Month 4, week 4.

Naruto talking to Hinata in the morning when Sasuke came to school was like a punch in the stomach for him.

"Get away from her!"

Thank god Yamanaka's fangirl scream had drowned anything after "Get away", or else he would've had to confront Hinata about his outburst. Well, she would eventually corner him and ask him 'why' in that deceptively soft voice of hers and he would spill everything because she had that odd effect on people.

The feeling that they could tell her theirdeepest, most disgusting secret and she would smile and crinkle her eyes before shuffling away without a sound and no one would ever find out and you'd feel so good about just spilling everything out loud instead of keeping it bottled up inside. Itachi-aniki had mentioned she could go into professional counselling for jounins and ANBU ninjas. He said that if you ever killed someone and felt bad, there were always these special people you could talk to. They could make you feel better like only mama could, without any medicine or pills.

But back to the topic, upperclassmen seemed to be dropping down from the other classes to see Sasuke's class too. Like the outspoken Tenten who stood up for anything she believed in and the quiet Neji who would sometimes pass by at lunch and have whispered conversations with his cousin. This always caused an unknown feeling to blossom in the pit of his stomach and clench his heart tightly, causing a gleam of anger in his otherwise impassive coal-black eyes.

He had asked Itachi-aniki about it and all his brother had said was that Hyuuga wasn't a toy and that she was a person and he shouldn't force her to do things she didn't want to. Sasuke had no idea what aniki meant (more like, he denied it) and continued trying to press down the feeling that would pop up at the most unseeming moments.

He was totally broken out of his thoughts when he saw something familiar in Hinata's acting. She was red and her lips were parted, her hands were fumbling with the hem of her long kimono sleeves. Her eyes darted up and down a few times and before he knew it, Sasuke was holding Hinata's unconscious, warm body against his own.

"Hyuuga?" Hinata gave a soft moan but nothing more. She had fainted. Naruto looked freaked out.

"Hinata-chan? Hinata-chan!" he yelled, "Oh no! Idiot, what did you do now, Sasuke?" The Uchiha looked affronted.

"Me?" scowled the boy, "This is all your fault, dope! Move!" And he picked her up bridal style, walking swiftly into the school to the nurse's office.

"How's it myfault!" shouted Naruto from behind him, "You'rethe one who's always forcing Hinata to be partners with you all the time! You don't even let her talk with other people! Teme!"

-x-

Month 5, week 2.

Two weeks after fainting in front of Naruto and Hinata still couldn't look the blonde in the face. Though one partner activity happened and Naruto had actually bothered searching her out and being her partner. She was surprised that the Uchiha had only sat rather depressedly in his seat, his black eyes trailing sadly on her kimono hem that was swept away from his gaze.

She also wondered why Iruka suddenly had so many activitites with partners and why she was walking toward Sasuke and tugging on his shirt sleeve and pulling him away from the crowd of fangirls and why he was following her to the two empty desks and why the heck she was telling Iruka-sensei they were partners.

Then Sasuke shot her an honest-to-goodness smile and she knew why.

-x-

Month 6, week 1.

Sasuke saw the gender-confused idiot sneer at him as he continued his and Hinata's whispered conversation. Sasuke stood a few feet away from hearing range, leaning casually (and as coolly as a six-year-old could) against the tree trunk, waiting for Hinata to come eat lunch with him.

Hinata gave a gasp and her brow furrowed. She began to tear up but Neji gave a sharp 'Hinata-sama' and she sucked in her breath and looked at her cousin fully in the face. They began to talk with a certain urgency until the girl broke down and Neji left, exasperated. Sasuke made a rude hand gesture he picked up from the dog-boy (Kito? No... Ki.. Kiba) to the long-haired boy's retreating back. He pushed off from the tree and walked as relaxed as he could but he was practically jogging to her hunched figure.

"Hyuuga, stop crying," sighed Sasuke, awkwardly patting her back. He leaned down on his haunches, eventually falling on his behind. Hinata sobbed harder and tucked her legs closer to herself.

"N-Neji-niisan..." she sniffed, "s-said that I-I couldn't t-talk w-with you a-anymore, U-U-Uchiha-san!"

That took a few moments to properly register into his head.

"...What?"

Hinata cried harder, leaving little time to suck back the oxygen in her lungs before gasping back out again.

"Hyuuga, p-please stop crying."

Hinata let out a heart-broken giggle as she saw tears run down Sasuke's face too.

And they cried together.

-x-

Month 7, week 3.

Almost two months.

No contact.

Sasuke felt more and more tired and sad. He missed her tugging softly at his sleeve when she wanted his attention. He missed the way her lavender eyes would crinkle when she smiled her secretive little grin like she knew something he didn't. The way her brows furrowed when she didn't understand and he would tiredly (happily) explain it to her until her face lit up with understanding.

But what he missed the most... what he missed the most was when she was distracted and 'Sasuke' would slip from her lips without the wanting and screeching of his fangirls. And she would blush and say sorry and he would say 'Hinata' and then they would both be red, in a fit of giggles.

In short, he missed Hyuuga Hinata. Alot.

-x-

Month 8, week 1.

Hinata sometimes wondered how her school year would've been if Sasuke hadn't been there. Would she have understood all those complicated theories about chakra or have learned all those handsigns in just one class? Who would've been her partner if he wasn't there? Naruto? Sakura? Who would've given her a lunch when she had dropped hers?

Who would've took her arm and led her to the empty desks? And who would've laughed and cried and blushed and called each other their actual name without honorifics or politeness?

And she knows that she is happy that Sasuke is here.