A blaring silence filled the deep dark cave the two ninja's sat in. The only audible noises were echoes and heavy breathing.
Mai glanced at the Uchiha from the corner of her eye, silently watching as he sat with his knees bent up with his elbows resting on them. His eyes were shut, a visible glum expression displayed on his pale face.
"You could thank me, ya know." Mai informed with amusement.
"Hn. Thank you for what, exactly?"
Mai narrowed her eyes and let out a exaggerated breath, causing a loose strand of her blue hair to fly up.
"You went against the leaf to help me. Why?" Sasuke asked monotonously.
Mai huffed with annoyance at how dismissive he was being, although, she knew that was just how he acted nowadays. Even though she gets angry very fast, Mai decided she would just have to understand Sasuke and deal with it.
"I already told you."
Mai didn't look at the Uchiha, but, she heard him shift his body to stand up off from the cold cave ground. The air inside was more freezing than the outside, causing Mai's cloak to have barley any use as goosebumps formed around her skin.
Her teeth clattered together, shivers rushing down her body, causing her to shake. Mai nonchalantly looked over her shoulder, feeling Sasuke's presence from behind her.
"How long is this mission?"
The ice user shifted her body so she was now sitting, but, facing him. Her golden eyes drifted up to meet with Sasuke's onyx orbs.
"Kira never fails a mission. Who knows how long it will be."
"Hn. I'll just have to kill anyone who gets in my way then."
Mai glared at him. "Just wait here a little longer. I'll help you es-."
"I don't want your help. I want nothing to do with you. Get that through your head." Sasuke nastily spat.
Hearing that made the ANBU members heart drop. It's things like these that make her want to hate him so bad. But, she just can't find it in her heart to do that.
"Okay, Sasuke." Mai sighed with defeat, not interested in starting a fight.
Mai dazed into the ground, thinking about nothing, her eyes just got lost into the cave ground.
The sound of footsteps getting quieter made her finally snap her head up, tilting it to watch as Sasuke walked further out of the cave.
Feeling a sudden overwhelming jolt of anger and adrenaline, Mai sprung to her feet and ran towards Sasuke until she caught up to him. His face stayed looking straight, faint noises of Mai's breathing being the only sound filling the thick tension.
"I'm not giving up on you. I believe you can change into your old self again."
Sasuke slyly smirked. "Stop holding onto false hope. It's pointless, like I told you before."
"You're going to have to deal with it." Mai fumed, crossing her arms.
The Uchiha then halted, earning Mai to do the same. He crept forward at her, backing her onto the rigid cave wall. The bumps and moistness pressed onto her back harshly, but Mai hid the uncomfortableness it caused.
His hands pressed onto either side of the wall, next to her head, caging her in. Mai glared at him with furrowed eyebrows, not letting his sudden movement get to her.
Sasuke's midnight eyes scanned her face, drifting down to her full pink lips for merely a second before meeting with her golden honey pair.
"Believe me when I tell you this," He huskily muttered, inching close to her so that his mouth hovered over her ear. His hot breath radiated onto her, earning a shudder from the ice user. "If I see you again, I will kill you."
Mai rolled her lips and bit the bottom one from the inside of her mouth, nerves racking her entire body. He stepped backwards from her, drifting his eyes from her head to her feet before retreating his hands off from the cave wall.
The ANBU member blinked, a feeling of nausea taking over her stomach. "I don't believe that. I won't."
Sasuke let out a evil sounding chuckle. "You will when and if I see you again."
~
Drained and filled with sorrow, Mai jumped from tree to tree to find her fellow ANBU teammates. Her encounter with Sasuke flashing through her mind like it was never ending.
She knew deep inside she should hate him like the rest of the villagers do. He countless of times showed aggression and had said unforgettable words. That should be enough to give up for any person, however, it wasn't enough for Mai. She was desperately holding onto the past, whole heartedly convinced that she could bring Sasuke home. Even if it took years.
"Masi, there you are! We didn't find you at your post and thought something bad happened!" Kira's worrisome shout tore Mai from her scattered thoughts.
Mai jumped down from the tree and stood before Kira and Yuri.
"Sorry, I thought I saw something. It was a false alarm." She lied, voice sounding sad and numb.
Without being able to see Mai's facial expressions, them being hidden underneath the cat mask, Kira didn't think any of the situation.
"Alright. We couldn't find Sasuke anywhere and it's getting dark. We've decided to.. retreat.." Kira forced her words out, disappointed in herself as this was the first mission she's failed at.
Mai wanted to feel bad for her teammate, but she couldn't. Instead, she was washed over with relief that Sasuke was able to get away without anyone spotting him.
"Okay." Mai lowly agreed, the three of them heading back to the leaf village together.
~
Wet cold melting snow seeped through the ice users cloak as she laid down on the ground, next to her long time good friend.
Her golden orbs followed the white clouds that moved freely through the sky; subconsciously wishing she could be one right now.
"How have you been?" Shikamaru queried, breaking the silence.
Mai didn't know how to answer, she didn't particularly want to lie to her friend, but she had no choice. Mai knew he wouldn't understand what she is going through.
"Better." She simply replied, never taking her gaze away from the clouds.
"Did you join a new team? I haven't been seeing you around the village much."
The ice user's teeth grazed her top lip. "Something like that. Just been busy."
Shikamaru was secretly worried about his friend. He knew that something big was bothering her, but he didn't feel like prying was the right thing to do. As much as he wanted to help Mai through whatever it was, he would just have to wait to see if Mai will tell him.
"I'm glad you're doing better. You know I'm always here for you." Shikamaru softly spoke.
Mai was too preoccupied to be grateful for his words. She continued starring at the sky; trying her hardest to forget her life for even a moment. Nothing was working. Not even cloud watching.
The ice user became aggravated, and decided to just go home and take a long nap. That's a way to stop thinking about everything.
"This was fun, but I have to go now." Mai monotonously informed, pushing herself to her feet before walking away from Shikamaru.
He sat up and longingly watched as she went further and further into the village, leaving him lying there alone.
~
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(The bad guys that want Mai are going to be back soon)