The Land of Lightning was a truly fascinating country.
Unlike the Land of Rivers, where chains of mountains let villages and cities sit halfway up or at the base, the Land of Lightning was founded atop towering peaks that pierced the clouds.
By day, thick fog shrouded everything, sometimes resounding with thunderous booms of lightning. Its military base, hidden among the clouds and fog, was known as Hidden Cloud Village.
Yet at night—especially on those rare cloudless evenings—this country turned breathtakingly beautiful.
"Look, Izayoi-kun, look! The stars seem so close and so gorgeous!"
It was nine o'clock at night. Izayoi and Hinata had climbed from the foot of a mountain all the way to its summit.
Hinata, unaware that she had already left the Land of Fire, simply believed Izayoi was taking her on an after-dinner exercise; she cheerfully scaled the slopes.
Now, having finally reached the peak, the sense of accomplishment gave her the mistaken impression that this starlit view was Izayoi's "birthday surprise." She tugged on his hand, pointing with excitement at the vast starry sky overhead.
"No matter how beautiful the stars are, they still can't compare to you, Hinata." Izayoi's sudden sweet-talk left her cheeks flushing red. But the overwhelming joy she felt right then easily outweighed any embarrassment.
Hinata took the initiative, slipping her arm around Izayoi's and resting her head on his shoulder. Gazing at the stars, she said softly, "Izayoi-kun, thank you for the surprise. This is my first time viewing the sky from such a height."
Hearing that, Izayoi paused briefly. Lowering his head to see the radiant smile and pure happiness on her face—so easily satisfied—he leaned in and planted a gentle kiss on her cheek. Smiling, he said, "This is only the beginning. I have lots more surprises in store for you."
Taking her now–flushed, warm hand (still reeling from the "attack"), Izayoi led Hinata to a cliff's edge. There, a long stone bench awaited them—clearly prepared in advance.
In that moment, Hinata felt her heart melt. She imagined Izayoi scouting the area days earlier to find the perfect vantage point, placing or crafting this stone seat so she could enjoy the view. It was evident Izayoi had been getting everything ready for her birthday well ahead of time.
Just like how, at the start of the year, she herself had agonized over what gift to prepare for him.
After finally deciding on a scarf and new clothes, she spent ages choosing fabrics, then asked the older women in her clan how to knit, painstakingly stitching it together piece by piece.
For the clothes, she hovered over every detail: it had to fit perfectly, and if she wasn't happy with the design or material, she'd start over.
Now, the care she had poured into him was reciprocated. A deep sense of two-way devotion filled Hinata with warmth. Even if tonight's surprise was all there was, she felt completely satisfied.
After all, every past birthday had come with its little regrets. Back then, Izayoi still lacked her father's and the clan's approval, so he couldn't celebrate her birthday with her alone. Whatever he gave her had to be delivered in the daytime.
But from this year onward, everything was different. Izayoi could come and go freely to the Hyūga estate, just as she could freely visit his home. From now on, he wouldn't miss her birthday or Hanabi's, ever again.
That thought brought yet another happy smile to Hinata's face. She gently draped Izayoi's arm around her shoulder and leaned into his embrace. Together they sat on the stone bench, gazing up at the sky strewn with countless stars and filled with a silent, romantic atmosphere.
Just then, a red gift box appeared before Hinata's eyes, and Izayoi's gentle voice spoke:
"Happy birthday, Hinata."
"What's this…" Hinata turned her face upward to look at Izayoi, her eyes shining with excitement.
Izayoi couldn't resist giving her nose a playful tap. "I know you're easy to please, but surely you didn't think just coming here to see the stars was my entire birthday gift, right? Do I seem that stingy?"
"Of course not—Izayoi-kun would never be stingy. It's just…" Hinata ran her fingertips over the box, clearly loving it already. Then, remembering something, she giggled softly. "Back when you were so poor, your gifts were… so funny."
"What do you mean, 'funny'? You should say they were full of heart! After all, those were handmade by me!" Izayoi's hand, resting on her shoulder, promptly shifted to gently pinch her chin. Feigning menace, he teased, "I'll give you one chance to reword that, or else I'll use you as my grip trainer!"
"Mmf… Izayoi-kun's gifts were… full of heart. I… I really loved them," Hinata stammered, her cheeks pinched, words coming out muffled.
"Hmph, I'll spare you since it's your birthday," Izayoi grinned, letting go. "Open it up and see if you like it."
"Okay!" Hinata eagerly undid the box. Instantly, her eyes widened, and she gasped involuntarily, "Wow, such a beautiful necklace…" But as soon as she realized just how extravagant it was, she glanced up at Izayoi, pained. "Izayoi-kun, this must have been so expensive—you really didn't need to spend so much."
"It didn't cost me a thing—I handmade it, too, from materials someone kindly gave me." Izayoi pinched Hinata's cheek again, laughing. "Take it out and see if it's to your taste."
"Mm!" Learning it was again handcrafted by him, Hinata's heart brimmed with joy, overshadowing her worry about how costly it might have been. She lifted the necklace from the box. Her eyes sparkled with multiple hues.
Its exterior was simple at a glance. The chain was a string of natural pearls, each shining uniquely under the moonlight. If you looked closely, you'd spot a few diamonds mixed in among the pearls.
At either end of the chain rested a round-cut blue gemstone, below which dangled a teardrop-shaped purple diamond.
Izayoi cradled that roughly eight-carat purple diamond in his hand and spoke with a smile: "Originally, I wanted to set a light-purple diamond so we'd each have a gem matching our eye color, but in the end, the pale purple options looked pretty ugly, so I went with this deeper shade, which I think is nicer."
Mu~~a!
Hinata, speechless in her excitement, leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Then she pressed the necklace to her chest, beaming. "Izayoi-kun, does this necklace have a name?"
"I call it the 'Margaret Necklace,'" he told her with a grin.
"Margaret? Is there some meaning behind that name?" she asked, curious.
"Yes, indeed—it's an alternate name for a flower…" Izayoi bent and whispered in Hinata's ear, revealing the flower's more common name.
After listening, her eyes lit with realization. She nodded. "So it's another name for a daisy? I guess 'Margaret' does sound a bit nicer than 'Daisy.'"
"… …"
Izayoi said nothing more, feeling a rare twinge of embarrassment. Once your mind is in the gutter, you just can't get it out…
"Hm, let me put it on you."
"Okay…"
Izayoi took the necklace from her hands, stood behind the stone bench, and clasped it around her neck. Then he slipped his arms around Hinata from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder. "Do you like it?"
"Mm-hmm…" She nodded vigorously, voice trembling with emotion. "It's the best birthday gift I've ever gotten… Thank you so much, Izayoi-kun."
Mu~~a!
Again, she sealed her thanks with a kiss to his cheek.
"Glad you like it. But the surprises haven't ended yet." Izayoi swung back around and sat beside her, pulling her into his arms. Without revealing his next surprise, he changed the topic: "Hinata, I've always had this lingering question: how'd you find the courage to sneak out of your house all alone back then, wandering the empty streets at night?"
"Oh…that?" Hinata blinked. The memory, still clear in her mind, resurged with a mix of guilt, sadness, joy, and relief—an odd jumble of emotions.
For Izayoi, December 27th nine years ago was very significant. For Hinata, that snowy night nine years ago had been the real turning point.
Leaning against him, Hinata spoke in a hushed voice. "That day was my uncle's funeral—my father's twin brother, Neji's father. I ran from home because… Uncle died in my place."
Izayoi said nothing, only hugging her a bit tighter.
She went on, "Nine years ago today, I was asleep in my room when someone crept in and tried to abduct me. Luckily, Father was just returning from outside, caught them climbing the wall with me, and rescued me. But two days later, I heard that Uncle had died."
"I didn't understand how or why, only that it was connected to Father striking down that intruder. I had no idea I was a victim, too—I just blamed myself for Uncle's death. So I ran away from home in my grief."
Yet as she spoke of that night, her sadness ebbed, replaced by a warm happiness. She glanced up at Izayoi and said, "But I'm glad I did sneak out, or else I'd never have met you. Who knows if we'd have crossed paths at all."
She recalled more than a few nightmares of nights imagining that "what if" scenario. That snowy night, to Hinata, was fate's turning point.
Little did she know about the boy who'd walked circles outside the Hyūga clan walls in a silly snowman suit for hours in the cold, cheeks reddened by the frigid air…
Izayoi, though, just pressed his forehead to hers, gently brushing them together, smiling. "I'm glad, too, that I couldn't sleep that night—got the whim to step out for some cold air, and ended up running into a runaway princess."
Looking into his smiling, sapphire eyes, Hinata felt that same overwhelming emotion she'd felt many times before. At last, she found courage again to speak the words she hadn't managed to say last time: "Izayoi-kun, I… I like you."
Izayoi froze for an instant, dumbstruck by the sight of this red-faced girl, who wasn't avoiding his gaze but rather watching him shyly yet steadily. Then he broke into a smile himself and answered, "I like you, too, Hinata."
"Then…shall we be together…?" She lowered her head, offering her hand. Her heart thundered so hard she was breaking into a sweat, despite the wintry cold.
Izayoi knew her limits well enough, so he didn't drag out the moment. "Haven't we already been together?"
He placed his palm against hers. Their hands flipped in unison, fingers interlocking. They shared a gentle smile.
Before Hinata could fling herself wholeheartedly into her new boyfriend's arms, they both heard Izayoi say, "Look, the surprise is here!"
Hinata followed his gaze to the sky. Her pale eyes widened, catching glimmers of orange-red streaks. She gasped, "It's gorgeous!"
A swath of orange glow appeared among the stars, as if brilliant red meteors were shooting across the horizon. They didn't vanish in a blink. But if Hinata activated her Byakugan to peer closer, she'd realize: these weren't really meteors… They were a rain of falling meteor showers!
~~~
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