Wᴏʀʟᴅ ᴏғ Sɪɴ | Iᴛᴀᴄʜɪ Uᴄʜɪʜᴀ

Chapter Eight

Sasuke knew that something was different. Ever since he came back from the mission with Orochimaru, Mei was not the same. Although she behaved as usual, she was more distracted and distant. She stopped asking him to take her on missions, she no longer showed her resentment towards Orochimaru, even with Kabuto she was cooler than before. Sasuke waited for Mei to talk to him about it, but she never did. It was unlike her. A worm of doubt started eating at his chest. Something deep inside whispered that he was losing her, and yet he refused to believe it. Sasuke knew that it was time to clear the misunderstanding. Sasuke knocked on her door and waited. There was shuffling behind the door, something fell, and he heard Mei cuss under her breath. The door swung open.

"Oh, hey," Mei smiled and stepped aside, allowing Sasuke to walk in. It felt like ages since the last time he was in her room. It was still messily organized with books, flasks, and test tubes all over the place. Sasuke looked at Mei who quickly stoppered one of the flasks and set it aside. Her hair fell on her face, hiding it from his gaze. She set the flask aside and stretched.

"What are you working on?" he asked starting from afar. Mei shrugged. He could tell that she did not want to elaborate on the topic.

"I'm just running a couple of tests on the new medicine I've been working on for a while."

"What is the medicine for?"

Mei was silent playing with her locks. "Lung infection," she finally responded. Sasuke nodded and sat down. Mei turned away and continued examining the progress of her experiment. Occasionally she would make notes and go back to the equipment. "Did you want something?" she asked not turning around.

"Want to visit Yugakure tomorrow?" he asked. He watched her back tense and relax.

"No, I have a lot of work to get done." She responded.

Sasuke did not like it. He stood up and walked closer. His hand landed on her shoulder. Sasuke turned the girl around causing her to drop the notes she was holding. Mei looking confused, but her confusion was almost instantly replaced with irritation. "Sasuke, what is your problem?" she questioned slapping his hand away.

"That is my question." He hissed back. "What the hell is wrong with you, Mei? Ever since I came back from Kirigakure, you have been distracted. At first, I thought this was temporary, but it has been almost two months and you've distanced yourself from me even more." He spat each word into her face. "So, I want to know, what the hell happened while I was away?" the bitter look on his made her feel guilty.

"I'm sorry," she sighed ignoring the closeness of their bodies.

"You are sorry?" the amusement in his voice changed to anger. "I'm going to need something more than that Mei," Sasuke brought his face dangerously close to hers. Mei pushed him away trying to get more space between them. This side of Sasuke was intimidating and she did not like it.

"Sasuke, you are overstepping your boundaries," her eyes sparked. Mei pushed her hair behind her back and crossed the arms on her chest. What was happening? Over the many years they have known each other, they have never been in a similar situation. Sasuke tensed. The fire in her eyes confused him. He eyed her head to toe trying to find something that could shine the light on the situation. It was then that he noticed...at the crook of her neck, right at the start of her long-sleeved t-shirt, was a bruise-like mark. He jerked his head, eyes instantly becoming cold. He took a step closer, filling her personal space with his presence. Sasuke barely his teeth in an angry sneer. His cold fingers traced her neck and stopped at the bite mark.

"Oh...I see," his curled lips made her gulp. "Who is he Mei?" Sasuke took another step towards her, making their chests touch.

"That...that's none of your business," he could see the panic in her eyes, but her he continued pressing himself against her.