[FANFIC - HBD, KARIN! PII] READING BETWEEN THE LINES ; (SK)
By: Kanae (Goth-Punk88 @ ff.net)559Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7OMxYldONy
Rating: K+559Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjLYw1lYAz7
Word Count: 1.956559Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmArrfV7RYw
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 lol559Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡERrqh16Yr8
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reading between the lines ;559Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFX4kNPzPQq
by Kanae559Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUgHRctskkJ
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Stupid Orochimaru.559Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsKZlVMYDDV
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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.559Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZa8Qqb3nul
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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.559Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnfuv5dzYpQ
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And now it would be ruined.559Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNPGprejLlt
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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.559Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE4DAD1FumZ
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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.559Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLiPqYPk3sS
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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.559Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwAos0LYXeZ
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Understood. You won’t be disappointed, Orochimaru-sama.559Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQs71ISMnj5
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The man had simply smirked, mirth in those gashes he had for eyes. I know.559Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJL0nv4azVS
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Karin knew, too, even though she rather wished she didn’t.559Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ9wQeGXkOz
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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.559Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqGE8ODrIUy
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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.559Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxVGYItkec9
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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.559Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3noU640qmv
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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.559Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp10HaE5XP7
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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.559Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRQ5GLrXbd0
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So focused was she on her thoughts, that she does not realize the chakra approaching her until he speaks.559Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDsADPnCUbV
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“Still packing, Karin?”559Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc0zXhrNZUn
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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.559Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRjKCArBgxK
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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.”559Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdqKxJVlY4R
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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.”559Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU1RKPH2rSu
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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?559Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu777Yqhb21
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Oh. Right.559Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfXHLvgeWZP
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It takes her a considerable amount of will to repress the sigh that wanted to leave her lips, “Whatever.”559Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2y3vUgP698
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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.559Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡphoSRa9PlD
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“…You shouldn’t leave your door open like this, there.”559Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIdS6jO82z5
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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.”559Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3wlihULbA0
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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.”559Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzhnQkvN5fI
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“I’ve never been there.”559Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrMEL9fLCoc
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“… I see.”559Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrty3TR4YGV
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Silence. For Orochimaru to have never taken Sasuke there, it could only mean one thing—559Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP6JGoO0dd1
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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…”559Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuF6V20eBfG
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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.559Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjCmhPDNXk1
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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.559Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBPNQiilUlF
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Sasuke.559Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOwBsnSzmYI
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“Heh, so you asked him?”559Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm42hxtakbe
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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?”559Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKKsofqOqjS
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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.”559Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt1TMytxhHh
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“I’m not worried, Karin.”559Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEMJsqQqUq9
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Karin snorts, “Sure you aren’t.”559Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsG0tjUapMx
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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.559Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhEvSYywORC
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Anytime soon. Her eyes widen.559Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVG1sFA6Bh5
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“Say, Sasuke, did you ask Orochimaru for how long will I be there?”559Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLc6VEtqYr7
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He does not reply immediately; and in his silence, Karin hears the reply loudest of all. “… It’s undetermined.”559Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO2bfPhaJyX
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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.559Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWPFhlnK9w7
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Chances are she would not get to talk, feel or bicker with Sasuke for months.559Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeOV5GqKU6B
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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.559Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡywZr0SbRRs
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“… It won’t be that long, Karin.”559Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0XxI14FCIR
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When she looks at him, she finds a dangerous glint sharpening his eyes and at once knows what he means.559Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsQPxf77jyR
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Orochimaru would not be around for much longer.559Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuO0g6kSvfb
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Karin swallows, a shot of adrenaline reigniting her veins.559Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6zqdAfVwLT
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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.559Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw6CukWRmU5
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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.”559Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSJpINCPvxI
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“Hn.”559Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwGACWNWfaO
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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.559Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrRVxgcK7TY
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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.559Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFdRNJyHYB8
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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—559Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhf4zS3ZhU4
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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.559Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGveozfAKjM
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As will she.559Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp6XVgpNrMA
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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.559Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpmNJi4mfSq
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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.559Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfq5wtbredL
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Flabbergasted, Karin can only catch the pouch that is suddenly thrown at her, “Huh?”559Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhneWyo7SBC
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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.”559Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrDhnVLzAQ1
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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.”559Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHrBA75Xlwy
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“See ya, Karin.”559Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1pJilGks3R
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“Later, Sasuke.”559Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAxygoKouWM
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It is almost as embarrassing as her treacherous blush, but for a moment, Karin had actually thought—559Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf6rH8GPWPM
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“Pft, as if.”559Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr0RmkyeA0W
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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.559Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYEp6gHmUhA
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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.559Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOb3Ev4EdjL
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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.559Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBTOOc0Q4eX
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She blinks—once, twice—and then her smile morphs into a full blown smirk, her fingertips longingly tracing the pattern.559Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoG02sQeAup
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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—559Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvbgqGePLDj
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At the end, it all amounted to the same.559Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmBZewvJPMz
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“Happy birthday,” Karin mutters, an enthusiastic glint in her eye. “Uchiha Karin.”559Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWg6MkHo36J
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end.
tags: fanfic, karin, naruto, sasukarin, sasuke
ns216.73.216.82da2
