Selfish Desire [Sasuke Uchiha]

Chapter 09: The Sky Before A Storm

[The next day...]

Sasuke's P.O.V

"This is the first time you decided to skip your training, Sasuke-kun. And it's all because of that girl."

I gave no response as I waited for Orochimaru to brew the potion I wanted. I watched quietly as the Sannin mixed several potions together to produce the one that I requested not long ago. I kept an eagle eye on every move he made so that I would know if he tried to add a harmful substance into the mix. I swear, if he did that, I would have his head right then and there.

But so far, he added only the necessary ingredients to create the potion. It took him ten minutes to finish and hand me the potion. He regarded me with a smirk that told me he knew what I was thinking and said, "Don't worry. I didn't add anything weird to it. After all, I don't want to waste my precious ingredients on such one lousy girl."

I took the potion from his hand and studied it. The potion, which could also be called as a handmade medicine, had a dark orange color with an odor that could normally be smelled in a pharmacy. It was contained in a glass-made vial. Orochimaru took a small cork and gave it to me. I used the said object to clog up the vial so as to avoid spilling the content.

Without uttering a word or even a 'thank you' to the Sannin who made this medicine, I uncaringly spun around and exited the room, making a beeline for my room. Once I reached the door, I opened it as quiet as I could, fully aware that I needed to make myself as stealthy as a ghost to avoid disturbing the girl within the room.

My eyes landed on my bed where there laid a maiden looking all flushed and exhausted. Her eyes were closed loosely, her eyebrows furrowed and her lips parted to give way for her mild panting. Even though the room was dark, I could easily discern the way her skin glistened due to the thin layer of sweat. Her chest heaved up and down in a more obvious way than usual, showing just how deeply she breathed. I knew right away from her expression that she hadn't noticed me entering the room yet.

I shut the door behind me and sauntered noiselessly towards her. She was still clueless of my presence even when I was standing directly beside her and the bed. Now that I was so close to her, I could easily see her face turning crimson and drenched from the thin layer of perspiration. Anyone including an unknowledgeable kid could tell that she was ill.

I brought my right hand up and placed it flat on her forehead. Upon coming in contact with her skin, her eyes snapped open like a deer caught in the headlight but as soon as she got a good glimpse on my face, she relaxed and heaved a silent sigh of relief. After registering the fact that she was not upset at me for touching her out of the blue, I concentrated back on the feeling of her forehead against my palm.

One thing for sure was that she was abnormally warm. My dry skin slowly absorbed her sweat as she stared at me weakly, obviously knowing that I was checking on her body temperature. Her eyes showed no sign of suspicion towards me which got me ruminating on a certain thing. She usually glared at me when I first kidnapped her and now she is looking at me with those weak eyes that held everything but fear and anger. The change of her attitude towards me is plainly obvious.

I removed my hand from her forehead and stared down at the quiet maiden. I took my precious time in scanning her features until my gaze halted on her lips. Even in the dark, I could clearly make out that both her upper and bottom lips were noticeably dry. Her chapped lips gave me a crystal clear sign that she was in great need of water.

I took a glance over my shoulder. My pitch-black eyes landed on a table where there was a jug of water and an empty glass cup. I wordlessly sauntered over and poured her a glass of water. I dragged a chair across the floor while I was heading back to the bed. Sitting on the chair with one of my hand holding the glass, my other free hand slithered to the back of her head, lifting her head off of the pillow as gentle and slow as possible. It would be troublesome to let her drink the water while she's lying flat on her back. It might be impossible too so I raised her head off of the bed until she was sitting up with enough comfort to swallow.