The flower shop

"Pork-buns, pork-buns, here I come!!" Misumi sang while going over to a less expensive shop, which was rather far away. But her wallet was feeling particularly light and Misumi did not want to make it weightless.

"Ahhh....such a big line." she exasperated wiping the sweat off her brow and stood in the line with a hand on her hips.

The line was taking forever to move forward and Misuimi complained constantly.

"What are they even buying, the whole store!"

The man ahead of her had gotten so tired and irritated of her musings that he left the line to stand at the very back.
"Oh, that was so kind of you mister! Now the distance between me and pork-buns has been reduced by one person. Yosh!" she exclaimed with a determined glint in her eyes.

She then checked her watch. It was getting time to open her shop again but her stomach had other plans.

"I so cant skip lunch. Pork-buns, pork-buns. Move ahead!" she whined and stomped her feet on the ground in annoyance.

After what felt like an eternity she finally could see the counter. But along with the counter, came into view the famous copy ninja along with someone else, a kunoichi who was waiting with him for their order at the side.

Misumi immediately flushed red and moved her gaze away from him but then at the same time sparing some sly glances at him. She couldn't help it. Hatake Kakashi was the definition of hotness. The vest underneath his jacket clung to his body like a second skin and his exposed arms spelt rippling muscles. And to top it off was that damned mask and his slanted ninja headwear.

But then Misumi's glance fell on the female ninja beside him and her heart dropped. They were having a pleasant conversation from what she could see. Kakashi said something to which the kunoichi blushed and Kakashi laughed in response. Then the kunoichi hit him playfully on his arm and said some words which looked like she was scolding him while Kakashi just laughed. Misumi felt a pang in her chest. She quickly averted her eyes, not wanting to see further.

She wanted to the one to make Kakashi laugh, she wanted to be the one with whom Kakashi could have a delightful conversation, she wanted to be the one standing beside him, she wanted to be the one whom he admired and with whom he could share jokes.

'Woah, Woah! where did that come from Misumi?' her inner conscious said.

'You don't even know him. You've just seen him from afar, had a conversation with him and that too ages ago and then just bumped into him yesterday.'

Misumi agreed with her consciousness, nodding her head in return. On the outside, it seemed as if Misumi was having a conversation with her herself and agreeing on something.

Some people even whispered "weird" but it all fell on deaf ears as Misumi was busy arguing with herself.

Misumi barely knew Kakashi. Heck, she knew that Kakashi did not even know her name. But she saw him. She saw his eye. She saw the hurt, the loneliness in the lone eye that his gear revealed. Somewhere inside, she longed to know what was bothering Kakashi so much that his eye felt like he was always in an inner turmoil. She wanted to find out. She wanted to know him, inside and out, know his soul and heal him, if he allowed. Only if he allowed to let her inside, inside him.

Busy in her inner musings she did not realise when her turn had arrived until the shopkeeper jolted her awake.

"Sumimasen, two pork-buns please." she requested.

The shopkeeper agreed and went to get the buns.

"Ohh wait.....make them to four," Misumi said. She needed to eat while wallowing in sadness.

He handed her the delicacy while Misumi paid and then silently left the shop, unaware of someone's eyes on her.

2 days after-

"So Guy, how is training going on?" Genma said while popping a fishball into his mouth.

"I have been training the kids very hard for the chunin exams this year," he replied with his mouth filled with ramen.

"Yeah....about that Guy, I wanted to ask," Kakashi started while thanking Ayame who handed him his order of ramen.

"Why did you not let Neji, Lee or Tenten take the exams last year?"

"Because I wanted to make sure that they surely pass. I do not want my students to undergo disappointment on failing the exams during their youth. Otherwise, they would be disheartened and their springtime of youth would be wasted." Guy said passionately.

Kakashi just sighed at him.

"I have been thinking that I think I should let Naruto and the others take part in the chunin exams this year only." he continued earning a startled gasp from Genma and Guy.

"Yeah, I have been thinking the same," Asuma added.

"Shikamaru, Ino and Choji have really good teamwork, they might make it. And even if they don't, they have next year. It might prove to be a very good experience of the real world that is out there."

Kurenai agreed and nodded her head appreciatively.

"But Asuma, Kakashi, Kurenai! Let your students enjoy another year of their youth and training!!! Because we don't know what could happen! Maybe it turns out to the opposite and they become depressed for their whole lives." Guy said with a lot of sentiment in his words as usual and even a drop of tear fell from his eye.

Kakashi chose to ignore Guy's usual 'youth' speech and recounted the other 4 jounins about what the Hokage had told him.

"We have to choose fast whether we want them to take part or not."

"I guess I need a few days to think about him and scrutinise the students' abilities again." Kurenai contemplated.

"I will make my students take part." while Asuma declared.

"Are you sure?" Genma asked.

"Yup."

"What about you Kakashi?"

"I also need to think about it," he said handing over his ramen bowl to Ayame.

"HEY KAKASHI!!! YOU EVEN FINISHED EATING AND DID NOT TELL ME!!! I WILL NOT BE BEATEN BY YOU!!! TEUCHI-SAN HAND ME 2 MORE BOWLS" Guy howled while Kakashi gave his usual bored expression while the other three laughed quietly.

Misumi, meanwhile who was walking towards Ichiraku to collect her order was suddenly astonished at Guy's sudden howling and clutched her clothes as she felt a mini heart attack. Then, her eye caught a glimpse of silver hair from the low curtains and heard him say something.

Misumi deadpanned.

'Not now of all times please!' she folded her hands in a namaste sign and pleaded the gods to somehow make Hatake Kakashi vanish from that spot. But of course, the gods were never in her favour.

Misumi then envisioned her options.

First, she could man-up and go inside Ichiraku, simply take her order and then leave. No, that couldn't be done. She knew she would go scarlet just by seeing Kakashi and obviously stutter and some mishap would unmistakably occur due to her clumsiness. She cursed her ineptitude.

Second, she could go back. Nope, that option was also out of consideration. She hadn't opened her shop since yesterday due to fever and money was running low. And the only way she could reach there was bypassing Ichiraku.

Third, she could simply cross by without Ayame or Teuchi noticing her and then come back in the evening to collect her food. Yes, that seemed totally plausible. She would just run by, then no one would notice her.

"Yosh, let's go," Misumi exclaimed but then heard a woman say something.

"Did I tell you guys, I found some flowers by my doorstep yesterday. They were very pretty. Red Tulips. Those flowers are my favourite." she heard her say and the joy of receiving the flowers was very evident from her tone.

Misumi smiled to herself, glad that her choice, her flowers had made someone happy even if it was indirectly.

"Oh, someone did so?!" Misumi then heard an apprehensive voice say. Must be Asuma-san, she thought giggling to herself. He is such a nervous wreck.

"And I have a pretty good idea of who might have done that," Kakashi added knowingly and another person laughed at that.

"Oh, Kurenai! You are finally experiencing young love! The love that blossoms in springtime. " the guy who had yelled loudly earlier said and Misumi chuckled. He sure is an interesting person.

But she then remembered that she had to return to tend to her store. So, Misumi prepared herself and made a run for it. Unfortunately, Teuchi and Ayame did notice her and Ayame practically came out of Ichiraku in order to stop her.

"Misumi, wait!!!" she yelled.

Now, now, Misumi could not ignore her. She turned around, tight-lipped with a fake smile on her face while inside she was shouting all sorts of words towards her lady-luck.

"Actually we would be closing off after an hour since father and I have to go somewhere and your order is already ready. So could you please come and collect it right now." Ayame said.

'Of course, of all days today was the only day that they had to close Ichiraku.' Misumi reflected.

She agreed, smiling too brightly and followed Ayame back.

However, Ayame did not really think anything of her too-bright smile, she acted weird almost every time.

Misumi dipped down her head and greeted everyone while entering the shop and sat beside the only empty seat which was next to a guy wearing a green jumpsuit.

"Okay, so I haven't tipped anything until now," she said to herself, very vigilant about her surroundings, careful to not let her clumsiness be the better of herself again.

The shinobis beside her carried out their own conversations while Misuimi sat there awkwardly, tapping her hands on the counter waiting for Teuchi-san to pack her order while trying very hard to not blatantly stare at Kakashi. She also noticed the woman in the group. Realisation dawned upon her as she recognised the woman as the same kunoichi that she had seen two days back with Kakashi. Her chest somewhat felt light after she realised that. But then again she thought, maybe Kakashi was interested in her after all and maybe she even reciprocated the feelings. Though she wanted the best for Asuama-san and wanted her to like him back too.

"Here you go," Teuchi handed her a packet.

Misumi took it but accidentally put her hands below it, where the ramen was still steaming hot. And as the apparent reaction, her hands retreated on her own and the packet fell down, on the person wearing the green jumpsuit.

Guy jumped, screaming 'hot' and the packet then flew in the air and fell down on the floor. The miso soup streaming across the marble ground.

Misumi wasn't even surprised. She knew that somehow she would mess everything up. She always had. Now the floor was ruined so was the ninja's jumpsuit.

The woman, Asuma-san and another shinobi with a senbon in his mouth were laughing loudly while Kakashi was busy making the green jumpsuit shinobi calm down, whose name Misumi caught, was Guy.

Misumi, as usual, started apologising thoroughly to Teuchi while Ayame got a cloth to clean everything up.

She then turned to express her regret to Guy-kun who was at loss for words for some reason.

Kakashi had to respond for Guy which made Misumi erupt in redness.

She could not think of a proper response at that time. Though she somehow made out an 'it's fine'.

But she was at loss. She had ruined everything as usual. So she did the best thing that her mind could think of at that time.
She ran.

She apologised to everyone present there and fled the scene, ignoring Kakashi calling out for her, a few tears escaping her eyes as she realised that the green-jumpsuit man was Guy.
IT WAS MAITO GUY.