The Last

2

"Ow!" I hissed as I poked my finger with the needle for the fifth time in less than ten minutes. "I'm never gonna be able to do this!"

I slammed the items down on the table in front of me and slumped my body down on the couch with an aggravated sigh.

It's crazy how I only know how to use a needle as a weapon to stab someone but not to knit something.

A knock was heard on my front door and I stored my things back into the bag Ino brought and placed them by the couch.

I walked to the front door and opened it to find Sakura standing there wearing a cozy magenta coat.

"Oh hey Sakura," I smiled at her and she gave me wave.

"Are you busy?" She asked.

"Not really. Why?"

"Hinata and I were going to grab a bite to eat, but we wanted to know if you'd like to join us."

"Sure. Let me just grab a coat." I left her standing at the door while I dashed into my room and grabbed a thin (f/c) coat that ran down to my hips.

"I'm ready." I stepped out from my house and locked the door behind me as we walked down to a small restaurant that was five minutes away from my house with snow lightly falling on us.

At the front of the restaurant, I saw Hinata waiting patiently for us clutching a brown bag against her chest.

"Hinata!" I cheerfully said and when she caught sight of us, she warmly smiled at us.

"I-I went ahead and got a table for us. It's ready for us."

"Great! Let's go in," exclaimed Sakura who grabbed our arms and pulled us in where they lead us to our booth right by a window.

I slid into the same seat with Sakura while Hinata sat on her own and set her bag down.

"Here are your menus. I'll come back in a few," said the waitress.

"Thank you," all three of us said.

"Did you go shopping?" I asked Hinata and pointed at the brown bag she had.

"I had to buy more yarn." She opened the bag and pulled out a ball of red yarn.

"Oh, are you making something?"

"She's knitting a scarf for Naruto. I told her to hurry up and finish it so she can give it to him."

My stomach dropped and I felt my heart begin to sink as I realized that Hinata was ahead of the game and was already planning on gifting him a scarf.

A red scarf as a matter of fact.

"O-Oh...you're knitting him a scarf?" I quietly asked as I tried to hide my disappointment and she nodded her head with a blush dusting her cheeks.

'What am I going to give him now?!' I internally raged.

"That's so nice of you," I forced a small smile and it was something that Sakura caught from the corner of her eye.

The waitress came by and took our orders and the menus off our hands.

The three of us quietly sat at the table until Sakura asked, "Anyone need to use the restroom?"

"No," quietly said Hinata.

"I kinda-"

"You'll come with me then." Sakura cut me off and lightly pushed me to slide out from the booth and I obliged and followed after her to the restroom.

When we made it inside, she turned on her heels and faced me with her hands on her hips.

"Don't tell me you were planning to give him a scarf too?" Questioned Sakura and I slightly took a step back in surprise before I glumly nodded my head.

"How far along are you with your scarf?" She asked and I awkwardly tilted my head and looked away in embarrassment.

"Well...I actually don't have anything done," I confessed and she grabbed ahold of my shoulders and shook them for a few seconds.

"Seriously?!"

"It's harder than it seems!" I retorted before I pulled away from her grasp and leaned my body against the wall.

"I don't know what I should give him now," I defeatedly sighed. "Sometimes I forget she even has feelings for him despite the fact the two of them hardly ever talk or hangout."

"Well, she's planning on confessing to him when she gives him the gift," revealed Sakura. "And it's gonna be soon."

"Oh my god!" I placed my hands on my hair and lightly yanked it. "And it's Hinata for goodness sake! She's a sweet girl and I'm not trying to compete with her over Naruto... should I just give up and let her have him or go after the man I want?"

Sakura placed her hand on my shoulder yet again and stared directly into my eyes. "The two of you are good friends of mine and I don't want to side with one or the other, but I really want you to be happy (Y/n). I've seen how much you've suffered and the way you've grown and I'm proud of that."

"Thank you Sakura. I appreciate it."

"But are you planning to confess to him too?"

Uncertainty clouded my eyes as I ran my fingers through my hair and I let out a sigh. "I don't know. Sometimes I don't even know what to do or say when I'm around him."

"Oh (Y/n). You and Naruto have been friends for so long that everything you two have done and talked about came naturally and now that you're starting to realize and acknowledge those feelings, you don't know how to act around him. It's normal and it's okay to feel that way. What you do and say isn't something you need to carefully analyze. You just need to be how you've always been and that is how he will accept you."

"You're right." I smiled and abruptly pulled her in for a hug and I whispered, "Thank you."

"I never expected you to seek out relationship advice from me," she laughed and pulled herself away from me.

"Me neither." My heart and mind felt a bit more content and assured now that I had this talk with Sakura.

All there was left was to do was find a gift.

"Let's go back now. Hinata will think we got stuck in the toilet or something," she snorted and pushed the door open as we exited the bathroom.

We walked back to our table where our food had awaited us and as we were eating and talking with each other, I zoned out for a few seconds and pondered about what to give Naruto.

'Something he'll love and cherish'
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'I think I have an idea