Wᴏʀʟᴅ ᴏғ Sɪɴ | Iᴛᴀᴄʜɪ Uᴄʜɪʜᴀ

Chapter Four

Itachi watched Mei as she tossed and turned in her sleep. Although the illusion was over, her body was not ready to wake up. She cried a little in her sleep and whispered something under her breath. Her long hair stuck to her cheek and her lips and Itachi gently pushed it out of her face. Her lips were slightly parted, and he could not resist touching them with his fingertips. She moved her lips in her sleep which made it seem like she was kissing his fingertips. Itachi's breath caught in his throat. He hurried to pull back his hand but remained close to Mei. Itachi brought his knees to his chest and hid his face, trying to figure out why he acted upon his selfishness. Thunder shook the sky and the temperature suddenly dropped. Itachi took off his cloak and covered the girl. Instinctively she snuggled to the material trying to catch the lingering warmth.

He closed his eyes trying to sort out his thoughts. What was he trying to achieve by fighting her? Itachi knew better than anyone that Mei was a weak fighter, his skills revolved around healing. Why did he take her with him? There was not a chance that she would or could stay with him. Why did he have to use the tsukiyomi on her? The image of agony on Mei's face was still vivid in his mind. He was certain that her screams would haunt him. He did not use the tsukiyomi to torment her, yet the illusions he pulled her into were an equivalent torture. Itachi sighed heavily and stood up. So, what now? What was he going to do with Mei now? He could not keep her around; letting Mei go was just a matter of time. Itachi cussed himself for complicating the situation. Mei coughed. He leaned down and pulled the cloak higher. Itachi wiped the sweat from her forehead and rested his hand on her head.

There was a loud cawing near the entrance of the cave. Itachi's head turned abruptly to see a large crow flying by the entrance but not entering. Itachi furrowed his eyebrows and walked to the entrance. The crow cawed once again and landed on his shoulder. The black eyes of the bird looked directly at Itachi conveying the message. "Delivered the scroll. Leader-sama wants to see you upon your return." Itachi nodded saw the crow off with a sign word reply "Noted".

The first raindrops landed near the entrance. The smell of wet soil rose in the air. Itachi inhaled deeply. A sharp coughing fit escaped his lips. He covered the mouth with his hand trying to keep the blood from splattering. He leaned on the wall of the cave for support when he heard shuffling from the direction of Mei. Itachi looked up, the cough stuck in his throat as his eyes met Mei's. She stood leaning on the wall with one hand, the other hand was holding his cloak, which was still wrapped around her. Her legs were still weak, and knees trembled. She looked at Itachi warily. The look in her emerald eyes was untrusting and wild. Itachi took a step closer, but the coughing fit resumed. He felt moisture in his eyes, and he rushed to blink it away.

Mei watched him battle the cough. Blood painted his pale hands red. The worry was quickly rising in her chest and she did not know how to act. When he finally stopped coughing, the blood was running down his chin and dripping on his clothes. Unable to control herself, she slowly made her way to him. Itachi tensed. Mei stopped in front of him. Her forehead only reached his chin. Mei looked up with eyes full of sadness. "What's wrong with you?" she asked.

"Nothing," he responded.

They stood in silence looking at each other. The events from the previous day flooded her mind and filling her chest with mixed feelings. Mei reached out to his face but Itachi caught her hand mid-air. The look on his face was unreadable. "Let me," Mei said calmly. It took all her will power to remain calm.

Itachi released her hand and waited. She touched his face uncertainly. The blood on his face was quickly drying; Mei pulled out a small cloth from her pocket and gently wiped his face. "When did it start?"

Itachi did not want to answer. His lips were pulled into a thin line. Mei glared lightly. "When?" she pressed.

"Almost two years ago."