[FANFIC - HBD, KARIN! PII] READING BETWEEN THE LINES ; (SK)
By: Kanae (Goth-Punk88 @ ff.net)492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtS897phSRR
Rating: K+492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwg7tiLcctJ
Word Count: 1.956492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZnFPPHfXTl
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 lol492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHWtjHdt4tK
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reading between the lines ;492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKFnVt0qo6O
by Kanae492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ91y9dvd0tI
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Stupid Orochimaru.492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB4IHMjY8MU
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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.492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlp6vGV09QI
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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.492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxSPPQr8vnR
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And now it would be ruined.492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNHIjhtt3PR
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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.492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzH6ZXQSkcs
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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.492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡulflTHU6Ez
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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.492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiylV7cHPN5
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Understood. You won’t be disappointed, Orochimaru-sama.492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwjFo80jEOA
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The man had simply smirked, mirth in those gashes he had for eyes. I know.492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMA7BsxevN3
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Karin knew, too, even though she rather wished she didn’t.492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4FfWF3Krvo
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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.492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoDw8ZFkcro
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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.492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvU99eFdXG5
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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.492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpwbpHysgii
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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.492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNJ2UGG47xS
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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.492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2Cs9uNplbR
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So focused was she on her thoughts, that she does not realize the chakra approaching her until he speaks.492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtTlvxAoiIk
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“Still packing, Karin?”492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrORywlNQh4
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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.492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRVTNzjiIng
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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.”492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdqLEXpqZSY
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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.”492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuf3EdhSdi2
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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?492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdUe675te7m
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Oh. Right.492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ76o1yaWjHD
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It takes her a considerable amount of will to repress the sigh that wanted to leave her lips, “Whatever.”492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLmS8S7Xsv8
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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.492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtF90m3khsV
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“…You shouldn’t leave your door open like this, there.”492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYzOKqIzxI4
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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.”492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWOjOQOFqzD
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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.”492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmTlrvztuXd
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“I’ve never been there.”492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQQFNINeQgN
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“… I see.”492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHtKIzIUcS8
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Silence. For Orochimaru to have never taken Sasuke there, it could only mean one thing—492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb0tBhJ4iln
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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…”492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3WjozSSdrP
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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.492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ924ftptLzA
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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.492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVMUEhhIMWj
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Sasuke.492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY1t4yfWEfG
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“Heh, so you asked him?”492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF184JfAtOV
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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?”492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDnqWYPBifB
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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.”492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWSYeTpXYbt
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“I’m not worried, Karin.”492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1ye3cuycme
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Karin snorts, “Sure you aren’t.”492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmb43VXOFlK
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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.492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlsp9OsFtZs
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Anytime soon. Her eyes widen.492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbx7NrpKcmq
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“Say, Sasuke, did you ask Orochimaru for how long will I be there?”492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhA4GyT25J9
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He does not reply immediately; and in his silence, Karin hears the reply loudest of all. “… It’s undetermined.”492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpUHSvA2en6
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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.492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6ZveDfkvET
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Chances are she would not get to talk, feel or bicker with Sasuke for months.492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAEJWRLDQDZ
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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.492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡud1w2PVY9P
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“… It won’t be that long, Karin.”492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfEhmw0z7Rg
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When she looks at him, she finds a dangerous glint sharpening his eyes and at once knows what he means.492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1278t3zAeY
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Orochimaru would not be around for much longer.492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWWPWeccT4w
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Karin swallows, a shot of adrenaline reigniting her veins.492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgJ2o1ZiTzm
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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.492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5LTLLdKPOO
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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.”492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGhr3ef7svH
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“Hn.”492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEStcJvjyEm
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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.492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH4iMgqEDXC
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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.492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRuOmjzDS8D
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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—492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDQvYBMw90i
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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.492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDOcGy0zUKX
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As will she.492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡffzHJfUB9b
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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.492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi7ExloEYKJ
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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.492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqO94qSaW09
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Flabbergasted, Karin can only catch the pouch that is suddenly thrown at her, “Huh?”492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1GKzk7KKJh
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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.”492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFIhQjsqNWZ
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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.”492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQaWdc3aMYr
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“See ya, Karin.”492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ90dL6f6pvj
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“Later, Sasuke.”492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpJ5d4C6ctM
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It is almost as embarrassing as her treacherous blush, but for a moment, Karin had actually thought—492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqR3S7uxpYY
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“Pft, as if.”492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOx0EimGMco
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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.492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrgFtUkALrZ
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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.492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQfjooywAOx
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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.492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZvto6vMmi1
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She blinks—once, twice—and then her smile morphs into a full blown smirk, her fingertips longingly tracing the pattern.492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡflDB1E7AbJ
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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—492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTTjRfXBHDY
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At the end, it all amounted to the same.492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjJERCO6HhJ
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“Happy birthday,” Karin mutters, an enthusiastic glint in her eye. “Uchiha Karin.”492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuMIJRBwqbj
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end.
tags: fanfic, karin, naruto, sasukarin, sasuke
ns216.73.216.203da2
