See You When I See You
"Sarada always takes so long to leave," Boruto whined as he leaned against the fence outside her house. He and Mitsuki had arrived a few minutes earlier so they could all head to training together.
"I'm sure she will be right out," Mitsuki said as he looked up at the sky.
Boruto continued to pout until he heard the front door open. "Finally!" he said a little too loudly.
The two watched as Sarada exited her house, turning around as she got to the bottom step, her mother leaning against the door frame. Boruto scrunched his face as he watched Sakura poke her daughter's forehead, causing both of them to smile.
Her smile stayed on her face as she walked toward her two friends, waving to them. "Hey gu—"
"Why do your parents do that?" Boruto interrupted, staring at her too intensely for her liking.
Sarada's hand quickly dropped as she rolled her eyes. "Why do they do what?"
"Poke your forehead!" he said loudly as he stepped towards her. "That's, like, the third time I've seen one of them do it."
Sarada crossed her arms and turned her head away from him. "It's how they show affection," she stated.
Boruto continued staring at her for a moment before commenting, "That's weird."
Sarada turned to face him, annoyed with his comment. "It's not weird," she retorted. "It's like a hug but," she paused, struggling to find the right words, "different."
"It's nothing like a hug," he responded quickly, narrowing his eyes in confusion at her, he couldn't understand how anyone could compare the two.
"It's just something we do, okay?" Sarada said in an exasperated tone as she ran a hand through her hair.
Mitsuki slid between the two and offered a friendly smile. "I think it's a nice tradition. Every family has their little things they do."
Sarada's expression quickly changed as she faced Mitsuki. "Exactly!" she said excitedly. A smirk crossed her face as she thought of a way to explain it. "It's a Uchiha thing."
Boruto crossed his arms, he hated when Mitsuki took her side. "I still don't get it," he mumbled.
Mitsuki put a finger under his chin and looked at the two as he mused, "Maybe one day you two could carry on the tradition."
The pair instantly shot him a disgusted look and said in unison, "No way!"
"It was just a thought," Mitsuki conceded with a shrug.
"I wouldn't ever poke someone's forehead," Boruto stated as he crossed his arms.
"No one would want you to!" Sarada snapped at him.
"Good!"
"Good!"
"Double good!"
"Triple good!"
Mitsuki shook his head as he began walking away from the two, hoping they would follow him eventually. Worst case, he decided, at least one person from Team 7 would make it to training on time.
Sarada leaned over her balcony railing and tucked some hair behind her ear. "So how long do you think it'll be?" she asked the boy beside her as she looked up at him.
Boruto stared at the street below them, his grip on the railing loosing and tightening as he tried to find the right words. He thought that after several years of saying goodbye he would be better at it, but he felt he only got worse. "I'm not sure," he admitted. "I'm hoping it'll be shorter than last time," he added before sighing. "But," he paused again, "I'm really not sure."
Sarada smiled at him and let out a small laugh, hoping it would help ease the tension. "You always say that," she replied softly.
His shoulders sagged at her response. "I know," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. He wanted to give her an exact time but tried to never promise anything he wasn't sure he could fulfill.
"Is this your last stop before you leave?" she asked, leaning her hip against the railing as she turned her body to face his.
He chuckled but continued to avoid looking at her. "It always is," he grinned.
Sarada looked around them for a moment before putting her hand on top of his. "I don't mind that you don't know how long you'll be gone," she said reassuringly. "I know you'll always come back," she paused, not sure how he would take her next comment.
He let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding in, thankful that Sarada seemed to always understand him.
"You are your father's son after all," she mused as she looked up towards the moon.
Boruto's mood changed and he finally faced her. "What's that supposed to mean?" he asked a little louder than he intended to.
"I was hoping you were over the stuff with your dad," she groaned as she looked back out at the village.
"I am over it!" he argued, pushing his chest out. "I just don't wanna be compared to my old man," he added, his voice lower than before.
Sarada sighed and rested her chin on her palm. "I was just trying to say that I always know you'll come back."
Boruto gave her a confused look. "How does that have anything to do with him?"
"Because," she started as lifted herself from the railing and straightened her shoulders. Her gaze met his as she continued, "I know that, like your father, you'll always come back to protect the village."
Boruto smiled softly as he turned her words over in his head. "Yeah," he said as he stretched his arms above his head, "something like that."
Sarada raised an eyebrow. "Something like that?" she questioned, scanning his face to figure out what he could mean.
"Of course I'll always be back," he said with a smirk. "But it's mainly to protect you," he said as he poked her forehead.
Her eyes widened as her cheeks turned pink, her mind replaying the moment over and over. He had done the last thing she had ever expected.
"See you when I see you!" he shouted as he jumped down from her balcony, a smile on his face so big it barely fit.
Sarada watched motionlessly as his shadow moved across roofs until he faded into the night. After a few minutes she adjusted her glasses and bit the corner of her lip as it curved into a smile. "See you when I see you," she whispered.
I started watching Boruto last week and let me tell you, eleven year old me would be shook to see a world with fanfiction about NaruHina and SasuSaku's kids getting together lol.