It's Not Really A Date, but is sort of kinda (Boruto x Sarada)

Part 19

Sarada became aware of a sense of low light and comforting warmth over her hand, and her eyes flickered open.

She was laid out on what seemed to be a hospital bed in a dimly lit recovery room. She looked down the right side of her body and found a familiar yellowish mass beside her. Behind the mass, fixed inky blackness hung which she guessed were windows. She had no idea what time it was but guessed it must still be the middle of the night.

Instinctively Sarada rubbed her eyes with a free (oddly restricted) left hand and then reached out to her left where she normally kept her glasses on her bedside table back home. Purely by chance she found them on a hospital bedside table on her left side. Her glasses once again on her face, she beheld that it was indeed pitch black beyond the windows of the room. Her left hand was connected to a drip pumping some kind of clear fluid directly into her veins. And on her right side Boruto lay with his head on an arm on the bed. Fast asleep and no longer in his ginger-haired 'Botoru' guise, and with a free hand in place over her right one. The fact she'd needed her glasses and the lack of hair in her face told her that she too was back to her regular 'Sarada' self. But that there were also a lot of blanks she still needed filling in. For now though she was content just to stay in this moment, other than to turn her hand under Boruto's in a bid to clasp it. Even as the question danced in her mind as to when she was dressed into a hospital gown, and by who?

"He's cute when he's sleeping. Isn't he..."

Sarada froze, withholding a yelp at the familiar sound of the Medical Ninjutsu Prodigy's voice, and turned slowly to face the door to her far left. Sure enough her mother stood there in the doorway watching the scene unfold before she strolled up beside the young kunoichi. Sarada fought to keep a straight face under the pink-haired woman's emerald gaze even as she felt her cheeks heating up and her heart hammering against her ribs.

"He brought you in about 4 hours ago, saying something about mercury poisoning. And he's been by your side the whole time since. But then, I shouldn't expect anything less from him... (Sakura smiled, looking at the Uzumaki boy)... Funny thing though, between you and me that's the 80th reported case of this kind we've had to deal with at the centre over the night..."

At first Sarada had been reassured by her mother's words, until the gravity of the extent of the 'Kara' Conspirators' assault on Konohagakure set in. Had they been too late?

"Konohamaru-Sensei!?!..." Sarada started, remembering one of the blanks in her memory. "..is being treated as we speak along with the other infected individuals... (Sakura continued)... Luckily the antidote he told us about has taken effect universally before anyone's symptoms got too severe. And even more lucky he was able to find such a clever way to disperse it to all the people En-masse in the village before we had a full-on epidemic on our hands. But I guess it helped he was able to get the antidote from the guys that started the whole thing. Both the Rogue Shinobi and their cohorts are now in Leaf Police Custody you'll be glad to hear. And it helped that he wasn't alone."

Under the Chief Medical Ninja's scrutinising gaze, Sarada frantically wondered exactly how much Konohamaru-Sensei might have told her mother about hers and Boruto's role in thwarting the poisoning plot? And how much she'd guessed at what she and Boruto were really doing that night?

The next second, Sakura's scrutinising gaze became unmistakably a look of disappointment. "So Sarada. You want to explain why you weren't honest with me from the start about going to the Festival?"

And the pit of guilt that had been gnawing within Sarada's stomach earlier finally hit rock bottom. She steeled herself for the worst just as she'd had to when confronted by that Anbu Operative looking for a reason to strike her and Boruto down at any moment. Except the pink-haired beauty beside her being far worse purely by being her mom.

"I.... (Sarada swallowed)... I.. was afraid... I couldn't face everyone of my comrades on the streets acting like nothing happened... Like people hadn't died on my watch during our last mission.. (her vision flickered to the boy peacefully slumbering beside her for the briefest second).. I want people to see me as someone who corrects her mistakes and strives for better, not as someone who carries on like she just doesn't care. I didn't wanna let everyone down..."

The young ravenette got choked-up on her guilty confession as her memories of Kagura (and Boruto almost dying while she watched) nearly brought her to the brink of bitter tears. Sakura placed a comforting right hand on her daughter's left and offered a kindly smile. "I told you before Sarada, you're not a machine. As effective as you are as a Team Captain and as a Ninja, there will always be some things that are just beyond your control. Even you can't do everything, or perfectly prepare for every possible scenario. And you can't blame yourself forever for things that are out of your control, especially when no one else does. That's part of why we have Teammates. To support and develop each other's strengths and compensate for each other's weaknesses. To have someone you can depend on and who's always there for you, and for you to be dependable and there for them. Like you and Boruto......"

Sakura left the comment hanging as Sarada wondered as to when her mother was going to include Mitsuki in that equation? Instead the pinkette leant forward and placed a tender kiss on her daughter's forehead. "Now get some rest Sweetie. I'll check on you again at daybreak, and assuming things continue smoothly you should be discharged later in the day. I imagine all your friends will be dropping in to see you though before then."

Sakura stood up again and made her way to the door before looking back to her daughter's eyes with a sly look. "Oh and by the way, post-discharge you're grounded..." Sarada almost blurted out a "WHAAAAT?!?" before deciding to keep her mouth shut, considering it was probably a fair punishment given the lies thus far. "...That is after the Festival is over of course. Gotta give Boruto the chance to even up the winnings tally between you two, assuming Naruto doesn't punish him too severely." Her sly smile remained as she stepped out, closing the door behind her.

Sarada considered this turn of events surprisingly generous of her mother, considering everything that had happened. Until the full connotations of what Sakura had just said fully hit home. Sarada's head flopped back on her pillow, dreading the grilling she was surely going to get later. Exactly how much HAD Konohamaru-Sensei told her mother about what happened in that glade? And how much had she interpreted herself? Did her mom know about why she and Boruto were out that night together, by themselves, in disguise? Did Lord 7th or Mrs. Uzumaki know by now?

'Does Papa...?!?....'

Her frantic thoughts were interrupted by a soft snore from the lump beside her. Allowing herself a moment to calm her mind (and her heart to stop racing), she found her left hand tenderly brushing the mess of blonde hair. And a small smile graced her lips.

She'd worry about tomorrow tomorrow (or today during the daylight). Right now, she had a hand to hold tight.