Everything

Ambush

The night was quiet and bright. The moon was high and full and the trees cast long shadows in the silver light. Mitsuki stayed alert but otherwise enjoyed himself. He liked the night watch. He often liked to go out on nights like this and gaze at the moon. This was when he was most at peace, when all was quiet and at rest. He loved to see everything bathed in the moonlight, light given to it by the sun, the moon's lover. Leaves sparkled as a quiet breeze caressed the high boughs, making the forest sigh with the movement. All was right with the world.

Mitsuki looked over at Boruto for what felt like the hundredth time that night. His face was partially exposed, relaxed in sleep. His hair was darkened by the silver light but still managed to shine as it was ruffled by the breeze. Mitsuki couldn't help but smile to himself as he watched his Sun rest. Even asleep, he was beautiful and bright.

The sound of a snapping twig brought Mitsuki out of his adoration and to full attention. More crunching came from the far-side of the clearing. Someone was coming and wasn't being very careful about concealing their approach.

"Boruto. Sarada." Mitsuki warned in a low but urgent voice as he stood, taking a defensive stance. Immediately, his teammates were up, any grogginess chased away by the seriousness of Mitsuki's tone. They stood at attention with their backs together as their eyes scanned the trees. The woods had gone silent again but Mitsuki knew they were still there.

"What's up, Mitsuki?" Boruto asked in a low voice.

"We are being watched." Mistuki responded.

"Maybe we should split up." Sarada suggested. "We can flush them out, see how many there are and then regroup." Mitsuki and Boruto nodded. Mitsuki trusted his teammates. Sarada was strong and Boruto never failed to amaze. He knew they would be fine but something about this was making him feel uneasy. What bothered him most was that there wasn't a rational reason for it. It was just a feeling he couldn't shake but he didn't have time to dwell on it. At Sarada's signal, they were moving, each choosing a different direction and heading for the cover of the treeline.

Mitsuki was almost as silent as the forest he was moving through. The soft rustle of his clothing and the breath of another breeze were the only sounds that met his ears as he searched for the source of the earlier disturbance. It didn't take long to find it. He wasn't trying to conceal his presence at all. A lone ninja, wearing brown from his boots to the band that held back his long dark hair, regarded Mitsuki silently from behind his full mask. A plate on his headband marked the stranger as having belonged formally to the Hidden Stone village. His only visible feature other than his hair were his eyes, only just visible through thin slits in the mask. For a moment neither said anything.

"Are you the one responsible for all the trouble?" Mitsuki asked as he pulled out a Kunai and held it defensively. For another heartbeat, there was only silence. Then the stone ninja was moving. He jumped backwards, weaving signs as he went. An Earth attack. Mitsuki would have known it immediately even if he hadn't spent weeks in the land of Earth. He dodged the first attack easily, then another and another as he wove his own signs preparing a wind style attack. Overall, this ninja seemed pretty average. Mitsuki could take him into custody by himself without too much trouble. Still, he was mindful of the reports and remained cautious.

A Wind Scythe followed by Snake Lightning. The stone ninja avoided the first attack but couldn't completely avoid the second. He was cast roughly into a nearby tree but recovered quickly, got to a knee and started to weave more signs. This was going to be a much bigger attack but it didn't make sense. It would take too long to finish. He had no cover, no backup, and he wasn't trying to hide what he was doing. It was so odd that Mitsuki paused. He had to know that Mitsuki would have plenty of time to dodge his attack. What was he really trying to do? A flash of gold to his left answered his unasked question.

Boruto and his shadow clones had left the cover of the trees, hoping to surprise their enemy and close the distance before he could finish preparing his big attack. But it was too late. Boruto hadn't covered half the distance and the stone ninja was weaving his final sign. Mitsuki's blood froze with the realization. Mitsuki had never been his target. He had been a distraction.

He had to move, had to stop what was actively unfolding in front of him but it was far, far too late.

"Boruto!" The earth lept to life sending towering spears of hardened dirt towards Boruto. Somehow, they picked the real Boruto out from his clones and struck, their aim true. The splatter of Boruto's blood was silhouetted against the moon. Mitsuki watched the whole thing in slow motion, powerless to do anything but stare. The rouge stone ninja's jutsu had run Boruto through completely, a moment that would remain in Mitsuki's memory forever.

"BORUTO!!!" Mitsuki cried the beloved name from the very depths of his soul. All of Boruto's shadow clones disappeared with a loud and simultaneous 'poof' and Boruto hung impaled against the moon. The earthen spike withdrew with a sickening 'shluck' allowing Boruto to fall. Mitsuki moved numbly, extending his arms as he had done so many times before. He plucked Boruto from the air and pulled him to himself. Blood soaked through his clothing as it flowed freely from the gaping hole in Boruto's chest. Mitsuki cradled Boruto with one arm and desperately pressed his other hand into the hole trying to stop the flow, ignoring what he already knew. It was too late.

"Boruto...?" Mitsuki whispered, turning his head so he could look in his eyes. The warm color in his face had already drained away, leaving him pale and ashy. Normally sparkling blue eyes were blank and staring, the light of life completely gone. Even his hair seemed to grow dull as Mitsuki watched. All that made this body his radiant and precious Sun was gone leaving Mitsuki empty.

The loss was icy, spreading from his chest like poison. He was cold; Cold to his very core and shivering, not just from the blood cooling in his clothing. The shaking grew more violent as his hands slowly curled into fists. He fought the feeling but the nightmare truth would not be denied. Boruto was dead. The light was gone. Never again would he feel it's warmth. Everything was gone; everything. Something started to fill the void that Boruto had left, pressing violently out from within. The pressure built until he could bare it no longer. He grabbed the sides of his head with bloodied hands, threw back his face and screamed.

Despair, anguish and rage emptied through his mouth in a long, primitive wail. He felt strangely separated from himself like he was a spectator watching from a short distance as he lost what was most precious; completely irreplaceable. His lungs emptied entirely with his howl of loss but it wasn't enough. He simply was unable to express the true depths of his pain. His hands slid to hold his chest, smearing Boruto's blood as his heart cleanly split in two.

His eyes stared straight ahead, unseeing and unblinking. His mouth hung open as he gasped shallowly in the aftermath of his cries. How cruel was fate. Had he really been relaxing in Boruto's light only half an hour ago? He had worked so hard to stay by his side. Where had it all gone so wrong?

Someone was coming. He almost hadn't noticed their approach. Slowly, he turned away from the darkened shell of his most cherished Sun to face the newcomer. At first, his eyes refused to focus. Slow recognition drew his mind away from his suffering enough to see that this wasn't a newcomer at all. It was the hidden stone ninja, the one responsible for Mitsuki's misery. He hadn't left but had waited patiently for Mitsuki to finish mourning, allowing the shock to settle in completely before making his next move. Fury and hate, as cold as the loss that fueled the dark emotions, turned Mitsuki's heart to stone as he stared down his foe. A quick glance around showed that Sarada was no where to be found. They were alone.

How convenient.