Mine to Take (A Boruto Love Story)

CHAPTER THREE

A/N: Sorry it took me a while to get this out, but it's a suuuuuper long chapter. Thanks to those who favorite/followed Mine to Take, as well as to those who reviewed. Much appreciated. Please keep it coming. Give me that motivation to continue.

CHAPTER THREE

Boruto was awake long before the sun rose. He had been awakened by nightmare of him impaling Kawaki with his sword. He tried to go back to sleep but his mind was too full of thoughts of his former comrade, so he lay awake until his room was flooded with the blue gray light of morning. He was exhausted, but could not sleep, instead passing the time staring at the ceiling and hoping sleep would claim him.

If he let his eyes go out of focus, the bumps and ridges in the textured ceiling melded to form shapes and objects. It was a game he sometimes played when he couldn't sleep, and he would let his imagination take over as tiny patches of light and shadow became animals and people and whatever else he could dream up. However, the game only served to torture him more, because all he could see was Kawaki. Even when Boruto shut his eyes tight, the visions remained. He was burned on the back of his eyelids.

Rather than stay in bed and slowly drive himself mad, Boruto sat up and peeled back the covers. He tried to muster enthusiasm to greet the day, but only succeeded in kicking the covers off the bed, getting on his feet, and staggering toward the bathroom in a gait that would have put the undead to shame. He made it to the bathroom and tried to avoid looking at himself in the mirror, knowing his haggard, bed-headed reflection would only depress him more. He cranked on the water in the shower, wanting to wash away the shittiest morning on recent record.

He stripped off his clothes and slowly clambered into the shower, anxious to be under the cleansing stream of water. It cascaded over him, and he held up his face into the welcoming torrent.

Suddenly, foul memories of that day began to fly into his mind, haunting his brain, torturing his soul.

Blood splurted from Kawaki's mouth. With a look of surprise, he glanced down at Boruto's blade that was pierced through his chest; its point pierced through his back before looking back into his eyes.

"B-Boruto..."

Boruto clenched his eyes shut and gritted his teeth as he felt the warmth of Kawaki's blood spread over his hands.

He grabbed the washcloth from the shower rack in front of him before beginning to scrub his arms a little more vigorously than usual, dragging the cloth over his hands repeatedly as if he was trying to scrub away the memory of Kawaki's blood.

Why? Why did you have to make me do this!?"

That tactic obviously was not working because once again, the black haired man entered his thoughts.

"If you'd have just listened to me...."

Tossing the wet rag over the towel rack to dry, Boruto pressed his head against the hard tiles of the shower, trying to calm his heavy breathing.