One week earlier...

Mitsuki was worried. Their rue supply was gone, they still had further to go and Boruto was starting to show signs that the poison was taking effect. Mitsuki walked behind him, watching as he grew weaker with each step. It confused him that Sarada was still doing well while Boruto was visibly wilting. However, the determination in his blue eyes was still present and it gave Mitsuki hope. He felt a surge of relief when the edge of the Wastes finally came into sight. They were going to make it.

Then, without warning, Boruto collapsed face down into the shallow water and didn't move.

"Boruto!" Mitsuki cried as he rushed forward and gathered him into his arms. Boruto gasped for air but otherwise didn't respond. His eyes were rolling in his head and his skin was rapidly getting paler. Cold panic pulsed through Mitsuki's veins as he held his weakening Sun. Mitsuki ran with all he had, pushing himself until he felt like he would collapse as well. Finally, they reached the plants that marked the edge of the Wastes and symbolized salvation. At last, Boruto would be safe. Sarada, who had crossed just behind him, was gasping and coughing raggedly but she was recovering quickly.

Mitsuki laid Boruto in a lush patch of grass and waited. The minutes passed but Boruto wasn't recovering. His eyelids fluttered and he was sweating profusely. He twitched and thrashed as if he was in pain and his lips released pitiful moans that tore at Mitsuki's soul. Horror stole away his breath as he realized that somehow, the poison has taken hold. But, this wasn't right. How could Sarada be okay but Boruto not? He had given Boruto more rue than Sarada. His treatments were wearing off faster than hers, so he had no choice but to give him the larger portion of what had remained.

He should be okay, but instead he was watching Boruto die. He looked up at Sarada, who was standing across from him and looking worriedly at Boruto. He felt a stab of anger as he looked at her. How dare she stand there in good health when his Sun was suffering. He should have given her less. Maybe then Boruto wouldn't be like this. A pained moan from his Sun brought him out of his bitter thoughts.

Now was not the time for hate or regrets. He had to find more rue. It was the only way to save Boruto.

"Mitsuki? Is Boruto going to be okay?" Sarada asked. Mitsuki decided not to dignify her stupid question with an answer. Right now, saving Boruto was more important than humoring his friend. He glanced around wildly to get an idea of his new surroundings. It was grassy with intermittent trees, but the grass was deep green in color suggesting that the land was lush. There should be some here.

"Mitsuki...?" Sarada's voice interrupted his thoughts for a second time. He looked at her and she recoiled as if he had struck her. As irritated as he was with her, she might have a use.

"Watch him. Do not let any harm come to him." He told her firmly. She remained silent and nodded. Mitsuki ran his fingers through Boruto's damp hair and smoothed his thumb over his Sun's cheek, indulging himself before he left to find more rue. He had to be fast. Basilisk venom was potent and persistent, even in the strongest creatures.

Mitsuki searched in earnest and cursed himself as he went. He cursed himself for not picking more rue, for allowing Sarada to come and for becoming careless and allowing himself to be bitten. If any one of those things had not happened, Boruto would not be suffering right now from his people's poison. The thought of his Sun's fragile state terrified him and his dread was threatening to overwhelm his mind. Only his determination to save Boruto kept his mind clear enough to continue his search.

At last, he found it; a large patch of dark green with the tell-tale yellow flowers. He ripped all the plants from the earth then raced back to his Sun, silently praying he wasn't too late. When he returned, he found Sarada and Boruto almost exactly as he had left them. Sarada was still on her knees beside Boruto, watching him with glassy eyes behind her glasses. Boruto was laying in the grass, except now he wasn't tossing and moaning. He was limp and gasping shallowly as sweat poured down his brow. There was no time left.

Mitsuki shoved the bitter weed into his own mouth and chewed. It made him feel nauseous almost immediately but Boruto's needs were far greater than his own. When the medicine was pulpy, he gently pulled Boruto back into his arms. He tilted Boruto's head back, supporting him with his left hand and opened his mouth slightly with his right. Then, he pressed his lips to his Sun's and forced the rue into his mouth. He tried hard not to think about how cold Boruto's lips felt against his own. Mitsuki pushed the pulp to the back of his Sun's mouth and gently rubbed his neck. It wasn't long before he felt Boruto swallow the rue. Mitsuki breathed a soft sigh of relief as he pulled back. He had given Boruto more than enough to counter the poison. Now, all he had to do was wait.

And wait he did. For hours he waited, all the time never letting go of Boruto. Sarada came and went as she pleased, undoubtedly making camp and coming over to check on Boruto from time to time. She didn't dare try to speak to Mitsuki again and he largely ignored her. His focus was completely on Boruto, waiting patiently for him to open his eyes and shine once more. The world was too dark without him. It made Mitsuki feel cold inside; a strange empty cold that had nothing to do with temperature. He had to believe Boruto was going to be okay and all he had to do was be patient.

At first, Boruto appeared to be improving. He wasn't gasping for breath anymore and his skin wasn't as pale. But, time continued to pass and Boruto still didn't wake. He was sweating less and his body was steadily heating up. It was long after sundown when Mitsuki knew something was very wrong. He looked around for Sarada and found her in front of him, perhaps twenty feet away. She had built a fire which was casting long shadows through the grass with its flickering light.

"Sarada..." He called in a warning voice. At once, she was kneeling beside them, her hands on Boruto feeling his wrists and his cheeks. She pressed her wrist against Boruto's forehead while feeling her own at the same time. Mitsuki resisted the urge to pull Boruto away from her searching hands. He allowed her to do it but couldn't help the strange irritation he felt as she touched his Sun.

"His fever is too high. We have to get help." Sarada said as she looked up at Mitsuki. The alarm in her voice and face was enough to reignite the panic in his heart. Immediately, she was on her feet. She rushed to gather her things and put out the fire with a snap of her fingers. Mitsuki stood, adjusting Boruto in his arms as he did. His heart was pounding in his chest as he looked at Boruto's unresponsive face. He needed help. There had to be someone who could help him.

Mitsuki summoned as many of his snakes as he could manage and sent them in all directions in search of someone, anyone that could save his Sun. One by one, they relayed back to him a vast emptiness. They were all but alone in these cursed hills. He was just about to despair when his last snake sent word that it had found a trail. It was old, but it lead to people.

"This way!" He called to Sarada as he turned west and ran without looking back to see if she was following. They raced in silence, with Mitsuki leading and Sarada trailing, past occasional trees and across grassy lands lit by starlight and the waning moon. The further Mitsuki ran, the more it felt like he hadn't gone anywhere at all. He kept reaching for the snake that was guiding him, its presence in the back of his mind comforting as it continually assured him that he was going in the right direction.

Heat seeped through Mitsuki's clothes from Boruto's fever, continually reminding him of the urgency of their situation. He held his Sun as gently but firmly as he could as he urged his own body to move faster. Small moans occasionally escaped from Boruto as they went. Each one stabbed deeply into Mitsuki, morphing his worry and anxiety into cold fear. He wasn't going to let Boruto die, he assured himself. As long as he drew breath, he wouldn't allow anything to steal his Sun from him; not a curse, not a fever, not an enemy, nothing.

A single lamplight finally appeared in the distance. It was the beacon of hope Mitsuki needed. It stood on what looked like an old road that lead to a large farm. Carefully tended trees and fields next to a large single-story farm house glowed with the weak silver light of the setting crescent moon. All the windows in the farmhouse were dark. Until this point, Mitsuki hadn't cared whether Sarada followed him or not. Boruto was all that mattered to him but now, as they drew near the farmhouse, he realized she could have another use. He slowed his pace slightly and allowed Sarada to overtook him. Predictably, she ran straight for the door without slowing and started pounding on it while he stood back with Boruto.

"Help! Someone please! Help!" She yelled as she pounded on the door with the intent of breaking it down. The heavy wooden barrier shook dangerously on its hinges as she relentlessly beat her fists against it. In response to her urgent pleas, soft lights flickered to life within, making the windows glow orange. Slowly, the door creaked open and two people peered curiously through the gap. An old man of a medium build with a large salt-and-pepper handlebar mustache and matching bushy eyebrows stood at the front. He wore a white shirt with suspenders and stood just in front of an old woman Mitsuki assumed to be his wife. She was plump and wore what looked like a white and floral nightgown and in her left hand, she held high a lit candle. She peered over her husband's shoulder with curious blue eyes as she adjusted her spectacles with her free hand.

"What's going on here?" The old man demanded.

"Please! It's my brother. He is very sick and we have no way to help him." She pleaded as tears spilled from her eyes. As one, the farmer and his wife turned to look at Mitsuki and Boruto. Their eyes studied Boruto's unresponsive body in his arms, then they passed over Mitsuki's face and lingered on his cheek. In that horrifying moment, he realized he had forgotten to cover his head. Their eyes widened simultaneously as recognition came to them. Predictably, fear entered them and they looked back at Sarada.

"Young lady, do you know what that thing is?!" The old man spat as he pointed a crooked finger accusingly at Mitsuki.

"It's okay! He's my friend. Please, help us!" She begged. The man scowled but his wife was staring at Mitsuki, her eyes full of what looked like pity.

"Please..." Mitsuki said in a low voice while looking down at Boruto. He could feel all eyes turn to him, "Please... save him." He had never begged for anything before in his life but he would do that and anything else if it would save Boruto's life. He glanced up to see that the old man still looked suspicious but his wife shouldered past him and hurried to Mitsuki. She clicked her tongue as she felt Boruto's sweaty forehead and checked his pulse in his neck.

"Oh, poor boy. He really isn't doing well, is he? Let's get him inside and take a better look." Her voice was as kind as her round face. She turned and shuffled back to the house, expecting him to follow but Mitsuki stared after her. Other than Boruto, no one had showed him such kindness after they knew what he was.

The old lady paused and looked over her shoulder back at him, "Well, are you coming, young man? We need to get your friend inside." Mitsuki nodded and hurried to follow.

She lead them to a small guest room off the main room and told Mitsuki to lay Boruto on the bed; a command he obeyed silently. She then told them all to get out so she could work in peace but Mitsuki refused. He would not leave his Sun's side. The woman gave him a long, calculating look. Mitsuki stared right back. His mind was made up and she knew it.

"Well, it wouldn't hurt to have another pair of hands." She conceded before turning to her husband and Sarada, "As for the rest of you, out! I will tell you how he's doing and let you see your brother later but for now, I need room to work." She shooed them out the door and shut it after them. Then, she gestured to a chair that was sitting beside the bed, "You will sit there when you are not helping me." She rummaged in the drawers of a vanity set at the foot of the bed and pulled out what looked like clean rags and a jar of herbs, "For now, you will make yourself useful and hold this."

For the next three days, Mitsuki neither spoke nor left the room. When he wasn't watching Boruto rest, he was helping the old woman tend to him. She didn't mind his silence as she rarely spoke herself. She was very skilled with medicine and Mitsuki quickly grew to trust her. Under her care, Boruto slowly started to improve. At the end of the third day, they were giving Boruto his daily medicine when the old woman surprised Mitsuki by speaking.

"This boy is not Sarada's brother, is he?" It was more a statement of fact than a question. Mitsuki stared at her and she returned his look with one of her own. He decided there was no point in lying to the person who was saving Boruto's life. He honestly still wasn't sure why Sarada had told them that at all. He shook his head 'no'. She looked satisfied as she went back to work. "I thought not. They look nothing alike." They worked in renewed silence. When they had finished and she was smoothing the quilt over Boruto's chest, she suddenly ran her fingers through Boruto's hair and looked to be examining it. Then she spoke again.

"He is Prince Boruto, isn't he?" Again, it was less a question than a simple statement of fact. She looked to Mitsuki for an answer and he responded with a nod. She hummed and went back to excessively smoothing the blankets. "And you, young man, are a basilisk?" Another statement thinly veiled as a question. Mitsuki was curious why she would ask such a question when he knew she already knew that he was. Still, he nodded a second time. "A strange place the world has become when a Prince shows up dying on your doorstep accompanied by a girl and a deadly serpent." She mused more to herself than to the world at large. Mitsuki kept his peace and watched her fidgeting until she was standing beside him. "Well, he's not quite out of the woods yet, but he is responding well to his treatments." She finished obsessively smoothing the wrinkles from the blanket then turned and took one of his scaled hands in both of her own.

"He is going to be okay." She said with a smile.

A weight that had been crushing Mitsuki for days lifted. Boruto was going to live and it was all thanks to this kind old woman. Suddenly, the image of her face started to swim and his cheeks felt wet. He touched his fingers to his face and saw that they came back damp with tears. Was he... crying? He had never shed tears before. The woman's smile grew warmer as she watched his bewilderment.

"There, there dear. There is no need for that." She said gently as she patted and rubbed his hand firmly. He looked away and wiped his face with his sleeve.

"Thank you." He whispered. She rubbed is fingers again in that way that was oddly comforting.

"What is your name, dear? I simply must know the name of the boy who loves the Prince so."

"Mitsuki."