Boruto sat at the bow of the boat. His eyes were trained forward as the vessel glided its way through the darkness. To an outside observer, her was calm, if a little tense in the shoulders. That was the only indication of the storm that was rolling in his mind. He hated sitting still. He preferred to act because action distracted from his emotions. Unfortunately, for the moment, he had done all he could. With nothing to distract him, his emotions raged and warred each other in his heart and mind. The movement of the fishing boat through the dark provided a little comfort. The motion was proof that he was acting even if it was slow.
The little white snake lay curled contentedly in his lap. Its head was buried in the palm of Boruto's hand and leaned happily into his thumb as he absent-mindedly stroked its little eye ridge. He was grateful for its company. He had lost count of the times he had listened to Mitsuki's message. He wasn't looking for meaning or anything different anymore. He just wanted to hear Mitsuki's voice.
He could feel Sarada's eyes on the back of his head but he ignored her. She had been watching him for hours and he deeply wished that she would find something else to occupy her time. He knew she was worried about him and part of him appreciated her concern but there was nothing she could do to help him. He knew he wouldn't be okay until he had Mitsuki back.
The old captain of the boat was staring at him too but at least he was trying to be less obvious. He could feel the second set of eyes boring into his back occasionally and it sent shivers of irritation through his body each time. The old man hadn't said much as Sarada had negotiated his services and purchased the supplies she insisted they needed. Boruto had watched and admitted internally that she was right but he would never say that to her face. Now that they were under way, he could only guess at why the old man was so interested in him. It was almost like he...
The pieces came together. Crap, the old captain had recognized him. In his determination to chase after Mitsuki, Boruto had forgotten all about hiding his face. Sarada was right again, he guessed. He wasn't exactly "low-profile". Oh well, the damage was done and there was nothing he could do about it now. He couldn't ask the old geezer to stay quiet or threaten him or even bribe him into silence. If anything, that would only make him more eager to gossip. At least, as of right now, he had no proof of what he was seeing. All Boruto could do was keep quiet about why he was so far away from the capitol and essentially alone.
Slowly, the deep black sky started to lighten to a steel grey, then to a milky white. The now pure mist swirled lazily around them, releasing its grasp as they neared the edge of the black swamp. This part of the Swamps looked vastly different than the wetlands they had crossed on the way to Dorchas. The trees were much fewer in number and they were completely black and missing bark in places. Grey moss hung like tendrils from the remaining branches but looked thin and sickly as they reached for the water below. The water was still black but it had an acid green film on the surface that varied in intensity and thickness.
Sticks and sturdy water plants broke the surface randomly and the air was heavy with humidity and the smell of salt mixed with decay. The mist was thinner and rolled in lethargic waves a few hundred feet away. The sun was able to penetrate weakly to shine on the surface of the water, glitter on wet leaves and cast long shadows from the skeleton trees.
The fishing boat cut a path through the slime as they went. There was no sound except for the sloshing of the water against the boat and the steady thrum of its engine. Boruto jumped when the relative silence was disturbed by a hiss and a low growl. The boat had ventured too close to a large alligator that had been sunning itself on a rotten log. Boruto stared in awe. He had never seen one before. The ancient-looking reptile bore its teeth menacingly and hissed its displeasure again before abandoning the log and splashing into the swamp.
Boruto instinctively held the little snake closer to his body and shielded it with an arm. He knew he was being stupid. They were safe on the boat and a little snake wouldn't go far in satisfying an alligator but he could't help himself. He had lost Mitsuki. He didn't want to lose this last piece he had of him as well.
Suddenly, the motor stilled and the boat drifted. Boruto looked to Sarada, who looked just as confused as he felt. He stood and tucked the little snake safely within his shirt before turning to see what was wrong.
"This is as far as I go." The old fisherman announced from the wheelhouse. Boruto may not know the Swamps as well as the old man, but he knew they were still at least a day away from their destination.
"Please, sir. Will you at least take us to shore?" She asked with far more politeness than Boruto would have bothered with.
"I cannot take you any further." The old man repeated with a sneer. Boruto had no patience for this. The fisherman was wasting time they didn't have. Boruto started forward but Sarada held out an arm to block his way. He stopped but it took tremendous self control.
"Then we will buy your lifeboat." Sarada said as she pointed to one of the two life boats stowed on the deck, "Just give us a moment to load it and we will be on our way."
"Hold on now, little Missy. I didn't say I was going to sell it to you." The fisherman gave Sarada a strange look as he stroked his grey beard. Sarada's eyes narrowed behind her red-rimmed glasses.
"We are prepared to make a generous offer." She ground out. Her tone was still polite but this time, there was an edge of warning in her voice. Boruto itched to throttle the man so they could move on. Mitsuki was getting further away from him with every second that they wasted with this old fool. Sarada's hand pressed back against his chest, keeping him restrained for the moment. Boruto pushed back, silently telling her that he wouldn't wait much longer.
"I doubt any offer you can make me will compare to a Prince's ransom." The old man jeered as he pulled out a long knife. Boruto had officially had enough. He went to move Sarada's arm but she removed it first, giving him permission. Not that he needed it. He stomped forward, approaching the captain quickly with violent intent. The captain raised his blade but Boruto had already drawn his own knife. With an easy flick of his wrist he disarmed the fool, sending his blade high into the air and over the side of the boat where it splashed into the water below. Boruto then seized the old man by the front of his overcoat, picked him up and slammed him roughly into the side of the wheelhouse.
"Listen up, you old geezer." Boruto snarled, his face only inches away from the fisherman's, "You had your chance to make a little gold and go back to your miserable little life but you've crossed the line. Now, we are taking your boat and all of your supplies and burning your ship behind us. If you are lucky, we won't tie you to the helm and burn you with it."
By the time Boruto finished, the man's face was ashen. He glanced from Boruto, to Sarada who had come up beside the Prince. His fear quickly turned to panic when his eyes locked with her glowing red ones. Clearly enjoying herself, she brought her hand close to his face which was filled with fire.
"No! Please, No! I beg you, Prince Boruto, have mercy!" The sight was so pathetic, it was disgusting and Boruto's face twisted to show his revulsion.
"Fine." He started to let the captain down. Just as the old man was starting to babble is cowardly thanks, Boruto turned and threw him over the side. Sarada gave Boruto a hard look, which he returned defiantly; then he caved. "Fine." He said again. He drew and swung his sword, smoothly cutting the ropes of the second life boat. It fell unceremoniously into the swamp with a large splash. "But I'm still burning the ship." He spun on his heels and started to load their new supplies.
"I expected no less." Sarada said with a smile as she hurried to help.
Boruto's blood was still boiling and his heart was pounding in his ears. He didn't need to look back to know that the smoke from the burning vessel was curling slowly into the sky. Sarada rowed in silence. She had volunteered to take the first shift rowing their little boat. It was her way of giving him space.
They had momentarily considered taking the larger vessel. The motor had made it an attractive option but it was slow, bulky and difficult to maneuver. They consulted the map and found that the shore was close by so they burned the ship behind them as promised.
Boruto sat at the bow of the crowded dinghy with his eyes fixed on the horizon. The little snake wriggled its way to his neck and nuzzled his jaw. Boruto was grateful for the comfort but he tucked it securely back within the folds of his collar. He had seen too many things in these dangerous waters to take risks with his little friend.
"Maybe, we should have killed him." Sarada's words hung in the still air. Boruto cocked one of his pointed ears in her direction and waited patiently for her to continue. It wasn't like her to say such things. "It's bad that he recognized you. If he makes it back to Dorchas, the whole kingdom will know you were there."
"So?" Boruto asked moodily. What did it matter if everyone knew he had been to Dorchas? By the time the news made it back to his father, he would be long gone anyway.
"So..." Sarada continued with the air like she was talking to someone very slow. It was the tone she used most often with him, "There will be more people coming after us!" Boruto shrugged.
"Let them come." He said with as much apathy as he could muster but he was aware of the bitterness that slipped through. The old captain had been less than nothing and honestly, Boruto was itching for a fight. It would help him to vent his anger and anxiety.
"Boruto, surely even you aren't that stupid." Sarada said with a heavy sigh, "Even if they are push-overs (which they aren't) it would be much easier to travel without half the kingdom hunting for us."
"He has to make it back to Dorchas first. And it's not like he has proof." Boruto muttered.
"I guess that's true but I'm sure he wasn't the only one who recognized you. You practically stormed across the entire city with your head uncovered." Sarada said scathingly. Boruto knew she was right again but he decided to ignore her once again. The damage was done anyway so there was no point in worrying about it.
He had been gone from the capitol for over a month now and until the fisherman, they had not run into a problem like this. The only other time Boruto had run into trouble was his second night away when he's had the run-in with the band of thugs. His throat tightened at the memories. That had been the night he met Mitsuki.
Now that he thought about it, no one bothered him when Mitsuki was near. He had never truly felt threatened by Mitsuki. However, his presence was formidable to others, even when they didn't know what he was. In a way, Mitsuki was like a beautiful bodyguard. Mitsuki held a lot of influence, he guessed as he chuckled under his breath. The last thoughts came with deep fondness and a stab of pain.
Boruto didn't care if people were trying to find him. He knew he could hold his own. The only thing he did care about was getting Mitsuki back. The need dominated his every thought and emotion. He didn't feel anything other than the yearning to have the pale Prince back by his side. He hardly even felt tired or hungry. Luckily, he had Nanny-Sarada to force those things on him.