The Prince and the Serpent

Mitsuki vs. Sarada

Traveling with Mitsuki was like a dream. The days passed quickly as they traveled together towards the Basilisk wastes. Boruto was eager to meet with Orochimaru and learn what he might know about his curse but, as he gazed on Mitsuki's perfect face, he found himself wishing the journey would never end. He had never met anyone like Mitsuki before and he knew he never would again. But, as all good things do, he found himself far too soon on a hill overlooking the vast expanse of the Basilisk Wastes signaling that this journey was nearly at an end. It was dusk and the massive dunes of Mitsuki's home loomed in the gathering darkness.

"We're almost there, Boruto." Mitsuki said cheerfully. Boruto didn't trust himself to speak so he simply nodded. Mitsuki's face fell and he cocked his head in concern.

"Boruto? What's wrong?" Those hypnotic golden eyes held his gaze and Boruto just couldn't speak the words even though his brain had plenty: 'These days have been the happiest of my life and I have you to thank for that. I know I should be happy that I am another step closer to my goal but I am terrified that will mean that you will no longer be with me.'

"It's nothing." His mouth said instead, "I think I'm just tired." The lame excuse rolled off his tongue without his permission. 'Oh, good job, Boruto. Way to go after the man of your dreams.' His mind berated him.

"Then we should make camp." Mitsuki said helpfully, "I'll take first watch and you can go to bed early." Boruto gave a weak smile.

He couldn't sleep that night. He tossed and turned in his blankets, haunted by images of Mitsuki leaving. He knew wanting to keep Mitsuki with him was selfish. His place was here. The Wastes were where he belonged. A gentle hand on his shoulder stilled his tossing.

"Rest, Boruto. I'm here." Mitsuki's gentle voice soothed. Only then did he finally rest.

Dawn came unwanted and uninvited to steal away Boruto's new happiness. He found himself stalling every opportunity he got. He was deliberately slow breaking camp and pretended to be interested in every little thing along the road. Mitsuki looked confused but went along with his seemingly random whims. Despite his best efforts, they still stood at the edge of the Wastes by about noon. The line between the forest and the Wastes was hard, with the light woodland falling away almost instantly to course sand. It was here that Mitsuki stopped them.

"Here Boruto, eat this." He said, offering the Prince a handful of a green herb with yellow flowers. Boruto recognized it instantly as rue. "This will counter the basilisk venom. The land has been contaminated with it and you will need to eat all of this in order to pass safely." He explained. Boruto ate the bitter herb without complaint but he still looked around, desperately searching for just one more delay. He saw them then, a patch of plump mushrooms bathed in sunlight about fifteen feet off the path. Some forest debris stood between him and the mushrooms but that made them even more perfect.

"Hold on. If it's still a long way to your home, we should grab those mushrooms. They will help our food supply." He didn't wait for Mitsuki's response. With a nervous smile, he turned and started struggling to reach the food. When he was still five feet away, he was forced to crawl under a fallen tree. It was here that he had a moment of clarity. 'What am I doing?' his brain asked. He was on his hands and knees crawling through brush and dirt for mushrooms. He didn't even like mushrooms. And all for what? To delay the inevitable moment when Mitsuki left his life forever? He was considering giving up this fool's errand when he heard Mitsuki hiss loudly in warning.

"Mitsuki? What's wrong?!" He called back. Mitsuki didn't answer. Instead, the unmistakable sounds of trees exploding met his ears. Shit! Mitsuki needed him and he was stuck in the underbrush with his ass in the air. "Hold on, Mitsuki!" Boruto cried as he drew his hunting knife. He infused his wind magic around the knife, instantly cut away the thick vegetation and threw himself back onto the road. The scene before him was nothing like the one he had left.