What Will Be

Mitsuki... didn't know what to think. The world the potion showed him- the world Boruto showed him- seemed too good to be true.

And yet it all felt so real. As if he could truly feel Konohamaru-sensei patting them all on the back after a hard day's work. He could hear Boruto's laughter, see the crinkle in Sarada's eye when she's tried to hide her smile.

He could see his parent smiling at him as he sent him off to school, in Konoha, by himself. But that couldn't be. Because the outside world was dangerous, that was what father had told him. But if this parent, this same parent let him leave, then did that mean that the outside world wasn't as cruel as he had claimed?

But that cant be. Because that would mean that father had been lying to him. And why would parent lie to him? And... if he had lied to him- which Mitsuki was sure he hasn't- then what else has he lied about?

The dreaded thoughts filled his head as he started to doubt. Started to doubt everything he had been told, everything his so-called parent could've lied to him about.

And the doubts filled his head along with the guilt- that dreaded guilt-

...but at least now he knows why. Boruto had given him answers, just as he promised. The raven hadn't been lying after all.

Mitsuki gulped. He owed that boy a serious apology. But first...

His eyes strayed to his bedroom door. Mitsuki quietly got out of bed, the door creaking shut behind him as he entered the hall. Huh. Now that he thought about it, Has this place ever truly felt like home?

Mitsuki silently ran his fingers over the cool stone wall, feeling the souls react to his touch with a burst of electricity... as always. He kept walking as his eyes fluttered shut, mind filled with the intelligible voices calling out to him from within the walls.

He stopped at Akios room, pausing as he considered whether or not he should take her with him. He grimaced. On one hand, the path he was taking was not an easy one. On the second, he was afraid of what his parent might do to her to find out where he was.

Mituski shuddered at the severity of the situation. Orochimaru would torture her. He probably has been, for that past who knows how long. The albino felt as if he'd just realized the weight of what really was going on underneath the surface.

He grit his teeth. How blind-sighted would he have to be to not realize what exactly his parent was doing when he heard the screams vibrating through the walls. He figured that was even more reason to leave.

"Mitsuki?" A soft voice called up to him. The boy blinked down, surprised. "Akio!" He whispered. Footsteps began to sound from the end of the hall. Oh no.

"Dammit," he cursed under his breath. They had to go. Now. "Come on Akio." Giving her no time to respond, the boy picked her up, holding her on his back.

The girl yelped, wrapping her arms around Mitsuki's neck. "Mitsuki? What's going on?" He shook his head. "I'm sorry Akio I'll explain later. Please just trust me." Akio nodded, laying her head down on the back of his neck. She's always trusted him.

Mitsuki's heart beat so hard in his chest he was convinced Orochimaru could hear it from a mile away. But he couldn't risk staying around to find out so he kept walking. As he got closer and closer to the 'end' of the hall, his footsteps grew faster and faster, louder, more careless.

Mitsuki gulped. "Akio, close your eyes." The girl complied. The boy gulped. Here he goes again.

Once safely outside, he put Akio down, heart still beating furiously. It wasn't safe, not yet, not until he gets so far away that Orochimaru's chakra was nothing but a distant memory in his mind.

But where could he go? For a minute his mind wandered to the pink-haired woman that had helped him earlier. He glared down at the ground, immediately dismissing the idea from the mind.

He might not trust his father, but he didn't trust her either, or the people she associated with. Well, except...

Mitsuki hesitated. Should he? The raven had proven himself trustworthy... but his parents... No. Mitsuki decided that he wasn't ready to trust them yet, let alone be within a four-mile radius of them.

He sighed. So he was left with nowhere. He grinned miserably. Well. At least now he knew he had nowhere to go but up.

"Come on Akio." He held his hand out to the young girl, who took it curiously. "Let's go find a place to call home."

~*~

"Boruto? Are you ok?" Sarada frowned, hand coming up to feel his forehead. Boruto frowned, grabbing her hand and pulling it away from his head. "Sarada? What happened?"

The girl winced. Boruto noticed as her eyes darted towards his hair. He let go of her hand in realization. "Ah."

Sarada gulped. "You sort of went crazy. Tou-san said you were desperate and Dad just gave me an indecipherable look. You... dyed your hair blonde. Like Dad's."

She bit her lip as if afraid to ask. "Why?"

Boruto avoided her eyes. "I don't know," he mumbled. The twins shared an awkward silence before a knock on the door broke them both out of their thoughts.

"Boruto? It's me, Sakura-san. Are you ok?"

Sarada walked over to open the door for Sakura. The girls exchanged some words Boruto couldn't quite hear before Sarada flashed a smile at him and left. Sakura sighed at the sight of him, closing the door behind her.

She crawled onto the bed, gently settling beside him. "You scared me to death when Sasuke found you." Boruto looked away. He couldn't bring himself to look into her eyes. Sakura hummed, brushing his hair out of his face.

"You know you can tell me anything right?" Boruto gulped, and the tears started falling as he thought about all the occurrences that happened this past week. Sakura quietly wrapped him in her arms, whispering comforting words.

The pink-haired woman shifted to get more comfortable, laying down fully. Boruto hid his head in the crook of her neck, and he was hit with the familiar feeling of motherly love. He sniffed. I miss mom.

"Shhh. It's ok Boruto. Mom's here." Boruto tried to blink away the upcoming tears. It was as if Sakura had read his mind. Soothed with Sakura's comforting murmurs, his tears subsided, making way for the peaceful dreams of what used to be.

Naruto quietly opened the door after Boruto had fallen asleep. "Sakura? Is he?" Sakura smiled. "He's fine. He just needed his mother." Naruto exhaled in relief. "Thanks, Sakura. I'm sorry we had to rely on you for this."

"Don't be." Sakura hummed. "He's as much my child as he is yours." He smiled softly at her. "I'm sorry you don't get to spend much time with the kids. We should rectify that. They need a mother in their lives, and frankly, neither Sasuke nor I are fit for that role."

Sakura laughed softly, careful not to wake the sleeping boy in her arms. "You two couldn't be motherly if your lives depended on it." Naruto grinned. "That's why I'm asking you for help."

Sakura giggled, "Well as long as you realize it."

Um. I made myself cry.