[FANFIC - HBD, KARIN! PII] READING BETWEEN THE LINES ; (SK)
By: Kanae (Goth-Punk88 @ ff.net)510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsXF5EAOZgX
Rating: K+510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIRoTNPxiqt
Word Count: 1.956510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEN9pNiRdNp
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 lol510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuWX0SGBD7c
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reading between the lines ;510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjBRK90kvcS
by Kanae510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHzZOGNkzDl
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Stupid Orochimaru.510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtTfiz7KoxJ
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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.510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3bfzsQtuFn
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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.510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoPOM8KrxeG
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And now it would be ruined.510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZxDeLxfYZk
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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.510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlnUxUuf9Eb
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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.510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRpht0egKMD
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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.510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLCfGl3gczx
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Understood. You won’t be disappointed, Orochimaru-sama.510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa0bXJlOZoV
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The man had simply smirked, mirth in those gashes he had for eyes. I know.510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ27pWHCCaXU
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Karin knew, too, even though she rather wished she didn’t.510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfoNDfxAUAA
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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.510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ72VlDAwwKy
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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.510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNXqIXDHvwR
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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.510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4svIzi2iyQ
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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.510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ481jyTmt7U
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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.510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuet6vFecnY
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So focused was she on her thoughts, that she does not realize the chakra approaching her until he speaks.510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgzKvNYNvKf
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“Still packing, Karin?”510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGYHvQiSG5B
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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.510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsvzDFvp1fG
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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.”510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRerfZkxzUy
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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.”510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvfhh2MA6PO
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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?510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhMhcZxLuwU
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Oh. Right.510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4wGRArdRNj
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It takes her a considerable amount of will to repress the sigh that wanted to leave her lips, “Whatever.”510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQtT7bT8FZ8
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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.510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡovk2Cy7OZW
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“…You shouldn’t leave your door open like this, there.”510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoPNrJpxMgE
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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.”510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMqhzyyAyeF
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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.”510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgpv9ywPLco
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“I’ve never been there.”510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡefWIUvlYRJ
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“… I see.”510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi0aVvYnW4b
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Silence. For Orochimaru to have never taken Sasuke there, it could only mean one thing—510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGmpUgb9vAb
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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…”510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzvMbNPyJZH
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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.510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy1gGNUImtp
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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.510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKotIWn15fJ
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Sasuke.510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKeykAwRUVH
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“Heh, so you asked him?”510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9pX5XrHs3E
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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?”510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvVFlq7Txro
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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.”510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8ryjJ4aVPY
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“I’m not worried, Karin.”510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ29NnkufABz
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Karin snorts, “Sure you aren’t.”510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIQ3wvnIY5T
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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.510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC1sGWVf31u
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Anytime soon. Her eyes widen.510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqLw8DBnFQV
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“Say, Sasuke, did you ask Orochimaru for how long will I be there?”510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAcMQog9YVu
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He does not reply immediately; and in his silence, Karin hears the reply loudest of all. “… It’s undetermined.”510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCqNUeav1qi
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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.510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ32sCBWeV89
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Chances are she would not get to talk, feel or bicker with Sasuke for months.510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡADhgE9Lmc8
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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.510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL1r1DcXpRu
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“… It won’t be that long, Karin.”510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK3BOwJyhvr
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When she looks at him, she finds a dangerous glint sharpening his eyes and at once knows what he means.510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIeJs5WCu7E
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Orochimaru would not be around for much longer.510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtv5Ioi4jqZ
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Karin swallows, a shot of adrenaline reigniting her veins.510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8La1S4aHvt
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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.510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHIEsLwq1mV
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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.”510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuNjktpWWRC
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“Hn.”510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIlBPwmhcxN
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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.510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWOSomy8rnc
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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.510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI9YkzWhsEm
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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—510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9JSK4yltp2
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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.510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLtOJgxwh4B
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As will she.510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlx2DnzeBUH
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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.510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCXi4noGSSx
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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.510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFm8bb5JEA3
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Flabbergasted, Karin can only catch the pouch that is suddenly thrown at her, “Huh?”510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡArA3HeStTG
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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.”510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiaz2ZXUynG
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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.”510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOl8l8ryfo7
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“See ya, Karin.”510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnb2v3cqhfd
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“Later, Sasuke.”510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡulLG5VcaCE
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It is almost as embarrassing as her treacherous blush, but for a moment, Karin had actually thought—510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMgzaMhI7bJ
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“Pft, as if.”510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9KmYvUArJK
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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.510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcjIQDGvwWd
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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.510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi1VODZbXID
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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.510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9zOO61SBHj
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She blinks—once, twice—and then her smile morphs into a full blown smirk, her fingertips longingly tracing the pattern.510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtInz8cdZqD
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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—510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3P4gzAIQ9i
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At the end, it all amounted to the same.510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA0LuCSpAD9
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“Happy birthday,” Karin mutters, an enthusiastic glint in her eye. “Uchiha Karin.”510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeADWGaJ2Rc
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end.
tags: fanfic, karin, naruto, sasukarin, sasuke
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