The Prince and the Serpent

The Merchant Road

"You two are hopeless!" Sarada scolded as she re-bandaged a wound on Mitsuki's side. Boruto sat nearby him and watched quietly. Guilt gnawed mercilessly at his insides as he saw the true extent of Mitsuki's injuries. He had learned from her earlier, after she had finished being angry about being forced to give them some "private time", that she and Mitsuki had been camped out for two days waiting for him to come to. He still looked so battered and broken even after healing for two days.

"Every other day you idiots are trying to die for each other but that ends now!" Sarada continued her lecture. She finished binding Mitsuki's new bandages, then she signaled sternly for Boruto to sit beside him. Boruto obeyed quietly. As soon as he was sitting, Sarada snapped her fingers and pointed at his shirt, demanding that he remove it, saving her voice for lecturing.

Again, Boruto obeyed and allowed her to inspect the bandages on his shoulder as she continued to berate them endlessly. He only half listened to her lecturing as she changed his bandages. Mostly, it was the usual grumbling except this time in plural. Words like "idiots" and "stupid" and "could have died". Mitsuki sat and listened dutifully to her scoldings. She must have known that Boruto wasn't listening because her attentions were rough and her movements jerky. He winced as she pulled the bandages tighter than necessary.

Boruto glanced over at Mitsuki again. They would need to wait at least another three days before he would feel comfortable with the basilisk traveling again. Mitsuki met his gaze and smiled. Boruto returned it then looked around, studying their surroundings for the first time. The campsite wasn't bad. They were nestled in a small clearing in a tall evergreen forest. The ground was rocky and gravelly in places. The breeze was cool but it was still significantly warmer here. He assumed that was because they were at a lower altitude.

Through the trees, Boruto could just make out a grand view of the vast plains below. They would have to cross them to get to the fourth and final key. If he were honest, he was feeling apprehensive about it. They had already endured so much and had barely survived each time. Who knew what new horrors awaited them in the lair of the guardian of the fire key.

They also had the added problem of his magic power being sealed. Without it, they had no way to slay the guardian. Momoshiki's words echoed in his mind, They can only be killed by arcane magic... If they faced the guardian now, they would certainly be killed. Boruto fidgeted nervously with his right hand as he glanced from Mitsuki to Sarada in turn.

Boruto knew they would never stop, no matter what the danger. It was no use trying to convince them that it was hopeless. The quest was futile but they still refused to let him die. At this rate, he was doomed to watch those most precious to him perish and to grieve them until the seal on his curse inevitably and mercifully broke. He couldn't let that happen but he didn't know how to stop them.

"Boruto! Are you listening to me?!" Sarada snapped as she squeezed his injury. Hot pain shot down his arm and into his neck, dragging his attention back to her.

"Ow! Yes, Sarada! We get it! We're idiots, blah, blah blah. We'll be more careful from now on." Boruto's weak attempt to pacify her had no effect. As she visibly prepared her retort and Boruto readied for the fight, Mitsuki's soft voice cut them both off.

"Please, Boruto." The strain in Mitsuki's voice made Boruto stare in shock at his lover. "Please, be more careful. I... I can't live without you." Mitsuki's eyes dropped to the ground. Boruto's heart suffered a near-fatal stab of guilt as he took in the pain on Mitsuki's face. He had sworn to love Mitsuki more than he had hurt him and yet here he was hurting him again. All he wanted was to wipe away the hurt and pain that he had caused and promise that he would never harm him again. He reached for Mitsuki and cupped his uninjured cheek in his palm. Mitsuki leaned into his touch.