He cleared his throat. "hyuu- err- Hinata- san. The way you're looking at me is a little unsettling. Are you having a panic attack? Or are you choking on something?"
Perhaps she was having a heatstroke; it was perfectly possible considering the blistering sun. It was a good thing that Sai had stocked up on his usual SPF 90 last week to accommodate for this summer heat wave. As he and Hyuuga Hinata awkwardly stood in front of the public Konoha library the sun showed no mercy.
Sai was at a loss. He'd consulted the library, twice. But to no avail as Sai could find no reasonable or emotional explanation for Hyuuga Hinata's recent behavior. He'd noticed it before whenever Naruto was present but now the conditions had changed. Perhaps she was always red as a tomato, breathless, stuttering if not completely at a loss for words, and in a perpetual state of thumb twiddling and eye aversion. Regardless, at this rate the girl was going to pass out from the hyperventilation. Besides, if he was being honest with himself, the possibility that he was the cause of the Hyuuga girl's constant state of distress bothered Sai.
Because he was actually quite fond of her.
He didn't even have to lie when thinking of positive traits (he'd eventually caught onto the crucial positive component of nicknames when gaining friends) to match his recent acquaintance. Though in the interest of full disclosure the nickname ultimately uttered was something along the lines of 'stuttery'.
To which the strange girl then proceeded to flee as if they were under enemy kunai fire (they weren't by the way, Sai discovered as he rapidly turned his head to ascertain projectiles of possible weapons and enemies). Sakura- chan then inexplicably shoved him in the side and shouted something about him being 'careless'.
Back to positive traits, which Hinata had plenty of. Despite her inability to form any coherent sentences (hopefully she had the concept of coherent thoughts down or Sai had no idea how she could ever survive as a kunoichi), her overall polite and eager to please demeanor appealed to Sai. Plus just because Sai was socially inept didn't mean that he couldn't recognize attractive features when he saw them.
Which Hinata had. In spades.
Though always draped in those baggy clothes she had a fantastic body; an hourglass figure from hips to breasts. Ahh, breasts. Yes Hinata definitely had those. And those eyes, they were beautiful and contrasted all that shiny hair of hers perfectly.
Sai, mind you it took time to pin the feeling down in definition as well as help from Sakura- chan and 7 editions of "Knowing Your Feelings", recently discovered that he was actually attracted to this odd, quiet, beautiful, and possibly mentally disabled girl. But when he'd tried to move their relationship forward, with proper kindness and compliments as Sakura- chan had dictated, Hinata's range of incoherence expanded!
A true mystery.
Come to think of it, Sai's first compliment also marked the beginning of the Hyuuga girl's broadened anxiety issues. He had simply commented that her eyes were a nice shade of lavender and that their range of vision had to be impressive as a blood line limit. Oh, and that she had a nice rack.
Unknowingly echoing the woes of many men before him, and surely many more to come:
'Women are impossible' Sai internally groaned.
Back to the matter at hand. "Hinata- san?"
"N-NO! …. S-sorry! … U-uh, Sai-san. I-I've… b-been trying to- to work on my r-rrelations-ships with o-others and expressing m-m-my self better and u-umm…" she was even stuttering her 'umms', the girl must have been truly distressed.
"Have you tried self help books? They work wonders, very informative."
"H-how did you know!?"
"I didn't. It was a recommendation. Back to what you were saying, it's got to be important seeing as you're so determined to put it into sentences."
The poor girl reddened further.
"AH! Y-yes, well… I-I!" despite Hinata's sentences ending in exclamation marks, Sai observed, Hinata never actually became louder, only higher in pitch.
"Yes?"
"Sai-s-san! I-I really like you!" she abruptly burst out.
"Great! It's good to see that reading 'Making Friends and Influencing People' did the trick."
"E-excuse me? N-NO! I-I…" The girl was truly panicking now and at a total loss for what to do. Sai felt terrible for the girl. He'd been there before, uncomfortable, embarrassed, having no idea what to do or how to react.
"I'm sorry hinata- san. If I'm-" And that was when it hit him. Hinata's anxiety and inability to function, Hinata was distressed because…
She hated him! Oh no, the only person he'd ever really felt a connection with apart from his brother, and she hated him to the point of debilitating panic. Hinata was so nice that she herself couldn't handle her feelings! She even went to the lengths of saying that she liked him because, despite hating him, Hinata was just that kind!
Now it was Sai's turn to turn red. He was hurt and yet moved by the girl's gentle heart. How could he fix this? Sai wished Sakura- chan were here because she would definitely know how to handle this situation.
That was it!
"Hinata-san could you excuse me? I need to go consult Sakura- chan on an issue I'm having."
"W-what?! Please wait!" Hinata actually shouted as she tugged on Sai's longer shirt sleeve in an attempt to stop him from leaving.
"Yes?" Sai said, a little bewildered by the Hyuuga girl's sudden boldness.
"I L-LOVE YOU!"
Hinata passed out in a pile on the sun toasted dirt ground.
"You do?" Sai bent at the waist slightly to ask before realizing that he wasn't going to get a response from this girl in her current state of consciousness.
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"…nata- san? Hinata- san?"
"Sai?" Hinata jerked up and in collision with a certain pale, male temple.
"ow."
"S-sorry!"
Hinata awoke to find herself in the hospital. How embarrassing, she'd finally worked up the courage and self esteem and then she blew it by actually fainting mid confession! She felt like such a cliché. She'd blame the heat or dehydration but when it came down to it, Hinata's consciousness just broke from the stress of the situation.
"So are you alright? Oh, and you love me?"
Hinata was surprised that she didn't just pass out again. She wished she could've in that moment.
"Wait, 'sensitivity is the key'" Sai focused towards himself, then:
"I love you too. You have pretty hair, and you try very hard to think of others. Your kindness is admirable." Sai declared with determination and a redness that had nothing to do with the sun, if his ultra strength sun protection Banana Boat sun block was any indication of.
" Really?!"
"Yes."
….
"Now what? I could consult the library now if you'd like. I want to do this right."
"Umm…. I suppose whatever's natural?"
After a long pause and much consideration on Sai's part (and heart pounding anxiety on Hinata's), Sai proceeded to take Hinata's hand in his and relax back into the chair positioned next to her bed.
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Yeah so that was my first time trying to write fanfiction, or any fiction for that matter so I'd truly appreciate any constructive criticism. Rate on readers!