Foiled Again
He was not going to talk to her today. He was not going to talk to her today. He was not going to—
"Hey Kurenai."
Dang.
"Kakashi," the red-eyed jounin replied. "It seems you come by here a lot now."
He rubbed the back of his neck and acted sheepishly casual as he eyed the rows of fruit. "Well I thought I'd follow your example and improve my diet. You said you eat one of these each morning, right?"
Kurenai nodded. "Morning, afternoon, and night. I like them fresh, so I buy them the evening before."
"Sounds right. How can you tell they're fresh?"
"That's why I only come here. Whatever I get is guaranteed to be good. But just in case, I can personally tell by their smell."
"Ah. So what's on the menu today? Or tomorrow, rather?"
"I was thinking bananas."
He was not going to get dirty thoughts from that. He was not going to get dirty thoughts from that. He was not—
Kurenai lifted one of the long, yellow fruits to her nose where it naively hung, inches from her full lips.
Dang.
"So is it… good?"
"Yeah. Would you like me to do the same for you?"
He stared. "…What?"
"Would you like me to do the same for you?" she repeated, gesturing to the bananas. "Pick you out some."
"Oh. Oh! Sure."
He took advantage of the situation and her distracted state and simply watched her as she scanned the rows. Her russet curls brushed and tickled her pale, silky skin in a familiar way he would almost admit he was jealous of. The rays of the setting sun bounced off of a surface somewhere and reflected warmth, wisdom, and something almost ethereal in her ruby eyes.
He would not think she was beautiful. He would not think she was beautiful. He would not think—
Kurenai looked back up at him and smiled.
…
Dang.
-owari