Chapter 01: Please Grant My Wish
Summary: Another broken promise.
"Busy, busy– busy! That's all I've heard from the past two months – two months 'ttebasa!" Boruto grumbled; face red, short legs marching faster and away from the Hokage's Office before kicking at some random pebbles out of frustration.
As a few ticks went by, the whispered blond slowed down his pace with his fists and teeth clenched to hold back the tears and shield his pain, the loneliness, from leaking out.
It was an appropriate assumption to note that Boruto, much to his obvious annoyance, was pretty much disappointed at his father's inability to provide the correct arrangement to spend some quality family time together instead of sitting his ass down in the office and burying his face in a long-ass boring day filled with paperwork every single day.
His dad had broken off his promise. Again. Boruto frowned, feeling the hot liquid dripping down to his chin; he wiped it with his right sleeve. The fact that his father had duty to attend and responsibilities to maintain the city's peace and prosperity as the country's Hokage didn't cross his mind. He was just a bratty, attention-depraved six-year-old after all.
'Can't he take just a day off?' the child pondered, before shaking his head to dismiss the idea. 'Forget it. It's never going to happen.'
Boruto bolted back home, he was all set to find a readied comfort from his game console, or if his baby sister wanted to play with him, he would be gladly to be involved as a good big brother. But if his dad couldn't find the time to spend with him in the day, Boruto hoped to find his dad coming back home earlier just as he promised a while back after their argument.
~La La La~
In a quiet, oval-like office, Naruto read the contents of the documented paper he was holding, trying to sop in the words in concentration but he was inescapably distracted by the verbal disagreement he had with his son just a while ago. He sighed, placing the paper down before giving himself a chance to consult with the clock – 3 o'clock. He found himself staring at it, feeling the endless ticks of the clock seeping in and out of his ears numbingly as the thought of their argument began to play back in his mind.
SLAM.
"Tō-chan!"
Oh no.
"Are you done yet?" his 6-year-old son demanded.
Dammit.
"U-uh... no? I've gotten a few more papers to finish... Wait, how did you get insid–"
"No!? You always say that– you have promised me, Tō-chan! Now spend time with me 'ttebasa!"
"Boruto..." the father began, but he couldn't face his son directly. Because if he did, he would have to confront the younger blond's teary face. It would ultimately tear down the orange-loving father's willpower and break his heart into bleeding pieces.
He steeled his mind. "After... I finish my work; I'll be able to play with you. But for now, give me some time to finish. I promise you–"
"NO! I want it to happen now!"
Naruto's head began to throb slightly painful, wishing this same kind of argument wouldn't repeat itself, wishing he could keep his promise and spend more time with his family like he could before, wishing things would turn back like how it was before.
Despite it, he tried his best to soothe Boruto. He turned to face his son's upset face and froze at the guilt-tripping sight. Naruto cursed inwardly.
He gulped. "I-I know, son. I promise you that I'll spend some time with you once I'm done 'ttebayo. I'm sor–"
"No! If-if you're really sorry, you gotta play with me!" the younger blond's voice cracked, his little fingers curling tightly on his chest.
Naruto tried so hard to straighten out this argument. But his son wasn't making things easy. He stood up from his seat and crouched down on one knee to face Boruto at eye level.
"I will come back home early. I promise you on that, Boruto."
Boruto's clear blue eyes glistened, his red face twisted in a way that a child would finally burst a waterfall.
Nononononono–
"FINE!"
Naruto's eyes widened in surprise at the given chance, despite the outburst from the latter he was relieved all the same. Hence, Boruto turned away from his dad and slammed the door louder than it should be.
At least it was somehow resolved, temporarily.
"Oi," Shikamaru called out, snapping Naruto out from his thought. "Stop daydreaming and start working, there are more where these troublesome come from." He dropped the huge stack of paperwork on the Hokage's work table.
Naruto stared blankly at the mountainous amount of work sitting in front of him. It was taller than his head. Screaming inwardly, he groaned exasperatedly, "Shika, help me finish with some of these crazy burdens."
The said person smirked lazily, "I've done my part, thus those burdens on your table are now yours to handle, Hokage-sama. Besides, I'm just an assistant to the Hokage."
Naruto added solemnly, "The most intelligent right-hand man there is in Konoha."
"You know that flattery isn't going to get you anywhere."
Naruto grimaced. Worth a shot. Thus, the promise he made to Boruto would ultimately take to a halt. The blond Hokage groaned, he had a feeling this would not go pretty...
~La La La~
Over an appropriate distance, Himawari was curled up into a tiny ball, her palms on her knees as her blue eyes was focusing on the screen of the television; the pink plush was set to sit beside her in a slouched manner. No one could snatch her attention away when her favourite show was aired as of now. Meanwhile, Boruto was sitting in both crossed arms and legs on the green sofa; his handheld game console was nowhere to be in sight.
Hinata, who was observing Boruto over her shoulder while vacuuming the floor, noticed the strange behaviour her son was displaying. He was unusually quiet and still for hours, doing nothing, but that grouchy-looking expression and the way his digit tapping repetitively on his arm surely make known of his agitation.
This heightened her sense of worry.
"Boruto, what... are you doing?" Hinata asked, already on the track to pry out some information from her son.
"Waiting for Tō-chan to come home, Kā-chan," was the blond's curt reply. "He's slow."
When Naruto was mentioned, the younger sibling turned to her big brother, astonishment and happiness was evident in her eyes and tone, "Papa's home soon, Boru Nī-chan?"
Boruto grinned at his sister, "Yep! That's right, Himawari!" He pointed his thumb on his puffed chest stocked up in pride. "Your big brother Boruto is going to wait for Tō-chan to come home!"
Hinata's slightly lavender eyes softened at the sight of her adorable children's interaction. Dismissing Boruto's previous behaviour as nothing to worry about, she went back to clean the kitchen floor with the vacuum cleaner and moved on to dutifully prep up dinner after she was done.
"Boruto, Himawari," she addressed to both children. "What do you two want for dinner?"
Himawari perked up but she then cutely tilted her head to a side, confused. She hummed.
Boruto looked up at his mom and replied, "Hamburger."
The younger Uzumaki waved her arms and exclaimed, "Hambagga!"
Hinata smiled softly, "Of course, let's go with hamburger." And other healthy side dishes as well.
~La La La~
Dinner was ensued without the father of two. It was late. Himawari was asleep. He was late. And he wasn't home yet. This clearly made little Boruto very upset of his father for breaking the promise he had promised to fulfil.
Aware of Boruto's distress, Hinata was about to reach her hand towards him; but the latter, oblivious of the other's approaching hand, responded one step quicker, causing his mother to withdraw.
"I'm going ahead to bed," he said tonelessly, without looking at his mom.
Hinata, glancing back at Boruto worryingly, could only watch her son's retreating back camouflaging further into the darkness. She hoped things would turn out better tomorrow.
~La La La~
Once Boruto closed the door behind him, his emotionless face turned red with tears as it kept rolling down, revealing mixed emotions of anger, sadness and disappointment.
He jumped toward the bed and flopped his face down onto the pillow he tightly fisted upon and screamed as loud as his throat allowed him to. Boruto's complaints of his dad being unfair, an utter idiot, a promise-breaker and a lot of things he said were being muffled into the cotton-filled pillow.
His lips trembled as he kept weeping, having no care if his pillow was completely soaked by the salty liquid secreted out from his eyes. Ever since his dad became the Seventh Hokage, he didn't have time to take a quick break, he was seldom home, he rarely played with him or Himawari. He wasn't even home for dinner and he promised!
Boruto hiccupped, his breathing irregular. He strongly wished his dad's Hokage work schedule would lessen and be there with him all the time or when he needed him to be. It was his only selfish wish – a wish to spend with the male parental figure.
"I wish... if it isn't too much to ask, I wish Tō-chan would spend a whole month with me," he mumbled to himself, heavy-lidded eyes shuttered in exhaustion from the intense emotion he discharged. With that simple wish Boruto uttered, he wept himself to sleep. But little did he know, outside of his window, a shooting star passed by the beautifully atmospheric night sky and granted the child's wish. Something surprising was going to happen the next cheerful day.
To be continued…