Disclaimer:I don't own Naruto
A/N: Ready for a long, intense ride? Buckle up. Reviews are appreciated
Prelude
She saw Boruto crouching there in the shade of a tree, for quite a while, as if he was observing something. It was early autumn. Maple trees in Konoha had already shed their auburn leaves, with a few exceptions, their colors faded.
Sakura just came off work from the hospital. Before heading home, she went to the late market for a bag of fruits. To better take care of Sarada, she applied for a lesser important job, yet was declined. Resigned, she decided to remain in the position as Konoha's medical minister, at least for the moment.
She stared at Boruto.
Inexplicably, there was something familiar in that boy's lonely silhouette. It was not the kind of familiarity you felt when you came across a friend that you met every day, but a reminder of someone on your mind. You thought you had long forgotten him, until someday, somewhere, a simple glance was enough to bring back memories that was supposed to be buried in the past, and it caught you off guard.
She remembered that was decade ago.
But when she snapped from her reverie, that boy was already gone.
She smiled wryly at herself. It must be her hefty job that made her paranoid. She needed to hurry home and prepare dinner for Sarada. That girl had inherited a taciturn personality from her father, with a tinge of sensitiveness that his father failed to possess - it seemed Sarada was always able to notice her mother's slightest emotional turmoil.
When she arrived home, Sarada was already at the desk, focusing on her homework. Her handwriting was sophisticated, far surpassing her peers.
Sakura smiled. "I'm home."
"Welcome back."
Sarada looked up at her mother's delicate face. The stare was a bit too long, long enough to make Sakura inquire: "Is there something on my face?"
Sarada nodded, touching her own eye lids. "A maple leaf."
Sakura smiled indulgently: "You mischievous one. How could maple leaf stay on my face?"
Sarada merely shrugged. "My guess is right. You must have been to the maple woods behind our academy."
Sakura's smile didn't vanish. "Konoha looks most beautiful in this season, that maple woods in particular. Don't you think so?"
"Mother." Sarada was dead serious: "People do not visit a place every day simply because they find it pleasant to the eye. They go there frequently because it's a special place to them."
Sakura agreed. "Did Kakashi Sensei teach you that?"
Sarada shook her head. "It was Hokage sama. He gave us a speech today in our academy."
Sakura tensed a little, not sure if it was for that epithet, or that person.
She turned away. "I bought tomatoes, salmon, fresh basil and miso sauce. Believe me, dinner is going to be delicious."
This year's autumn must have come too soon, spiraling down every trace of summer's vigor without mercy. Like a woeful metaphor. Like her life by far.
To be fair, Sakura had accomplished a lot. Straight A student all the way, teammate of Sasuke, student of Kakashi, then Tsunade. As time went by she grew stronger and tougher. Sakura, you have changed. They said. It was a good thing, of course, even Sasuke acknowledged her.
He flicked his finger at her forehead. Wait for me.
She smiled. I will.
But deep down she knew it was not waiting that frightened her, but the numbness she felt - her heart had hardened. Minister Haruno is an admirable woman. Her subordinates commented. Though she is a woman, few men could beat her up; Sakura, even Tsunade agreed, I used to worry about you, now look at you, I'm sure you're going to be great; And Ino and Hinata. They smiled at their respective kids: Cool as your aunt Sakura is, when she was young, she concerned us a lot.
She wasn't sure of how she felt about this, nor did she know what time had taken away from her, moulding her into what she was today.
But there was one person who would always worry about her.
When people questioned her capability in the past, that young boy claimed: I believe in Sakura-chen. Now, when everybody praised her prowess and wished her a lifetime's happiness with Sasuke, that boy stepped back into the crowd. There he quietly stared at her, with that kind yet worrying look, as if silently saying take care.
She thought it was the unspoken thing between them.
Just like every time they fought together for the past fifteen years - words were never needed - this time, without saying a word, he walked out of her life.
