[FANFIC - HBD, SASUKE(?)] WILDFIRE; (SK)
now uploaded in fanfiction.net~! here; if you wish to comment but can't do so here, please feel free to review over there~!583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYDEDLlu6Au
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMdSTuX8mIX
By: Kanae (Goth-Punk88 @ ff.net)583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUIknn0t76u
Rating: M (some suggestive scenes, and some violence.)583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9bRrsccHEu
Word Count: 8.810583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSINmbVVBYL
Author's Notes: I got this plot-bunny a couple of months ago; the idea was to sit down and carefully plan it, but… well, life happened. So I decided to let it write itself instead. Posting it for Sasuke’s birthday project because, while his birthday is not the focus of this, it does get briefly mentioned (:hurr)~ Also, there are some credits, but I’ll be giving them at the end of the fic in order to not spoil anyone.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZPwqL8xKLg
Warning: Some OOC-ness due to the fact that I'm working with future SK... among other things you will soon realize lol583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3UX1obGz5W
Summary: It is a flame that was set ablaze by a smile. A fire that consumes everything in its wake. A wildfire that burnt them to ashes, down to their roots.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmZV0JpACjC
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxjhx9GGngN
A heartbeat that awakens from the ashes.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFqrO0dVLnS
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwpkIStqM2C
To the stars that played with the darkness583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU0mDjeMzhH
I sang of love and burned up completely
Wildfire583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPIhUP0LiNv
by Kanae583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYIct4gLdeO
-
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2xGJMODkZW
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwspCPqiZEe
It happens a hot Thursday afternoon as he goes through the tourniquets of the subway and catches a glimpse of red from the corner of his eye.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGe4HYfRQMb
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvCi4cG0Xp0
Something in his chest tightens.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG94b00TtMd
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4eCADtQiRK
He is looking back before he knows it, uncharacteristically standing still as his eyes seek the source of the red; a girl’s ponytail.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrZIQgWJ1Zm
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQW7Jab3HyX
Just a girl.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu6Z2QRb2Oc
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGWO7ANuDGw
Sasuke all but snorts, mildly shaking his head and turning away in wonderment.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5MCdoUSl8r
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr1JrDNkHI4
He misses the way the girl stops, her back straightening as if bolted.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFXphvtrw6P
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSg1lS0JJQG
He has almost reached the escalators when someone steps in front of him, blocking his way—and he can’t help the slight widening of his eyes as he realizes who it is.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhdu9o1hi6A
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk5xVwHxaWf
The girl.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLtO3nN19ef
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlW5JHjQCfy
The redhead.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRs2E4RKoLm
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡquryNHBBDz
“Sorry,” she says, and she is a little out of breath. Had she run to catch up with him? “Do I know you?”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOkVHV2diBE
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡslZDRyu1YN
An alien reply makes its way from his chest up to the tip of his tongue, but Sasuke does not recognize it—and before he can even deem it worth his time, it is gone. And all that remains is the same disinterest from before. Just a girl.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8PzeOBJn9t
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWmM0vsVnjR
“Don’t think so,” he replies, trying to sidestep her—but the girl blocks his way again.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqglpbC7mto
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6SSwflENrt
“No, I do know you. I mean—” Sasuke narrows his eyes, irritated, but the girl looks too caught up in her thoughts to notice, “I have dreamed of you.”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJFTdIvi6U7
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAoFu843FDf
Sasuke gives her a blank stare and the girl turns a little pink. “I-I mean,” she stammers, pushing her glasses further up her nose. The gesture stirs something inside of Sasuke, and it is powerful enough to the point he almost misses her next words “I know it sounds weird, but—”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjCwsMLoOn5
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn2w288aEvc
“You’re right,” Sasuke agrees, clenching his jaw and walking past her.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoX4l58Cg3S
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCBrHw7epVU
“Wait!” she calls, and Sasuke finds his legs answering in kind even before his name comes out of her lips. “Y—your name is… Sasuke, isn’t it? Uchiha Sasuke.”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd7yglLsRlj
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVN9na3Py0A
“… So what?” his reply is brisk, and it comes out through gritted teeth. This was ridiculous; both the girl and his reactions to her. What had come over him, anyway? He has never seen this chick. Ever. “Knowing that is no feat.”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw3TqQlrBZ1
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTaFgVUfHoE
It wasn’t. More than a quarter of the city knew his family’s name. Knowing who he was simply was part of the package.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTFYhaeYDR4
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0JbeWKJA2C
She falls quiet—and Sasuke thinks the odd conversation has come to an end.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs39S0pQgXX
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo0cDOWdha0
He was severely mistaken.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhjBSiT8uJC
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOivaCqXnXy
“And, when you were eight…” she suddenly whispers, her voice vague, “when you were eight, your mom gave you a dinosaur-shaped toy.”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ95BQo7DMR
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiue4HXoKB4
Sasuke’s eyes widen, his body freezing upright. Her voice gains momentum. “You said it was childish, and pretended to have thrown it away; but you still have it.”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXNCXLlrPsz
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡctIQf4iwDU
It is slowly that he turns towards her, eyes narrowed and heart galloping inside his chest. “How…?”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ70DBx1XKa7
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq3AT214JD8
Obsidian meets pointed red, and it is something in the calculating edge of her gaze more than her words that which turns Sasuke’s skin into gooseflesh. “…You keep it locked in a box inside your closet, just like you keep locked away that irrational fear of yours of losing them someday.”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhvsazBW4Oy
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi1D58yusc5
Them. His parents. The one thing he has never told anyone—not even his brother. The one thing he has never been able to face, regardless of how much he has tried to do so.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0Ayzygqywb
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡil7orJUgB8
He wants to say something—anything—but words just won’t come. He feels utterly intimidated and exposed before this stranger; before this redhead whose lips quirk up in the barest traces of a smile, her shoulders relaxing.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3RWBmDG77U
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAdyh8HvnCQ
“Come on, there’s a café down the street, we can talk there.” She does not wait for a reply, simply reaching out and taking a hold of his sleeve—and as she pulls him towards the escalators, Sasuke feels an unexplainable sense of déjà vu.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ27PZIOCUlI
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpN5xUrLUgZ
“Let me go,” he mutters, though he can’t find it in himself to oppose any resistance. “I can walk by myself.”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWvdOLaHhdr
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLjykljtwuq
She does not let go of him.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPqXWlg5reA
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMTu0Vat4Nj
And the déjà vu only worsens.
.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ02FUCUoNd8
.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9JM1XhBhVY
.
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡde4KbWIy5e
“Come with me, Karin. I need you.”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVM2S4ixl3x
“Huh?! Why should I go anywhere? I’m in charge of this place!”
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkLOsxDSrQk
.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ424e7VDJZd
.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnnE4xfYNNC
.
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3jtkzv7vJK
“They started… around 3 months ago, I think,” the girl—Karin—says, after the waitress has brought them their respective orders; Sasuke, a black coffee, Karin, a cappuccino with amaretto.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡypPISPkTp7
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDhog7p9XiB
“The… dreams?” he questions, and feels utterly ridiculous just by saying it.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMiYujVLmG4
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyHJpgIqoGg
“Yeah, the dreams,” Karin agrees, taking a sip of her coffee and giving him a pointed look over the brim of the cup. “At first they were sporadic. Just once every few nights or so, but then I started to get them every night… every single night.”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBmCZp3malc
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfMgFSdAF5W
“And these… dreams, of yours. They were about me?”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2Thh3L7665
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoow3mnYp9H
“Not all of them,” she retorts thoughtfully, if not a little defensively; but then she shrugs. “But you were always there.”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjpQ06sfTUc
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡedAwus7jtb
“Doing what, exactly?”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9pkGXlOHTW
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡatnVvP3C19
“A lot of things. Fighting, mostly. You were a ninja, sometimes. Both of us were.”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBSb6bMUFRZ
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcc1tuqDCDa
“…A ninja?”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡohdnociGVB
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAJbIwvH5lf
“Yeah. A very powerful one, at that. Don’t—” she warns, before Sasuke could have the chance to interrupt with a snide remark. “I know how ridiculous it sounds, but it’s the truth.”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiKroLFqFR4
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu7ZMSIMlaD
He crosses his arms with an eye roll. “That still does not explain how you knew about the dinosaur.” Just mentioning the toy makes a wave of embarrassment wash over him, but he tries to keep at bay and not let it show.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU0Wm0nvhpu
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKNet9LOWiw
Karin smiles, and the gesture looks sour. “Not every dream took place in the same world, Sasuke. Those—the ones where we were shinobi, those were the firsts, and also the most recurrent. But I have seen you as you are, too. And as you were.”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkn7BEAXj41
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoMWa2EyV9O
“… What do you mean, exactly?” he prods with narrowed eyes.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyiu4NYDybW
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpPAOyZ5ImW
It’s her turn to cross her arms. “Tch, you already know, don’t you? You’re smart, Sasuke. Don’t take me for a fool.”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtmu8vOH1eO
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXYK0No13yK
Sasuke frowns. He didn’t like her tone, and neither did he like where she was going with this. “Reincarnations?”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd2IKQ0Yaci
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm6SmnmSAnL
Karin snaps her fingers, “Bingo.”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPZTaCLs5uB
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJmInykXHFO
Sasuke snorts. “That’s ridiculous.”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5aGt3LoBKE
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU73xc4eSXG
“I know you don’t believe in them, Sasuke. But that doesn’t mean they do not exist.”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzZQxRseycw
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmDvfBT9ckS
“Stop,” Sasuke demands, his patience running thin at being lectured by a complete stranger. “Stop talking as if you know me, Karin. You don’t.”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgpnVMDKwer
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQIVRCxlaAc
“Actually, I do,” Karin shoots back without missing a beat, her red eyes steadily holding his even despite his threatening glare. “And from the looks of it, I know you better than you know yourself—stay there, Sasuke,” she stresses, and his glare only intensifies. He hadn’t even had the enough time to move a muscle. “I am not finished yet.”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFME72IDrR0
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1ootatXCY4
“But I am done hearing your bullshit.”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiM3pajvneU
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgPOCdKJgu6
Karin blinks at him and then promptly snorts. “The you in my dreams was nicer to be around, I’ll give you that.”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb5ImX0w5nU
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFitdFXsLJN
He feels insulted, but he stays. And a little smirk quirks up Karin’s lips; as expected, that smirk said.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6aATntvo88
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp4jLvnBmme
But any comments he may have had about her arrogance promptly disappear as the redhead utters her next words.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlTqQS6WYNk
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX6C1ZJ634P
“I know why you’re so afraid of losing your parents, someday.”
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE8TwrKfAEw
.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ03WksCO82s
.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgxdjThLJYf
.
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOTy0hvMY6j
“Shhh” she coos, cradling his trembling form in her arms and making him sink his face on her chest. It’s her favorite new shirt and it’s getting soaked and soiled by his tears and the soot, but her heart is too busy breaking over him and his pain and her mind is too shaken by the explosion and the death—by the smell of burnt flesh, by the screaming figures of his parents and brother as they were consumed by the fire.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR9qo5MqQhb
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9BgdiJYIZA
“Shhh, Sasuke, it will be alright,” she isn’t sure if she believes what she is saying. Not when there are tears beginning to leak from her own eyes and dripping onto his hair—not when his sobs twist her soul and worsen the despair. Why did this have to happen to them? Why did they have to—? “I promise you, it will be alright, we will get through this.”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI0xXjxbMjm
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA5YQhP9at8
They. Because that was all that was left, now. She was all he had left.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOmTyFHPnS7
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIky6e27FeV
“We will get through this,” she repeats, because they would. They had to.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8pTffA2sXE
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD4esbGkayk
“You’re not alone. I’m with you, Sasuke. I won’t ever leave you,”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjdD518k1Jt
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡia9UuDqtwt
Despite her bravado her voice breaks at the end and Sasuke clutches her shirt—holds onto her for dear life and hastily pulls her together again.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHXt6Ekn3Wm
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUoew69hcdZ
“I promise.”
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7aVF4OghrV
.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGZJa2ZV3ks
.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVtBW86EB0F
.
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvKHcu3OfiU
Sasuke fists his hands to prevent them from shaking as his very soul seemed to be doing. He sets his jaw, tries to regularize his breathing and his pulse—tries to not show any signs of inward struggle.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyxdo0xbqbd
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUBCjCTVWOo
No that it would make much of a difference, since Karin was deliberately keeping her attention elsewhere. She had barely looked at him from the moment she started to tell him all she knew—all she had seen—about his parents, and weren’t he so troubled by everything he heard, he would have realized he was thankful for her tact.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk4dqNEr0py
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY3P8N2dXsT
As things were, however, his brain was having troubles assimilating Karin’s words; how his parents had died over and over again. Killed by his brother (by his brother, out of all people! What kind of bullshit was that?), in an accident, in a fire—Sasuke had tuned out, then. The images such stories enticed were too vivid, too troubling—they made the hairs on his arms stand on end, made cold droplets of sweat roll down his neck.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV2V8ZkyQse
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdUiypygzAx
Everything was preposterous, absolutely unbelievable—and even then he could not dismiss a word she had said, even though he desperately wanted to. Something in the way she had spoken—in the way her voice had quivered, her stare grave and set on her lap—and even more so, something in the things she had known; habits that Mikoto and Fugaku had and that no one but him and Itachi would know about, made her words all the harder to shake off.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9CuW76pjgS
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBFpa3WGOla
So he aims for the next best thing—he tries to push the thought aside and latches onto another one, one that has slowly but surely been demanding his attention.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXwCcXWFIc7
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfs6TcjjzIP
“… Where do you fit into all that?” he murmurs, and has to swallow to help ease his dry throat. “Why is it you, and not me, who is having these dreams?”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL4CpdlxoeG
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVWH8FP5pd3
The ghost of a smile touches her lips, “I don’t know. I guess it’s because you’ve closed yourself off, again,” it fades. “You always close yourself up.”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL9tLi2m5m5
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIY2YWp9XWU
He has really run out of patience. “Stop with the riddles, will you? Just answer!”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ02jGQ1gVO2
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡthPInb1p0s
Karin hardens her expression, her eyes squarely meeting his own. “In that first world, I was your teammate. In the second, I was your friend. In the third, your lover.”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvQXVz6oz2n
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXfpsVZqABO
Sasuke cannot really help the way he feels his throat clog up, his cheeks warm. So he fakes a cough, looks away; “And this is the fourth?”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1RVuD1wM0N
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsgxXpgPFsh
Karin shrugs, unfazed.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCSWICXqANu
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXM9LZsVl5d
“I don’t know, I guess there may be more. I haven’t remembered them yet, though.” Her voice lowers, “…I don’t know if I want to, either.”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡry5CCmDxnt
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT3vLZQgCIU
That catches his attention. “What do you mean?”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhC3UfcvDyr
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8fnoePUp5m
“… They weren’t always nice, Sasuke. They rarely were.”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUGfHHOhFJO
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhEu6lMULbF
Sasuke arches one eyebrow, curious. “What weren’t?”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlJKDCI9FK5
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡimE1T9JXVf
For the first time since they got there, Karin squirms in her seat.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTY1GwfTIIP
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡop851RC1OR
“...You.”
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9lFYVTB29D
.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAlORpkuvtC
.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7sBXNpI89J
.
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsAZJNgkZcB
There is lighting prickling her skin and piercing her chest; it has missed her heart by an inch, a miracle improbable enough to be deliberate—but one that is a curse in disguise, for his eyes do not miss the mark.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQIqmCQ0DhR
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkCWVZ5MlSP
They hit the bulls-eye dead on its center, and she feels it freeze and then wither and die, disintegrating into a worthless pile of ashes that, with every single word he says, scatter like the wind—never to be recovered again.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlcPRLQMnld
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFaBBWuUdKg
“Karin… the moment you were taken hostage, you became an encumbrance.”
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNX0WWSWpsH
.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf3JxpDVbO1
.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT6BcBIPckH
.
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQAnOIXFwHE
She leans her head on her propped up palm, and the pair of red eyes that were fixed into his look sage and tired all of a sudden. “…But I guess it never made much of a difference.”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEviXW4sq8O
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQMyLWUojNj
Sasuke hates it; having to repeat himself. But he moodily does, anyway. “What do you mean?”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqVGJ84drDw
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiEqEB0nQyt
Karin does not reply right away; and when she does, her voice is the softest Sasuke has heard it sound so far.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8VXILRscS4
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmaWlCq05g6
“I always ended up loving you all the same,” she admits.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbRezNg6xCR
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJwuZjwQkxB
Then she looks at him again, and Sasuke finds that he can’t look away.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0Ut5UW3mZY
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7ykBtEFIzr
“Always.”
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6KkIjJTxFJ
.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGZSHN0vNwW
.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtGNFy3PHTi
.
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV0VOM2UqP1
It happens on a rainy night.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIpUCIgwsKr
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnPKlzH4PSU
The rain had started pouring out of nowhere. What a minute ago had been a clear sky became a gray maze of plump clouds and then thick, cold droplets of rain had started to cascade down over the town.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ41VStE9tjA
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡha98CMlDZj
Ever so slowly, the crowded street was left almost empty; for the exception of a few pedestrians who had been keen enough to bring an umbrella with them.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA6Gk7FQA4k
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMtHqPNOmCk
She hadn’t been.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc2QxaFCAml
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjlURGWtbQq
As the traffic light begins to turn, she dashes out from under the improvised shelter of an awning only to stop dead in her tracks—in her haste, she had not realized the light included an advanced left-turn signal.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡflom0v1HN3
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkLi4TN6MC6
So much for not getting wet, she thinks, and it’s then that an umbrella is placed above her.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGkWTWkjK5J
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡER8AB7EMa8
Startled, the girl flickers her gaze upward only to find a dark-haired business man casually speaking into his cellphone, his eyes focused on the traffic light ahead. Their arms are touching, the warmth of his body seeping through to hers despite the long sleeves of his expensive-looking cloak, and she finds her cheeks warming up, her heart quickening at the unexpected gesture of kindness.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiyv29IAqvg
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdPJ5VYA1Sa
The light changes and he moves ahead without hesitation, with the same kind of firm grace with which he had come to shelter her—and she is so transfixed by him that she almost forgets she is supposed to walk, too.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvQbzoBzwnz
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2fKXPds51g
When they get to the other side of the street, the business man wordlessly leads her to an awning and then parts ways with her, not once glancing at her.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfUkd252SMn
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbsaQR4RpiL
But she can’t look away from him—and before she knows it her legs are moving and the rain no longer matters.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhOuV5JXYc7
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOj4cEkxfey
By the time he has hung up, they’re standing at the next intersection and she is soaked from head to toe.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYtoROcQ1Hq
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHBdLMMztnA
“Hey, you! Wait!”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6U7cUYvebP
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgEjxmqKpID
The business man slowly turns around, painfully so, confusion apparent on his face.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYC8C93kZct
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5B3mc0bzUW
Onyx meets red and her heart skips a beat as his eyes widen ever so slightly.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhkX9oLLk33
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3iQ8vSBtKq
“Thank you,” she breathes out jaggedly and not exactly from the chasing, “for before.”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJOvyf4ROfa
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHOfYb6yziw
“… It’s nothing,” he states, and though his words are nothing but an astonished murmur she hears them loud and clear over the thunders. “And it doesn’t seem to have helped much.”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmzxgo1f3Jb
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡATwiaNtzfE
Her blush worsens under his pointed look, but the hint of amusement in those deep eyes of his edges her on. “I-I know of a good café down the street. If you aren’t in a hurry, how about I invite you something while we wait for the rain to let up?”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq15Ky16Zt2
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3ZveyIa41R
He tilts his head to the side, long bangs falling across his face. “… Hn, down the street, you say?”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1ahDQSJF0u
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvr4wK3Vysu
“Yeah. It’s less than a minute away,” she gulps, “so, what do you say?”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUJbqGlFVAz
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEF6HJLqHmb
He smiles, and his whole face lights up. “I’d like that.”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5XkZRsIh7n
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeGPCxxH0Np
By the time they place their orders, she is already in love with him.
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4wsZOmLZwp
.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqPsg7vgZmg
.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUOvtBHAyLT
.
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsvowekRrs5
He thinks that maybe he should be surprised, but the truth is that he isn’t.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLGibkZMKtY
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8AAwgQJYoY
Somehow, it felt like he had been waiting for it—waiting to see her walking through that door, ever since they had parted ways at that Café a little over a week ago.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcrbM5A3h9o
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4QS7zJpzAb
“… You did this on purpose, didn’t you?”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2APjqdkDuN
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs3OzZw24a8
Karin blinks innocently, a direct contrast with the amused smirk shamelessly painted across her lips. “What do you mean, Uchiha-san?”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE1wx0kOib9
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqsjNVGcR54
“Drop the act,” he glares, matter-of-fact. “You knew I worked here.”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFvl7mepivI
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpdhPuDEQg4
“Oh, don’t be so conceited, Sasuke,” Karin waves a hand, puts the other on her hip and sways to the side. The movement is every bit of a taunt as it is sensual, and Sasuke finds himself blushing like a preschooler as a recurrent memory slips itself uninvited into his mind again.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkZQFiR2wMI
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXV8CMCJarR
'Always'.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfT7kM1v10o
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeFqtG2eDKU
“—so not my fault you basically own the damn city,” Karin finishes, and Sasuke blinks.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5FLlwIXWMQ
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSC0Dche1Qy
“Huh?”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkIdF7ASodo
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI7SCY10rG1
She deadpans. “You weren’t listening, were you?”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv6kRz3K4KZ
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEUr2d66dFJ
“I was,” he lies through gritted teeth, prodded by some unexplainable force. Damn, why did he always have to bicker with this girl?583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz1AzghTN6l
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5JjLMehSr7
“You are a terrible liar, Sasuke,” she remarks, and suddenly her face lights up. “Hey, did I tell you about the time I was a lie-detector and—”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3xkFnWLCCT
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD2VeVHaaVW
He all but groans. “Stop, Karin. Don’t bring that kind of talk here, someone may hear you.”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡerZMgAXyxE
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFhizDVxZj5
“Pft, so what?” she huffs, crossing her arms and swaying her hips again. “It’s not like I work here, right?”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPKeeQB4ZhI
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2zjcMamr0b
Her tone and most specially the glimmer in her eye as she looks at him told him otherwise.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxQEneZv65W
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT9XwR08vla
Damn her.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3jp0HZjysB
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWXCJcjPCoJ
“Talk to Nara on the second floor, he will give you your contract. And Karin—not a word to anyone about… about—” he refused to say us. There wasn’t an us. “—about what you told me. Understood?”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡztOmQlJOce
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT7xdNrxwLb
She does a mock salute, “Right, Uchiha-san!” and Sasuke massages his temple, wondering what had made him agree to give her the job in the first place.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8ybFbgq4RK
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3dFn4fxRQr
As if reading his thoughts, Karin calls out to him from the door.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8SwMV4CkQO
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQYPYfQrmbR
“Cheer up, Sasuke,” and Sasuke can catch a glimpse of her playful smirk before she closes the door behind her. “This isn’t the first time we work together, you know?”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuqLiIg52D9
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQccDOOrQrj
And for some unknown reason, Sasuke finds himself blushing.
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ59unZNicKP
.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEcwjCQPIYT
.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0cBuctxaS7
.
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ74Xpl1H1bT
“I brought you the papers you requested,”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcuSbBtU3kM
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJpgo1s9lvW
She has barely finished the sentence when he has her pressed against the door and is claiming her mouth with his own, his hands roaming across her back and then down as she skillfully locks the door.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpe4govwMbq
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ6TH1M9lqy
“Idiot,” she manages to reprimand between kisses, “what if someone sees us?”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIe5xjxXcDk
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL2xeFfYf0e
“Who cares,” he retorts, his voice a throaty murmur that worsens the heat settled in the lower part of her abdomen, “let them watch if they want.”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuGtIfypnO6
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡllWwrJiHvd
“Hmmm that’s kinky,” she teases, and her blood boils as he raises his face from her belly in order to give her a roguish look.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOQg6leRR45
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE1RO7LNtf9
“Any complains?”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuCDEFIbs1g
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXTOtCbhh0J
“Yeah… stop teasing me and get on with—ahh” she moans, her nails scrapping at the door as his head gets lost inside her skirt, his hands spreading her thighs apart.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgv5Q9FLmjk
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEJvdJdTO5P
She has a mission to accomplish—but he makes her forget soon enough.
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDJX6RQmU2z
.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9rAWgHP2Jx
.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1qFcLcAFdJ
.
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsYwSlwEZ9e
“I’ll have some Okonomiyaki, please.”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNvk7MHGFLw
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtqsXOKMRSF
The waitress nods and leaves—but not without giving Sasuke a hurt look from underneath her long lashes. He hopes Karin will let it slide; so of course Karin does exactly the opposite, her slim eyebrows arched high.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxQxtp2VfNg
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkuBIjXGXlw
“Whoa, Sasuke, That girl totally has a thing for you!”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjf9mr1KuWl
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtLXGe4sSFs
Sasuke rolls his eyes; he was so over this subject. “Tch, she and every other employee, what else is new.”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOCmkWMxyBx
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi9MDSrIfLb
Karin snorts, “Cocky, aren’t we? Do I need to remind you that I am one of your employees, too?”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI1nhYSGBvr
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhf9phcloWX
'Always'.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuinKIIItNi
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjaptmK7if0
Against his better judgment, he can feel all too easily the way his cheeks start to warm up. What was up with him and blushing around this girl? He was never like this, ever.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡApRtfSQf1G
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz4jlzNkjWY
“Whatever,” he ends up taking the easy way out. Sitting across from him, Karin pouts, leans her chin on her hand and lazily waves a finger in his face.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0bmEJCewlG
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡys7EiD697e
“You really are no fun, Sasuke.”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyLotASf52A
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0TIqoOiHJx
“Forget about that, Karin. You said you would tell me more about—”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkycd28dzp7
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4VXSFxSPs5
“Right, right,” she sighs, and her faked annoyance swiftly gives way to a leer. “Don’t get me wrong, it’s nice to see you so interested in us, but it wouldn’t hurt to focus on the current us.”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKh3vTzaXaW
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZnVQqdt1rM
“Karin.”
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK5j8Xee51q
.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD6X79z2Zh0
.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsb7j0n7WjE
.
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaQ6nOapZaC
“This is enough for today, thank you for your cooperation, Karin,” she knows better than to give weight to his agreeable words. The way he doesn’t even look at her, too busy being transfixed by her blood instead, says everything she needs to know.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfG2GOp1nmE
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRH37yzUHtk
So she recoils when he reaches out to bandage her—scowls, sidesteps him and stumbles her way out of the room, hating herself for the numbness in her legs.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIb6chpiBh2
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmpLRIpvo13
He is the first thing she sees when she comes out of the room.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr3ZIgJEnuO
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjugiucgZxG
He is leaning against the wall, arms crossed against his chest—and then her knees give up and he is draping her arm around his neck and helping her walk, revealing the bandages held in his hands.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2JKJxCHrC3
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxlsj5qQiJn
“…I can walk by myself, Sasuke,” she lies, but he does not let go and she lets herself lean a little closer. Close enough to feel the dampness in his side. She looks down and finds blood—and then she is glaring at him from behind her half-lidded eyes.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaqWDnpsP0Z
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhY1ePm7cUa
“Idiot,” she hisses, and means it. “You are hurt, let me—”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjAF5g5U0L6
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡELFXL4esc9
“You can’t heal anyone in your current state, Karin,” came his reply, calm and even despite the open wound in his side, and Karin hates the fact that he is right.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBF8qWQtPos
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxxtyW5yM4H
“…You should’ve gone to bandage yourself, Sasuke. I don’t need you to babysit me,” she says faintly, both embarrassed and touched at once.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHdXQTGnUyM
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1V3JTV9xLY
To her surprise, Sasuke snorts.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIf6yzfKyto
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbyki4Wt2Ge
“What?” she snaps.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ75Ga44o27w
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe1ZYu2a6Ut
“Nothing,” he says, and he is smirking. “Just, you’re the last person I want to hear that from, Karin.”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzzWvIhng7u
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZAfKo2Tf3r
She frowns, but her cheeks go red. She has a feeling she knows where he is going with this. “Tch, what is that supposed to mean?”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFU004Fdsc3
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEiQL7vmr0g
He looks down at her from the corner of his eye, his smirk softening around the edges. “…I wonder.”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4EOmYZ80ID
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQwx2AhynfD
And despite her blood loss, her blush only deepens.
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFWLLfcB4aQ
.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPHcQOrTSDr
.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQGsBeh0DXo
.
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuH2Gm21HNl
“Would you like more tea, Karin-chan?”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgN7kfWBVhq
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVR04XzCOuQ
Sasuke can’t hold back an eye-roll as Karin politely declines; this was the fifth time in a row, and he didn’t know what surprised him more—Karin’s sudden faultless manners, or the lengths to which his mother was going to please her. Hell, one would think it was the redhead’s birthday rather than his.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLQRhXPTj1O
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7l2iTQby4N
“Don’t be like that, little brother,” the voice comes from behind him, and is accompanied by a hand that affectionately ruffles his hair. “You know it’s not often that mother gets to attend a girl.”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuie7BIazFJ
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWbVM9MgpvJ
Sasuke huffs, halfheartedly batting his brother’s hands away. “I know that—moreover, when will you stop treating me like a child, Itachi?”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXRVVSI7LV1
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEKHQscwWqA
“Probably when you stop acting like one,” chimes in a female voice, and Sasuke sends her an airy look as Itachi chuckles behind him. He was definitely starting to regret having brought her along; what had he been thinking?583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgjJByN9Dk8
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEnRzmUn8hi
He does not get to say it aloud however, as Karin is now looking at Itachi with curious eyes. “Don’t tell me this is Sasuke’s first time bringing a girl home?”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEYDnQLeS4E
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8PZqCyCiaE
Great. So she had been listening in, huh? He should have guessed.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO2ZDOfUyZ8
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwNvCpAQCfh
“Not quite,” Itachi replies, but Sasuke’s triumphant smirk is short-lived as his brother adds, “But almost.”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYeLneaMra0
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsd6VJYoNRd
“Brother!” he reproaches, causing the older boy to chuckle again and Karin to smirk widely.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZO8JX41RsX
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeyFEYz8Ihs
“You’re unbelievable, Sasuke; I mean, I knew you were an unsocial prude, but almost no girlfriends? Seriously?”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVo06YGxe62
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuQzq4kG5dd
He glares, mortified to feel the by-now familiar sensation of his cheeks heating up. “Shut up, Karin.”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsj03qkp282
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOotB4PjdDg
“I would say that more than that, what is so remarkable is that this is the first time he brings home a girl who isn’t his girlfriend.” Itachi comments, his tone kind but knowing—and as Karin looks away from the older Uchiha and towards Sasuke, giving him a look that seemed to be clearly flaunting a oh, is that so? Sasuke airily looks away.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXwJINUrwZF
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSCbTWFxwF4
Damn you, brother.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcT9hEfkQzm
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsqL0HchGYx
“Hn, I don’t know what Itachi is talking about.”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUSncb8HWM1
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAiCMJ6cQKO
A twinkling laughter resounds through the room, effectively cutting the argument short; and the three of them turn only to find Mikoto standing by the doorway, a tray of biscuits in her hands and a happy beam in her beautiful face.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrQTE4CotgH
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBMRLjdTr9i
“It seems you three are having fun,” she merrily observes, graciously moving to leave the tray on the tea-table. “I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen Sasuke enjoy himself this much.”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡycu5U4031N
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsgFBNFhmhB
Despite his better judgment, Sasuke can feel himself blushing. “Who said I’m enjoying myself?”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOyUnS2UTj8
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmC9fWf1TwH
But his indignant mutter remains promptly ignored as Mikoto takes Karin’s hands in hers and gives her a glowing smile. “You’re good for my son, Karin-chan.”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm1fU34SMvE
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc50EmrLoA7
For a moment, the room is submerged in silence—even Karin herself is rendered speechless, and while in any other circumstance Sasuke would have reveled in seeing the girl this flustered—widened eyes, a pink hue in her cheeks—the truth is this time, it only adds to his own awkwardness.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMQJiq0mJA5
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh6NPNErIpV
“… Mother, you just met her,” he lamely ends up saying once he has found his voice, but he sounds more astonished than reproaching; and Mikoto rewards him with a thoughtful smile before setting her gaze back on Karin.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfzIGOkMPUo
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTqQdKjnbLs
“I know, dear. But, somehow… it feels like you two have known each other for a long time.”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn3KiSz5YK0
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLncqc12hpZ
Itachi says nothing—but the way in which he warmly squeezes Sasuke’s shoulder is eloquent enough.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhhWHvc0ySU
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs47xRegigF
Wordlessly, Sasuke and Karin seek each other’s eyes across the room—and he wishes he wasn’t aware of the way he was slowly starting to mirror her smile.
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡooGitLXX7f
.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlrprHEaevR
.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8kgWxYq3TQ
.
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9VXCSgWqH3
“It’s so stupid,” she assesses, looking at the field with apparent disinterest, “I mean, running like idiots after a ball, really? Pft, where’s the fun in that?”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjGi5znPobq
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ5ng1CTZwS
Sasuke would have been inclined to agree; if only he were listening to what she was saying. Instead, he has found himself distracted from his own homework by the way the sun seemed to be lighting her hair just so—by the way her ponytail exposed the stark whiteness of the nape of her neck; by the way she absentmindedly bit on her pencil from time to time as she read, brows furrowed in confusion or eyes light up with understanding—and she would tilt her head to the side then, stick her chin out with self-satisfaction—and Sasuke—583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRcfY2VgW0D
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCWt8i9sPT0
“Sasuke—hey, earth to Sasuke, are you listening? I was just saying that—”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgDzVctvLku
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9iktqQji42
But Sasuke doesn’t get to hear it, because his body is too busy being pulled to her like a moth to a flame and his brain is too busy shutting down as his lips meet hers. She freezes, and he is too much of a novice so the kiss isn’t much of a kiss—but he doesn’t quite mind.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7DoKXetUNf
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRQgfgVPcqf
When he leans back he finds Karin staring at him, point-blank. He figures that perhaps he should try and say something; but he doesn’t feel the need to, so he just licks the lip-gloss off his lips instead.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlRoAAIbOgd
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXcqsBkPKxU
“Raspberries,” he states, and that seems to get Karin off her trance, because she blinks at him.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqj8CDfjWKl
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzWbIc8o8zL
And then she is grinning.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrJQdlTOHmG
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSfUSQocDDM
“Had I known you would finally kiss me today, I’d have worn something less sweet.”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWLhEXmW1TK
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1mjHKo3O1K
He can’t help but smile back. “I almost did, yesterday,” he reveals, as he carefully takes her glasses off. “And the day before that. And the one before that.”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx6xM2L8Jse
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpmKSKnq2Nz
“I know,” and her grin becomes a husky smirk as she tangles her fingers in his hair. “You’re too easy to read, Sasuke.”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6yaaBM9dqm
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡslRIdpNcXs
“Hn, you could have helped, then,” he says, but the truth is he is too lost in her to really mind.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4EzDIyFAyc
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr8eE9DHm3L
“Not a chance,” their noses touch and her voice lowers to a mere brush of air against his lips, “…it’s too fun to watch you squirm.”
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeIwYruutqo
.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYfhbfYVLcs
.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyKcpMg7zw4
.
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡveDPLvhsYY
“You won’t find anything better for a more reasonable price, I assure you, Uchiha-san. This is the absolute best—”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeN76x3oMsH
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡESWHFnWgIS
He goes on and on, but the words of the realtor start to become nothing but background noises as Sasuke’s gaze is caught by Karin’s vibrant red hair.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLdenpNPkz9
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjkXf41kIXw
“Excuse me.”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcQdeel9YNc
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCp0kxtM2p9
Not waiting for a reply, Sasuke makes his way to the windowsill; Karin was standing in front of it, her eyes closed and her face showered by the rays of the sun filtering in through the glass. It occurs to him then that he has never seen her looking so serene—so at peace with herself and the world. So taken is he by the realization, that he does not notice he has stopped breathing until Karin’s eyes flutter open and she smiles at him.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSKv24AWJyu
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTpFcidVqRE
“This house is ours, Sasuke,”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQoMy3olqTF
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKaqzK7boom
Her fingers find their way around his, and Sasuke gives them a squeeze as he nods, his expression naturally mirroring her own.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJWVOoS1tMj
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwBbkIrseyf
He could feel it, too.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMmryRy2ifQ
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEd4gNovDCW
Behind them, the realtor clears his throat but Karin cuts him short before he could get a single word out.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI8rE2RwsHF
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTHuwnlsEMg
“We’re buying it,” she states loud and clear, and she is positively glowing.
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL2nlHRkfRC
.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWkDJzLWR01
.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg3KBb6MsZ0
.
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEFSJqHq9V3
She can hardly believe it.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡByqpYano4K
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAyURGQcpof
Can hardly believe this. That the guy she once chased down a street in the pouring rain is holding her in his arms, his head sunk in her neck as he breathes in the scent of her hair.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡONUkUW9Rnw
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfRuKtrkV6H
It seemed like something straight out of one of those dramas she used to love to ridicule and secretly watch at the same time.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXuvx3t1BsV
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvtVyGH1v7I
Her kind businessman had turned out to be a gentleman through and through; smooth, reliable and above all, capable. He was everything she wanted in a man and then some; and to top it all off, he seemed to be as crazy about her as she was about him.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqfz4LZXU16
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb5bmRht9pB
Now that she thought about it, it seemed more like something straight out from a dream rather than a mere drama. The thought makes her giggle, and she feels him smile against her neck, his arms holding her just a little bit closer so that she has to readjust her own hold around his neck.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoA5hAAusp3
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtH16a8HJk3
“What’s so funny?”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPednWnDv2d
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwFHpBdepkO
She tells him; because even though the thought is childish, she has learnt that she does not have to keep anything from him. She trusted him with even the most embarrassing and ridiculous sides of her; those she wouldn’t show to anyone else.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZMSrwg0uq1
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6Hh5DuQWgR
“There’s just one thing off, though—” she observes, as an afterthought, “where’s my rival in love?”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPBGgQo1T2n
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkLoUF3wxis
“Nowhere,” he asserts, grave like only he could be about even the most foolish of things. “I am yours.”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc4iAo8ocxt
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjyMs7X8QBA
The line would have sounded corny in anyone else’s lips, but in his it sounds just like it is—a statement. A truth being bluntly spoken as he caresses her cheek and looks into her eyes with the barest traces of a smile.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgYhT525ADl
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY7ZlsL2ybd
She has barely begun to smile back when he is sinking his face on her hair again and brushing his lips against her ear—“And you are mine.”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfJbPLbkNDn
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3cpdswBX1f
And he is breathing in her scent and tightly holding her in his arms—so tightly in fact that she can hardly breathe.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4gBCzv4b43
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkJhQWfr9fq
“S-asuke—” she chokes.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqXTbv0EZLR
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ98W44sN3oI
But he does not listen.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg3HNTULV8W
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtuyDf3NbVv
“…mine.”
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9Tvq6veuP0
.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5lGZ4VAmdv
.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmU5jg4Rc9c
.
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYMjlG6DN1q
She soundlessly sneaks behind him and leans her chin on his shoulder.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvA9MLIp7Gr
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHDujxvHo2Z
“Sewing again?”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpdxXKDuYtn
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI8BzY85khf
“Not my fault you have so many clothes,” is his simple reply as he continues to work the needle and the thread, slowly-but surely creating what would be a white and red fan.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUa8b42IPFc
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmlQsYGoVfa
Her fingers come to play with his hair, pulling and twisting some strands of raven black; “I don’t get why you do it manually, Sasuke. Sewing machines exist just for this kind of thing, in case you forgot.”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP6RDw7Pw4d
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7LXbOhTUUt
“I told you, Karin. It’s an Uchiha tradition, it’s supposed be done manually.” His voice is as light as her warm breathing against his neck, and they remain like that—he calmly sewing, she silently watching—until she suddenly straightens.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0nDrRPmrQL
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaA91OPQ85T
“Where are you going?” he can’t help but ask, and hopes the way he is already missing her doesn’t seep into his voice.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrxLELDE14b
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSalKcEgQEw
“For the sewing kit,” comes her matter-of-fact reply, and surprised, Sasuke arches one eyebrow. “Since I’m becoming an Uchiha myself, I may as well learn, right?”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB6qiQM6r3c
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW6caZgUB9k
She shoots him a playful smirk that looks too much like a smile before leaving the room, and Sasuke cannot help the way his pulse quickens at its sight.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQVaJNhrdQP
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNg3jwLLhK8
And he finds himself smiling at her back, like one of those love-sick fools he always used to make fun of.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKtlqFWniNC
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ253zaHNdcf
But it’s just, back then—he had never thought someone could actually make him this happy.
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZpEWzWJAZa
.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEZENJUQq3K
.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhbV7lS4GIV
.
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKl43oJbCum
“Stop doing that, Sasuke.”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1Z6PFvSuv0
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIvePwLuo3F
“Doing what?”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4T8xWUnhth
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡExoXmXCGnd
“This—making me happy,” her eyes are stern as she looks at him, but he does not take her honesty as seriously as he probably should.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuq8iZ5or2s
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZUZ9jEHJVM
“Or what?”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxLSAsm6TFw
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0JSUvegyKj
“…Or I may fall in love with you, Uchiha.”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDBGTUQG6cF
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGg3MKTKlaY
She is both elated and horrified to see how soft and harmless his usual menacing and intimidating smirk looks as he replies.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkb2HW417ra
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFNlSbSB1qJ
“… Maybe I wouldn’t mind that.”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo2ySZVT4tu
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtMI8XmgUrC
His naked form is gone before she can gather herself enough to reply; gone to the living room of the luxury-hotel-room to call for room service—and as she hears his voice drifting over to her from the other room, Karin digs her nails into her palms.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡivLgdSNQAi
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxww0qhRFqJ
She was alone in the room, his suitcase forgotten on a nearby chair and his laptop on the table—she knows his passwords; has the knowledge and tools to get through what she does not know, and above all, she has the time to do so.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOCy2a0sBe3
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfhTlxaJyfF
Only a minute would be enough for a spy as skilled as herself.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdlpmowuaBT
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP4RMJkmre6
By the he would come back into the room and make love to her again, it would be too late for him; and he wouldn’t suspect a thing.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhBjzWELOwA
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVNtAmggC8j
She could get away with it, if she were to go through it. She should go through it. This is what they sent her for—this is what she is getting paid for, not for screwing the target all night long.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZgg1zNpqtf
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7UiKesBDmP
She sighs, lays back down on the bed and thinks of his pathetic attempt at a smirk. It makes it easier to forget her duties, to forget the papers she should be revising, the documents she should be hacking into—583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9jaUqHbG55
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFMW7T1n3eI
To forget the atrocities she would find if she did.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEnALZUduDd
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDQ4qhNvCEx
And, really—who would have thought that a monster like Uchiha Sasuke was capable of making a face like that?
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaHQCj76Cqe
.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgFgBjGVVUF
.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2384C8eYXl
.
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyRUu3y8Mvc
Sasuke was just putting a plate aside when the sound of porcelain breaking reaches his ears.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvKN2AaSMLt
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrd0sjnjdwp
With a start, he turns only to find Karin crouched on the ground, her feet surrounded by tiny pieces of what had just been one of her favorite sets of dishes.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzlwayLxsmu
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLyBQDEDSOH
“Karin,” he calls, drying his hands on his pants—and he misses the way Karin’s shoulders tense, her back stiffening. “Are you alright?”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmpztFuTt0V
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPXt2WUd4fk
“Yeah,” she murmurs after a moment, and Sasuke blinks. She didn’t sound alright.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTsqxW68lqk
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5tTCpZJjd1
“Karin,” he calls again, approaching her. “Leave that be, I’ll take care of it.”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6ZnNtWDMiS
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcqkwmQ5uao
“I told you, it’s fine.”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo9FNhcys2C
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp8tVzrEfBl
He frowns, concerned. “Karin—”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6qC4OTcRnU
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDk0AltI68O
But the words freeze in his throat as Karin yelps and slaps away the hand he had been about to reassuringly place on her shoulder.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0f0EvRaRK9
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpaKQ8EDpho
For a long moment, all they do is stare at each other—Sasuke staggered by Karin’s frightened eyes, by the raw fear contorting her features—and then the moment ends and Karin is standing up and taking a loud breath.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvtRjFzecDg
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIKrMp83q21
“Sorry, Sasuke—I think I’ll go and lie down for a while.”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4H6l5s9U0G
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0Gafp9mi48
Her voice is even, but Sasuke knows her better than that; and so he can’t bring himself to watch her as she leaves the kitchen.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ19UuGrogSs
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUPuSCDQJBI
He doesn’t know what he would do if he were to see that same fright reflected in her eyes again.
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmVEjiyqCYc
.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlV5jOs7hGM
.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8M8ExPLmFP
.
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXof3qPsPhr
She jolts back as the lights go on and the shadows melt away into an all too familiar figure—one that is sitting on the one-man couch and that tilts his head to the side, dark bangs falling across his face and eyes as black as abysses centered on her.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwkR5rs9mPS
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFcUReDkxvN
“S-sasuke, what—?”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhp2QItAopO
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzvf7Q9Cbmm
“Where were you, Karin?”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2AS4Ev0rwf
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdJq2DR1rIt
His question is smooth and steady; placid, even. Except that Karin knows him well enough; has gotten to know this side of him—this terrifying side of him, twisted and manipulative, brutally honest in order to hurt rather than to please—well enough lately. Enough to be able to see beyond and into the brewing storm.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0ILda0zGLb
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcLIgFqfASc
It reeks of lighting and promises pain—it frankly terrifies her.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdbwGkuJgIu
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPu2joj5t24
But she holds her ground.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMZZvnlGqi1
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsfup73xrXl
“I—I was having lunch with my parents, Sasuke. They called to invite us today but you were at—”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ5xD2KsVqE
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk6X5NPVA10
“Liar,” he grits out, and Karin’s blood runs cold. “I called them myself. You were not with them. So, where were you?”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy5ggOgEjvI
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTxOcUWaPaQ
It is trying to keep her voice and hands from shaking that she says the truth. “I was out with the girls, Sasuke—but we were just eating and talking! We did nothing w—”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡruhIeT6tE5
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZzIfjhOmOe
“Then why didn’t you say so from the start, Karin?” she freezes, like a deer caught in headlights—and then lowers his eyes. Slowly, Sasuke stands. “… Do you not trust me, Karin? Do you think I do not trust you? Is that it?”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9kY9070dU7
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtItXjT8ZcC
“Sasuke, I—”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwSsse63FOw
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2wwrXZ9SFa
“Because I do, Karin,” he is standing before her now, his hand lovingly caressing her face, his eyes warm—and though Karin knows better, her body remains as loyal to him as ever and it betrays her; closing its eyes and leaning into the touch. “I trust you, because I love you. Do you not love me, Karin?”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwGbILYSCPq
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWYwHJxWjEj
A part of her hates herself for how easily the answer comes forth to her lips. For how true it remains. “… I do, Sasuke.”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ47IVAvHcQ8
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9wLOArtLsr
She hears his smile, “Good. Then, you will stop seeing them, won’t you? Those girls.”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlPqKztLTrZ
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkxyNGagpV8
Her eyes snap open—and the Sasuke that greets them is once again back to being rough oceans and thunderstorms. “You’re better than them, Karin.”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTC4S2m9cG0
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuau0eTfkKH
I want you all for myself—is what Karin hears instead, and she frowns. “Sasuke, you can’t be serious—they are my friends!”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK67raSWu7y
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRl7Hzni3EG
She comes to regret her words almost immediately, as his features snap into a mad grimace and his hand shots to her wrist, grasping it tightly enough to make her yelp—“And I not enough for you, Karin?”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQvupHLrLuK
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1MpNUTeE8a
“I—” yes, he is—was. Is.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs7j3NvJrXW
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ1iuGxRKhz
And that frightens her more than he possibly could.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdvDu9sndaV
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0sRzDJmvba
“—alright, Sasuke… you win.”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyj9mSr3lNH
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlqvzPt5BUO
His features relax and his hands come to cup her cheeks again, a soft, almost child-like smile in his lips. Innocent enough to trick anyone.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfOBfEDSExG
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsTY0gIkIzV
Even himself.
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRmRCuHecTu
.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbiFZHwdYcP
.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0MQOn6hWgs
.
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgqYNKcOcPx
The silence is deafening. The unsaid drawing knots with his vocal chords, until he decides that enough has been enough.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSttW7ZTEMK
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ47JBoKA1a
“Karin, about yesterday….” He trails off, figures he will give her the chance to own up to what happened by herself, rather than attempting to play the game of pretend like she has been doing all day.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgC5Bg7tyPB
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV5gPmt8EfS
She doesn’t bulge. “What?”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhtrEnY07l7
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz1CfmNoKwj
And perhaps that’s what worries Sasuke the most.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk0ZsdmMDHh
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVNO8opIPc2
It takes him a few moments before he is able to gain control of the ominous feeling pooling in his stomach; the one making it hard to speak.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPmwFiQ4xk6
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz9IN6NwGRk
“Don’t try to avoid the subject, Karin. There is something you aren’t telling me, isn’t there?”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡui92nQ8cj4
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKbbYve0LX5
Karin’s hands pause for half a second—and then she is moving the chopsticks again, her lips curving in a mystifying smile that does not reach her eyes.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6DlIzF9wJx
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJjyqnoDT1k
And Sasuke wants nothing more than to ask her to stop—but he is too scared to do so.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0dPqcJbUQ3
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCfwNKMt7kt
“Eat, Sasuke. It’s going to get cold.”
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwAG7fD9d0k
.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1wveRMxg3y
.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOG9JeBq6Mq
.
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUIvuXHbNx4
He rolls the raspberries between his fingers, memories swirling in his head.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEvYgW5Spzb
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqtEMiKHQXi
He has always had a very good memory; and throughout his life, it has proved to be a curse more often than a blessing.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwiPsKwcelf
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX4QeDPqhZG
In this case, it is both at once.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSGxpNaPeQ7
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo6q95fx4bM
A redheaded toddler pulls him along to play on the backyard; a young girl holds him as he weeps for his parents and brother; a teenager kissing the raspberry lipstick off his lips.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW04Vlx3hBH
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBTrO2kD0fQ
A girl sending him off with a sad smile, and never looking back.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaXXL6fQSUK
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8WcwYrJekE
Broken promises.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKiepMR6CLA
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCBUt88VXKY
A call. A funeral.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiKN97KKV2f
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWD2F7jEQ5E
And tears.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw7Vx8Ee6Lv
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUaZwQxsfyk
Heartbreak.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyDubs3rhK6
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTPi2E4nr5e
Loneliness.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTx90T4ZVOf
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWMtqw1ytMx
…then there was nothing else.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡieCtv7BMsm
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRXwowpbuVz
And then there was everything all over again.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9rxlSNMVV5
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1oCBCVbCZO
Rinse and repeat over and over; relieving both the good and the bad, but not feeling the sunlight warm nor the pain sting. It was like a movie etched on his corneas—he saw it over and over whenever he had his eyes open, whenever he had his eyes closed. And by now he has seen it enough times to know every turn, every scene—and yet he can’t stop.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9eDHVtDMHg
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmsfX9ygmwl
He can’t stop.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡckObLvjnS9
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTmTavljSim
He does not want to.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJbGcePVuXJ
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyufk48Hzhc
One of the raspberries snaps, juice rolling down his fingers—but he does nothing to clean it up.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8AzZLVDsNF
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpcaBmgkTUh
The door creaks open.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbNEEXm8OQp
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3xx0kptEV2
“Uchiha-san, you have to eat.”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn1Xjxty2vh
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgrXj2FJj6E
The nurse says, more out of habit than anything else; but he is too far away to hear—583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc00YWTe7xz
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmJBF7x8py0
(“I’ll see you around… Sasuke,” comes her goodbye—and then there is a whirlwind of colors and images as the roll film reels back to their beginning.)583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡESAudmqRhF
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKgamTLAwVW
—and it’s been a year since the patient of the room 723 has pronounced a single word.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtUeAHF7Mmh
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRX1lNd8oUm
(And a five-year old Karin is smiling.)
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ77Iy9SQRA7
.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnHeQIKiv8Q
.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcA2ppPx8tG
.
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9YNHs8JzIv
When the first rays of the sun slip through the open curtains, Sasuke awakens only to find that it was one of those rare days when Karin has woken up first.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjtAUbVf8JY
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ26CZYoUyvu
For a blissful moment, he is ignorant; forgetful. He does not remember how weird she has been acting, does not remember the silences from the past couple of days—and so he is about to tease her about waking up so early when he realizes there was something very, very wrong—and any drowsiness is suddenly yanked from underneath him like a rug.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZA5bVBfXft
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUTrmfUvWGF
Karin was sitting on the bed, unnaturally straight and still; her eyes vacant and unseeing, telltale trails of dried tears on her cheeks.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU97OIcnFPI
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwSVymjWvsV
For an excruciatingly long moment, Sasuke is frozen in place—at a complete loss as to what to do. This was the first time he has ever seen Karin cry, and the sight makes an ugly feeling curl up in his gut.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4KkG31Zmxh
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBICN05W0Ya
“Karin…” his voice is faint; a tentative call more to spur himself into motion than to reach her. “Karin, what’s wrong?”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQHvBz83HSj
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuepjjC8nWA
She does not react—gives no signs of having heard him, and Sasuke is filled with a sense of foreboding so potent that it robs him of his breathing.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0pqG7avwWe
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLDWkfNazG1
And then she parts her lips.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLFaCa0CxUD
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7YU8DWhLRU
“Sasuke… I had a dream… a new one.”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDLd04oEeRX
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSfyahFPLkn
Sasuke swallows; what could she have possibly seen to put her in such a state?583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡngG4cq8boI
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWH0jyQKEfL
“Karin, I…” the redhead simply shakes her head, and to his ever-growing alarm there are fresh tears dripping from her eyes.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz2LrwMA2Bf
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9dqGMCuV8o
“Forget it, Sasuke… it’s better if you do.”
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHKG82p7C3g
.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhW5i0KWtVk
.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX4u28zkDsP
.
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6wPiqBosUO
She chokes on a distraught sob as she gathers his body in her arms, his blood seeping into her shirt and tainting it as crimson as her hair.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVwByZ0dMVf
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNzH12ed9zD
“Stop it, Karin. You were not supposed to care about him—”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeVBoWRMTmN
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbcLv4crRVW
“And you weren’t supposed to kill him! This was my job!” she growls, her sight blurry by unleashed tears—and despite it she can still clearly see the apathy in her coworker’s face.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡItX2p6aePO
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyH5q3N8H2U
It makes something in her tightly clench.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRgJ3c4HAXp
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr7U7ZhVp39
“Hn, you took too long. We couldn’t keep waiting for you to remember your roots. Did you forget you’re a spy, Karin? You’re trained for riding the world of bastards like these.”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKnB9R0yL9I
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyDjh1nggNa
And then he distastefully kicks him—he kicks Sasuke’s side, as if he were nothing but a sack of bones and skin—and something in her snaps.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeC0i6j6pbL
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNK9ASn6uRb
She is taking her gun out and blowing his brains out before he has got time to even think—and as the body falls to the ground with a sick thud, Karin wipes off her tears—smearing her cheeks with Sasuke’s blood—and loads the gun again.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS6Efy1tTT1
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjUxwYGgIpr
She can hear them coming from her, and she knows she won’t be able to escape—but that was fine.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeBP0tN7BR6
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzP7sfaoFpd
She would take as many of them as she possibly could before going down, and—583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvOrxjkbARG
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwlma6BhGgo
“…we’ll meet soon, Sasuke.”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKzO1silmsL
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS9eWfuXX0x
—and Sasuke had always liked souvenirs.
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIFfGCu3U9Y
.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhENYDFPbVw
.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxOaNrBpCu8
.
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFBYATPpZ5N
He is crudely woken up by Karin screaming his name.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn3SIQBNOqe
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjJHtLIidRU
Her yells are shrill and terrified; and they do not stop, no matter how much he shakes her, how much he calls out to her.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUIQWiDSs3d
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfRpGHvJlGr
In fact—she seemed to only be getting worse.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfTTE9dQODA
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyVrlJKyg5n
“Sasuke, no—!”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFaqND1TUd4
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhGHAjm1RID
“Karin! Karin, wake up!” he has her seized by her shoulders, but Karin trashes in his hold; so he brushes the bangs off her forehead instead, trying to soothe her nightmares with his touch. “It’s fine, I’m here, I won’t let anyone hurt—”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd6fh5ydJ9v
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGvan3CCUqH
But his sincere promise is cut short by her terrified sob.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO5Mg1ndvsp
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg3M5ZuhQK8
“N-no, Sasuke—get away from me!”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXyFgGepmEm
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNu5g0OnMRG
Sasuke jumps back, as if burnt. “W-what…?”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGK5PEn57e4
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJKbrZ8nJBf
He could not believe his ears—she was frightened—of him?583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5wLvghH1Qr
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjUV99vP3PU
He leans back; backs off the bed and steps into the cold floor, his mind whirling—and it’s then a memory sneaks into his conscious. Uninvited, and terrible with the clarity it brings him.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgy6ytiP7MY
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuQwYcAVWOy
‘… They weren’t always nice, Sasuke. They rarely were.’583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ32YN0HNNPf
‘What weren’t?’583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCmepgYgwBQ
‘...You.’583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3BkVADNCq1
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGoz3nhRaGH
The thought makes trepidation mercilessly grip his heart—and he can do nothing but helplessly watch as Karin twists and turns in her sleep, battling against ghosts he cannot see.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQSeWPomOFO
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMEs9vDONO4
Ghosts he has started to fear, too.
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkta9h5sYG8
.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1tod6V9wkv
.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3P5BaYZzgS
.
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD4QbhHQZIj
“Karin,” he whispers affectionately, caressing her cheek with his right hand, “I need you.”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡreX8SWBXFF
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFYX5U1tyBH
Karin swallows the knot in her throat and forces her knees to remain firm, “I—I know, so plea—”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB5SOSheB2V
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMoYJMMNZl7
“You’re the only one for me,” he talks over her, as if she hadn’t said a word. And Karin cannot fight the shiver that runs down her spine as something cold is pressed to her ribcage, right in between her breasts. “That’s why… I must to do this.”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQqj6mme3EX
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv0N3whzPkt
“Sasuke,” her voice is hoarse, her eyes begging him to rethink this—to be reasonable. But Sasuke simply shakes his head and smiles an impossibly sad smile, his thumb tracing her bottom lip, which has started to quiver.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCvQW90SOdD
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv0yubxPm91
“I’ll see you soon… Karin.”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrKEgoSf585
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaN0sP4BWpU
He says, and his words are as loud as the gunshot that follows.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCuIGSOU8nZ
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQqAq03XpES
And then her lifeless body is crumbling to the ground, his soon to follow.
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGFYxUHLbAq
.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxS52dNHhqV
.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmT8Q95hbzl
.
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDqhUF1J3NU
“What was I doing to you?”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHYGIQ6zoiy
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0v917H0RdW
“… I don’t remember.”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡze0RQ6uJ0N
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqX2BhhiFMX
Sasuke shuts his eyes close, his hands gripping the sheets. It would be so much easier to pretend to believe her; to pretend there was nothing wrong. To pretend he didn’t spend the whole night fighting the desperation gripping at his core as he watched her shake in her turmoil-filled sleep; longing for it to end, dreading what would happen once it did.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiiTKoncALJ
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZHr26VwZIu
But he has played that game long enough.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1ChFMd24NI
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡebQOqhzs1W
He cannot continue to allow himself to remain blissfully unaware while she battles on her own.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVLhoeZLabF
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡesdfHJ7vIs
“Don’t lie to me, Karin.”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5LgZjYSGWL
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAyKckEgSkP
“I’m not lying, Sasuke… I can’t remember what I dreamed,” Karin whispers, and a shiver runs down his spine as she places her cold hand atop of his own; it was trembling. “…But I can remember the rest.”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv19rVEkvim
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBLrpEkBb9z
He is shaking, too—and so he uncurls his fists and entwines his fingers with hers, and makes the one request that would surely change everything.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWQRtwjdDgp
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRAb04Pr36D
“…Tell me the truth, Karin.”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCkns2Jc8ob
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1Rd0JgtI3g
Karin takes a deep breath, and Sasuke braces himself.
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRhq8dU7p3p
.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ88XbnnGfcO
.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyrHXkKhjDP
.
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWiMxJs6y0K
The world seems to slow to a halt as she coughs up blood, the sword cleanly piercing her chest and stopping dangerously close to his own heart.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtRV51ERXqy
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtsIFGLVQB7
He can only stare, eyes wide, at the back of her head—the vibrant strands of hair tickling his face as she takes an involuntary step backward—and then there is a cold flush of liquid splaying all over his shirt as the sword is pulled out and she begins to crumble down like a leaf—583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7xDm7UKgLE
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEhJaazi6Ay
And her name leaves his lips in the form of a horrified call—one that is cut short by her strained smile.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHrUJAH4oeW
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjcGvT5Ct5E
“Idiot, I… told you… to move, Sasuke…”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa50tJMwDFw
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc2UlYTpXcM
“Stop talking, Karin,” he ushers, and his vision blurs. Despite it he thinks he sees her smile widening, and he cradles her closer to his chest, tries to ignore the blood seeping from her body at an alarmingly fast pace. “You need to save your strength, Sakura is c—”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOk7kVbRaGC
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPdrvYwvmm8
“Sa…suke,” and though her voice is nothing but a dying whisper, he is rendered silent at once. “Promise me… you won’t… die.”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCLh5GFP452
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrI4spxrB0f
His teeth clatter and sink on his lip, drawing blood—and suddenly he is yelling. “You are the idiot, Karin! Why?! Why would you do that for me? Did you forget what I did to you? I thought you said you wouldn’t! I thought you said you would—”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH2QAcrnSBZ
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNAejxaHXKC
“—make you… regret it… I know,” her smile looks like unleashed tears. “I admit… this… wasn’t exactly… what I had… in mind.”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtL9qJmng7D
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡunlVLMetga
There is a choked sob—and he barely registers it is his own.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh8PgxP4tMN
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmmJzTOsQW7
She does, though—and her fingertips come to softly brush away the tears from the corner of his eyes, leaving telltale traces of crimson instead.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9gWEJLPtxA
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgiVF2RCMLp
“Don’t… all I want…ed… is for you… to smile… like that day.”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4ytOL6TUZZ
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0DBl6taRx2
He knows at once what she means—but the memories feel light-years away; they are colored in grays and smeared with blood, and for the life of him—for the life of her—he cannot find it in himself the will to smile.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAHjhiuRyRj
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh3qxPdKP1H
And she slips away through his hesitation like he had always slipped through her fingers.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjOKVa1VkIk
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSVgG3DfduR
“See ya… Sasuke.”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEWaXXHgxwR
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9F2WJNZV7n
Her hand drops and her body goes cold, and all his lips seem to be able to do is call her name—a name accompanied by lonesome apologies and regrets that would never get either of them anywhere.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzZ0UCGL1QE
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyiGQinjgkC
He never seems to be able to get anywhere, ever, not even when he is trying to—but if he could—if only he could do it all over again, he—583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDcGIdZ40J4
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWGIkBrI7xD
Mere hours later, his body is the one to drop lifelessly to the ground—and it’s all over before he can realize the smile that grazes his lips.
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ28yrBvV5iB
.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJfwpOIQ3Cy
.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSsoYdfizcR
.
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ11uWBNnbkF
A terrible silence has descended upon them.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ2LO5YuhhG
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHlq90J6fzg
He has retreated to the edge of the bed, his elbows sinking on his knees and his horrified face cradled in his shaking hands.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUh4b9L7lOk
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS22g4VBfDY
“Why…?” and he does not know it, but it always seemed to come to this very question. “Why are you with me, despite all the things I’ve done to you?”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSQpqwhAJFr
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡATkpF7H8x3
Karin watches his desolated back and has a hard time swallowing the lump in her throat, “Because… they are not you, Sasuke.”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDVTIUJgRov
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ60xbX4YLa1
He says nothing in response—can not possibly wrap his mind around her words, Karin knows. And so she softly crawls to him and drapes her arms around his neck, leans her cheek on the side of his head, closes her eyes, and smiles.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn3Bwzcggta
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMki9DkmkZV
“And, above all…”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAA3hjE2NB6
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmlto1m1ab2
The smile is strained—but resolute. Serene. It says nothing and everything at once. And despite himself, Sasuke finds solace in her touch—his own hand coming to seize her own as her words carry over to him, a simple truth that at once gives him hope and clogs his throat with trepidation.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDkCt4LI4r0
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJHmVFfeKQ9
“…Above all, I want to see how this one ends.”
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRbibbh4Qym
.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg1T9usGkly
.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYTF7fs3w7v
.
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOgL7Oc4Ymx
It happens a sunny morning as she trips and a bear lunges at her, its roar so deafening that she thought her head would burst before the beast would get to sink its teeth on her flesh.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoM1MRWw2rL
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlJ1ojyFZbO
Except that it doesn’t get to.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCONxBPyJZS
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9B2rsvwHZe
And when she puts her glasses back on, her sight is met by a smile that would carve itself on her mind and set ablaze a flame that would burn just as strongly and lastingly as the eyes of the boy she would never, ever forget.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfDcWt5ojj4
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl1TzNdImuS
“See ya.”583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLdPw7VoDXz
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFIdWsPTQwo
This is what I give,583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTWaofexawF
A circle is complete.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5XHMimtqfd
Another circle spins583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJfrLeVEHGq
There's life within,583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTKIfxQ1K2R
Within
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuoJS9yNpNI
end.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOQoKksmygf
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ36aGW6ydL9
Ok! Now you guys should understand what I meant by the warnings at the beginning; I tried to make each SK set of reincarnations distinctly different from each other, both in personalities, dynamics, and backgrounds; so they indeed diverge from the Sasuke and Karin we're used to, as they have all grown in different environments. All the same, I tried to keep some traits of their canon personalities, so hopefully, they aren't absurdly OOC.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgL2pLxLDKy
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIVWjZo1ujW
That said~! The song used at the beginning is Kitade Nana’s Tsukihana, and the one at the end is Blue Foundation’s Bonfires. Now, onto random details about the fic~ there are five versions of SasuKarin total in the fic; the originals, and 4 pairs of reincarnations.583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjAZ5qxKS5w
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaGKLVoq57w
The format of the fic didn’t allow me to expand and truly explain each particular set, so if you are curious about any of them drop me a comment and I’ll tell you their background and/or explain anything you may be wondering about~!583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwPskMC892A
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfvk7WHcc1g
For now, though, I must mention a couple of things about the 4th SK pair (aka, the most controversial - the one with cute!Karin and businessman!Sasuke); their meeting (the umbrella thing) was completely inspired by a real-life story I read here, and overly-jealous-and-possessive-Sasuke was inspired by might 'Anyone's Ghost' SK AMV, here. I debated a bit about this version because it's kind of hard to imagine a Karin who would allow Sasuke to be that way with her; but then again, this particular Karin is less headstrong than the one we know and love. So I decided to leave it as it lol Also, his overdone “I love you(s)” and cheesiness, while sincere, were meant to be creepy and manipulative; I really hope they came out that way lol583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGJvvYp3Opj
583Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡujUrSeYDb0
Thanks for reading! ♥
Tags: fanfic, karin, naruto, sasukarin, sasuke
ns216.73.216.158da2
