bubblegum princess

chapter thirty nine

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the end of the beginning:
RUNNING OUT OF TIME!
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Seiren watched as Boruto gently took her hand, his fingers warm against her cool skin. His touch was surprisingly tender, and she felt a rush of comfort from the simple gesture. With a careful motion, he wiped away the dried blood on her fingertips, a reminder of the chaos they had just endured. She almost forgot about it, lost in the moment, but Boruto's focus brought it all crashing back.

As he played with her hand, a soft snort escaped her lips. The absurdity of the situation struck her: here they were, in the midst of a serious conversation, and Boruto was more engrossed in her hand than the gravity of their circumstances. She heard a grunt from him, a mix of surprise and concern, as he held her palm up for both of them to see.

"Is that blood?" he whispered in horror, his eyes wide, reflecting a mixture of disbelief and worry.

Seiren couldn't help but chuckle softly at his expression, the tension easing slightly. "Yeah, just a little," she replied, trying to downplay it even as she felt the weight of the moment.

Sarada rolled her eyes at Boruto's theatrics, while Hachiya gave him a sheepish smile, clearly a little embarrassed. The oldest twin began to explain how they'd stumbled upon Hachiya in an abandoned building, hurt and looking worse for wear. As soon as Seiren had seen him, she'd jumped into action, tending to Hachiya's wounds without a second thought—that's where the dried blood on her hands had come from.

Sarada had tried to hand her a clean cloth to wipe it off, but before she could, Boruto had snatched it up first, eager to help. Now, he was gently cleaning her hand, his expression serious as he carefully worked to remove every trace of dried blood from her skin.

"I didn't know," Hachiya spoke, regret glistening in his eyes as he reflected on the weight of his ignorance. "That Shizuma was seriously planning to start a war!"

Sarada shot him a pointed look, her eyebrows knitted together in frustration. "Is that something you can just blame on your ignorance?" Her words cut through the air, sharp and clear, and Boruto couldn't help but smirk at her retort, the corner of his mouth curling into a grin.

Seiren, feeling the tension in the room, flicked Boruto's forehead. "That's not nice," she murmured, her tone soft yet firm. The pout that formed on his lips was almost comical, but it didn't last long as he instinctively hugged her tighter, burying his face in the crook of her neck. The stained cloth on the floor, a remnant of the chaos, was now forgotten as the dried blood was no longer visible on her fingertips.

Hachiya, sensing the shift in the atmosphere, groaned in exasperation, his forehead pressed against the cold floor. "He just invited me, saying that we could do cool things!" The desperation in his voice was palpable as if he were trying to justify his earlier actions to himself as much as to them. "I admired him!"

Sarada's gaze hardened as it landed on Boruto. "I told you not to cause trouble on this field trip!" Her voice was sharp, but the underlying concern for their safety was evident.

Boruto looked away, his cheeks tinged with a hint of guilt, but the playful defiance in him wouldn't let the moment pass without a little mischief. He leaned his cheek against Seiren's, his warmth mingling with hers, a comforting presence amidst the tension.

"Don't ignore me, dobe!" Sarada's voice rose in frustration, a mix of anger and exasperation. The juxtaposition of her fierce demeanor and Boruto's laid-back attitude created a charged atmosphere.