Next chapter, I'll try to write a bit of angst. If not a lot. ;)

Warning: Cuss words up ahead.

Disclaimer: I do not own Boruto and the anime show's characters.

Chapter 6

Four days later…

Sarada was completely and surprisingly calm. It was late in the afternoon and both she and her best friend were out in the training grounds.

She chucked one shuriken towards the target. Two shurikens. Three. Four.

"You know," Cho-cho started as she sipped on her non-fat hot milk. "You're not doing a pretty good job at 'trying to be calm'. Fess up, Sarada. You're affected by it as much as everyone who's heard the news is or even more."

Five. Six. "No, I'm not, Cho-cho," she said in her calmest tone. "I won't let something like that affect me."

"Something like what? A confession? From Boruto Uzumaki, who, by the way, likes you?" One sip.

Seven. Eight. Nine. "Yes. Something exactly like that."

Cho-cho rolled her eyes. Another sip. "Ah, of course. You are, after all, Sarada Uchiha. No confession can affect you and your rational self, even one from the person you've been pining for in the past five years."

Ten. Eleven. A sigh. "What exactly are you getting at here, Cho-cho?"

"Oh, I don't know," Cho-cho spoke sarcastically. One sip. Two. "Maybe the fact that shurikens number five to eleven didn't even reach your target. Oh my, is that a shuriken on the tree just behind me?" A fake gasp. "It is!"

Sarada groaned, tired and embarrassed enough that most of her shurikens largely missed her target.

What would her father think about that?

Without another word, she slumped down the nearest tree trunk and heaved a long sigh. Propping her knees up to her chest, she wrapped herself into a ball and hid her head down low. Just like that, she let out the loudest frustrated groan she could muster.

"You're both idiots," Cho-cho said in a matter-of-fact tone as she stood in front of her crouched friend. "You've actually liked each other for a long time and neither of you ever noticed? Kami, you're worse than Inojin and Himawari-chan."

Sarada nodded in defeat. "I know."

"And you haven't even talked to him for four days. It's clear as day that both of you are avoiding each other and, ironically, the reason why he's avoiding you is because he knows you're trying to avoid him. He's practically making things easier for you but harder for the both of you, that idiot." Another sip. Another disappointed sigh.

"I know."

Then, finally looking up from her defeated position, with pleading eyes, Sarada asked her friend, "Cho-cho, why is he like that?"

"Like what?" Cho-cho asked, raising her brow. "Understanding, unexpectedly kind, and idiotic?"

Sarada groaned. "Ugh, yes. I don't deserve him. I mean, I'm happy he likes me," she said. "But I can't even muster up the courage to tell him the same. And, fuck, you should've seen the way he looked back then. I couldn't even say a word. I couldn't even react to his confession. He just up and left and I couldn't fucking do anything."

"Well, shit. At least you know what you did wrong," Cho-cho said with a little laugh. "I guess Uchihas always have emotional problems."

Sarada let out a chuckle. "I second that notion."

Finding that her hot milk was finished, Cho-cho put her empty cup down and sat beside her friend. "Did I ever tell you how Iwabe and I hooked up?"

"No. I was actually waiting for you to tell me," Sarada said with a slight frown.

"Then I'll tell you right now," Cho-cho said as she leaned back. "He confessed first. He was such a cutie that time, so brave and straightforward. And me? Well, I was a stuttering yet fabulous mess. You could only imagine how embarrassing it was when I was finally able to blurt out that I liked him, too."

"And?" Sarada asked, intrigued.

"That's it."

"What?" the raven-haired kunoichi laughed. "Is that it?"

"Yeah, pretty much. After that, we hooked up," Cho-cho shrugged. "Point is, Sarada, that you should take the chance while you still can. If I hadn't confessed then, who knows what sort of bi—girl, would steal him away from me after? I just couldn't let that happen, you know?"

I think only you would want to date him, Cho-cho, and vice versa.

"So what? Are you telling me to just go for it?" Sarada asked.

Cho-cho nodded. "Yeah. I mean, imagine it," she elaborated. "If you don't do it now, what if Boruto decides that he's through with you? What if he finds another bit—girl and decide to date her instead? Can you even wrap the thought around your head of Boruto confessing to some other girl?"

Sarada imagined it. In fact, her imagination was too vivid that it sent chills to her spine. Neither of them noticed how she had just crushed a root under her palm after putting her hand down.

"No," Sarada firmly responded. "No, I can't."

"Then? What the hell are you still doing here, girl?"

The Uchiha couldn't help but laugh. After that, she hugged her best friend hard and smiled with excitement at the thought of what she was about to do. "Thank you, Cho-cho."

Cho-cho hugged her best friend back before saying, "You owe me non-fat chips for this, you know that, right?"

Sarada chuckled as she stood up with a newfound determination. History was about to be made that day because, for the first time, an Uchiha was about to confess her love for an Uzumaki.

Boruto didn't allow what happened that day to mess him up.

After he confessed, Boruto went straight back to the Hokage's office and did exactly what he told Sarada. But, unfortunately for him…

"Hell no."

Boruto sighed. "Come on, Konohamaru-nii-chan—"

"That's Hokage for you, Boruto," Konohamaru strictly corrected. "I will not allow you to change your missions twice on the same damn day. Or even on different days, for that matter. It's not good for a ninja's reputation to cancel his missions and you've already done that once. I won't allow for a second to happen."

"But—"

"No buts. Now, leave. I've still got loads of paperwork to do."

So he was stuck on the stupid mission and Sarada didn't know that yet. Mitsuki was still on leave and would probably only show up tomorrow, on the day of the mission. He knew nothing of what had just happened.

Shikadai was busy (probably with the A mission that Boruto abandoned). Iwabe was usually with Cho-cho and Boruto sure as hell didn't want to be a third wheel. Inojin was busy training with Himawari nowadays, the bastard. And Denki was busy back at the ninja tech production headquarters.

To sum it all up, he had no one he could vent his stress out to.

Sighing for the nth time that day, Boruto headed back home after buying some supplies for the mission tomorrow. Night had already fallen and the streets were now bright and crowded with people. It was at that moment when a stranger suddenly stopped him in his tracks.

"Hi! Are you Boruto Uzumaki?" the stranger, a girl who wore a yukata matched with heavy make-up, asked with a big smile plastered on her face.

Boruto gave a reluctant answer and eyed the girl. She looked younger than him and very, well, 'unguarded'. "Yes. Is there anything I can help you with, miss…?"

It was then that the girl's smile widened, her pearly white teeth showing and her blonde pigtails bobbing in excitement. Her green eyes were practically twinkling, too.

"My name's Aiko Maruwaki," she said. "I'm the one you're assigned to guard, Boruto-kun. I just heard the news this morning."

Boruto's throat closed up. Fuck. He did not see this coming.

It was then he remembered Konohamaru's words. "…it was made into an A-grade mission because only exceptional ninjas with great cognitive and decision-making skills can make the cut."

Before a moment's notice, Boruto automatically plastered a polite smile on his face. "It's a pleasure to meet you then, Miss Maruwaki. But I believe we were scheduled to meet each other tomorrow."

Aiko's smile only widened further. "Well, yes, but I was too excited. I wanted to meet you right away!"

Bingo. So she's that type of person. Boruto continued to smile politely. "Then allow me to introduce myself proper—"

"Oh, no need, Boruto-kun," she cut him off. "I already know all about you. I know how you're the son of the late Seventh Hokage, Naruto Uzumaki, and his wife, Hinata of the Hyuuga clan. I also know you're currently part of team 7. I'm such a big fan of yours!"

Boruto gave off an awkward laugh, a chill suddenly running down his spine. "I'm honored, Miss Maruwaki."

"Please," the girl said as she held her hand up. "Call me Aiko. I want to feel closer to you, Boruto-kun. It's not every day a girl gets to have her biggest idol be her bodyguard." Aiko grinned.

Boruto swore he could feel the sweat beads rolling down his forehead then. He did not like the situation he was currently put in nor did he like the girl he was about to serve for the next several months. She was weird and he couldn't help but feel so screwed.

Suddenly, Aiko clasped her hands around his and brought it up between them. "It is such an honor to be served by you," she said. "I'll do my best to be the best master out there."

Boruto forced a smile. "The honor's all mine, Aiko-sama." He gave a slight bow.

"Aiko-sama! Aiko-sama, where are you?" Boruto heard a frantic call from somewhere among the crowded street. When he pinpointed where the voice was coming from, he could only see a constantly bobbing brown head and could vaguely make up a pair of glasses just below the brown part.

It was then that he heard the girl beside him cuss under her breath. "Damn it, he found me," she muttered before looking back up at him with a bright smile. "Well, I've got to go now. Catch you tomorrow, Boruto-kun!" Before Boruto could react, she leaned in and placed a quick peck on his cheek before walking towards the man calling for her.

Boruto was stunned by the sudden gesture but he quickly recovered. Heaving a sigh, he slouched from his tense form before looking up at the sky.

Well, shit.

He had a feeling he was about to take on the most tiresome and difficult mission in his life. But, at least, he gets to help Sarada face these sort of situations every day from now on.

"Boruto."

Said ninja flinched as someone suddenly spoke behind him. "What the hell—Sarada," he gasped as he turned around.

Double shit. Did she see me with…?

But said kunoichi simply smiled and held a palm up in a gesture of saying hello. "I was looking everywhere for you."

Okay, so she didn't see?

However, Boruto didn't have time to be worried because he was utterly and completely confused as to what he should be feeling at that moment. He didn't know if he should feel elated that she was actually looking for him instead of avoiding him or if he should feel awkward because they haven't talked for four days. Eventually, he chose to be an idiot and picked the first choice.

"Well, you found me," he spoke, a smile creeping its way up his lips. "What is it?"

"Ah." Sarada looked around at the crowded plaza they were in then and Boruto swore he could see a tinge of red on her pale cheeks. Looking back at him, she said, "I think it's best if we talk somewhere private."

Triple shit.

"Is it about… what happened, you know, back then?" Boruto reluctantly asked despite being terrified of her answer.

Sarada nodded but the blush was still there. Except, now, it was redder. "Well, something related to it, I guess. Come on." With that, she leapt away.

And Boruto, being the hopeless idiotic romantic he was, followed obediently.

All his worries from just moments ago immediately vanished like thin air, the name Aiko Maruwaki pushed back into the recesses of his mind.

Tonight, it was just going to be him and Sarada.