set down his glass, turning to face her and staring straight into her eyes.

The flustered Hyūga took a sip of her wine, averting her eyes from the Uchiha's intense black orbs. His eyes were something that anyone could probably stare into forever. They were so dark that it was easy to see your reflection. They were so dark that they can sometimes, (rarely) be difficult to look away from. But most of all, they were so dark that she wasn't sure if she would be capable of telling apart emotions that they could possible hold.

Her behavior caused him to smirk, reaching for his glass again whilst keeping his eyes on her. He could swear that she would stiffen under his gaze everytime, and it was quite entertaining to watch.

But seeing her up-close and catching her scent and everything else about her made him recall the incident at the beach. He wasn't sure why or how he came up with the idea of almost stripping in front of everyone andcarrying her once again, feeling her soft skin on his.

Her touch certainly made his heart flutter. It took every ounce of his being not to keep her and run away with her in his arms.

The dark-haired woman with the pink-tinted cheeks caught his attention once again as she tucked her hair behind her ear, an action that he could rarely witness but feel so used to. Refusing to look away from her, he noticed her lips were stained by something, casually pointing it out.

Hinata was confused, rubbing her cheeks over and over with her blush deepening as Sasuke continued to stare at her. He heaved an impatient sigh as he leaned over, wiping the chocolate off her bottom lip and inspecting his thumb.

Sweets..?

By this time, the poor girl's face was already beet red as she trembled before him. This caused him to chuckle once again, smirking in an unkind way as he licked the chocolate off his finger. He didn't like sweets for sure, but the small amount of chocolate didn't seem to bother him.

He savored the small amount, recognizing a familiar flavor, raising a brow at the Hyūga. "Tomato-flavored chocolate?"

Hinata covered her face, unable to think straight as she nodded slightly, chugging down the rest of her wine.

The Uchiha isn't aware of whether she could handle her alcohol well but decided to order another two glasses of wine, passing one towards her. "There's no need to be embarassed, is there?"

Hinata glanced at Sasuke from the corner of her eye. His behavior was starting to become suspicious. "Are you drunk, Uchiha-san?"

He set down his glass and turned to glare at her, well aware that he still had control over his actions. "Uchiha-san? Whatever happened to addressing me by my first name?" Sasuke sighed, grabbing her glass from her and taking her to one corner of the bar where there was a huge TV and sofas with your own self-serve station of alcohol, but the kind that only he'd be able to handle.

She frowned upon his actions, only causing her to suspect even more that the raven-haired man was indeed intoxicated. Out of concern and without thinking, she gently cupped his face, staring into his eyes and checking his temperature. "Are you sure you're feeling alright?"

Her gentle touch instantly reminded him of his mother. How she treated his wounds often and how her soft hands soothed the pain. His face reddened at the direct contact, and naturally, this worried Hinata and confirmed her suspicions.

Hinata sunk in her seat, pouting and staring at the Uchiha who sat there looking dumbfounded. "S-Sasuke-san, are you even breathing?"

Try deep breaths...

Try deep breaths...

It's just out of concern, Sasuke.

He sighed, not even realizing that he held his breath ever since she'd gotten so close and he took a shot of strong liquor. He took the remote right beside him and changed the channels, ignoring her as he tried to regain his composure.

Hinata watched intently, his hands were shaking and he failed to hold the remote properly, where it eventually fell on his lap. He grasped it in frustration, dumbfounded once again.

She took the remote and set it aside, turning back and grabbing his shoulders, observing him. Here was Sasuke Uchiha right before her, nibbling on his bottom lip with a red face, his hands shaking. There was no doubt in her mind that he was sick. And for a moment, she was troubled. She grabbed the bucket of ice water on the table and carefully dipped half of her handkerchief in it, making sure it was just the right temperature for him.

She gently held the cloth on his forehead, looking down at him and smiling kindly.

Sasuke knew well that he was notsick at all. Her actions were too quick, he never knew that she could be unpredictable as well. This was not a Hinata he was familiar with no matter how kind and gentle she was, just like now.

He averted his gaze from her to see Naruto, Shikamaru, Kiba and Sai peeking from the pool table, stifling laughters and strangling each other. His face reddened even more than it already has. The Uchiha felt so pathetic to be in such a state in front of his friends.

"The heat won't subside, Sasuke-san. Are you really sure you're good at handling your alcohol?"

His deep, dark orbs rolled in frustration. He wanted to feel her touch, he wanted her close, he wanted to her care and all but he felt extremely uncomfortable knowing that her eyes were not the only ones watching him. "I'm certain I can handle it much better than you can, thank you."

Hinata smiled at the typical tone spat by the dark-haired male, thinking that he atleast felt well enough to be capable of whining like he always did.

From the other side of the wall yelled Kiba and Naruto in unison. "OOOOOI! HINATA! ARE YOU OKAY IN THEEERE?"

She turned to look at the transparent sliding door, glancing at Naruto and the others and nodding shyly, still pressing the damp cloth on Sasuke's forehead.

"Hyūga, I think I'm all fine now, you can sit back down."

Hinata, slightly taken aback, reluctantly set the cloth on the table and sat down as she was told to. Why Sasuke had suddenly demanded her to was a very good reason. From his perspective. Kiba and Naruto's shoulders shook with laughter as they mischievously pointed to Hinata's lower back, something that would throw off Sasuke as he is now, of course.

The four men already knew of his secret and he didn't want the numbers to increase. Any more than that and he'd blow it for sure. He liked to believe that going on a slow pace would be much better than just having his feelings exposed so early.

"Oi, Hyūga. Do you sing?" Hinata bit on her finger, glancing at their female friends who laughed along while singing and smiled. She nodded, sat up straight, and proceeded to hum a lullaby.

His eyes widened at her pleasant voice, it was almost like a bird's soft chirping. She played with the ends of her long dark blue hair, happily humming a pleasant lullaby. He recognized it as a tune that was accompanied by a great poem about a place in the sun. Perhaps is was taught to her by a member of the Hyūga clan. Well naturally.

He leaned back and pretended to stretch his arms over his head only to drop them right by her shoulders. She closed her eyes and hummed the end, leaning back with a satisfied smile.

Closer...

They've become much closer.