Chapter Text
The knot that had been taking up permanent residence in her stomach for the last week tightened at the sight of him, a bottle in hand and feet dangling off the hair of Lord Seventh's stone face on the mountain.
He reeked.
A mix of cheap alcohol and unwashed body assaulted her nostrils when she leapt up to come closer, and she tried her best to not wrinkle her nose at the invading smell.
Her eyes fixated on the bottle for a moment before she forced herself to look up at him instead. How he'd even gotten hold of the alcohol wasn't something she wanted to contemplate.
He didn't acknowledge her presence when she landed, keeping his eyes fixed on a spot far away in the distance.
Sarada didn't say anything, but she didn't leave either. Instead, she walked closer and sat down next to him, quietly looking out over the village below.
Boruto didn't look up when she sat, but he snorted and curled in on himself even more, pulling his knees up to his chest and wrapping his arms around them. 'Don't come any closer.'
"What do you want?" he snarled before closing in on himself again.
Sarada's throat constricted at the sight. The contrast between the Boruto in front of her and the one she had grown up with—the one always carrying a smile so bright that it was no wonder Mitsuki had come to refer to its owner as 'his sun'—was so strong that it was hard to believe it was the same person. The Boruto she knew was boastful, childish, energetic, and had an uncanny ability to inspire the people around him. This Boruto had none of that.
Sighing, she shook her head. This didn't do.
"Hey, do you have any idea how worried everybody is?" she challenged. Any form of kindness from her he would just push away. She needed to rally him up a bit, make it impossible for him to ignore her. To bring him out of his funk she had to rely on scolding and frustration. It might not have been the best approach, but anything else he would ignore. "I can't believe you skipped out on the funeral," she added, anger blossoming in her chest at his obvious disrespect.
"Shut up," he growled.
"No! I won't shut up. Himawari was beside herself, kept looking for you the whole time," she replied. Finally, he was looking at her! She needed to keep him going. An argument was better than ignorance. He needed an outlet. To shake himself out of the empty shell she had found him in, she'd take whatever he needed to throw at her.
"I said, shut up," he almost screamed before standing and glaring at her.
Battle position?
Did he want to turn their screaming match into a physical spar? Fine then, if that was what he needed.
She stood as well and kept pushing him. "I said I won't. Do you know how disrespectful you are? Stop being so egoistic for once! Your sister needs you!" she shouted back and resumed battle position herself, though she hadn't needed to prepare herself for a fight. As quickly as his anger had flared, it went out again.
He sunk in on himself, dropping his shoulders and battle stance and lowered his gaze away from her accusing eyes, mumbling something she couldn't quite make out.
"Boruto?" she asked, hoping it would be enough to encourage him to go on.
"I said, I was there. I hid my presence, but I was there. Okay?" he muttered.
She relaxed and gave him a small smile. Taking a step forward with the intent of closing the distance to offer a hug she reached out her hand, but she had miscalculated.
Instead of accepting the hug, he backed away, snarling out a short, "Don't touch me!" and lifted his gaze again, challenging her to accuse him of lying about coming to the funeral. He closed his fists, knuckles turning white and jaw muscles tight.
The mood swings came to fast for her to follow, and the hurt in his eyes cut through her with agonizing intensity. "Boruto," she tried again, keeping the distance he had drawn between them, but still not willing to give up on trying to reach out to him.
"No. If that's all you had to say, then leave. Tell Himawari to stop worrying, and leave me alone."
"I—Boruto—"
"I said no. Just leave," he cut her off, and the frantic desperation seeping into his voice made her throat tighten even further, making it hard to form a reply.
She nodded, and with what she hoped came out as a reassuring smile; she body flickered down to the bottom of the mountain.
She wasn't going to give up on trying to reach out to him, but if space was what he desired right now, then she had to respect his wish.