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The desert wind with its sand swept across his face, helping the heat that still clung to his skin and drying the sweat across his jaw and neck. He let out a deep breath and tilted his head back to watch the vast sky, which had dimmed to a burnt orange as the sun slowly sank behind the dunes, its light bleeding across the sand.
It's getting dark.
No one was talking, except for Konoharu and Kawaki, who were still bickering off the side, but Boruto wasn't listening at all.
He was standing off the side, hands shaking from the adrenaline that hadn't quite left his system entirely. He honestly thought he was going to die. He had little hope for his plan with Kawaki; he hadn't believed it would work. And yet here he was... still standing and alive.
Well, barely. But at least he's still here. He wasn't sure if he would be thankful for that.
His gaze drifted across the sand to calm himself from everything that had just happened in a span of one day. The day had taken too much... too much for him to handle, and he just needed a second to breathe.
But then it landed on her, and everything in him just...
Stopped.
Sarada was only five feet away from him, crumpled against the huge stone with her bruised and wounded leg bent forward, and one hand curled weakly in the dirt as her head hung forward. Her raven hair hides half of her face, but it doesn't hide the smear of red, fading blood that clung to her cheek.
"S-Sarada..."
His voice barely made it past his lips before it cracked, feeling something inside him being split wide open. His throat tightened, making every breath he took start to hurt.
Reluctantly, Boruto took one shaky step forward towards her, and then another after a moment, before they stopped a few steps away from her. His fist clenched as his sides as his heart hammered in his chest, it felt like it was echoing through his skull, drowning everything else out.
The wind, the voices, the whole damn world.
It was just her now...
It should have been him in that state instead of her. He should have gotten there sooner. He shouldn't have hesitated. He shouldn't have listened to Koji.
What if... What if... What if—
Sarada wouldn't be here lying like this.
It's all my fault.
"She's fine," a familiar voice said beside him, bringing him back to the present.
Boruto blinked before barely turning his head to Mitsuki, who was, like him, watching Sarada from afar with the blank expression he always had.
“She just lost most of her chakra,” Mitsuki continued softly. “Sarada is stronger than you think, Boruto. You don't need to worry about her.”
“I know that.” He nooded, but his words didn't make the guilt he was feeling easier.
It's still my fault.
Not waiting for Mitsuki to say anything else, Boruto's legs moved on their own before his mind gave permission. The sand dragged at his feet, but he barely felt any of it. He didn't feel anything except the pull toward her.
And by the time Boruto reached her, he dropped to one knee in front of her, barely feeling the pain from the impact. His breath caught in his throat as he looked at her. The damage she sustained was far worse.
With his shaking hand, he reached out and gently brushed the blood from her cheek with the side of his thumb, trailing down lower to the edge of her jaw, and down to her cracked, dry lips.
His finger lingered for a second longer than it should have, feeling the faintest warmth of air from her nose. Boruto let out the breath he never realized he'd been holding.
"Sorry for being late," he whispered, swallowing hard. Carefully, he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, letting his fingertips graze her cheek on the way down to the back of her head before he leaned in close to her face until their forehead touched.
For a moment, Boruto let his lone eye close, letting himself being at peace with her. And all of a sudden, all the things he was feeling all faded.
The sting of the gash on his ribs, the burn all over his body, the exhaustion in his bones had magically vanished like it was never there.
All because of her.
Being this close to Sarada... It'd been a while since he'd felt like this. The last time he'd been was when she hugged him close. Boruto could still clearly remember the way her arms wrapped around him as she whispered his name like a prayer.
This felt like that.
The same peace and warmth. And it made him realize how much he'd missed it.
How much he missed her so much.
"Uhmm..."
His body jerked slightly, eye snapping open at the voice of someone cutting in. He turned his head slightly, not bothering to hide the glare, and saw Delta standing a few steps away with her hands on her hips and one brow raised.
"Are we seriously still hanging around here? Because, I don't know, it's giving open target vibes from our enemies," she said sarcastically before rolling her eyes.
"Yeah. We need to move," Mitsuki agreed from behind her.
"Right?! I mean, we just had a full-scale brawl with three psychopaths," she added, shrugging. "Maybe not the best place for a dramatic moment like this, no offense." Her eyes flicked over to Boruto and Sarada, lingering a second before she looked up at the darkening sky.
Boruto didn’t bother responding. He just looked down at Sarada again, his expression softening. As much as he doesn't like the idea, Delta was right. They need to move.
With a sigh, he adjusted the collar of Sarada’s jacket— one that, now that he was looking closely, looked a little too much like him. He disregarded that idea, probably just a coincidence, before he brushed the sand off her shoulder gently.
In the silence between them, a soft crunch from sand to his right, followed by a shadow that fell over them, caught his attention.
"Let me carry her, Boruto. Your state is not better than Sarada." It was Mitsuki.
Boruto didn't look up, still looking intently at her, that she'd vanished the moment he looked away.
It's true that all fiber of his body screams in so much pain. His muscles screamed, his wounds burned, and there was a sharp pull in his side every time he breathed. He must have broken four of his ribs. But he couldn't have her go to anyone else other than him.
Because deep down, he knew... this probably wouldn't happen again. Not for a long time or maybe not ever.
He knew very well that after he recovered, he had to leave her again. Boruto didn’t know how soon, but it would be soon. It could be tomorrow. It could have been the moment they made it back to Konoha.
And so, even every muscle in his body begged for rest, if this was his last chance to have her close, he wasn't going to waste it.
"No."
Then, before he moved to lift her, Boruto shrugged his cloak off his shoulders with one smooth motion and draped it carefully over her body. He adjusted it gently, making sure it covered her arms and legs.
His fingers found the clasp near the collar and fastened it loosely under her chin, making tge high collar brushes against her cheek. The cloak looked too big on her. Nonetheless, she looked cute in that way.
“There,” he murmured with a gentle smile. Only then did he slide one arm beneath her knees and the other behind her back, lifting her carefully into her arms.
Her head lolled against his shoulder, lips slightly parted as she breathed slowly. The warmth of her body pressed into his chest, her hand resting lightly against his chestplate.
Sarada actually felt weightless in his arms, or maybe he was just too tired to feel anything anymore.
Still holding her close, Boruto turned to the others, eyes landing on Kawaki and Delta.
“Since you two can fly…” he started.
Kawaki raised a brow in that usual "don't rope me into this" way. Delta blinked once, like she could already tell she wasn't going to like where this was going.
"You two have to carry Mitsuki and Konohamaru-sensei. Pick whoever wants to carry who."
There was a long, dry pause before Delta's voice snapped, complaining, of course.
“Excuse you?!” Her hand immediately flew to point out at poor Konoharu. You want me to carry this man's heavy ass??”
“You don’t need to say that in front of my students, though,” Konohamaru muttered, visibly offended.
“Please, shut your mouth!” Delta shot back, already rolling her eyes.
Kawaki, on the other hand, only grunted, clearly not thrilled either, but, surprisingly, gave a small nod. "Tch. Fine. Let's just get moving.”
Boruto completely ignored Delta's complaining. He looked down at Sarada on his arms again, gaze wandering on her peaceful face. From her long eyelashes rested gently against her cheeks, the line of her brow, and the curve of her lips as they parted slightly.
The dirt and the blood couldn't take away the beauty she naturally possessed.
Before Boruto even realized it, his body moved on its own as if drawn by something he didn't fully understand. He slowly leaned down and pressed his lips to her forehead for a second.
It wasn't even meant to be anything.
It just… happened.
The moment he pulled back, there was a small smile on her lips. His heart did its thing.... fluttering. It was stupid, probably. She was unconscious and had just been through hell. His state was not better either. He's still bleeding under his clothes, and his chakra reserves are dangerously low. Not just that, but there were ten more important things he needed to worry about. And yet, he still has time feeling this thing again?
"Let's go home," he whispered.
With one last glance at their teammates, Boruto tightened his hold around her and kicked off the ground, lifting them higher and higher into the sky. The desert below stretched out endlessly, fading into the shadows as the sun had finally dipped its last ray beneath the dunes. And before long, the others were nothing more than tiny shapes below.
Sarada felt like something was pulling her back. Not in a gentle way, but more like being dragged through water with her lungs full and limbs numb, making everything very heavy. Her head throbbed in pain as she tasted the blood and dust on her mouth.
The hell just happened?!
Slowly, her eyelids cracked open, and all she could see at first was a hazy blur of yellow, movement, and the faint glow of something silver above. Her vision swam as if she were seeing through her fogged eyeglasses.
Instinctively, she let her eyes fall shut again and waited for a second. Then, with effort, she opened them once more, and finally, shapes started to form and the world gently snapped into place.
That's where Sarada realizes that in front of her... was a very familiar blond hair with a very familiar face.
A very tired one.
“Bo... Boruto?” she rasped, barely louder than the wind around them.
His serious face hovered above her. His brows were drawn tight in concentration as his jaw set. Behind him was the endless sky, full of twinkling stars, with the huge full moon, casting pale lights across his features.
For a second, Sarada forgot how to breathe.
When did he got here?
All Sarada could remember was her passing out after using almost of her chakra. After that.... just darkness.
She tried to move, to reach for him, to caress his tired face. And instantly regretted it as agony exploded through her body.
Sarada let out a low, pained moan as every nerve of her body flared. Her ribs screamed with every shallow breath she took, feeling like her limbs were being yanked in opposite directions and stitched back together. A strangled breath escaped her lips, her back arched slightly before her muscles gave out completely, leaving her breathless and limp in his arms.
Concentrating on their flight, Boruto felt her body jerk against him, and everything in him snapped to attention.
“Sarada?!”
He immediately stopped on the flight, but remained suspended high above, to check on her. His arms adjusted instinctively, holding her closer and supporting her head, careful not to jostle anything.
“Don't move, you silly woman. You're hurting yourself," he nagged, but there was no bite behind it, only a deep concern and panic hiding beneath his firm face.
Sarada blinked up at him, seeing his face much clearer now. Finally noticing his messy blond hair as it was being tugged by the air, along with the dried blood that smeared across his whiskers.
“W-Where… where are we? What are doing here?” Her voice came out weakly as she struggled. Her eyelids fluttered as she forced herself to look down.
It was a big mistake.
Below them, the ground stretched endlessly, making everything beneath look small. It looked impossibly far. They had to be hundreds of feet in the air, or maybe more!
Instantly, Sarada's stomach turned as her world tilted slightly once more, feeling the food goes up in her throat despite not having eaten a thing since morning.
She had been suspended in the air during her fight against Ryu earlier, but that had been barely off the ground. A few feet at most.
But this with Boruto? This was another stage of being suspended in the air.
Before Sarada could think too much more, she squeezed her eyes shut and instinctively circled her arms around his neck, pulling herself closer against his chest, her heart pounding against his.
“W-Why are we up here, Boruto?" she asked. voice slightly shaking and muffled against the fabric of his clothes.
He only let out a soft and amused chuckle, and the alone was enough for Sarada to blink her eyes open, already irritated. She tilted her head up, face still pressed to his collar, and shot him a weak glare.
“You think this is funny?”
The man in front of him only had the audacity to smile slightly as he shook his head, wind still tousling his oh-so-perfect blond hair like something out of a movie, which only made Sarada more irritated.
“Just close your eyes. You won’t even realize we’re home by the time you open them,” he said calmly.
“Let me down,” she grumbled. “I’ll walk home—”
“Not gonna happen,” he cut her off, like it wasn’t even up for debate. “This is the safest, fastest, most stable mode of transportation available to us right now.”
She let out a soft whimper of frustration, arms still firmly looped around his neck. “Tsk. You’re making my condition worse…” Her voice was lower now and a bit pitiful. “…I’m going to throw up on you.”
He snorted. “Try me.”
"...hate you." Her frown deepened as she curled closer to him, cheeks slightly flushed.
Boruto’s expression softened by the look she gave him. Something in his gaze changed as the tension in his jaw loosened. Gently, he lifted one hand from under her legs and let his fingers travel down to her chin, using the back of his knuckles to tilt her face up.
Sarada's eyes widened immediately. "Boruto!" she yelped. "Why are you just holding me with your one hand?!"
His hand froze halfway to her chin and blinked, before smirking.
"Multitasking I guess," he calmly said as he shrugged.
She stared at him like he’d lost his mind. “We’re in the sky! I could die!”
Boruto ignored her. His deep, dark blue eye searched hers, like he needed to convince himself that she was finally awake, breathing, and safe in his arms. And yeah, being sassy just like before.
“Just trust me, okay?” he murmured, brushing his thumb gently across her cheek, then reaching up to adjust her glasses. Pushing them back into place with tenderness that makes her pulse skip.
His gaze and action caught Sarada's breath. She looked away quickly, eyes darting past his shoulder and into the stars and moon behind him. But it didn't help. Her heart was still acting up. Pounding too fast and loud like it always did when he was this close.
Stupid heart!
She clenched her jaw slightly, hoping he hadn't noticed.
“Now rest,” he added, lowering his voice. “You need it. After what happened…”
Sarada's eyes instantly snapped back at him, caught off guard by the last sentence he uttered. Her lips parted slightly as she blinked at him slowly. "Y-You... saw?"
“Of course I did.” Boruto didn’t hesitate, almost like he couldn't believe why she asked such a thing. His lone eye locked into her, and through his lips moved, though his face remained still, joy and admiration flickered through his gaze as his pupil dilated. It caught the moonlight, allowing Sarada to notice, making her froze.
There was something she’d read once in the library book she borrowed. Something about how human pupils dilate when they look at someone they love.
And yet… now?
Now...
Now...
Now, as her raven eyes locked with his, Sarada couldn't look away or stop staring at his... wondering if this was what that book meant.
Does he... Does Boruto like me, too?
Still locked with each other's gaze, Boruto's face began to inch closer. Sarada's eyes widened, feeling her breath was being stolen straight from her lungs. She couldn't breathe properly!
There was nowhere to go. Not in this moment when they were hundreds of feet off the ground, and the only thing holding her was him. One wrong move and it will cost her life.
Sarada swallowed hard, bracing herself for the possibility that might happen.
His face was coming closer and closer to her. Every second that had passed was every inch between them vanished slowly. Sarada’s heart thundered in her ears, breath hitching in her throat, yet she couldn't look away.
I-Is he…?
She swallowed hard once more, her lashes trembling as her lips parted slowly. If he meant to kiss her here. Then she wouldn't be able to stop it.
That thought alone had her heart spiraling.
Sarada clenched her fists in the fabric of his jacket, gripping it tight against his chest, and slowly… closed her eyes. Her face tilted up to meet him, fully accepting the inevitable.
Any second now—
She waited, and waited, and waited.
Waited for the moment his soft, warm lips would finally press against her. But then...
Nothing happened.
No kiss??
Sarada felt nothing other than the softest brush of skin against her own. Her eyes flew open, and she saw him staring intently at her, still inches away from her face. But instead of his lips with her own lips, it was the gentle press of his nose against hers.
Her breath stuttered for a second for feeling a little dissapointed. It wasn't like she wanted it to happen!
Just... well maybe she did a little bit.
A warm fluched crawled up her neck, embarrased of what the hell she was thinking. She clenched her jaw and looked away, frustrated, not at him, but at herself.
Ugh. Idiot!
A smile tugged at the corner of Boruto's mouth as he watched the series of expression shifting on her face. He knew very well she'd been expecting something. A kiss, perchance. She'd thought he was going to kiss her.
And maybe, if things were different, if their lives weren’t constantly balanced on the edge of a blade. He might have.
But for now? He’d let her stew in it a little.
Sarada was easy to fluster, and absolutely terrible at admitting it. So he'd let himself annoy her for the time being. Since yeah... he kind of loved that. Watching the way her face changed every time she got annoyed was, frankly, extremely satisfying. Fulfilling on his part.
He could live for it for the rest of their life.
“You did well, Sarada," he whispered, meant for no one else other than her.
Sarada looked up, suprised bu the sudden shift of his voice. And when their eyes met, it makes everything felt a little easier to breathe.
She is at peace.
With Boruto looking down at her with that smile only him he could give, Sarada swore that the moon was glowing brighter than it ever had before.