Hey! I'm back with the new chapter of this story - the second to the last chapter! And as for the cliffhanger in the previous chapter, I'm sort of glad that I got you'll worked up! Haha! Don't worry, this chapter ends on better note! Hope you all like it!
And thank you all for your reviews, favs and follows!
Chapter - 8
Thoughts For Thoughts
Red.
All red.
Sarada blinked heavily but the red was still not going away. The warm blood trickled down her face and she felt her senses go haywire. Her sharingan registered the katana at a mere inch from her. It took her a moment to realise that there was no pain. The blood was not hers.
It belonged to the hand which had grasped the sword tightly, preventing it from slicing off her side. She quivered. Her mouth opened in a silent scream as her eyes traced the hand back to its owner.
B-Boruto?
Boruto stood there beside her, hand outstretched, holding the sword as if his life depended on it and blood dripped down off from it, staining the earth below. She could not see his face due to the shadows that his bangs cast over his eyes. And then her eyes fell on the perpetrator. The guy looked horrified, maybe shaken up by the fact that he had almost killed someone.
He wheezed out as his hand let go of sword, stumbling back. Boruto's hand slowly uncurled around it and the blood soiled weapon clattered on the floor.
"Leave."
Sarada was surprised. The voice in which he uttered out those words was way too cold to belong to a boy who personified the sunshine itself. She shuddered. In midst of her gaze of terror, she didn't even realise when the restraints of water whip on her body dissolved into nothing but a puddle beneath her feet.
The men scrambled away in haste, grabbing their fallen comrades and too scared to do anything else. Sarada still stood stunned, slowly coming to her senses. The first thing she did was checking upon the injuries of the civilian child, making sure that there were no life threatening blows. He looked traumatized and she was not surprised about that. It was quite rare for a civilian child of that age to have seen so much violence.
After a few minutes, she saw a squad of officers rushing in, she deduced that someone must have informed the police after seeing the chaos. They retrieved the child and promised her that they'd deliver the kid safely to his guardians. When asked about the injuries that she and Boruto sustained, Sarada convinced them that she would let her mother check upon both of them. Of course, Sakura Uchiha was famous for her grand feats in the field of medical ninjutsu. So they didn't argue.
Boruto was still standing there frozen. His hand was still dripping blood. Now that the shock of the fiasco had worn off, she found herself remembering all the reasons she had been angry about. In few swift moves she was right in front of him, pulled out her clean handkerchief and wrapped it around his wound in a fast and efficient manner. He looked surprised, his blue eyes showing inquisitiveness. But she didn't answer him and grasping his undamaged arm, she dragged him with her. Because the wound seemed a little deep, given that he had bare handedly stopped the katana from slicing her. And it definitely needed a proper treatment, or at least an appropriate first aid.
He didn't resist her at all. And she too, didn't dare to look back. The tension between them was palpable, so suffocating that Sarada wanted nothing more than for it to dissolve into nothingness. But she was also aware of the momentousness of the situation.
They needed to have this talk.
Now or Never.
…
Boruto felt a bead of sweat trickling down his forehead. Sarada was not shouting or arguing or lecturing him. She was dead silent and Boruto couldn't even figure out the degree of her fury.
Damn, I've earned the silent treatment again? Shit.
He desperately wanted to speak out anything but the aura that she emitted at the moment warned him to not do anything stupid further. And all the while he was milling around, they reached their destination. She slid open the door, her hand still in his. Her head swiveled around as if wondering if anyone was home before motioning him towards their living room and herself moving upstairs, not a word yet spoken between them.
He carefully settled himself on the couch of the room, making sure that no drop of blood would dirty the clean floor. He knew how hard his mother worked to keep the house clean and so did Aunt Sakura and he would not disregard that. He gaze flitted around when his eyes fell on the recent family photos of the Uchiha. And then beside it was one of Aunt Sakura and a tiny smiling Sarada. And it was then Boruto knew that he had to apologise to her. He didn't like her seeing angry or sad at all. He had to make her smile again.
The sound of footsteps approaching broke him out of his reverie. Sarada entered, carrying a box which looked him a first aid kit and kneeled in front of him, startling him a little bit. She placed the box beside her and rummaged through its contents before untying the bloody handkerchief from his wound with consideration.
He watched her with cautious eyes as she soaked a ball of cotton in antiseptics. Swallowing down his anxiety, he made a poor attempt.
"Sa-Sarada. Look, I'm sorry-!"
He yelped out loudly as her fingers dabbed the cotton on his wound. Her choppy movements clearly made her ire visible and Boruto somehow thanked the heavens above for letting her practicing restraint as much as she was. Because his entire body throbbed and tremors wracked his legs every now and then.
"Sorry for what?" Came her clipped reply.
Boruto knew she was still livid but at least, this was a start. Because more of that silent treatment would have driven him mad.
"Ah, I know I should have involved myself with them, but I don't-" he was cut off again at her long sigh.
"Sarada?"
"You really worry me." She whispered in a tired tone.
"Ehhh?"
"Do you think I would want you to apologise for saving a child?" Her eyes flicked on his face for a second.
"No! Errr- I mean-" Boruto stuttered, not sure where this conversation was going towards.
"I...just want you to explain why were you there?"
On his visible confusion, she narrowed her eyes.
"I'm talking about the place you went after leaving the training field."
There was a moment of blackness when suddenly everything fell into place. Boruto sat there like a gaping fish, a mixture of apprehension, fear and frustration gripping his insides.
"You...how did you?"
She pulled out the missing key from her pocket and held it in front of him. His silence made Sarada exhale out loudly.
"I thought you knew better than to hide facts from us again. But guess what, I was wrong. And furthermore, from what I have learned, Lord Seventh is unaware of the fact that you're willingly participating in the probation program despite the punishment you're already serving. Please explain me! Why would you do something like that?!"
Her voice was now higher, the turmoil inside her bursting out in installments.
"Because I don't want people to think that I'm using Dad's status to escape things easy!"
His scowled, as tears slowly started forming, "I know I did wrong! I know I humiliated Konoha infront of the Alliance! The things I've done...they are to be taken seriously Sarada! And yes, I did defeat Momoshiki guy! But still doesn't change the fact that I cheated!"
The tears rolled down his cheeks and he placed a hand over his eyes to hide them. But Sarada didn't mind. She had figured it out a long time before. She knew that he was absorbing all the hatred Village was spewing out on him and one day or the other...it was going to spill out. Thankfully, for all of their sake's, it was today. But he didn't stop speaking.
"I betrayed my sensei, your father - my master. I betrayed Himawari who has always looked up at me. I betrayed Shikadai, who gave his all. I betrayed Dad, who was honestly looking forward to see me fight earnestly. And I betrayed you and Mitsuki too."
The guilt he housed was too overwhelming for someone of their age. And Sarada felt her heart getting progressively heavy.
"I never wanted to hurt anyone Sarada! Seriously! I just..I-I don't even know what I was thinking back then! And now, the villagers speak of me so differently then how they used to before. I know that I should be berated for my actions but... I really can't take it when they drag you guys or my family in between. That's why I'm doing everything I can to earn their forgiveness. But sometimes I think, no matter what I do... it's never going to be enough."
His voice cracked and Sarada softly took the injured hand and started bandaging it. The silence that encased them now was not as harsh as previous. Something had shifted and an insouciant tenderness enveloped their hearts. He still shivered occasionally but was almost stable. After a while, when Sarada felt that it was okay for her to speak, she grabbed his other hand and whispered.
"Papa knew that you were cheating. From the beginning. He didn't stop you because he believed that it was something that you needed to learn by experiencing it yourself. He also told me something else as well, Boruto."
She halted for a moment, lightly squeezing his hand.
"He said that 'people talk'. That no matter how many right things you've done in the past. One wrong deed can make them see you as something else." She paused again for a second, watching him stare at her, looking at him right in the eyes, she yelled out.
"But! That doesn't define you! What they think doesn't matter! Yes, it is hurtful to see them blurting out like that but it would not change the efforts you're putting to make things right. And we all, the people you're important to, want you to see that! Do you understand?"
At his dumbfounded nod, she gave him a quivering smile.
"And more than that, you said it yourself, we are the ones you betrayed. Then why does the forgiveness of those people matter to you? The ones whose lives have barely touched you. And as for us? Yes, yes, we were mad at you. But tell me, Shikadai, does he still blames you for stealing his victory?"
"...No. He forgave me."
"Your father? Does he blame you for ruining his reputation?"
"No! Never!"
"Himawari? Did she say you were a horrible brother for doing what you did?"
"She didn't. She just told me that she was glad that I was safe and how I'm her hero for bringing Dad back."
"And Mitsuki?" Sarada questioned and then answered it herself, "I think he would never judge you for something like that."
She smiled inwardly as his face slowly softened as if a heavy weight has been lifted off his shoulders. The hand that she had been holding for this all while tightened around her's a little bit. His eyes were peering in hers as if searching something that was incredibly valuable. And after a while, he asked.
"And you?"
Sarada was taken aback by the suddenness of the question and the intensity of Boruto's eyes. She felt her heart thrumming in here ears. He looked so anxious for her reply that she couldn't find it in herself to deny him. But after the recent happenings, she needed a bit of time. Her constant displeasure over some of his actions and her own feelings over the subject was really making this difficult for her.
There was absolutely no doubt that he mattered to her more than she could ever express in words but that is why it was insanely difficult to her to speak out what he meant to her.
Thankfully or not, depends on the way you look at it, she never had to answer the question.
"Sarada? ...Boruto?"
Both of them had been grappling so hard with their thoughts and emotions that they never noticed the entry of the two adults of the house.
"Mama? Papa?"
The growing look of alarm on both their faces made Sarada wince.
Of course, they didn't look good. Both her and Boruto, were red eyed, had tear streaked faces, were bruised and cut up and obviously, the large bloody bandaged cut on Boruto's palm did not escape their expert scrutiny.
"What happened?!"
I'm happy that I finally got to address their problems and write this conversation! Soft Sarada is calming to write. This is the point of their relationship where things start going deeper on both ends and I hope I was able to do justice to this emotionally intense scene! Please do tell me your thoughts for this chapter!
