ONESHOT - SASUKARIN; 5 TIMES SASUKE FELL FOR KARIN
Back when I wrote 5 times Karin cried in front of Sasuke (and one time she didn't), I mentioned that I had in mind a piece following the same criteria but from Sasuke's POV - now, two years later, I've finally written it lol621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzlB3DvfXUq
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Title: 5 times Sasuke fell for Karin (and the one time he realized it)621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh6dXf2QWGs
By: Kanae (Goth-Punk88 @ ff.net)621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYVZljZKfWt
Rating: K+621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVonc8eoYpo
Word Count: 3.466621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0klfCNQbLV
Author's Notes: Most of it takes place during the time-skip; however, the very last vignette takes place post-series. So we're dealing with a redeemed Sasuke who no longer carries the weight of his revenge around and a Karin that has also gone through her fair share of stuff. So their behavior will, of course, be different. - There is also a line that was inspired by a RoyAi (Fullmetal Alchemist) quote ♥
five times Sasuke fell for Karin;621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlfYSWPzwrd
(and the one time he realized it)
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“Do you understand, Karin?”621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ96B7IyXUzW
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“…Yeah.”621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMKEA0sV3C0
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Her agreement is absent-minded, her voice no more than a mere mutter, and Sasuke finds his brows lightly furrowing at the girls’ disposition. Alas, he has not done more than part his lips when an all too familiar rustling catches his ears and takes his attention away from the redhead.621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzloFJm7Cbl
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A snake was sliding up the trunk of a nearby tree, and as it curled and made itself comfortable on a branch, its reptile eyes squarely met Sasuke’s, its tongue darting out to hiss at him in a language of sounds that he could not understand—but that got the message across, either way.621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlmBfDa12HK
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Orochimaru wants to see you.621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡty7IJY7vA6
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Sasuke’s eyes narrow with annoyance, his tongue clicking against his front teeth. “Karin,” he calls, averting his eyes from the serpent and back to the girl, who had been also watching the animal with half-interest.621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk1Uj0qYJwr
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“It’s fine,” she says, in reply to words that Sasuke had yet to speak—and so the boy closes his lips, evenly staring at her in silence instead. There is no surprise in his gaze; this has been happening with increasing frequency lately, and by now he has almost come to expect it—but there is a certain degree of wariness.621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1Maf6NwALj
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If he is that easy to look through, then how can he expect to fulfill his plan without raising Orochimaru’s suspicions? Karin’s acute perception made him question himself, and he did not like that. He most definitely did not like the thought of being read so aptly.621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWQaawKYRss
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Despite that, for some reason his annoyance never directed itself at her. “I will be back. You keep practicing.”621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlDgvTHgjtY
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Karin accepts his directions with a noncommittal nod, and Sasuke gives her one last look before jumping to the nearest tree, dashing past the snake that had come to deliver the message and back to the lair.621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRJFzvOwDCH
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It’s been a little over two weeks since Orochimaru had taken the girl in—a little over two weeks since Sasuke had laid eyes on the redhead for the second time, this time finding her unscratched and unmoving but surrounded by death. By the corpses of those she held dear—and Sasuke, quite frankly, did not know what to make of her yet. Fact that unnerved him, because more often than not he would find himself relating to her; recognizing himself in the blankness of her stare, in the lack of drive behind the movements of her fingers. And that was no good—that was not to be allowed. Last time such a thing had happened, it had brought him Naruto—and he knew damn well how well that had turned out.621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUsRmEajRy7
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I can’t afford such distractions, he concludes to himself—even less so when more often than not, he found himself feeling mildly concerned for the girl who had lost everything, just as he had.621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6LQFtDYxLX
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It’s been two weeks, and she still looked every bit as dead as she had when they found her.
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Damn Orochimaru, Sasuke complains inwardly as he rushes back to the lake, dashing through the trees. Calling him for something so trivial, he had Kabuto for such matters; Sasuke was only there to be trained, not to—621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZIy7sTTMIS
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His thoughts halt at the same time his steps slow to a stop, as the lake comes into view and alongside it, Karin.621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDbB3nP3tgr
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A Karin who was soaked from head to toe, but that was standing steadily right on the middle of the lake, her head raised upwards towards the sky, the rays of the sun bathing her form whole and drawing golden highlights on her vivid red hair.621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQRZMsSgZYk
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Her name comes to his lips but becomes a stifled, unfinished call as the girl turns towards him and gives him a breathless, joyful grin that brought life to her eyes and steals the breath right from his lungs.621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOJjC2NhihA
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“I did it!” Karin calls out, an uncharacteristic display of candor that was more in tune with the girl he had come across four months ago than with the carcass he had found two weeks ago.621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaVlLbRP9wR
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“Heh, I can see that.” Sasuke assesses, and it is only then that he realizes he is smirking.621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdheypFf9pZ
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Karin was a fast learner.621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5o44xKH9f9
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2.
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“Why are you with Orochimaru, Sasuke?” Karin inquires one evening as they eat in silence, one of those rare occasions where neither Orochimaru nor Kabuto were around to intrude.621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ69O3EPUzwT
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Sasuke does not raise his eyes from his plate, the reply coming to him entirely too easy, “To become more powerful.”621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4jLv3SEeBH
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“What for?” Karin asks this time, tilting her head to the side. Sasuke’s eyes do flicker towards her then, and he finds the redhead frowning and giving him a curious look. “You don’t look like the kind of guy who would willingly stick with Orochimaru to grow more powerful, just for the kicks.”621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDlF1osL8kZ
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There Karin went again. Inwardly, Sasuke sighs. Karin was becoming more and more straight-forward as time passed; and that, coupled with her uncanny perception and sharp tongue, was proving to be a dangerous combination.621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeyQpiZPhR5
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Slowly but surely, Sasuke was beginning to learn that there was no point in keeping things from the redhead.621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwn8NndIBNy
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“I seek the power to kill one man,” he states, and cannot really help the way his hold on the chopsticks tightens a fraction as that name rolls out his tongue. “Uchiha Itachi.”621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI9FrbgE2iv
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Karin blinks, “Uchiha…?”621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl8mMZ5O5RF
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“Yes. Uchiha Itachi, my older brother,” he reveals, steadily. “My traitorous, murderous bastard of a brother.”621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡocbsGO4aak
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Silence envelops the table, and when Sasuke raises his face and gazes into her eyes Karin holds them there. To his surprise, Karin did not look startled or disgusted—if anything, the Karin returning his stare looked resolute, reliable, imperious; and Sasuke finds himself incapable of looking away.621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡClzRcG8y81
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When Karin speaks, no whys come out of her lips. “Do you know where to find him?”621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKXZVaiODYX
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She asks, and it is slowly that Sasuke shakes his head—a negative. Karin’s gaze sets, then; her eyes boring into his, without hesitation.621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyLzsxFsJ5T
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“Then it’s settled; I will help you.”621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHXk9udGpD1
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Sasuke parts his lips, but it is a futile gesture—one that draws a tight-lipped, but reassuring smile on Karin’s lips.621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFirV7msT6Y
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I will help you, her silence seemed to be repeating through her gaze—and everything falls into place.621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPowfp3ERFD
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3.
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“Karin,” he calls, but receives no reply.621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgUGFG8QjT0
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He had come back from a job Orochimaru had asked him to do only to find the lair submerged in silence; an eerie, unnatural silence that made discomfort settle and nest inside of his gut.621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUHquk972qd
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There’s something wrong here, that he knows, but he does not know what—and that puts him on edge. Even more so, because—621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxYyj3FibWq
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“Karin!”621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDxqFre0HUa
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The redhead was nowhere to be found. Sasuke does not think Orochimaru would dispose of her, not when she was shaping up to be such a valuable asset—but the man was as unpredictable as he was twisted, and Sasuke had a bad feeling. He has had a bad feeling from the moment Orochimaru sent him out while placing a bony hand on Karin’s shoulder, the girl obviously struggling with herself to not squirm under his touch.621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM76dHA3jpL
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I’ll be fine, her eyes had seemed to affirm, wordlessly commanding him to leave, and though unconvinced, Sasuke had left. But now—it seemed his instincts had been right, after all.621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSJmUcDYzr4
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“Karin!” He tries again, and while he receives no reply from the redhead, another voice chimes in her stead.621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSzmNdHPJNi
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“My, Sasuke-kun, why the ruckus?” Kabuto questions, and Sasuke turns only to find the silver-haired man standing at the entrance of one of the rooms employed for human experimentation. Sasuke is about to rudely dismiss the man’s intervention—Kabuto was always more trouble than he was worth, and he never shut up—when his eyes take in the droplets of blood splattered across his gray sleeves, and cautious—suspicious—his gaze slides back to the man’s black eyes only to notice the weird glint possessing them.621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA2UJbTMcD4
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Sasuke’s back stiffens, his features contorting in a vicious frown. “Where is Karin?”621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM05yvYgx1I
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“Oh, you’re looking for her?” Kabuto says, feigning ignorance—playing the fool in a way Sasuke has grown to despise. His act creaks however as the man cannot hold back the smirk that begins to curve his lips; “You should’ve said so before, Sasuke-kun!”621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaPcZgjEZbv
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Sasuke is roughly pushing past him and into the room even before Kabuto can have the pleasure of saying she is inside—only to come to a halt as his eyes land on the stretcher disposed on the center of the room; the stretcher upon which sat a redhead, her back turned towards Sasuke.621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUBPWZOx6Ac
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“Karin,” he calls, and again the girl remains silent. It is while feeling a strong, wild sense of foreboding that Sasuke circles the stretcher—and the more he saw, the more his eyes widened with agitation.621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxKsb3Mct23
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Karin was hurriedly buttoning up her shirt—trying to prevent Sasuke from realizing what had just been done to her. But her unexposed skin conveys the message just fine—the bloodied, tattered mess her left forearm had become, chunks of skin cleanly torn off and revealing nothing but a raw, red maze underneath and—and—621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmqR1oTWnSv
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The bite marks. There were two, three, four bite marks tracing Karin’s arm from her wrist up to her elbow, and—Sasuke’s insides turn into stone.621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAxA6AnDqQy
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There was a bite mark cruelly and roughly carved on the side of Karin’s neck.621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3ESpsVw7c1
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Sasuke sees red and the tomoe start to spin inside his sharingan, his cursed seal reacting and burning at his neck, asking for Kabuto’s blood.621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXf3khWCI7X
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“Wait!”621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ74Yugzr5RW
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Karin calls, reaching out and grabbing a hold of his wrist before Sasuke could leave the room. He darts his sharingan to her only briefly, anger making his head throb. “Let go, Karin.” He commands through a hiss, but Karin does not bulge; if anything, her hold strengthens, her eyes narrowing.621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvrWsvQtn3B
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“Get a hold of yourself, Sasuke! You will be playing right into his game if you attack him!”621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡapTC18MXzM
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The thought of satisfying Kabuto or not mattered little to Sasuke now, even less so as he saw the way Karin’s arm—the one with careless teeth marks carved all over—trembled as she held his wrist. “Let go of me, Karin!” He snarls, but Karin does not back down.621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrz3XRQhme0
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“I don’t need you to defend me, Sasuke!” Karin growls, and her words make Sasuke stop, surprise taking over his features and mixing in with the blind rage. “I’m not some useless little girl who needs you to play knight in shining armor, so drop the act!”621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYQL2lw51mK
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That—defending her, it had not been his intention. Sasuke did not wish to defend anyone but his Clan’s honor, the honorable memory they had left behind; that was the only thing he cared about enough to defend. The one and only.621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcw8UR2kl0s
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His sharigan melts into obsidian once again as his cursed seal stops aching. He had not wished to defend Karin—he had not. Seeing her reduced to a test subject at the mercy of a man like Kabuto made Sasuke feel indignant, was all. Especially when he had left her in such a state.621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3coOWwaVqY
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“… What did he do to you, Karin?” Sasuke asks after a long moment of silence, and it is only then that Karin lets go of his wrist and reaches out for the gauze and bandages lying on the surgeon’s table by the stretcher.621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7Pt8bD8K0Q
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“W-well… it seems I heal really fast,” she begins to explain, and Sasuke bites back the no shit that had made its way to his tongue. That much was something they both knew well; it was hard not to notice it when wounds that took weeks to fade for Sasuke were gone in mere days when it came to the redhead. “Apparently, this… regenerative ability of mine’s is related to my chakra. Kabuto wondered if it could be used to heal others aside from myself, and… it turns out that it can.”621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ96GYyBy7AS
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Sasuke frowns faintly, “How?”621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcGkFnyFb20
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Karin’s silence confirms his thoughts even before her voice does. “By letting others suck on my chakra. Kabuto made it so that it would be possible through… biting me.”621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUnPZlQCO0p
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The redhead raises her eyes then, meeting Sasuke’s head on and wordlessly daring him to react the way he had before—the unspoken warning helps Sasuke keep his anger under control, but it coils inside of him, cold and dangerous—he knew well just why Orochimaru wanted Karin to heal in such a fashion. “…They will use you, Karin.”621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8f1i6W9aH7
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Karin does not flinch at the way Sasuke spits his words, gritted through his teeth; instead, she smiles. “I know.”621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE6H5xfrwNx
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Sasuke can only stare, flabbergasted at the serenity present in Karin’s smile—and his surprise morphs and serves as a threshold to something entirely different as Karin looks away, her bangs hiding her eyes from his view.621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5cY5W7RySi
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“But this ability is now mine. And... it will help whomever I work with, once Orochimaru is gone.”621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0dWVJlUDQ3
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The meaning behind her words dawns on Sasuke like a blanket, and as he assimilates it his body relaxes; his fists unclenching.621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvpwbr5PwSF
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“…Let me, Karin,”621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZhRFHDJy2z
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He takes the gauze from her hands and cleans her wounds himself; and while Karin does flinch, she does not utter a single complaint—and Sasuke finds his body coiling in an entirely different way as his flesh brushes hers and the weight of her stare sits comfortably on the back of his head.621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8xcDQcPr4J
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4.
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Sasuke crumbles to the ground with a dry thud, a surge of blood pouring out from the gaping gash in his torso and splattering to the ground with a sickening splash. He grits his teeth as he presses his hand against the wound and looks down to evaluate the damage; it was bad. A little more and he could’ve got a punctured lung.621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡerWw2Xijex
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“Sasuke!” calls a voice, and Karin is at his side at once, pulling her sleeve back and offering him her forearm to bite. Sasuke does not hesitate—they had done this enough times already—and this time Karin bites back her usual moan in order to lecture him through gritted teeth. “S-seriously, Sasuke! What were you thinking, charging like that?!”621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyV3j4Quf9R
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“Karin’s right, Sasuke-kun,” Orochimaru agrees, his husky voice stretching every syllable and making Sasuke dizzy with disgust rather than out of blood loss, “That was quite the reckless deflection. If I had meant to kill you, you would be gone.”621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAocPlgzRbb
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“Shut… up…!” Sasuke breathes out with some effort, as Karin takes her arm back and pulls her sleeve down. “Stop… talking, and come at me… again!”621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvOtsTe1qBR
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Karin lets out a surprised huh?! as Sasuke tries to stand up again, but the Uchiha pays it no heed, his eyes set on Orochimaru, who shakes his head with a smirk.621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIAy632bOOR
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“You won’t be able to lay a finger on me in such a pitiful state, Sasuke-kun.”621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVaxF4yYrVO
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“I said… shut up!” Sasuke scowls, gasping for breath still, but before he could manage to stand on his own two feet a rough pull on his arm has made him sink back to the ground. Startled and indignant, Sasuke looks up only to meet Karin’s angry red eyes.621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIVmzstOmiX
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“Are you deaf, Sasuke?! Your state is pitiful! You totally beat up! You don’t even have much chakras left—what the hell do you think you’re doing, asking to continue?!”621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJF55ietb2e
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“Karin…” Sasuke warns, his eyes narrowing—but he cannot even finish his sentence as Karin reaches out and roughly seizes the collar of his shirt, angrily pulling him to her face.621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI4kw6NcIXi
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“Don’t you dare tell me to stay out of it, Sasuke! No way in hell am I staying aside while you get yourself killed out of sheer stupidity!” Karin all but growls, those red eyes of hers smoldering with raw fury like Sasuke had never seen her sporting before, her warm breath tickling his nose with her every word, and Sasuke finds himself at a loss of words—his own anger evaporating like wind under the fire burning in her gaze and setting his own body aflame, drying up his throat.621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjB7fW4zV4J
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Sasuke can distinctly hear Orochimaru chuckling, somewhere—but it sounds far, far away as Karin’s voice softens to a caress.621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ84tOwE16jp
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“… I am not letting you die on me, Sasuke. Ever.”621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3JF4ZDu7kb
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5.621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZY20YLIVwc
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This happened every year, but somehow it never got any easier—it never got any less painful. The pain scarred, yes; but it never quite faded. And with every memory, with every thought he gave to that fateful day, the pain only worsened.621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtWJ2If5kVv
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Back when he resided in Konoha, it was downright impossible to find real quietness; even if he were to remain secluded in the compound, the echoes of villagers laughing and living would always reach him. Like mementos of what his own clan could’ve been doing had Itachi not murdered them.621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbSSXuMgLIS
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Now that he is in Oto, however, silence comes only too easily. It envelops him, overwhelms him—and in it, Sasuke finds no solace. On the contrary, he finds an empty echo that made loneliness soundlessly slide into every single creak of his being, settling in the beatings of his heart and in the creases of his palms.621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoEj9RHP4vJ
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It threatens to make Sasuke succumb to it—and it is then that Karin wordlessly takes a seat by his side and takes his hand in hers, her warm touch anchoring him down to the present and pushing away—however slightly, however briefly—the ghosts of the past who were trying to take him back with them.621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH1s4Oq8Y7G
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“Karin,” he whispers, and if Karin notices how choked his voice is, she says nothing of it. “…Will you follow me?”621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuTVetdoZ0O
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He does not know why he feels the need to ask such a thing—but when Karin gives his hand a reassuring squeeze, he finds that he does not quite care about the reasons.621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjLWopIKOCn
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“If that's what you want, Sasuke… then even to hell.”621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxBSz1TEhEy
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And suddenly, it gets easier to breathe.621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhAYAaGoSCb
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0.
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“You came,”621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN9t8qSC4Cl
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He says blandly, and Karin snorts.621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7I16M1nJ3Z
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“I told you before, didn’t I? I keep my word.” Sasuke says nothing in turn—can find nothing to say, and so Karin snorts again and comes to stand by his side, looking over Konoha for a moment before inquiring, with mild curiosity, “Where to, from here?”621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbjTyCN7NqH
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“I don’t know,” Sasuke replies, with honesty—but he finds himself feeling more at peace with the uncertainty of his future now than he did before Karin walked in. The knowledge picks his curiosity, but he does not feel confused—and somehow it makes the corner of his lips upturned into a smile. “I guess we will find out as we go.”621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfpvar9BIuY
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Karin accepts his reply with a nod, and as a soft breeze blows past them Sasuke allows himself to look away from the village and at the girl standing by his side—her red hair had gotten longer, and her features had hardened—but she was still Karin. The same Karin whose life he saved back in the Forest of Death, the same Karin who had saved his life more times than he could count.621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwZR3tVNnk1
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And right then, under the warm rays of the setting sun, Sasuke found that he thought her beautiful. It is an alien thought—but one that he knows is true given the way it seems to settle in his consciousness as if fitting in like the missing piece of a puzzle.621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOexfDdhcHF
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Karin seems to feel the weight of his gaze because she turns to face him—and Sasuke finds a smile dancing in her lips, a knowing but happy gleam in her half-lidded red eyes.621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsEmbqegKfZ
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“It’s about time,” she teases, and another piece falls into place.621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBgme9HOMDD
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“… You haven’t taken your glasses off yet,” he comments, and his words steal a laugh from Karin—the sound is light and merry and enticing, and his heart reacts to it before his mind has gotten the chance to assimilate it—spurring his hand into motion.621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg3Y3MHWPgZ
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When his fingers come in touch with her cheek, Karin draws in a breath—but neither of them is truly taken aback by his boldness, and that is, probably, what surprises Sasuke the most.621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaxdWHXJfmH
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“…Idiot,” Karin mutters fondly, clasping his hand with her own and leaning into his touch, letting her eyes shut close.621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMn6m9Arggd
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And it’s then that Sasuke understands, once and for all—what had always tied him to this girl above all others, despite his better judgment, despite his desire to remain unaware and think otherwise.621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdmnJyweCUa
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But it was impossible to deny, now—and more importantly, he no longer had the desire to do so.621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtmttXQUUIh
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“Karin…”621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9tHlmiYCpT
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“I know,” Karin says, and the look in her eyes makes Sasuke feel at home.621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1fXohb5VLq
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.end621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1z7yDgYjWD
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I evidently hurried the last vignette a bit; mostly because I wanted to keep it vague, and were I to write Sasuke's realization step by step it would take pages lol it's better to let you guys fill in the blanks~ but to add some context to it, Karin actually kissed Sasuke sometime before he was fully redeemed.
tags: fanfic, karin, naruto, oneshot, sasukarin, sasuke
ns216.73.216.82da2
