Twisted

Gloomy

Sarada didn't know why or how she agreed. The words just tumbled out of her mouth as if they had a mind of their own. And she found herself staring at the bright smile of the stranger in front of her... Whose name she now knew was Boruto.

The moment his intense blue eyes looked into hers, her breath hitched in her throat. She'd never seen someone up this close, and despite getting a good look at his face while he was passed out... Today just felt like one of her wild fantasies she thought up to put herself to sleep. 

Instead of crying, Boruto gently let go of the bangs he'd so rudely plastered to the top of her head with his hand and brushed them tenderly behind her ear. His wide toothy grin closed, and something that could only be described as a soft quality graced his idiotic face.

"That wasn't so bad, was it."

She blinked. "You're..." She pulled herself into a sitting position, half in disbelief, and let her dumbstruck gaze wander his smiling face. "I-I'm not going anywhere," she stuttered suddenly, jerking her gaze away and putting her bangs right back. "B-But how did you..."

"I have that effect on people," he said, his rude and energetic tone suddenly tame. "But you didn't smile."

Sarada bit her lip. "What makes you think I'd smile?"

"Everyone always smiles when I look at them, ya know. I didn't mean to force you to agree or anything... Agreement is just another common side effect of my smiles. But I really think you'd enjoy it. If you came outside with me, that is."

Boruto wasn't the least bit scared of her. He kept touching her, looking at her without pause. He spoke casually about all of these things she'd only fantasized about as if they were commonplace. Talked to her... Like she'd seen two characters talking in books. Not only that, but Sarada also theorized he read books. Why else would he know about the Land of Fire?

He was incredibly annoying. Perverted. Idiotic. But...

Sarada wasn't sure what to think. Why did her mother... Why did Tsunade... Why did they all sob the moment she met their gaze? Her very existence was supposed to be some sort of crime worthy of execution... And yet he looked straight into her eyes and simply smiled. 

Was it all a lie? Was no one actually looking for her? Was it all an act to make her believe she wasn't normal and keep her caged up here for life?

"So? Made up your mind yet gloomy?"

Sarada shot him another glare, just to make sure, and then realized her hair was in the way. Slowly moving her bangs to the side, she continued to stare. "You really... You don't feel sad? At all?"

Boruto blinked, and it had a slowness about it that made her eyebrows furrow in confusion. All those facial expressions she didn't understand... Which one was this? Nothing she'd ever successfully made before.

 "There's no way I'd feel sad, looking into eyes that pretty. Why do you keep bringing that up anyway?"

She flushed red. "T-That's not important." Her bangs fell back in front of her face to hide it for a different reason. He really was a pervert. And a shameless flirt. Or at least, that was what girls in her fantasy books called people like him.

But if he could look into her eyes without feeling any sort of negative effect... An icy numbness crept into her chest. She needed to find out the truth. Now that he was here... Regardless of who he was...

She glanced over at him again through the dark strands of her hair, hesitant, but not fearful, and found him looking back at her. He probably couldn't see anything more than a shield of bangs, but even then. He was just looking, intently, and now, she knew what a half smile looked like, and that all her attempts in the mirror were absolutely terrible.