They walked in silence, a surprisingly comfortable silence. Of course he had tried to initiate conversation at the start, mostly questioning her on the Hyuuga clan, and her byakugan, and Hinata would answer to the best of her abilities, (mostly without stuttering) but his efforts fell through when casual banter picked up- and he soon realized that Hinata was rather… Dreadful at handling such small doses of interaction. Not that she did not try, she did attempt in asking about the weather, and what his plans were for the remainder of his day after their little walk. But, for the most part she was clumsy and awkward, sometimes looking him in the eye and other times staring at her fidgeting fingers. Sai found it rather… Fascinating. If she was so bad at small talk, why try at all? Out of courtesy perhaps? She was after all incredibly polite.

So it took little in him to drop the banter all together- no point in pushing for something that would never come to fruition. Though he didn't mind, he didn't really enjoy idle chat like that. More so did so because he thought it was appropriate, not for any REAL reason of curiosity or interest. In fact, he had only tried so that it would appease her- which he soon found that there was no need for.

So in their silence he focused instead on his surroundings. From the yellow orange leaves that would occasionally flutter to the ground, to the little creatures that frantically scampered away from the oncoming intruders- tastes of fall here and there from the quiet crunching of leaves, to the chill in the air. There was inspiration all around him, yet Sai could not come up with a SINGLE idea for his next piece. It was frustrating, really. Perhaps fall was already proving to not be his best season. With a sigh he let himself kick away a pebble. Though his face a mirror of indifference, he was quite lost in thought. That is, until the wind picked up. At first it was nothing- he did decently with the cold (though he was not a fan), however, the smell of cinnamon- something he had not expected to be within a forested area beckoned him, turning his face in direction towards the curious smell.

And then he saw her. Or rather, finally noticed her.

Like careful brush strokes her hair painted the scenery. Deep locks danced against the wind as if groomed to perform alongside the crescendos of nature's orchestra; under morning light, what he had so often seen as dim and dark tresses, now highlighted purple to soft lilac- glossy beneath the suns glow. Even as they fell back in place along the contours of her face- he found his eyes trailing from hair to flesh, bewitched.

Pale skin- smooth in texture; powder white- she reminded him of a ningyo doll, designed to perfection with the upmost care. For her features were slender yet rounded- pronounced where needed, yet still softly finessed. He often thought of her bangs as another way she hid, but now he saw them as perfect frames that allowed eye travel to fall directly into her line of sight. He had grown so accustomed to seeing her features flushed and distraught, that Sai had never taken notice of when she was collected and reserved.

But it was her eyes that had the man transfixed. Perhaps it was because he wasn't used to her gaze- Sakura always told him not to stare- but now, alone together with out her notice, he simply couldn't help himself.

At first, he speculated that her eyes were a mirror of his own- though onyx in color while hers a milky lavender, both appeared void, blank. People were uncomfortable. They made others around them uncomfortable. And he had heard the whispers around konoha, Sai knew the discomfort some felt whenever his inky hues would lock with their own, Sai knew people talked about him. But he was never bothered by it. He never cared. And then he wondered if Hinata knew what they said about her, he wondered if Hinata would care.

Then he stopped wondering- because once he had begun imaging Hinata hurt by gossip, it felt wrong.

And then he realized he was wrong, because her eyes were not mirrors of his own, they were in fact polar opposites. While he appeared to feel little, Hinata seemed to feel everything.

Where Sai knew that his expression never agreed with the words he spoke, that his smile never met his eyes, Hinata was an open book. She could question you, hate you, drive fear into your heart in one glance and in the next melt away your worries. After all… He had seen it in play before (he wondered why he had forgotten). When Kiba would get loud all it took was his name on her lips and a single glance for his voice to soften. When Sakura was frustrated, all that was needed was a couple moments of locked gazes before the fiery nin retreated and gave in. Sai couldn't do that, he couldn't speak sentences with a quick look nor feign understanding with a steady stare- he didn't possess the ability, the skill.

He was an unpainted canvas while she a defined masterpiece.

He wondered if perhaps he could be like that.

"S-Sai-San?"

He blinks- she had noticed him.