Chapter VIII: Hunger

I quickly took several steps back, pushing him off me.
'Get away from me,' I hiss at him.
I feel my heart pumping and blood rushing through my veins. Angry. Insulted by his words I glare at him hatefully.
I was in no way a prey of his.
He only smirks in return. His snakelike tongue roams over his lips, as if to emphasize his inhumanity again.
I find it repulsive as always and coolly keep my eyes on his, ignoring the action.
'I was hoping to find a replacement for Kabuto…'
His arm reaches out and extends so his hand touches my arm again.
I flinch before hitting it away with the palm of my hand, using a much more brute force then I had intended.
'Stay away,' I repeat. 'I will never be one of your pawns,' I speak up. 'I know my worth!'
He only smirks again before speaking up.
'But you cannot deny that you find this specimen interesting…' His hand makes a gesture towards the young boy lying behind him. 'You've thought about it… to create. To know. Isn't there a part of you that wants more?'
I feel my body tremble a little.
He steps away from me and slowly becomes a part of the shadows again. Only his yellow eyes stand out in the darkness.
'Should you desire for more… You just ask Sasuke where to find me.'
He then disappears and I stand frozen. His words tolling around in my head. As does his name. Sasuke. It echoes on and on.
I look around and find myself alone in the dark again. Knowing the boy is out cold, I let out a wavering sigh. That was close.

Too close.

I get woken by the delightful smell of breakfast. Eggs.
Before I open my eyes, I loosen up my neck a little. It aches from sleeping against the wall. I flutter my eyes open thinking to find the boy there, to see him walk around like Orochimaru had predicted.
To my surprise the figure before me is much taller. Dark. Mature. Quiet. 'Sasuke?'
'I heard Orochimaru visited you…' he answers, getting straight to the point.
'He gave the boy an extra dose of something,' I immediately answer while getting up.
'Of something?' he echoes.
The snide in his voice makes me reluctant to sit down and eat with him but my stomach disagrees on the idea of leaving, purely for survival reasons. I haven't eaten in two days.
'It was something not intended for humans…' I answer sharply back while taking a glance at the boy.
I gasp when I notice he's gone. I go in the room to check if he isn't anywhere else but he's nowhere to be seen.
'I send him out…' Sasuke informs me, while leaning on the counter. I turn on my heels and give him a dirty look.
'He needs to rest!'
'He's not my problem,' he shrugs. 'He wants me to train him just to spite Orochimaru.'
'What exactly did you send him out to do?' I ask while walking back to the kitchen area.
Sasuke ignores my question and to my surprise simply serves me breakfast as I sit down at the table. I feel uncomfortable eating while he watches me, so I try to make him talk.
'Where have you been?' I ask in between bites.
'Something I had to do for Kakashi…'
I take note he doesn't bring up Orochimaru again. Not that I mind, I don't want Sasuke to know what has been said. I don't want him to see me as weak or vulnerable… because I wasn't. I worked hard and long to be who I was today and I wouldn't let that snake undermine me so easily. However, whenever I simply blinked I'd see his yellow eyes before me, making me realize he had gotten under my skin.
I sigh before catching Sasuke staring at me. Questionably.
'Is there anything else you want from me?' I ask, trying to avoid the subject of Orochimaru. Realizing how that sounded I try again. 'I mean, if the boy is fine I'm going back home…'
He nods. I can't tell if it is in agreement with what I was saying or with a constitution he had made while staring at me.

'You may leave.'

I click my tongue. The way he had just said that. I hate the fact he tells me when I get to leave.
Sasuke nonchalantly takes a bite out of an apple, probably unaware of how arrogant that had sounded.
I try to let it go but fine myself being tempered by a voice in my head. A headstrong, angry, righteous voice.
'Why didn't you tell me this was one of Orochimaru's hideouts? He got me by surprise and I had no idea what to do… I have no idea what the exact association still is between you two either.'
The undertone is obvious and a part of me approves of my sniping tongue, simply because I deem it to be true. This whole deal is dubious and I no longer feel the need to ignore it for the sake of keeping peace between him and me.

'Well?' I ask harshly, my voice echoing through the room.

'It's none of your business.'

We make eye contact and I bore into his eyes. He seems unfazed as always.

'I didn't think Orochimaru would show up.'

I see him turn around and walk towards the front door. Just as he is about to open it, the boy enters.
Mitsuki gives him a surprised look before smiling at me. I smile back, forgetting my anger towards Sasuke immediately. He's holding a paper-bag. He looks at Sasuke questionable and I see him give the boy some sort nod of approval. I quirk up an eyebrow when I see the boy walk towards me to hand the bag over.
I can tell he's mostly a serious kid but for some reason he doesn't seem to be able to suppress a smile when looking at me… and I find it endearing.
'Thank you, Sakura,' he says and places the bag on the table before me. It smells delicious.
'I should check up on you,' I quickly say when he immediately turns back around to leave.
'I'm fine!' He smiles again and gratefully bows before following Sasuke out the door.

I gape a little. Uncertain how to react.

A few hours ago I was worrying about his life and now he was out with the exact same man who had endangered him. I frown, noting my anger for Sasuke had fleet out the door with them.

It takes me a moment to realize I had been picking a fight with Sasuke to distract myself from Orochimaru.

'Dango,' I note when opening the box. I feel my mouth watering and can't remember the last time I had them. I greedily take a stick out and taste it. I can't help but hum to myself. It was so sweet. So good.

More.

At that exact same moment, the word echoes through my mind again. This time said by yellow eyes.

More.

Do I want more?

I stare at pink sweetness in my hand.

Without a doubt I put it in my mouth and savor it.

I'm was hungry, I note when I realize I've emptied out the box in just several minutes.

I realize that is perhaps my problem… Sometimes I don't know how hungry I am until I start to eat. I don't know how sweet the taste of some things are until I put them in my mouth and taste them thoroughly. I think about a number of things.

First time things and their thrills.

Thrills.

Have I forgotten certain memories or had I simply erased them so I would no longer torture myself with the memory of them?

I feel a strange feeling of desire come over me.

…When was the last time I gave into this hunger?

Yellow eyes flash before my eyes. Then a pair of familiar dark brooding ones that I had just angrily stared in.

Hunger.