[FANFIC - HBD, KARIN! PII] READING BETWEEN THE LINES ; (SK)
By: Kanae (Goth-Punk88 @ ff.net)566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk1yUGp8mE9
Rating: K+566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq3wc3DIFnr
Word Count: 1.956566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9IJzTwjJ02
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 lol566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNtQ5RMXFUe
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reading between the lines ;566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZpECnxTbeb
by Kanae566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxpSYkiAHMV
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Stupid Orochimaru.566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnkYSfrmkWv
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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.566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlQWfAMruXQ
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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.566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA2JDHrnpOQ
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And now it would be ruined.566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ26fclv7Ax5
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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.566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoXhS2kvCjB
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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.566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmUciFzq5z9
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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.566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr18MCna1vE
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Understood. You won’t be disappointed, Orochimaru-sama.566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwEVv02n4lE
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The man had simply smirked, mirth in those gashes he had for eyes. I know.566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgQEb0TVH1b
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Karin knew, too, even though she rather wished she didn’t.566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9E1CA268Rd
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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.566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlSGMM6CEtG
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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.566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5mQJIsjE6Q
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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.566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDRqO2dVuvK
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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.566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4H5hQ43vsb
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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.566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKm1g2RbAzv
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So focused was she on her thoughts, that she does not realize the chakra approaching her until he speaks.566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyibBEtM23l
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“Still packing, Karin?”566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3yDm4vKAYn
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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.566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl0vSGzOskC
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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.”566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxINRdAKkCC
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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.”566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf4bwf3FOYN
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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?566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJZAkPRAZ6P
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Oh. Right.566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBp3kYrot6Q
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It takes her a considerable amount of will to repress the sigh that wanted to leave her lips, “Whatever.”566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDIvWwKGAMB
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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.566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbrO73NPph6
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“…You shouldn’t leave your door open like this, there.”566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY1sAU4RYME
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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.”566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9OZ4HieI9L
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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.”566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC7AOFRXdUu
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“I’ve never been there.”566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhek0vagq7b
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“… I see.”566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRulX3rvyrQ
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Silence. For Orochimaru to have never taken Sasuke there, it could only mean one thing—566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbjqaNWXjMS
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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…”566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyg2rcMfXA9
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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.566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOgJBcHqaVi
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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.566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaK3rx7q0wk
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Sasuke.566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyd0fAVvdcX
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“Heh, so you asked him?”566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMuhAtzgTfr
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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?”566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMCN4x0RbDC
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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.”566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX78b8WBtxT
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“I’m not worried, Karin.”566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmXDTb4cAZh
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Karin snorts, “Sure you aren’t.”566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0QfhoG0fmG
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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.566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqgEGKWiiiK
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Anytime soon. Her eyes widen.566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡISAi4HjTUe
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“Say, Sasuke, did you ask Orochimaru for how long will I be there?”566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxrgpbq1JZT
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He does not reply immediately; and in his silence, Karin hears the reply loudest of all. “… It’s undetermined.”566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMt8RWGZWNk
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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.566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxEyRig1tde
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Chances are she would not get to talk, feel or bicker with Sasuke for months.566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzTAobNdaEU
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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.566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0k500wstrN
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“… It won’t be that long, Karin.”566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6xrhQuvTnI
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When she looks at him, she finds a dangerous glint sharpening his eyes and at once knows what he means.566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJp2QxqYY0G
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Orochimaru would not be around for much longer.566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBey10IVJaq
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Karin swallows, a shot of adrenaline reigniting her veins.566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGyIkxM3Sms
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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.566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzLKrXbevwi
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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.”566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIYDjWdxdbT
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“Hn.”566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbzSYTjGL2T
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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.566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8erJT8dJSz
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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.566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMDiE9wXIEW
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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—566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJdRikdQMXh
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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.566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡumrpw3Gpit
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As will she.566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTEcUWbSQcs
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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.566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtDMMrRUA8T
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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.566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBaGYb3u7NS
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Flabbergasted, Karin can only catch the pouch that is suddenly thrown at her, “Huh?”566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXL0RqrEbGT
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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.”566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZVYz7Whykg
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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.”566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm6vx1Bj3sT
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“See ya, Karin.”566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4wFfDHUhuB
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“Later, Sasuke.”566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg7MIhf7Jmo
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It is almost as embarrassing as her treacherous blush, but for a moment, Karin had actually thought—566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzEWYyfyI25
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“Pft, as if.”566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeAcqQ2QmXS
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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.566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTr3HhLKkzd
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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.566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6h7vP1kIDQ
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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.566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUpAR89JQlf
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She blinks—once, twice—and then her smile morphs into a full blown smirk, her fingertips longingly tracing the pattern.566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4UINF2KSqE
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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—566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh5OUa7oIO0
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At the end, it all amounted to the same.566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwVAYzOICrn
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“Happy birthday,” Karin mutters, an enthusiastic glint in her eye. “Uchiha Karin.”566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFJhzdTnaEH
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end.
tags: fanfic, karin, naruto, sasukarin, sasuke
ns216.73.216.82da2
