Twisted

Library

The moment Sarada peeled herself away, Boruto took her by the shoulders. Her tears really did a number on his emotions, no matter what environment they were in. Not being able to help himself from touching his lips to her forehead, he lingered there for a moment to gather himself before pulling up her hood and taking her small hand into his, interlacing their fingers.

He peered around the corner of the alleyway to scan for small children upon finding none, Boruto set out towards the Kingdom's library.

He didn't want to accept that he'd never see her again.

He was trying his best to keep a smile on her face for the last day he got to look at it, but without the magic of his smiles, his best wasn't good enough. Why did he have to go breaking her heart? Taking her into the kingdom was a terrible idea after all. He'd meant to share with her a taste of his world, but in the end, she'd only be reminded of all the things they'd never let her have.

Everything she said was true. He'd denied it all and held out hope that he could visit her, telling himself that no matter what happened he would fight to see her even if it was the last thing he did... But he also knew the responsibilities involved with leading a kingdom.

His father hardly left his desk unless it was an outing on official business, his eyes always sunken in and blackened underneath like they'd been rubbed with soot from the sleepless nights and long days.

Boruto knew he was smarter, more clever, able to find the easy way out of difficult situations. But that didn't mean he'd be able to make an easy getaway from the kingdom like he had when he'd found her.

Sasuke was already comfortable enough to threaten him with the tip of a sword to his throat, and nothing was stopping Shikamaru from tying him to a chair and having the attendants feed him meals. Even if he refused to work... That didn't mean that he would ever be fired, or free.

The position that Boruto was about to be forced into would chain him to the castle, much like Sarada was chained to her tower. Changing the law took time; he couldn't just make a new one overnight. And as much as he refused to abandon all hope of seeing her... He knew someone like Sasuke wouldn't lie about his daughter being in danger.

Boruto snuck a glance back at Sarada to make sure she was fairing alright. Her glasses suited her rather well, but then again, he supposed anything suited Sarada. That was, potentially, one of the side effects of falling for her.

His hood was kept well over his face, leaving only his mouth and chin visible as he held fast to her hand and slipped through the crowds of commoners and rich folk alike, enjoying the various foods and wares he wished he had time to show her.

He slowly climbed the stone steps to a building made entirely of wood and pushed open the large oak door. The library was nearly empty, save for the woman behind the counter that watched to make sure nothing was stolen. But even if it was, she was likely too old to do anything about it.

He led her past the desk and into the maze of shelves, but it suddenly dawned on him that without his instruction, she hadn't lifted her head to see anything other than her bare feet. "There's no one here," he said in a voice that wasn't quite a whisper but was just as soft. "You can even take off your hood if you'd like."

Sarada slowly lifted her head. Her tensed fingers relaxed, her feet stepping forward of their own accord rather than mindlessly mimicking his own. "This... This many books... I didn't even know this many books existed!"

A small smile lifted the downturned corners of his mouth. "Ever heard of a library?"

"...Granny always said our house was turning into one, but I never... I never expected there to be so many books. Is every book in the world in here?"