Day 44


While Hinata was glad for the assistance at the Konoha Market, she wasn't so sure about Itachi being the assistant. But he had insisted. And it wasn't exactly a bad thing. She glanced back at him. His gaze was roaming around the open market square. He didn't have Sharingan on.

She dropped some coins in the hand of the vegetable stall owner and then turned and dropped the vegetables into the tote bag hanging off his arm.

"You didn't, um...need to do this," she mumbled.

"I wanted to."

There wasn't a good argument against it, of course.

She normally meandered about for awhile as she shopped. Itachi did not seem like a meanderer. So she was proceeding down each line of stalls. An itchy discomfort grew in her chest with each stop. She picked up a pale melon to check its ripeness and it slipped from her hands. He caught it before it hit the ground.

"Something's bothering you."

"What makes you say that?" The pitch of her voice betrayed her.

He held it out to her like an offer. "You seem...uncomfortable."

"It's...It's fine. You can put it in the bag." She crossed her arms.

He stepped closer. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah." She flicked a glance at it. Honeydew. Its rind was soft white. "It'll be ripe in a few days."

He shifted his weight from foot to foot. He stared at the honeydew for a few seconds before placing it into the tote bag.

"I wasn't asking about the melon."

"Oh." She turned around and began to pick up and put down the other honeydew melons as a distraction. "What was it?"

"Are you alright?"

"Yes." She laid the flat of her hand over a watermelon. "Just...I um, usually go to the market alone, is all."

"Thank you for letting me help out, then."

Her cheeks grew hot. She smiled a little. "Of. Of course."


AN: Sorry for the wait. I actually had this drafted for a couple weeks but I've been working on keeping writing momentum, so I kept forgetting to clean up and post. Enjoy!