[FANFIC - HBD, KARIN! PII] READING BETWEEN THE LINES ; (SK)
By: Kanae (Goth-Punk88 @ ff.net)528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡivyGCQfCrJ
Rating: K+528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmg8DssOzYB
Word Count: 1.956528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDsfRTaDFpP
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 lol528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVCKhLUoWdZ
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reading between the lines ;528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfKA9D3YMS5
by Kanae528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYdol6CKVxa
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Stupid Orochimaru.528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMu2pu6XzNb
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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.528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCwOf7Rc9eL
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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.528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMPX2jWGfcp
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And now it would be ruined.528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ46My9IJds5
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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.528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGD5Kth5p7p
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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.528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiJpDpxANQH
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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.528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEl7pWVUgLv
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Understood. You won’t be disappointed, Orochimaru-sama.528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWUoDs5Oar7
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The man had simply smirked, mirth in those gashes he had for eyes. I know.528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbyKFuHMOPE
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Karin knew, too, even though she rather wished she didn’t.528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDqG19pt5lK
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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.528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSg3xKfzWhG
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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.528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBFmCLDdonR
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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.528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrv2SBhOkZm
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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.528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYsmM6mRp5N
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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.528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSShLemuUxe
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So focused was she on her thoughts, that she does not realize the chakra approaching her until he speaks.528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyRpgSGHfqb
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“Still packing, Karin?”528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGIDvrGchyG
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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.528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ28tgUbCluG
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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.”528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW5REZRfgWM
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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.”528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuY6wAIFHqE
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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?528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfwXEYuNnBT
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Oh. Right.528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ30r5AdXlzQ
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It takes her a considerable amount of will to repress the sigh that wanted to leave her lips, “Whatever.”528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWBTkyNTENl
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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.528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBkqkmzBkT6
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“…You shouldn’t leave your door open like this, there.”528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDl0BAdEIPa
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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.”528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7NyyVcOMsj
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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.”528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsuxRGlVIIq
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“I’ve never been there.”528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRINPMswllK
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“… I see.”528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ59wsfLW182
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Silence. For Orochimaru to have never taken Sasuke there, it could only mean one thing—528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd7X8Dkg59C
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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…”528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgRzTJCA17j
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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.528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFTKGZX7HtC
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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.528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5SV1yuh3IP
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Sasuke.528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDyS38tmoYf
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“Heh, so you asked him?”528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgMXfjld7pF
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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?”528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjQ8OuaLfBi
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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.”528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg16icmk6IS
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“I’m not worried, Karin.”528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjv3a0WFFJQ
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Karin snorts, “Sure you aren’t.”528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5Bl6LakdAu
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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.528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgDrzxK2FML
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Anytime soon. Her eyes widen.528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRhMgmXjmkX
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“Say, Sasuke, did you ask Orochimaru for how long will I be there?”528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcFPSMJ2upl
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He does not reply immediately; and in his silence, Karin hears the reply loudest of all. “… It’s undetermined.”528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiYl1rsXjyM
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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.528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ5mGDSzl0e
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Chances are she would not get to talk, feel or bicker with Sasuke for months.528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8sgY6neUtH
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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.528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXSRiFSyiTY
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“… It won’t be that long, Karin.”528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlIr27ouAmv
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When she looks at him, she finds a dangerous glint sharpening his eyes and at once knows what he means.528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5sLYqxyoz1
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Orochimaru would not be around for much longer.528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOUzSDAULiA
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Karin swallows, a shot of adrenaline reigniting her veins.528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaK85METgBm
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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.528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSv2XH6P4a2
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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.”528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgXwQv55104
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“Hn.”528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡef3iPf0bns
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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.528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe5xWnxvKBD
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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.528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM3sfFAs94G
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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—528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp0FXIqXBhB
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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.528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGWwWeZlwNM
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As will she.528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk0KE4fqBOU
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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.528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡokEYZatTkZ
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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.528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6DlAybI7UQ
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Flabbergasted, Karin can only catch the pouch that is suddenly thrown at her, “Huh?”528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr4GTiK7yH5
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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.”528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNLhhex1Wtf
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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.”528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1E5D7nJcor
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“See ya, Karin.”528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ99X4rCUwn
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“Later, Sasuke.”528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFQG3FhBCrU
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It is almost as embarrassing as her treacherous blush, but for a moment, Karin had actually thought—528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAX2cHDY3sF
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“Pft, as if.”528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQDN2GSLdnn
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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.528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsGiF44ISu4
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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.528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOPu6SZwKis
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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.528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡneRMI5qLv3
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She blinks—once, twice—and then her smile morphs into a full blown smirk, her fingertips longingly tracing the pattern.528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9yPwQnQfsy
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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—528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPPGqSSwvjb
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At the end, it all amounted to the same.528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkx6Y6NFkvf
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“Happy birthday,” Karin mutters, an enthusiastic glint in her eye. “Uchiha Karin.”528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbn9q9cycsq
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end.
tags: fanfic, karin, naruto, sasukarin, sasuke
ns216.73.216.8da2
