Stunned, Sasuke's hand retracted at lightning speed when he noticed the acute limpness in the girl next to him. He turned towards her and thrust out his arms to catch her, gripping tightly onto her small frame while her head bobbed back and wisps of navy hair veiled a burning face. "Shit," he murmured to himself. Holding Hinata's hand had been embarrassing enough, but practically cradling her was a whole other level. Naruto's ridiculous advice of being assertive was not going to go without punishment. It was more than obvious Sasuke was inexperienced when it came to girls, but to be so gullible was a fault on his part as well...
Flustered, Sasuke checked around him for anyone that might be watching, and tucked the Hyuuga girl closer to him. He glanced past his nose and saw below him slightly tussled velvet soft hair, and long eyelashes resting atop rosy cheeks. Heart now racing, Sasuke cleared his throat and wrapped another arm under knees and stood, carrying Hinata. It wouldn't have been terrible of him to have just left her resting near the stream, but had he been absent after she awakened, what little interaction they shared would have been brought to a horrid conclusion. Taking a deep and shaky breath, Sasuke walked away from the stream and into the forest.
xxx
For lack of a better imagination, Sasuke was now sitting in his bedroom. He gripped tightly onto the legs of his cargo shorts and peered over to the sleeping girl atop his bed. This kind of intimate setting could possibly land him in a lot of trouble when Hinata awakened, but for now it would have to do. Being seen as a pair in public would not go without some kind of scene, and bringing Hinata to her home unconscious would raise questions his already fragile composure was not ready for.
The way she furred her eyebrows in her sleep every now and then and curled up into a very bashful posture was unquestionably adorable. Sasuke watched her with great intensity, marveling at her features and little quirks. How others weren't captivated the same way Sasuke had been was a mystery to him. She'd manage to steal his heart even when he was still hardened and shut away by the death of his family. However, having cut himself off from social interactions, Sasuke could only manage gazing at the quiet Hyuuga. Class during the academy was relatively uneventful not including a barrage of young girls he hadn't the time of day for, and he spent every bored second sighing and keeping an eye on a certain someone.
When Hinata profusely began to stir, Sasuke came to a decision.
Hinata groaned and tossed towards Sasuke, eyes fluttering open, blinking rapidly. Something in her eyes showed a type of understanding when she began to realize where she was, and Sasuke could her faintly croak the word, "Oh," when her cheeks started burning again. The silence surrounding the two teens was thick and disturbing. Sasuke's composure returned and he blankly stared at the flustered girl slowly trying to tuck sheets over her head. The air was tense and time had all but stopped, trapping them in this never ending imprisonment of a very bizarre world, where two people who had never bothered to communicate with each other were being suffocated by claustrophobia. When Hinata had felt she was on the brink of madness, she opened her mouth to speak but was abruptly halted by a fuzz of noise that almost sounded like it came from Sasuke.
"P-Pardon?" Hinata questioned, blinking once. Sasuke had a mortified look on his face, and Hinata could see his knuckles turning white from clutching his shorts too tightly. "Fine," he grunted. "I'll say it again. I like you."
Hinata's face turned pensive and flaming red. She managed to stutter out, "Y-Y-Yeah.. I k-k-kinda knew…" Hearts were fluttering and faces were flaming red that afternoon, but by nightfall Sasuke was walking home his girlfriend.