[FANFIC - HBD, KARIN! PII] READING BETWEEN THE LINES ; (SK)
By: Kanae (Goth-Punk88 @ ff.net)445Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL3EPbfHMls
Rating: K+445Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbrcxSrnawh
Word Count: 1.956445Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlrkhfL6xbY
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 lol445Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjSwrQZ8hy3
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reading between the lines ;445Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7f2VevK43D
by Kanae445Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpejYEHWD0k
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Stupid Orochimaru.445Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBuWd1tizWd
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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.445Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiRFE4xCduk
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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.445Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXViCcoxqdt
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And now it would be ruined.445Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3UJDxSfT8J
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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.445Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj6kMgsnYBA
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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.445Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe5FZszslzs
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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.445Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTDxiTLXy1A
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Understood. You won’t be disappointed, Orochimaru-sama.445Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHyaND8dLVk
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The man had simply smirked, mirth in those gashes he had for eyes. I know.445Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUQi0Zu9lpA
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Karin knew, too, even though she rather wished she didn’t.445Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5C6OJ6vQv9
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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.445Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtqKV7CF7Ue
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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.445Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVs2VwvECL0
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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.445Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQOrrrgi0k3
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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.445Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNDSI2yy6DE
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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.445Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbUevP4FvOx
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So focused was she on her thoughts, that she does not realize the chakra approaching her until he speaks.445Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj8e2xWoUKb
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“Still packing, Karin?”445Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyquMSRH4gp
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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.445Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYJD7sDA7nm
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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.”445Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0nigadIcCn
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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.”445Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkudALuBrzJ
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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?445Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2WPmBspDCU
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Oh. Right.445Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxSHnSUgdKM
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It takes her a considerable amount of will to repress the sigh that wanted to leave her lips, “Whatever.”445Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7DjAbo3Uct
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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.445Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv67Wkasuvd
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“…You shouldn’t leave your door open like this, there.”445Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBJbrzTAobX
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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.”445Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwHxJ5JL02u
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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.”445Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkDH4xmKAlY
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“I’ve never been there.”445Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeZNFFukEI7
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“… I see.”445Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaM7EGfkHRG
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Silence. For Orochimaru to have never taken Sasuke there, it could only mean one thing—445Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG4Visbdkqd
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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…”445Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd9FE3V8k8s
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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.445Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡISAxv6lR92
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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.445Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOcBxxFREZf
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Sasuke.445Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvvgrqp24HY
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“Heh, so you asked him?”445Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN2JM31YvWD
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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?”445Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAVSXTA2X4G
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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.”445Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl6jM6fA2aP
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“I’m not worried, Karin.”445Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuj4uFOER4s
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Karin snorts, “Sure you aren’t.”445Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBlE7pu1sIq
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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.445Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpB6rJTYoTA
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Anytime soon. Her eyes widen.445Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5LNWag08LD
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“Say, Sasuke, did you ask Orochimaru for how long will I be there?”445Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgCJUQgAXJB
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He does not reply immediately; and in his silence, Karin hears the reply loudest of all. “… It’s undetermined.”445Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVF7WQWzMOw
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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.445Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqaTRxkUvEy
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Chances are she would not get to talk, feel or bicker with Sasuke for months.445Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLBVh6NDHgo
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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.445Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyufRqP1Jbt
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“… It won’t be that long, Karin.”445Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMNwVKU6UG0
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When she looks at him, she finds a dangerous glint sharpening his eyes and at once knows what he means.445Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs1dmd4umIj
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Orochimaru would not be around for much longer.445Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtY7FGnugBN
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Karin swallows, a shot of adrenaline reigniting her veins.445Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj97Gz8x7uj
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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.445Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNevWN8zPQ1
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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.”445Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjrRtom1WDy
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“Hn.”445Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2RiexuipFD
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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.445Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnkQ6Dj5fss
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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.445Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCafvfxfGzs
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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—445Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCyOBrwGAEj
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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.445Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6DPlrotCwx
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As will she.445Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡskNHzTTL8v
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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.445Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNkTPHuIf7i
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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.445Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmOFpi6Ba4X
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Flabbergasted, Karin can only catch the pouch that is suddenly thrown at her, “Huh?”445Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdGQPEClUUM
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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.”445Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcFsSv5XSyf
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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.”445Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkjJZXQkGUG
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“See ya, Karin.”445Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhfTGzgxfU7
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“Later, Sasuke.”445Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWNaJcpc7u0
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It is almost as embarrassing as her treacherous blush, but for a moment, Karin had actually thought—445Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk6d9anvJgS
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“Pft, as if.”445Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡre7Lo3U77L
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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.445Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWoQcvLiowp
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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.445Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBpIY41tXJH
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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.445Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZqBrGhF5aX
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She blinks—once, twice—and then her smile morphs into a full blown smirk, her fingertips longingly tracing the pattern.445Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTaRgmqiek5
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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—445Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSShM8nmeR3
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At the end, it all amounted to the same.445Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOkAjksiw29
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“Happy birthday,” Karin mutters, an enthusiastic glint in her eye. “Uchiha Karin.”445Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiISQzZAD2M
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end.
tags: fanfic, karin, naruto, sasukarin, sasuke
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