Call my name and save me from the dark

Wake me up before you go-go

A/N: Everyone's waking up! It's a new day!

TW: mild & non-graphic blood/cuts, child abuse (yay)

Shikadai misses his friend

POV: Boruto, Shikadai, Naruto

Beta'd by my beautiful gorgeous
Ren_of_Rings (on AO3)

It took a few tries before Boruto managed to wake up. The first time, it'd been completely dark. The second, he'd been thrown over someone's shoulder. He'd managed to stay awake a little longer than the first time before being dragged back into oblivion. The third time, he stayed awake. The first thing he saw was himself.

He was staring at a wall, covered, floor to ceiling, it photos of himself. All spanning, by the looks of it, the last few months. Slamming back, he cracked his head against something hard. He groaned. That hurt. But then his instincts finally kicked in, and he realised what was going on. There was a gag in his mouth, held in place by a cloth tied between his teeth and around the back of his head, tied so tightly the edges bit into the corners of his mouth. Flexing his wrists, there were cuffs around his wrists and elbows, plus zip ties, cutting into his wrists and arms. They were secured behind some kind of pipe, and straining his neck to see, it was likely a sink. He was in a bathroom. His legs were tied at the ankle and above the knee with zip ties. He tried not to panic, trying to think through the haze of what he remembered. His dad hadn't shown up... it'd been raining... then what? Everything was blank. He took slow, deep breaths. He was thirsty. The gag in his mouth made it difficult to breath, and sucked up all the moisture in his mouth. He tried not to retch on it. He squirmed around a little, trying to see if the bonds had any give.

They didn't.

Boruto could still feel his watch clasped around his wrist, which was a small consolation. But he could also feel his very empty pockets. His phone was gone. That meant no tracking, no calling, no texting. He was left slumped at an awkward angle, head bowed ever so slightly to accommodate the sink. It was uncomfortable. He had no idea how long he'd been there - there were blackout blinds on the window, and his watch was out of reach and view. He didn't want to risk trying to take it off in case he couldn't get it back. His clothes were dry, however, which insinuated it'd been at least a few hours. Based on the fogginess in his head, and the full feeling in his body, the cuffs were chakra restrictors. Or at least, something was. That destroyed the idea of anyone tracing him that way.

The door was to his left, and he watched it from the corner of his eye, waiting for it to open. And after seemingly forever, it did.

The man looked plain enough. Brown hair, brown eyes, forgettable face. But despite Boruto scrutinising every inch of him, he didn't recognise the man. Not a bit. He clenched his fists, willing to free himself so he could punch the guys lights out. Seemingly, such was written on his face, because when the man saw him, he smirked. Boruto scowled.

The man walked over, crouching down so he was eye level with Boruto.

"Hello, Little Rabbit," he said. Boruto made a noise of indignation, but the bastard just smirked. "I'm sure you're upset, but don't worry. You'll understand soon enough. We're going to have such fun together."

Fucker. Boruto would have fun when this guy was behind bars.

The man reached over, ruffling Boruto's hair. He tried to pull away, but thanks to the cuffs, it was pointless. So instead, Boruto conceited to glare daggers at him. The man reached out, cupping Boruto's cheek. He pulled away, but the man grabbed him again, holding him by the chin with a bruising grip.

"Hush now, Rabbit. Don't panic," he said, voice sickeningly sweet. He ran his thumb over Boruto's whiskers, making him stiffen.

Don't touch me.