A/N: We loved reading your guesses, and one of you was right on the money as to what Shikadai might have said! Read on and see if you were right. Hihi.
We don't own Naruto/Boruto.
Sarada came to work with a wide smile on her face, despite it being the start of another work week. She already had her coffee on her, and immediately got to work. Ever since Boruto's been picking her up before work she also got to work a little earlier each time. He was doing things to her… and she liked it.
Having him around was always so much fun and comforting for her. Boruto's always been so sweet, helping her prepare breakfast or driving her around and keeping her hands warm.
Even if they were… close after and before work hours, they were still very much professional while they were at the office. They didn't even chat whenever they passed by each other, or have lunch together. It was business as usual, and Sarada preferred it this way, thankful that they could keep their personal lives separate.
The good weekend that she had with her parents also added to her good mood, spent Saturday at home and then shopping and watching a movie, and her uncles coming over for dinner. It was perfect to unwind, and although her mother teased her a lot, Sarada was happy she was able to evade all the questions. Her two uncles were quick to come to her defense, should she need any. Those two were just as bad as her father. It made her smile just thinking about it.
Chocho and Inojin were out today for some market research, and Sarada wasn't able to prepare any lunch for herself or bring some of the food that her mother insisted take with her. Despite missing some good homemade food, Sarada felt like today was a good day to go buy something heavier than a sandwich and she bundled up in her coat and scarf again and headed out, in search of something good and warm to fill her tummy.
The snow was still falling and piling on the side streets, people all bundled up and walking around as fast as they could to get away from the cold. Even if Sarada didn't like the cold too much, she found winter to be beautiful and it had its own charm as well. Entering into a coffee shop, she bought some pasta and a hot cup of tea. On her way back, she spotted a familiar friend taking a drag while sitting at the park bench. Lunch outside didn't sound like too much of a bad idea.
"Hey, Shikadai!" Sarada grinned and walked over, plopping on the seat next to him. "Out for a smoke break?"
"Yeah," Shikadai grinned at her slyly. "How was your weekend, Sarada? Snowy?"
"Oh, yeah, had lots." Sarada opened up pasta and fished around for the fork as she spoke. Her parents recently moved to a house up in the mountains, and it was quiet and nice. Definitely the kind of "retirement home" her father liked. Her mother had some qualms about it being too quiet, and too far from Sarada, but she was just happy to be with her husband. "How about you?"
"Eh, boring, let's talk about you, though. How did you find the lodge? Anything interesting? Boruto was really excited about it, thought he might have booked the best one for you two."
Sarada blinked and put her food down. "Excuse me? Boruto?"
Shikadai laughed. "Oh, don't worry, I'm not going to say anything. I owe Boruto one back in uni, besides," He pointed at her with his cigarette before taking another drag. "I think you guys are cute together. Just… don't get mushy when others are around, alright?"
Won't say anything? A lodge? The best one? Sarada was so confused and her heart went on a riot. Boruto told someone? What exactly did he say? Getting mushy? What the fuck. Fighting her urge to have an outburst, she played it cool. Lodge, over the weekend… who was he with?
"Booked the best one, huh?" Sarada asked, keeping her voice collected as she picked up her tea, hand mildly shaking. "You been there before? Did you like it?"
"Oh, yeah." Shikadai nodded. "Took my girl up there after Christmas. Nice fireplace, comfy bed, you know, like those ski resorts they usually advertise in movies." He then looked at her. "Didn't you like it?"
Sarada smiled at him. She couldn't keep it in. "Shikadai, I was with my parents over the weekend. I have no idea what you're talking about."
The cigarette fell on the snow. "No… no shit?" He couldn't believe it. "I mean, like…" he was flailing for words and panic flashed across his face. "I was sure he was talking about you…"
"Why would Boruto take me to a ski resort over the weekend? What you described sounded awfully romantic." It stung her heart so bad. Boruto had been coming to her house nearly every day to fetch her, have breakfast with her and even take her home. They weren't together, or have said anything about exactly what it was… but a tiny part of her thought it might have been something more.
And then this.
Clearly, she was mistaken.
He paled and no more words came from his mouth. "Sarada," Shikadai held his hands up in the air, "Listen, I think this is a misunderstanding. Look, we can go to Boruto, and I'm sure there's a perfectly valid explanation-"
She stood from the bench and smiled a little wider, despite her eyes pricking, tears threatening to spill. "No, I think it's perfectly clear, Shikadai. There's really no need." Her voice was shaking, and she hurriedly gathered her food from the bench. "And there's nothing to tell, okay? Boruto's my boss and there's absolutely nothing between us like that."
Shikadai gawked at her, still at a loss for words. "I-Sarada, please. I'm sure I got it wrong, okay?"
Sarada shook her head and ran away, hurriedly walking down the path and avoiding her office building. Her cheeks burned, and her eyes were quickly filling with tears.
Stupid. Stupid stupid stupid.
Of course, there was nothing going on between them. She had been foolish to think that there was something else. Boruto's her boss. A handsome rich boy from a good university and family. He never had to work for anything, unlike her. He was highly unattainable and Sarada felt like a fool to think they were something more.
She kept bumping into people and getting angry or concerned glares. She didn't want to go back to her office and risk seeing Boruto or Shikadai again. If anything, she would feel utterly alone. Stopping in front of a store, she threw her food away in the nearest bin and pulled out her phone, hands shaking from the cold and her shattered breaths. Sarada could barely pick out his name, but she was able to after a few frustrating tries.
Putting the phone to her ear, she covered her face, willing her tears to stop. Her cheeks were burning from the cold wind and the tears drying on her face.
"Hello?"
"U-un-uncle I-Itachi…" she couldn't even say his name right, her frustration growing even more. "I-I need you… to please p-pick me up."
"Sarada?!" She heard something fall and crash. "Where are you? I'm coming to get you." There was another voice in the background. "Right now, I'm coming, Shisui get the car, we're picking Sarada up."
Oh, nice. Uncle Shisui was coming, too.
"I-I'm… at the bakery, near Pine corner Oak. I'll be here…"
"Get inside and stay warm." Itachi kept on talking, and Shisui was already talking shit, not even knowing what the hell was going on. She could hear the engine roar to life. "Wait for me, I'll be there as soon as I can."
"O-okay." Sarada ended the call and stuffed it in her pocket, walking into the bakery and ordering a cup of coffee for herself. Once the old lady at the register saw her in tears, she gave the cup and a cookie to her for free. Sarada thanked the lady and sat down at the corner, trying to stay warm and calm herself down.
Boruto had told Shikadai. Did he tell Shikadai everything? Sarada felt so upset. She hadn't told a single soul. Even if she wanted to so many times, she restrained herself. Out of fear? Shame? She wasn't so sure, but she would have to tell her uncles everything.
It's not that Sarada didn't trust Shikadai. He was the guy who knew everything but wasn't a gossip like Inojin and Chocho. Although to be fair to the latter, if she asked Chocho not to tell, she knew she would take that secret with her to her grave.
The bakery was small and rather busy. People noticed her, and gave her weird looks but didn't approach her or come to talk to her. It looked like the old lady at the register was thinking about talking to her, but Sarada pulled her phone out and pretended to look busy.
It was blowing up.
Calls from Shikadai, Inojin, and Chocho. The most recent ones were from Boruto.
Her stomach lurched and she put her phone face down on the table. Drinking her coffee should have been making her feel calmer but after one sip, she didn't want it anymore.
Luckily, Itachi came faster than she had expected and he gave her a big hug before ushering her out of the bakery. Thankful for his company, she clutched on to his coat as they walked, Shisui was in the car, idling right outside. Itachi opened the back door for her and let her hop in.
At the back, there was a pillow and a blanket, ready for her use.
Shisui was watching her through the rearview mirror, his lips pressed into a fine line. Sarada knew he wanted an explanation, he looked pissed. Although not at her, she knew Shisui could never be angry with her… but he definitely looked mad at how distressed she was. As soon as Itachi got in the car, he asked Sarada if she wanted him to collect her things from work.
No, was her initial thought. She didn't want to go back to her office building, or even be anywhere close… but her wallet, laptop, everything was up there… "Okay… can you please get it for me?"
"Of course," Itachi looked over at Shisui and he began to drive away. The lunch hour traffic was bad, only increasing Sarada's anxiety. She had a number of calls scheduled today, and her phone rang with reminders about the tasks she needed to complete but that was all going to hell today. Heck, maybe even tomorrow. At how disturbed she felt today, Sarada thought the office would be lucky to see her this week at all.
Itachi quickly got out of the car and strode into the building, not even stopping for security checks or bothered to surrender his ID. Only walked in like he owned the place, and if it were up to him, he would have burned the building down if he found out someone in it had caused his niece to break into tears.
The receptionist only looked at him as entered the main office, and he never looked at anyone in the eye until he reached Sarada's desk. His eyes roamed over quickly, assessing which belongings his niece may want to have.
"Who the hell are you?"
Itachi slowly looked over to his right and found a boy around Sarada's age with long blond hair and blue eyes rudely point a finger at him. "What the fuck are you doing in here, holding to Sarada's stuff?"
Itachi looked at the laptop in his hand, and ignored him, placing it in the bag and collecting the charger. He picked up the notebook and some post-its and stuffed it in, before closing the zipper, going for her handbag next.
"Hey asshole," Inojin placed a hand on his shoulder. "I was talking to you."
Oh… Did he want to get physical? Itachi held on to the boy's wrist, not having any of it. He was still pissed and wondered briefly if this was the boy he saw drop Sarada off last Christmas.
"Inojin!" Chocho screeched and stopped when she recognized him. "You're… Sarada's uncle, right?"
He nodded and flicked the boy's wrist of his shoulder. "I'm collecting her things. She is unwell."
"What happened to her?" Inojin was still pissed, but the worry was clear in his face. "We can't contact her."
"She's safe with me," Itachi replied. "Kindly advise whoever is concerned with her absence not to contact her for the time being."
Itachi gathered all of her things and left the office, walking out the same way he walked in.
.
.
.
The car ride going to Itachi's house was quiet, and although Shisui looked like he was going to demand answers at any given time, Itachi was more patient, quiet, calm. He would look back at Sarada, and she would only look at him. Sparing a small smile, Itachi looked ahead again. It went on during the entire ride and once they got to his place, Sarada went to the guest room that she had claimed to be hers.
And it really was hers.
Sarada spent a good number of her summers in Itachi's house ever since she was a baby. The guest room had light pink walls and girly furniture, all whitewashed and to her taste, she had picked them out herself a few years back, after all. Itachi was still single, and after his falling out with a long-time girlfriend never made a move to date. Claiming that having Sarada as the only girl in his life was more than enough for him.
It was easy to see why her father adored Uncle Itachi. He was simply the best.
Leaving the door half-open, Sarada laid down on the bed and curled up. She didn't even bother removing her coat or her shoes. It was nice to be somewhere familiar, and have space to herself to think.
After a few hours of being alone, she changed out of her clothes and walked down to the living room, finding her uncles having tea in front of the fireplace. She took a spot on the couch, forcing herself between them, already feeling lighter to have them near her.
Itachi handed her his teacup and went to fetch another for himself.
"So, kiddo…" Shisui looked at her… "Do I gotta beat anyone up or are we burning that company to the ground? Either way, I already told Itachi my plans."
Sarada laughed. It was so like her uncle Shisui to jump into things headfirst. Well, when it came to something for her, at least. "I… I don't really know." She took a sip of tea and the warmth that travelled down from her throat to her belly felt comforting. She had another. "Promise you won't tell Papa, though?"
"My foolish little brother will never know," Itachi took his spot next to her and draped a thick blanket around her shoulders. "Tell me."
With one big breath, she spilled everything. From the moment they met in Ninbucks until her conversation with Shikadai. Of course, skipping some… intimate details, but her uncles were quick to pick up just how intimate they have already been.
"He holds your hand and hasn't told you he loves you?" Shisui was absolutely abhorred, disgusted. "That fucking asshole." He went on muttering a bunch of expletives, looking like he might throw his teacup at the wall at any given time. "That isn't right, Sarada." He looked at her. "He needs to die."
"Uncle Shisui!" She screeched and looked at her other uncle for back up.
Itachi placed his teacup down. "I agree. I think I should call Sakura, too."
"No!" Sarada cried. Oh no, if her mother heard about this, her boss will never see the light of day again. Far worse than her Papa.
Itachi laughed lightly and pulled her into a hug. "My foolish niece."
"I'm not foolish," she pouted. Oh, but she certainly was. Perhaps she would have her father to blame. "I hate this," she complained. "And I hate him."
Itachi and Shisui exchanged a knowing look and they smirked.
"Surely," Shisui snickered. "What's not to hate?"
"I know!" Sarada added. "Puts me to work and makes me feel things!"
Itachi nodded. "Makes sure you're safe and insists to be with you."
"He's so annoying, won't leave me alone." Sarada rolled her eyes. "He's a stalker."
Shisui faked gasped and couldn't help but smile. "Sasuke told you not to tell stalkers where you live."
"He's terrible." Sarada pouted and slumped back on the couch. "He's seeing someone else, and I'm so stupid."
How did he even have the time to be seeing someone else? Boruto was spending nearly his whole day with her. Did the girl live with him or something? Is that why he never invited her over?
"I don't want to go back to work."
"Then stay here," Itachi offered. "I told your colleagues not to bother you as well."
Her eyes went wide and she sat up straight. "What? Who did you talk to?"
"Chocho, I believe," Itachi mused. "The girl you brought over for lunch once."
Sarada nodded. "Yes, that's her. Who else?"
"There was a blond…" Itachi recalled. "Blue-eyed boy."
Her heart stopped.
"He called me an asshole," Itachi rolled his eyes.
"Oh," relief washing over her. "That's Inojin." Thank god it wasn't Boruto. "Anyone else?"
"No. The two of them seemed worried about you."
Sarada nodded. "Okay…" Even if she was glad Boruto wasn't around, she was also hurt. Was he not worried about her? He did try to call… but there were no texts… perhaps she should be glad. Space is what she really needed right now, and even more, time to think.
"What's your next step, then?" Shisui asked. "If plotting murder is on it, you can count me in. I know where to hide bodies."
She rolled her eyes and leaned into him. "Thank you. But I don't really know what's best to do right now. Maybe I'll think about it tomorrow."
"Why not tell him how you feel?" Itachi suggested.
"Are you crazy?!" Sarada and Shisui screamed in unison. "Jinx." They were so in sync, even pointing at each other.
"Hell no," Shisui scrunched his nose. "Let the bastard say it first."
"I'm totally with Uncle Shisui here. I thought you were on my side!" She whined.
The corner of Itachi's lips curled up in a smile. Sometimes he forgot he's the only Uchiha with a reasonable brain cell. "It was only a suggestion." Face breaking into a full smile. "You can have all the time to think about it, but do take action." He told his niece.
Sarada chewed on her lower lip and nodded. "Okay…"
But what action was she going to take?
.
.
.
Itachi's instructions, perhaps, wasn't clear.
He specifically told people not to contact Sarada but it looked like she was the only one who knew how to follow instructions in that whole company.
Everyone kept calling and texting her non-stop. It was starting to get so bad that Sarada had to permanently place her phone on mute, turning it on airplane mode a few times a day, too.
Chocho and Inojin were sending a mix of worried texts, work-related questions and even more worry. Occasional gossip, too. People were talking all over the place about why she suddenly left, and even Konohamaru had sent her a formal email. It wasn't anything bad, just requesting for her to explain her absence and if there was anything he could do.
And then there was Boruto.
He blew up all of the ways he could contact her. Text, call, email, even on Ninstagram. It was driving her insane. At some point, she thought she might have been on an auto loop call because there was night wherein he literally did not stop calling her for over an hour.
It was Wednesday now, and Sarada knew she had missed a lot of work. The latest texts from her colleagues were all work-related. But Boruto? Barely. She opened up his text box to 20 unread messages. Most of them were saying the same things, but some caught her attention more.
Sarada, I'm really worried about you.
Please let me know you're okay.
You're not home either? Where are you, Sarada?
She sighed. Typical, of course, he went by her apartment. He was her stalker, after all. She snickered at the thought and tossed her phone aside. It was exhausting not doing anything, but thinking about her next steps were even more so.
After a few minutes, her phone started ringing and she groaned, wondering who it might be this time.
Boruto.
Her heart fluttered thinking it might be him and even considered picking it up.
But it wasn't.
UNKNOWN NUMBER
She raised a brow. Who could this be?
Hesitantly, she picked up and pressed it to her ear. "Hello?"
"Hello. Is this Sarada-chan?" A soft-spoken voice asked.
"Speaking," Sarada unconsciously shifted to using her formal phone voice. "May I know who's on the line?"
There was a short giggle and then, "of course, Sarada-chan. Oh gosh, I've heard so much about you! I mean… I'm Himawari!" More laughing and then further confirmation, "Boruto's little sister."
Her stomach dropped to her feet. Oh shit. She shouldn't have answered. "H-hi. What can I do for you?"
"Um, I wanted to speak with you… is it possible to do it in person?"
No. Sarada immediately thought. This was a trap. For sure. It wouldn't be beneath Boruto to use his little sister to get Sarada to talk to him again. "Umm… I don't know. I'm far from the town right now." That's right. Use it as an excuse.
"That's fine, I can come to you if I need to." She said, not put off in the least. "It's important."
Fuck.
"Okay, sure. I can meet you later in the afternoon. Around 4?" What was Sarada even saying? Perhaps word vomit was contagious.
"Perfect! Would Thunder Burger be an okay place to meet?" She asked excitedly.
Thunder Burger. It looks like liking fast food ran in the family. "I'm fine with that. Just us, right?"
"Oh, don't you worry, Sarada-chan. My brother doesn't want to get on my bad side." The girl laughed again before saying a quick goodbye and ending the call.
.
.
.
Shisui drove Sarada to the restaurant and waited for her nearby, telling her to just ring him if she wanted to leave for any reason. She thanked him and got in, being the first to arrive, she picked a booth near the corner and ordered. It didn't take long for Himawari to arrive.
Sarada watched her walk in, well, practically skip in. If Boruto was the sun personified, Himawari was true to her name, being sunflowers personified. Her aura was so light and bright, all smiles and wearing a yellow sweater and a black frilly skirt with black leggings and brown boots. Sarada thought she looked cute, really looking like a sunflower, too.
Blue eyes so similar to Boruto's locked on her and the girl brightened impossibly so. "Sarada-chan!" She smiled brightly like the sun and danced over to take a seat across from Sarada. "Oh wow, you really are beautiful!"
Her cheeks turned a lovely shade of pink and her heart beat a little faster… at least she got confirmation that Boruto found her beautiful. "Hello," she smiled. "You're just as cute as your brother describes you to be."
Himawari's eyes sparkling in delight. "You're so sweet." She cooed and shifted in her seat happily. "Thank you for meeting me. Thunder Burger is my favorite place. Boruto brings me here a lot. Do you come here with him too?"
Thinking quick if Boruto told his sister everything or not, Sarada decided to play it safe. "Sometimes."
"And you two go… Other places?'" She pressed innocently, batting her long lashes at Sarada.
Oh shit. Now Sarada knew why this girl had Boruto wrapped around her pretty little finger. "...yes." Her voice came out too small for her liking and she took a sip of her cola.
"But you're not together?" She tilted her head curiously, cheeks puffing out a bit.
Sarada's face fell into a frown. "No."
Ouchiha. That came out a lot harsher than she intended it to. But after everything? It was a solid no.
Himawari's face fell and her lips settled in a pout. "That's stupid." She rolled her eyes. "You're as bad as he is, aren't you?"
She crossed her arms across her chest and turned her face to the side. "He's worse."
"Are you sure about that?" Himawari pepped up, a devilish gleam in her eyes.
Sarada's gaze was back at the young girl. "Positive."
"Mmhmm." Himawari smirked. "This is better than I thought."
Sarada pouted at her and proceeded to open up her sandwich, "Sure it is." She was not amused at all. "You wanted to talk to me about something?"
"Oh yes, I do," Himawari said, smirk turning into a sweet smile. "About last weekend."
Her face burned and the cola lost its taste. This was not something Sarada wanted to talk about. "What about it?" She kept her voice even but came out bored and tired. "I was with my parents." The alibi sounded like she was covering her tracks from a murder case.
"Gosh, relax Sarada-chan. I know you weren't with Boruto doing all those things you two do together." She huffed. "I came to meet you and tell you about my weekend, not ask about yours."
The audacity of this girl. It seemed like being a brat ran in Boruto's family. She only looked at her, proceeding to eat her fries.
"But of course, what's a good story without pictures?" She grinned and held up her phone, doing a little dance in her seat as she opened her camera roll. "First, you have got to see Mister Brown." She turned her phone around so Sarada could see the screen. It showed a picture of Boruto holding a teddy bear that was almost as big as him. "Cute right? I'll totally send it to you!"
That was the biggest teddy bear Sarada had ever seen, and she thought for a split second to take Himawari up on her offer for her to send the photo. He looked so cute… perhaps even cuter than the bear.
"I was so happy already, I mean… Boruto does spoil me a little. But when he came to pick me up I never expected Mister Brown. He's so soft, ugh, almost as soft as Boruto is." She mused as she scrolled to the next picture. One of Boruto in his car, driving with that smile of his on his face. She kept scrolling, showing several of herself with Boruto. "He took me out to dinner and the lodge he rented was so nice, Sarada-chan. We went skiing for the first time!" She laughed as she showed off pictures of Boruto nearly buried in the snow with a pouty look on his face. Then came pictures of them with a snowman unlike any Sarada had ever seen before. "He even spent an hour helping me build my dream snow-queen."
Himawari sighed wistfully and then set her phone down, looking to Sarada apologetically.
"This was when I finally heard so much about you. I don't know what happened for any misunderstanding to come about, but I can't take it when my brother is worried. See he had this whole overthinking problem, so I had to be the one to set things straight for him. Because he would do it for me… So, to close the story, Boruto was with me all weekend. Not some brother stealer. I suppose if he was with you, I wouldn't mind. And I expect to get the same respect in return."
The explanation all made sense, it really did. It helped to clear one thing away from Sarada's mind, but a thousand more things ate at her.
Everyone she spoke to all kept asking if they were together as if Boruto was saying things to make them assume that but he himself has never asked her out on a date or explicitly said he had any interest in her. Sarada hadn't told a soul, but it seemed the opposite for Boruto. He had been talking about her and the things that they were doing to other people, but whenever they were together, the elephant in the room was something they both refused to talk about.
It was getting irritating, to say the least.
"I'm glad you had a good weekend with Boruto," Sarada started. "And by all means, do spend time with him. I don't mind it one bit. I can't believe you did this for him, but by seeing how close you two are, I can." Sarada sighed. "Now that the weekend trip is clear, it does make me feel better, but that's not the only reason why I'm upset."
"I came for all three of us! If you're going to be his girlfriend, I want us to be like sisters, okay?" Himawari reached over to pat Sarada's arm. "Why else are you upset, Sarada-chan? If Boruto hurt you, I'll make sure he regrets it."
Sarada couldn't help but laugh and she held on to Himawari's small, soft hand. "I don't doubt you will." Finally feeling a little lighter, she tried to think of a way to simplify how she felt, and what was eating away at her for the past few days… Because it certainly wasn't Boruto.
Realizing her thoughts, she brushed that away and explained. "He makes me feel things that I haven't felt with anyone else, and I really don't know how to make it work out for all of us. Things are complicated and it's not as simple as people think it is." She looked at Himawari and hoped she would understand. "Boruto does hurt my feelings a lot, but he always makes up for it. I'll be sure to tell you next time, though." She smiled.
"I see… this is your first time too, huh?" She smiled. "Don't you deal with his nonsense, you can count on me to set him straight!"
"Yeah, you can say that." Sarada giggled. "I'm counting on you."
"I won't let you down, Sis." Himawari crossed her heart, giving Sarada a closed-eye grin.
A/N: Thank you for reading! Things were bad, but it seems like things are looking up, hmm? Now that Himawari and Sarada have met, do you think they'd be fast friends? Let us know what you think Boruto might be thinking while he tried calling Sarada non-stop in the reviews!
Cheers,
Kairi and Tyy