[FANFIC - HBD, KARIN! PII] READING BETWEEN THE LINES ; (SK)
By: Kanae (Goth-Punk88 @ ff.net)336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIAhDY5y57o
Rating: K+336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMLcnxiy61F
Word Count: 1.956336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYPpEvVXs8o
Author's Notes: A lighthearted, crack-ish piece, in contrast to the overly fluffy one. I didn't have a clue of what to call it though, so the title is pretty random lol336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVM2O3TvcLb
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reading between the lines ;336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNwzrNHKk8F
by Kanae336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA2OYhph7zH
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Stupid Orochimaru.336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhy0Hg8CFE9
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Figures he would push her transfer to the Southern base to tomorrow, out of all days. At the tender age of fourteen, there are many things that Karin has shed and discarded—girly emotions and interests that she has cut loose, as a meaning to let go of unnecessary weights that would do nothing but hold her down.336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡghgYGSm3mR
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This particular weight, though, was proving to be quite hard to seize and dispose of. It only came once a year, after all.336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5MumxSmW1w
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And now it would be ruined.336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOjJemI2img
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The thought makes her lower lipstick out in a pout, which promptly gives way to a scowl as she concludes—not for the first time—that the man had probably done it on purpose.336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7qWeVOQiGA
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No, he had definitely done it on purpose. Forget that such a childish action should be leagues beneath a power-hungry maniac like himself; when it came down to it, Orochimaru’s hobby was making people miserable. He got a kick out of it, so in retrospect, Karin guessed she should have seen it coming.336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgAR3nORfP1
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Still, stubborn and proud as she was, she had not given him the pleasure; she had taken the news with a straight face and easily slipped into the act that had taken her months to perfect, but that had started to bear its fruits—even if it had yet to stop making her sick.336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE5nZLqgvzH
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Understood. You won’t be disappointed, Orochimaru-sama.336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyS3rzRD8Rb
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The man had simply smirked, mirth in those gashes he had for eyes. I know.336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNllGIdp7O7
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Karin knew, too, even though she rather wished she didn’t.336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhHKDq6p4Kn
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It was embarrassing—more like humiliating, actually—to acknowledge that, while she had gotten playing the part of the loyal subordinate down to an art, she had yet to master the act of not having feelings for Sasuke.336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLhYQVpbbxk
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She would do well most of the time; great, actually—no one would dare to second-guess that she held no interest in the boy, aside from a begrudging partnership.336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡomQzBx8gwp
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But then Sasuke would unexpectedly do something—a brief touch, a compliment, a look—and her façade would bend at the seams and the truth would sneak out in the form of traitorous blushes and awkward stuttering.336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkJKv19KBN4
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Stupid Sasuke, Karin curses inwardly, her frown deepening as she airily snuck another shirt inside her bag. Making her expose her only weakness while simultaneously remaining completely oblivious about it.336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaefyFqyuoG
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It was no wonder that Orochimaru would want to separate them; Karin had seen that much coming a mile away, so while disappointing, it had not been a surprise. But this—the freaking timing was definitely beyond her expectations.336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyB5n5xtVJW
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So focused was she on her thoughts, that she does not realize the chakra approaching her until he speaks.336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlEQn2nhUWZ
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“Still packing, Karin?”336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjcRzUTNYGD
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Startled, Karin turns only to find Sasuke casually regarding her from the threshold of the door, against which he was leaning. It takes her all of two seconds to get over her surprise and a couple of extra ones to stop chiding herself for letting her guard down.336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpMSKgy6uXv
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“I’m almost done,” she states, shifting her gaze back to her open bag. Not like she had much to pack, anyway; she had not taken anything with her when leaving her burning village to join Orochimaru—Sasuke—almost whole year ago, and since then the items of clothing she has acquired have been scarce. Such commodities were unnecessary given the new type of life she lead, and moreover—“Tch, Sasuke, when will you learn how to knock? I could be changing, for all you know.”336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡON3eO9IcGs
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Karin does not look at him, there is no need to; she can easily picture the way he tilts his head to the side, bangs falling on his eyes and giving him an impossibly sexy aura as he smirks. “You would’ve stopped me from coming in, if you were.”336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaJytb6coAx
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Damn him. All plain logic even in the face of the prospect of seeing her in her underwear; why did she have to fall for such a clueless, hormone-less idiot, again?336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWONsk40G3k
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Oh. Right.336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAT0m0QYYPP
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It takes her a considerable amount of will to repress the sigh that wanted to leave her lips, “Whatever.”336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaGtng3LwUG
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Suddenly she hears him shifting, straightening; and her hands halt in expectation, her thoughts and irritation quieting down to a soundless tune as she patiently waited for the words that would follow.336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVr8uUCUUDX
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“…You shouldn’t leave your door open like this, there.”336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡijSvfipFkq
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He finally says, and Karin is thankful that her back is to him, or else he may have noticed the way her gaze softens, “I know.”336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKu8kccRXDj
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It’s Sasuke’s turn to wait, now; he seems to know it as instinctively as Karin herself did, and he does not utter a single word until she has gathered enough courage to ask what she has been wanting to—but refusing to—ask all along, not wanting to be perceived as weak—as scared. “How is it…? The Southern base, I mean.”336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ25iEDzWKND
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“I’ve never been there.”336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOmExWAElA0
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“… I see.”336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbImUfn6GVi
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Silence. For Orochimaru to have never taken Sasuke there, it could only mean one thing—336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVMqrXyjB9F
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“…Orochimaru told me it’s the less dangerous of them all,” the boy says, and as if to confirm her thoughts, his voice carries a different savor within it—one reserved to accompany his gaze whenever he regarded Orochimaru, or Kabuto, or those that bit—“You won’t have much on your case, aside of…”336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAW7NcK2h9C
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He does not need to finish; the unsaid rings loud and clear between them and both direct a look to her exposed, tarnished arms. There weren’t that many scars in them, yet—but she got the feeling there would be, soon. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out why Orochimaru wanted her as the sole jailer of the base—the thought makes her stomach clench, and so Karin pushes it away and focuses on something else before the feeling could threaten to take over her.336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSBow7Hd9En
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She focuses on the one thing—the one person that had singlehandedly managed to help her endure everything she has gone through ever since she lost her family and village.336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8SGde6GsG4
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Sasuke.336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuXE1maF5Dj
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“Heh, so you asked him?”336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT7jlKs5qld
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He must have heard the mocking note in her tone, because he crosses his arms across his chest and furrows his brow, “Hn, so what?”336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb2oJCW5k15
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She pretends to not have heard him, throwing him a roguish look over her shoulder and enjoying a little too much the way his frown deepens in response. He could be so amusing, sometimes. “You should know better, Sasuke; you don’t need to worry about me, I can defend myself just fine.”336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzQiikqdDbZ
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“I’m not worried, Karin.”336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcNQnvrhBUW
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Karin snorts, “Sure you aren’t.”336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ25bipt5ipl
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Sasuke wisely keeps his retort to himself, as expected—it’s been a while since he had realized that arguing with her took him nowhere. Both of them were too stubborn, and unlike him, Karin wasn’t planning to put leashes on her temper anytime soon.336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwZonYtvZ7G
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Anytime soon. Her eyes widen.336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU3g5WYNuQ0
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“Say, Sasuke, did you ask Orochimaru for how long will I be there?”336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiM7pJidP6S
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He does not reply immediately; and in his silence, Karin hears the reply loudest of all. “… It’s undetermined.”336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf8V0bARG33
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“Oh,” is all she can muster, suddenly all too conscious of a single fact—just how long would it be before she saw Sasuke again? He was busy training, and Orochimaru rarely let him out of his sight as it was, and she—she would have her hands full handling the base by herself.336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAi0xpvPKfL
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Chances are she would not get to talk, feel or bicker with Sasuke for months.336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXUrQnyVJDH
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Perhaps even years. The thought alone is able to make her blood run cold, and she almost lets out a gasp when Sasuke’s voice breaks through the heavy silence, as if reading her very core.336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj12HlkBrhy
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“… It won’t be that long, Karin.”336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdu5tEFjIDL
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When she looks at him, she finds a dangerous glint sharpening his eyes and at once knows what he means.336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡupVmJfd90D
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Orochimaru would not be around for much longer.336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnrHsQev7kg
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Karin swallows, a shot of adrenaline reigniting her veins.336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWuuBgrmyKu
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It is the unavoidable future; one that had been decided even before their paths crossed again, and one that Sasuke had set in stone ever since. Nothing Karin could do or say would change his mind, and so all she had left to do was trust him.336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqIeNX41LCQ
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“…Right,” she smirks, and makes a point of passing her concern as taunting mockery. “Just make sure to keep your head attached to your neck until then. You won’t have me around to heal you anymore, so you will have to get used to Kabuto.”336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXfvAbJwNEV
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“Hn.”336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQUs1UkjKrH
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She sees his scowl, his derisive eye-roll—and somehow is suddenly acutely aware, to the point where she can almost feel it as a physical affliction, of how much she was going to miss him.336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzKmQSDP9xJ
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Everything about him. From his ways to his silence to the way his chakra felt and the way he made her feel, in turn.336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9GSfShPuFV
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And for the briefest of moments, Karin cannot help but to indulge herself and wonder if he would miss her, too—though she knows better. Sasuke was too single-minded, too focused on his revenge mission to give a thought to anything else, but still—336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2QwHdNHkkn
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Of course he would. He was only human, even if he would rather pretend—believe—otherwise, and she was the only person he spoke to out of his own volition. The only person he trusted; enough to rely on, enough to keep her around. If he is not lonely yet, then he is going to be lonely, now.336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡokoupF5dj2
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As will she.336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNRQ53Fkd2d
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It is that thought that prompts Karin to entertain being forward for a change and asking Sasuke to spend the night—if only as a birthday present.336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV9oFaA4CTp
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She is merely wetting her lips and preparing to take the chance and let out a say, sasuke when he beats her to it and calls her name.336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaqiuszrltU
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Flabbergasted, Karin can only catch the pouch that is suddenly thrown at her, “Huh?”336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDhCnqReRXg
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“Poisoned kunai,” Sasuke states with a slight, nonchalant shrug before sticking his hands into his pockets. “I thought they may come in handy.”336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyW4GpDCjwV
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She feels warm all over, and prays that Sasuke won’t notice the way her face seemed to be burning like a bonfire, “R-right.”336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi56JKFhlTa
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“See ya, Karin.”336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDKlGuQEVhe
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“Later, Sasuke.”336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD5Ptnl7AUr
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It is almost as embarrassing as her treacherous blush, but for a moment, Karin had actually thought—336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJrhBQOvbU1
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“Pft, as if.”336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDYRMydub5A
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She should have known better—Karin thinks, as she opens the pouch and takes out one of the kunai—Sasuke was not the kind to care about birthdays; and neither was she, for that matter. Not the Karin she was growing up to be, at least; she has no doubt that by next year, June 20 would be just another date.336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQM242AiRLC
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Still… while it had not been a birthday present, it had been a nice gesture nonetheless. And then he went around denying that he cared, the nerve of him.336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ48psZ6leUS
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Seriously, Sasuke, you can be so basic sometimes. The thought makes her smile fondly, and she is just about to put the pouch away when she notices the inconspicuous little fan carved on its backside, just a small dot of reds and whites in what was otherwise an immaculate sea of beiges.336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRV4eC0d7CQ
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She blinks—once, twice—and then her smile morphs into a full blown smirk, her fingertips longingly tracing the pattern.336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1sDFyA9R1z
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Sasuke probably had not even noticed it—old habits die hard, after all, and he seemed to be as obsessed with that crest as he was with his revenge—but that hardly mattered, for at the end—336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡILbC7ZBrPK
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At the end, it all amounted to the same.336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbHAmQTrPqn
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“Happy birthday,” Karin mutters, an enthusiastic glint in her eye. “Uchiha Karin.”336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUertC50oWx
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end.
tags: fanfic, karin, naruto, sasukarin, sasuke
ns 15.158.61.17da2
