The Drink

The Side Effects

Sarada walked away. And the further she walked, the worse her anger got. She couldn't stop her mind from racing. What if he drinks it? What if he falls for her? What if I'm stuck like this for the rest of my life? If I had stayed, would that have changed something? What are they doing right now? 

Would you just shut up!  Sarada told herself as she pulled on her bangs. Training. That's what I'll do. I'll train. 

Tears running down her face, she leapt from building to building for the training field. But when she got to the training grounds, she found that she couldn't even hold a kunai in her hands. Now what? Depression? Why is my body not responding? Why is it going numb? 

Laying there on the floor, she curled into a ball and began to cry. And the only thing that she could think of was imagining him coming to save her, over and over again. But the reality that he never would, especially since he was with Sumire, only made her cry harder. 

I'm not sad! Tears streamed down her face as her throat started making noise without her concent. I don't care whether or not someone comes to save me... But this... This... Is this what normal girls experience? These emotions are so... Annoying! 

"Sarada!"

The parade of elephants trampling her chest was suddenly halted. Boruto?!

"Oi! Sarada," he said, kneeling on the ground next to her. "What are you doing on the ground?!" 

Now I feel... dizzy, she thought, trying to focus on the trees that blurred in front of her. 

"Were you crying? Are you ok?" He helped her sit up, one arm going around her back while the other supported her shoulder. 

"I dunno..." Her muscles weren't responding properly. Not only was her speech slurred, but her limbs felt like lead. Everything else however, began to dissipate: her overactive brain, her emotions that threatened to ransack her body... everything was quiet. And she began to feel exhausted. "Boruto?"

"Jeez... What happened to you? I guess it can't be helped..." He took both of her arms and tried to get her up onto his back. "Come on, work with me here."

She tried to move. She tried to say something. But she couldn't. She felt like a wet noodle. 

"...From now on, don't go drinking things Cho-Cho tells you to drink."

She looked up at his face. And for some reason, she felt like smiling. So she did. "Your hair looks fluffy."

He hung his head. "I wonder if it had alcohol in it... Come on, we need to get you to your mom."

Sarada shook her head. "I don't wanna go."

"Why not?"

"I wann stay."

Boruto looked down at her face. She seemed abnormally happy. And so it was with a reluctant sigh that he set her down. "Fine. I'll bring her to you."

"Wait!" Before he could stand up, she latched onto the sleeve of his jacket.

"...What?"

"Don go."

"Why not?"

"You stay too," she said, a derpy smile on her face. Her brain was broken, but at least her limbs were working. Although, they weren't quite working like she wanted them too. 

"Listen. If I stay here, who is going to help you?"

"No one!" She cheered, pumping her fist in the air. "You stay. We stay together." With that, she let her open fist fall onto his knee. 

Boruto took her hand off of him and placed it next to her. "No matter how you look at it, it would be better to call Sakura oba-san in this situation..."

She pouted, curing into a ball. "Boruto hates me...." Tears began to form in her eyes. "He hates mee...." 

"W-Wait! Don't cry! I'm sorry, I don't know what I did... Umm.... Here! Have... this flower! That should make you happy right?"

His subtle attempts to cheer her up quelled the onslaught of emotions that threatened her being. "Then you'll stay?" 

"...I'll stay... I guess. I wonder how long I have until those side effects wear off?"

"Side effects?" She tilted her head innocently to the side, reaching out to touch his hair. 

Boruto sighed, catching her hand and putting it back in her lap. "It's probably no use explaining to you... But I might as well. Prez said--"

At the mention of Sumire's nickname, Sarada rolled over, pouting. "Stupid Boruto."

"...Huh?! What did I do?"

"Stupid Boruto."

"Don't say it twice!" He put his head in his hands. "I give up... I'm going to get Sakura oba-san. Wait here." 

This time, Sarada threw herself into his arms before he could stand up. She could tell he was frozen, but that didn't stop her from acting like a small child. "Don't go." 

Her voice came out like a whimper, her body trembling.

Boruto flinched and couldn't move. "S-Sarada?"

"Don't leave," she whimpered again. "I don't wanna be alone."

"Then come with me," he said, his body relaxing to hold her as his eyes averted and began to look towards the trees. "You really should have your mom look at you..."

She refused by snuggling into his jacket. "Will you stay until I fall asleep?"

She noticed Boruto's stiffness deplete as he put his hands back on the grass to hold himself up. "I guess."

"...Will you hum something?" 

"...Fine..."

Boruto flopped back onto the grass, putting one arm on Sarada's shoulder and shifting her so her head was resting on his chest. 

All of the confusion swirled through her mind as she lay there, the breeze rustling through the trees, the sun warming her back. A contented smile spread across her face as she snuggled down into his jacket. 

It was then that he began to hum. It wasn't any song she knew, or any song at all really. Just some notes, haphazardly changing in a melodic slow and soothing rhythm. But the feeling of the subtle vibration under her head made her grow increasingly sleepy.

Moments later, she found she could no longer hold her eyes open. And so, she fell asleep.