[FANFIC - HBD, SASUKE(?)] WILDFIRE; (SK)
now uploaded in fanfiction.net~! here; if you wish to comment but can't do so here, please feel free to review over there~!508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmPxSpzgmLQ
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By: Kanae (Goth-Punk88 @ ff.net)508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkxD36ST3El
Rating: M (some suggestive scenes, and some violence.)508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYnyFGUcVoP
Word Count: 8.810508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo2KKamsgwv
Author's Notes: I got this plot-bunny a couple of months ago; the idea was to sit down and carefully plan it, but… well, life happened. So I decided to let it write itself instead. Posting it for Sasuke’s birthday project because, while his birthday is not the focus of this, it does get briefly mentioned (:hurr)~ Also, there are some credits, but I’ll be giving them at the end of the fic in order to not spoil anyone.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE3ZoBtXiq6
Warning: Some OOC-ness due to the fact that I'm working with future SK... among other things you will soon realize lol508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqv6QWiDDom
Summary: It is a flame that was set ablaze by a smile. A fire that consumes everything in its wake. A wildfire that burnt them to ashes, down to their roots.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhgaxRL2bPF
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A heartbeat that awakens from the ashes.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMHcPE3canD
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To the stars that played with the darkness508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZspH6k3jYv
I sang of love and burned up completely
Wildfire508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡocAgqcs6yn
by Kanae508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOBNJXsWQQz
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It happens a hot Thursday afternoon as he goes through the tourniquets of the subway and catches a glimpse of red from the corner of his eye.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYOQ7a9vcdK
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Something in his chest tightens.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwQ0xYmEbTU
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He is looking back before he knows it, uncharacteristically standing still as his eyes seek the source of the red; a girl’s ponytail.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSbrjhcyiw4
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Just a girl.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjnW77IcHAQ
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Sasuke all but snorts, mildly shaking his head and turning away in wonderment.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG1QLzCb5Vd
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He misses the way the girl stops, her back straightening as if bolted.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ00OJ3kNoZf
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He has almost reached the escalators when someone steps in front of him, blocking his way—and he can’t help the slight widening of his eyes as he realizes who it is.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5lPgAbVrKx
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The girl.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgq7KzZmk16
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The redhead.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtTeEcj6zIf
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“Sorry,” she says, and she is a little out of breath. Had she run to catch up with him? “Do I know you?”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbsTkfy4EYz
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An alien reply makes its way from his chest up to the tip of his tongue, but Sasuke does not recognize it—and before he can even deem it worth his time, it is gone. And all that remains is the same disinterest from before. Just a girl.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIr1pGHLPbt
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“Don’t think so,” he replies, trying to sidestep her—but the girl blocks his way again.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGuKfNQcoED
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“No, I do know you. I mean—” Sasuke narrows his eyes, irritated, but the girl looks too caught up in her thoughts to notice, “I have dreamed of you.”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPYs8ReDo9u
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Sasuke gives her a blank stare and the girl turns a little pink. “I-I mean,” she stammers, pushing her glasses further up her nose. The gesture stirs something inside of Sasuke, and it is powerful enough to the point he almost misses her next words “I know it sounds weird, but—”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNqjiO5XWHw
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“You’re right,” Sasuke agrees, clenching his jaw and walking past her.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhaiWvJF24x
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“Wait!” she calls, and Sasuke finds his legs answering in kind even before his name comes out of her lips. “Y—your name is… Sasuke, isn’t it? Uchiha Sasuke.”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ14HsY3vBfC
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“… So what?” his reply is brisk, and it comes out through gritted teeth. This was ridiculous; both the girl and his reactions to her. What had come over him, anyway? He has never seen this chick. Ever. “Knowing that is no feat.”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcrVAOKNGNL
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It wasn’t. More than a quarter of the city knew his family’s name. Knowing who he was simply was part of the package.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWQdXRxTPRc
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She falls quiet—and Sasuke thinks the odd conversation has come to an end.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkGSFomENwi
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He was severely mistaken.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6TEqQ40Z4W
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“And, when you were eight…” she suddenly whispers, her voice vague, “when you were eight, your mom gave you a dinosaur-shaped toy.”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmI0GsLUAxH
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Sasuke’s eyes widen, his body freezing upright. Her voice gains momentum. “You said it was childish, and pretended to have thrown it away; but you still have it.”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAu17pAI5L2
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It is slowly that he turns towards her, eyes narrowed and heart galloping inside his chest. “How…?”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJSExkiN5Lk
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Obsidian meets pointed red, and it is something in the calculating edge of her gaze more than her words that which turns Sasuke’s skin into gooseflesh. “…You keep it locked in a box inside your closet, just like you keep locked away that irrational fear of yours of losing them someday.”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAKY7HgtHOj
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Them. His parents. The one thing he has never told anyone—not even his brother. The one thing he has never been able to face, regardless of how much he has tried to do so.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI91vcEjgqw
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He wants to say something—anything—but words just won’t come. He feels utterly intimidated and exposed before this stranger; before this redhead whose lips quirk up in the barest traces of a smile, her shoulders relaxing.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUDSaasqg6y
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“Come on, there’s a café down the street, we can talk there.” She does not wait for a reply, simply reaching out and taking a hold of his sleeve—and as she pulls him towards the escalators, Sasuke feels an unexplainable sense of déjà vu.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwAUvjGy2Zr
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“Let me go,” he mutters, though he can’t find it in himself to oppose any resistance. “I can walk by myself.”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOhPm6GT0K8
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She does not let go of him.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrVBAdh6zNL
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And the déjà vu only worsens.
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“Come with me, Karin. I need you.”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzrTjbrpenj
“Huh?! Why should I go anywhere? I’m in charge of this place!”
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“They started… around 3 months ago, I think,” the girl—Karin—says, after the waitress has brought them their respective orders; Sasuke, a black coffee, Karin, a cappuccino with amaretto.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpA5A4utYQT
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“The… dreams?” he questions, and feels utterly ridiculous just by saying it.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6gtjyn9FKe
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“Yeah, the dreams,” Karin agrees, taking a sip of her coffee and giving him a pointed look over the brim of the cup. “At first they were sporadic. Just once every few nights or so, but then I started to get them every night… every single night.”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxcXsxUYMn7
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“And these… dreams, of yours. They were about me?”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2dSktfo04j
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“Not all of them,” she retorts thoughtfully, if not a little defensively; but then she shrugs. “But you were always there.”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoRMIyu0ke4
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“Doing what, exactly?”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡldNCF6Um23
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“A lot of things. Fighting, mostly. You were a ninja, sometimes. Both of us were.”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGQrYnhF1Wp
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“…A ninja?”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1E3QG32ZXi
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“Yeah. A very powerful one, at that. Don’t—” she warns, before Sasuke could have the chance to interrupt with a snide remark. “I know how ridiculous it sounds, but it’s the truth.”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt9Eycal33r
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He crosses his arms with an eye roll. “That still does not explain how you knew about the dinosaur.” Just mentioning the toy makes a wave of embarrassment wash over him, but he tries to keep at bay and not let it show.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgrVy85zcqx
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Karin smiles, and the gesture looks sour. “Not every dream took place in the same world, Sasuke. Those—the ones where we were shinobi, those were the firsts, and also the most recurrent. But I have seen you as you are, too. And as you were.”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMkfX1pRAgw
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“… What do you mean, exactly?” he prods with narrowed eyes.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ37qwpoCm05
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It’s her turn to cross her arms. “Tch, you already know, don’t you? You’re smart, Sasuke. Don’t take me for a fool.”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6RCICMFdkK
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Sasuke frowns. He didn’t like her tone, and neither did he like where she was going with this. “Reincarnations?”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEL83yrTdmQ
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Karin snaps her fingers, “Bingo.”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH9DxkrkoBr
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Sasuke snorts. “That’s ridiculous.”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyri5WhsA29
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“I know you don’t believe in them, Sasuke. But that doesn’t mean they do not exist.”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOXZUmM5C1d
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“Stop,” Sasuke demands, his patience running thin at being lectured by a complete stranger. “Stop talking as if you know me, Karin. You don’t.”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvYiG9Vw9au
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“Actually, I do,” Karin shoots back without missing a beat, her red eyes steadily holding his even despite his threatening glare. “And from the looks of it, I know you better than you know yourself—stay there, Sasuke,” she stresses, and his glare only intensifies. He hadn’t even had the enough time to move a muscle. “I am not finished yet.”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqh1wGQTuOl
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“But I am done hearing your bullshit.”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjFWFhLCovx
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Karin blinks at him and then promptly snorts. “The you in my dreams was nicer to be around, I’ll give you that.”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4ZLTUG5Yys
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He feels insulted, but he stays. And a little smirk quirks up Karin’s lips; as expected, that smirk said.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwzFA2PybUR
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But any comments he may have had about her arrogance promptly disappear as the redhead utters her next words.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTUyROVyP2k
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“I know why you’re so afraid of losing your parents, someday.”
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“Shhh” she coos, cradling his trembling form in her arms and making him sink his face on her chest. It’s her favorite new shirt and it’s getting soaked and soiled by his tears and the soot, but her heart is too busy breaking over him and his pain and her mind is too shaken by the explosion and the death—by the smell of burnt flesh, by the screaming figures of his parents and brother as they were consumed by the fire.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx2JNra4Cnl
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“Shhh, Sasuke, it will be alright,” she isn’t sure if she believes what she is saying. Not when there are tears beginning to leak from her own eyes and dripping onto his hair—not when his sobs twist her soul and worsen the despair. Why did this have to happen to them? Why did they have to—? “I promise you, it will be alright, we will get through this.”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgXtKShtOqK
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They. Because that was all that was left, now. She was all he had left.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0KpBWuHOyH
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“We will get through this,” she repeats, because they would. They had to.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcq42Z3wtTd
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“You’re not alone. I’m with you, Sasuke. I won’t ever leave you,”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBm4lLA09d1
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Despite her bravado her voice breaks at the end and Sasuke clutches her shirt—holds onto her for dear life and hastily pulls her together again.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMqKAW1e5RZ
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“I promise.”
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Sasuke fists his hands to prevent them from shaking as his very soul seemed to be doing. He sets his jaw, tries to regularize his breathing and his pulse—tries to not show any signs of inward struggle.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTTn42fJeZo
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No that it would make much of a difference, since Karin was deliberately keeping her attention elsewhere. She had barely looked at him from the moment she started to tell him all she knew—all she had seen—about his parents, and weren’t he so troubled by everything he heard, he would have realized he was thankful for her tact.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtzpm0tI117
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As things were, however, his brain was having troubles assimilating Karin’s words; how his parents had died over and over again. Killed by his brother (by his brother, out of all people! What kind of bullshit was that?), in an accident, in a fire—Sasuke had tuned out, then. The images such stories enticed were too vivid, too troubling—they made the hairs on his arms stand on end, made cold droplets of sweat roll down his neck.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzPRjTb2yqQ
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Everything was preposterous, absolutely unbelievable—and even then he could not dismiss a word she had said, even though he desperately wanted to. Something in the way she had spoken—in the way her voice had quivered, her stare grave and set on her lap—and even more so, something in the things she had known; habits that Mikoto and Fugaku had and that no one but him and Itachi would know about, made her words all the harder to shake off.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKfZgOX5zOI
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So he aims for the next best thing—he tries to push the thought aside and latches onto another one, one that has slowly but surely been demanding his attention.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkLXqT8H4Iz
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“… Where do you fit into all that?” he murmurs, and has to swallow to help ease his dry throat. “Why is it you, and not me, who is having these dreams?”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZXozxBoVmR
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The ghost of a smile touches her lips, “I don’t know. I guess it’s because you’ve closed yourself off, again,” it fades. “You always close yourself up.”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf8uKdWYujX
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He has really run out of patience. “Stop with the riddles, will you? Just answer!”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvWXrTCPU0G
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Karin hardens her expression, her eyes squarely meeting his own. “In that first world, I was your teammate. In the second, I was your friend. In the third, your lover.”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn8luXpxWi4
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Sasuke cannot really help the way he feels his throat clog up, his cheeks warm. So he fakes a cough, looks away; “And this is the fourth?”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBWhrrCe0r1
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Karin shrugs, unfazed.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsI9FR9v2h9
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“I don’t know, I guess there may be more. I haven’t remembered them yet, though.” Her voice lowers, “…I don’t know if I want to, either.”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxPeQ7lHyZL
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That catches his attention. “What do you mean?”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbi3d12nitb
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“… They weren’t always nice, Sasuke. They rarely were.”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0oKlxMdNYQ
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Sasuke arches one eyebrow, curious. “What weren’t?”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYXNKOlz2jT
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For the first time since they got there, Karin squirms in her seat.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡioUw3KJRbm
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“...You.”
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There is lighting prickling her skin and piercing her chest; it has missed her heart by an inch, a miracle improbable enough to be deliberate—but one that is a curse in disguise, for his eyes do not miss the mark.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCHfTKrIhuq
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They hit the bulls-eye dead on its center, and she feels it freeze and then wither and die, disintegrating into a worthless pile of ashes that, with every single word he says, scatter like the wind—never to be recovered again.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUBY2wokMI8
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“Karin… the moment you were taken hostage, you became an encumbrance.”
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She leans her head on her propped up palm, and the pair of red eyes that were fixed into his look sage and tired all of a sudden. “…But I guess it never made much of a difference.”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx4z31wmnLT
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Sasuke hates it; having to repeat himself. But he moodily does, anyway. “What do you mean?”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqd342X34h8
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTB3pUAiveC
Karin does not reply right away; and when she does, her voice is the softest Sasuke has heard it sound so far.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXIZzzNyvXj
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJImLA8niKF
“I always ended up loving you all the same,” she admits.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxzmqVJbDLg
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Then she looks at him again, and Sasuke finds that he can’t look away.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjL6Ru7i84g
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOAvjx76HS7
“Always.”
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It happens on a rainy night.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBvb4GOoPfb
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The rain had started pouring out of nowhere. What a minute ago had been a clear sky became a gray maze of plump clouds and then thick, cold droplets of rain had started to cascade down over the town.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxcEyzDhGod
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5fcxXutDvd
Ever so slowly, the crowded street was left almost empty; for the exception of a few pedestrians who had been keen enough to bring an umbrella with them.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk6QzXasv23
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She hadn’t been.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPaywzdd4yv
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As the traffic light begins to turn, she dashes out from under the improvised shelter of an awning only to stop dead in her tracks—in her haste, she had not realized the light included an advanced left-turn signal.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjYN9A2j6yG
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5KHk6nBCSq
So much for not getting wet, she thinks, and it’s then that an umbrella is placed above her.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv6Gn91xbnr
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0UfwErrINO
Startled, the girl flickers her gaze upward only to find a dark-haired business man casually speaking into his cellphone, his eyes focused on the traffic light ahead. Their arms are touching, the warmth of his body seeping through to hers despite the long sleeves of his expensive-looking cloak, and she finds her cheeks warming up, her heart quickening at the unexpected gesture of kindness.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM50Z0rlGIY
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKw0R0BnAOB
The light changes and he moves ahead without hesitation, with the same kind of firm grace with which he had come to shelter her—and she is so transfixed by him that she almost forgets she is supposed to walk, too.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8tt8WNNOUw
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ85qTjjDtlU
When they get to the other side of the street, the business man wordlessly leads her to an awning and then parts ways with her, not once glancing at her.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBi5PJAbQZ9
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOeFDqA4pwP
But she can’t look away from him—and before she knows it her legs are moving and the rain no longer matters.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUOccL54OuM
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjdTHsqRJTg
By the time he has hung up, they’re standing at the next intersection and she is soaked from head to toe.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtsA5XEKtgv
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“Hey, you! Wait!”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJG6EthvBQc
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2bh30s0zBr
The business man slowly turns around, painfully so, confusion apparent on his face.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCJH0bbGe5z
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Onyx meets red and her heart skips a beat as his eyes widen ever so slightly.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJKuHEjNygA
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEVIPugPh9h
“Thank you,” she breathes out jaggedly and not exactly from the chasing, “for before.”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCdnrgOKZLn
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxay72HLTdo
“… It’s nothing,” he states, and though his words are nothing but an astonished murmur she hears them loud and clear over the thunders. “And it doesn’t seem to have helped much.”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVtgPwgVzj9
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqq8EzD6jXW
Her blush worsens under his pointed look, but the hint of amusement in those deep eyes of his edges her on. “I-I know of a good café down the street. If you aren’t in a hurry, how about I invite you something while we wait for the rain to let up?”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq0CmGcTA24
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He tilts his head to the side, long bangs falling across his face. “… Hn, down the street, you say?”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDCTuItS1Mz
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpp5OO3vS06
“Yeah. It’s less than a minute away,” she gulps, “so, what do you say?”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡONxuabA42e
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9ygJkGMgUs
He smiles, and his whole face lights up. “I’d like that.”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpQbv3VuYlP
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEF6ey4VkzY
By the time they place their orders, she is already in love with him.
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He thinks that maybe he should be surprised, but the truth is that he isn’t.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlXt80Wlbja
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOJhv6K7AvX
Somehow, it felt like he had been waiting for it—waiting to see her walking through that door, ever since they had parted ways at that Café a little over a week ago.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6UWn22QScc
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“… You did this on purpose, didn’t you?”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLEM5iHPSoL
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Karin blinks innocently, a direct contrast with the amused smirk shamelessly painted across her lips. “What do you mean, Uchiha-san?”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTbTTIvyTtT
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEksTJtImBR
“Drop the act,” he glares, matter-of-fact. “You knew I worked here.”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc6OcBWnWFX
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“Oh, don’t be so conceited, Sasuke,” Karin waves a hand, puts the other on her hip and sways to the side. The movement is every bit of a taunt as it is sensual, and Sasuke finds himself blushing like a preschooler as a recurrent memory slips itself uninvited into his mind again.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKApnjexo3r
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'Always'.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsTbDBsiPaw
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“—so not my fault you basically own the damn city,” Karin finishes, and Sasuke blinks.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAmVSLwvkvc
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“Huh?”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD6Rl5dN1LD
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She deadpans. “You weren’t listening, were you?”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSWAsAY5xxQ
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“I was,” he lies through gritted teeth, prodded by some unexplainable force. Damn, why did he always have to bicker with this girl?508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ16Xwzu6rCU
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“You are a terrible liar, Sasuke,” she remarks, and suddenly her face lights up. “Hey, did I tell you about the time I was a lie-detector and—”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF8OotY666o
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He all but groans. “Stop, Karin. Don’t bring that kind of talk here, someone may hear you.”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3oYbicjEsx
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“Pft, so what?” she huffs, crossing her arms and swaying her hips again. “It’s not like I work here, right?”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkRFgqrftfQ
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Her tone and most specially the glimmer in her eye as she looks at him told him otherwise.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj1ePB3iKzq
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Damn her.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX711Oj29k0
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“Talk to Nara on the second floor, he will give you your contract. And Karin—not a word to anyone about… about—” he refused to say us. There wasn’t an us. “—about what you told me. Understood?”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrJHL7K4sSl
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrMrC4Iwuu5
She does a mock salute, “Right, Uchiha-san!” and Sasuke massages his temple, wondering what had made him agree to give her the job in the first place.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRasxHbNekB
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As if reading his thoughts, Karin calls out to him from the door.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP4kp1p49Tg
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5wezEufLrO
“Cheer up, Sasuke,” and Sasuke can catch a glimpse of her playful smirk before she closes the door behind her. “This isn’t the first time we work together, you know?”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvL99wzCeD7
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And for some unknown reason, Sasuke finds himself blushing.
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“I brought you the papers you requested,”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsQT7y1ycKM
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She has barely finished the sentence when he has her pressed against the door and is claiming her mouth with his own, his hands roaming across her back and then down as she skillfully locks the door.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1YItCta2YB
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“Idiot,” she manages to reprimand between kisses, “what if someone sees us?”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzmM21eSbPx
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU75WvKD3jq
“Who cares,” he retorts, his voice a throaty murmur that worsens the heat settled in the lower part of her abdomen, “let them watch if they want.”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXvmkL9vh3Q
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“Hmmm that’s kinky,” she teases, and her blood boils as he raises his face from her belly in order to give her a roguish look.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi6FJlJRnvX
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“Any complains?”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdwduPKnZux
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“Yeah… stop teasing me and get on with—ahh” she moans, her nails scrapping at the door as his head gets lost inside her skirt, his hands spreading her thighs apart.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1zKxsP3UFn
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She has a mission to accomplish—but he makes her forget soon enough.
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“I’ll have some Okonomiyaki, please.”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrhhTnzRfq3
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The waitress nods and leaves—but not without giving Sasuke a hurt look from underneath her long lashes. He hopes Karin will let it slide; so of course Karin does exactly the opposite, her slim eyebrows arched high.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2HNLybTPOk
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“Whoa, Sasuke, That girl totally has a thing for you!”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ7zVcvZFR2
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Sasuke rolls his eyes; he was so over this subject. “Tch, she and every other employee, what else is new.”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuhdR4VWS2m
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Karin snorts, “Cocky, aren’t we? Do I need to remind you that I am one of your employees, too?”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAOJ6RN68yy
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'Always'.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSsNzIy3nWy
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Against his better judgment, he can feel all too easily the way his cheeks start to warm up. What was up with him and blushing around this girl? He was never like this, ever.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHwnzbX91JU
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“Whatever,” he ends up taking the easy way out. Sitting across from him, Karin pouts, leans her chin on her hand and lazily waves a finger in his face.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXHGMl8Y04U
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“You really are no fun, Sasuke.”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaN5jHcsfKE
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“Forget about that, Karin. You said you would tell me more about—”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhaWlAYcgsB
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“Right, right,” she sighs, and her faked annoyance swiftly gives way to a leer. “Don’t get me wrong, it’s nice to see you so interested in us, but it wouldn’t hurt to focus on the current us.”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWzfq9M9QLF
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“Karin.”
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“This is enough for today, thank you for your cooperation, Karin,” she knows better than to give weight to his agreeable words. The way he doesn’t even look at her, too busy being transfixed by her blood instead, says everything she needs to know.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0GXCjR5dRQ
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So she recoils when he reaches out to bandage her—scowls, sidesteps him and stumbles her way out of the room, hating herself for the numbness in her legs.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8mwLxjXFNQ
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He is the first thing she sees when she comes out of the room.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu5r1nPp1Hl
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He is leaning against the wall, arms crossed against his chest—and then her knees give up and he is draping her arm around his neck and helping her walk, revealing the bandages held in his hands.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkXLg9KtQgD
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“…I can walk by myself, Sasuke,” she lies, but he does not let go and she lets herself lean a little closer. Close enough to feel the dampness in his side. She looks down and finds blood—and then she is glaring at him from behind her half-lidded eyes.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5jFwZ1TUDp
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“Idiot,” she hisses, and means it. “You are hurt, let me—”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNP3FqQv9TX
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“You can’t heal anyone in your current state, Karin,” came his reply, calm and even despite the open wound in his side, and Karin hates the fact that he is right.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL4y7iEMoso
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“…You should’ve gone to bandage yourself, Sasuke. I don’t need you to babysit me,” she says faintly, both embarrassed and touched at once.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzd7cclkTKl
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To her surprise, Sasuke snorts.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTNqRBvrd8e
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“What?” she snaps.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr1I0u2TMC2
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“Nothing,” he says, and he is smirking. “Just, you’re the last person I want to hear that from, Karin.”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYNXE3UBiCF
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She frowns, but her cheeks go red. She has a feeling she knows where he is going with this. “Tch, what is that supposed to mean?”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlVo3cZHNFe
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He looks down at her from the corner of his eye, his smirk softening around the edges. “…I wonder.”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw6zfE9mbUC
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And despite her blood loss, her blush only deepens.
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“Would you like more tea, Karin-chan?”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb74TJq7fMN
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Sasuke can’t hold back an eye-roll as Karin politely declines; this was the fifth time in a row, and he didn’t know what surprised him more—Karin’s sudden faultless manners, or the lengths to which his mother was going to please her. Hell, one would think it was the redhead’s birthday rather than his.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡABVGPacr28
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“Don’t be like that, little brother,” the voice comes from behind him, and is accompanied by a hand that affectionately ruffles his hair. “You know it’s not often that mother gets to attend a girl.”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡva04nXMcOd
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Sasuke huffs, halfheartedly batting his brother’s hands away. “I know that—moreover, when will you stop treating me like a child, Itachi?”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ58N8TPI73o
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“Probably when you stop acting like one,” chimes in a female voice, and Sasuke sends her an airy look as Itachi chuckles behind him. He was definitely starting to regret having brought her along; what had he been thinking?508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡESflHkgGb2
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He does not get to say it aloud however, as Karin is now looking at Itachi with curious eyes. “Don’t tell me this is Sasuke’s first time bringing a girl home?”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ38ZsRx9ESZ
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Great. So she had been listening in, huh? He should have guessed.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSM70uYGcN7
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“Not quite,” Itachi replies, but Sasuke’s triumphant smirk is short-lived as his brother adds, “But almost.”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWjC6YAZogw
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“Brother!” he reproaches, causing the older boy to chuckle again and Karin to smirk widely.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXjf8DW7Lv9
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“You’re unbelievable, Sasuke; I mean, I knew you were an unsocial prude, but almost no girlfriends? Seriously?”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfU1iL7YaIS
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He glares, mortified to feel the by-now familiar sensation of his cheeks heating up. “Shut up, Karin.”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6JLrBQHHB3
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“I would say that more than that, what is so remarkable is that this is the first time he brings home a girl who isn’t his girlfriend.” Itachi comments, his tone kind but knowing—and as Karin looks away from the older Uchiha and towards Sasuke, giving him a look that seemed to be clearly flaunting a oh, is that so? Sasuke airily looks away.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdxIk9NWzVz
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Damn you, brother.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZMSoguMDKF
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“Hn, I don’t know what Itachi is talking about.”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡskEC3QzM2y
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A twinkling laughter resounds through the room, effectively cutting the argument short; and the three of them turn only to find Mikoto standing by the doorway, a tray of biscuits in her hands and a happy beam in her beautiful face.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiMo1LVR009
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“It seems you three are having fun,” she merrily observes, graciously moving to leave the tray on the tea-table. “I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen Sasuke enjoy himself this much.”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbwYPtTFHsL
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Despite his better judgment, Sasuke can feel himself blushing. “Who said I’m enjoying myself?”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5mGKS7IQ5T
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡen2P3vgTKR
But his indignant mutter remains promptly ignored as Mikoto takes Karin’s hands in hers and gives her a glowing smile. “You’re good for my son, Karin-chan.”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlfJs72TiPI
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For a moment, the room is submerged in silence—even Karin herself is rendered speechless, and while in any other circumstance Sasuke would have reveled in seeing the girl this flustered—widened eyes, a pink hue in her cheeks—the truth is this time, it only adds to his own awkwardness.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYRHY7svLlX
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“… Mother, you just met her,” he lamely ends up saying once he has found his voice, but he sounds more astonished than reproaching; and Mikoto rewards him with a thoughtful smile before setting her gaze back on Karin.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb0zOirawEW
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“I know, dear. But, somehow… it feels like you two have known each other for a long time.”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqDEEtEqx1o
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Itachi says nothing—but the way in which he warmly squeezes Sasuke’s shoulder is eloquent enough.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA3ljLhShyv
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDvYqomLIeh
Wordlessly, Sasuke and Karin seek each other’s eyes across the room—and he wishes he wasn’t aware of the way he was slowly starting to mirror her smile.
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“It’s so stupid,” she assesses, looking at the field with apparent disinterest, “I mean, running like idiots after a ball, really? Pft, where’s the fun in that?”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaCr1NTonNj
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRn0T3VlewT
Sasuke would have been inclined to agree; if only he were listening to what she was saying. Instead, he has found himself distracted from his own homework by the way the sun seemed to be lighting her hair just so—by the way her ponytail exposed the stark whiteness of the nape of her neck; by the way she absentmindedly bit on her pencil from time to time as she read, brows furrowed in confusion or eyes light up with understanding—and she would tilt her head to the side then, stick her chin out with self-satisfaction—and Sasuke—508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm2rUTttwyM
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“Sasuke—hey, earth to Sasuke, are you listening? I was just saying that—”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsF9pupmNVH
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg09o13IS6q
But Sasuke doesn’t get to hear it, because his body is too busy being pulled to her like a moth to a flame and his brain is too busy shutting down as his lips meet hers. She freezes, and he is too much of a novice so the kiss isn’t much of a kiss—but he doesn’t quite mind.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrG7Tf11Ckv
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When he leans back he finds Karin staring at him, point-blank. He figures that perhaps he should try and say something; but he doesn’t feel the need to, so he just licks the lip-gloss off his lips instead.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFzspf0oTWu
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“Raspberries,” he states, and that seems to get Karin off her trance, because she blinks at him.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSBd10JS0xc
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And then she is grinning.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe6VIQB1YGN
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“Had I known you would finally kiss me today, I’d have worn something less sweet.”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcTQuhbcFiH
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He can’t help but smile back. “I almost did, yesterday,” he reveals, as he carefully takes her glasses off. “And the day before that. And the one before that.”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIr0aC17mZo
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfrDC5uCWQU
“I know,” and her grin becomes a husky smirk as she tangles her fingers in his hair. “You’re too easy to read, Sasuke.”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG4jWydGNB1
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“Hn, you could have helped, then,” he says, but the truth is he is too lost in her to really mind.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBxZs8huyEc
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“Not a chance,” their noses touch and her voice lowers to a mere brush of air against his lips, “…it’s too fun to watch you squirm.”
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“You won’t find anything better for a more reasonable price, I assure you, Uchiha-san. This is the absolute best—”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJRsLMfPskw
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIiSqKJYl3E
He goes on and on, but the words of the realtor start to become nothing but background noises as Sasuke’s gaze is caught by Karin’s vibrant red hair.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxTi6bJo3ZN
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“Excuse me.”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlsYZ14pfpd
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Not waiting for a reply, Sasuke makes his way to the windowsill; Karin was standing in front of it, her eyes closed and her face showered by the rays of the sun filtering in through the glass. It occurs to him then that he has never seen her looking so serene—so at peace with herself and the world. So taken is he by the realization, that he does not notice he has stopped breathing until Karin’s eyes flutter open and she smiles at him.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLJZjDGXWwH
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“This house is ours, Sasuke,”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyvhN5XNIY5
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Her fingers find their way around his, and Sasuke gives them a squeeze as he nods, his expression naturally mirroring her own.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡohl5slSmj3
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He could feel it, too.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3wXCjM1x32
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Behind them, the realtor clears his throat but Karin cuts him short before he could get a single word out.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqluiLhgJ7Q
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLaw7bk9TO8
“We’re buying it,” she states loud and clear, and she is positively glowing.
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She can hardly believe it.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7urm2dM2bi
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Can hardly believe this. That the guy she once chased down a street in the pouring rain is holding her in his arms, his head sunk in her neck as he breathes in the scent of her hair.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPE4HWLYsIE
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡttNu8WQS3T
It seemed like something straight out of one of those dramas she used to love to ridicule and secretly watch at the same time.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRwZfIwpUPv
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡylV4fjPtpJ
Her kind businessman had turned out to be a gentleman through and through; smooth, reliable and above all, capable. He was everything she wanted in a man and then some; and to top it all off, he seemed to be as crazy about her as she was about him.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa9bOdU020G
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSWZgcO5v1v
Now that she thought about it, it seemed more like something straight out from a dream rather than a mere drama. The thought makes her giggle, and she feels him smile against her neck, his arms holding her just a little bit closer so that she has to readjust her own hold around his neck.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTgu6bGt0nm
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“What’s so funny?”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxkma5xEP8Q
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She tells him; because even though the thought is childish, she has learnt that she does not have to keep anything from him. She trusted him with even the most embarrassing and ridiculous sides of her; those she wouldn’t show to anyone else.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU1Qh5WbQ4g
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“There’s just one thing off, though—” she observes, as an afterthought, “where’s my rival in love?”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLnKfiaQWQt
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“Nowhere,” he asserts, grave like only he could be about even the most foolish of things. “I am yours.”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLJG9DD3iWY
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The line would have sounded corny in anyone else’s lips, but in his it sounds just like it is—a statement. A truth being bluntly spoken as he caresses her cheek and looks into her eyes with the barest traces of a smile.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0pkoYcH6se
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She has barely begun to smile back when he is sinking his face on her hair again and brushing his lips against her ear—“And you are mine.”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8QqZIrne92
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And he is breathing in her scent and tightly holding her in his arms—so tightly in fact that she can hardly breathe.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuVZuzLPogC
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“S-asuke—” she chokes.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp4XyK95h4K
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But he does not listen.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTNgEwn5O7L
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“…mine.”
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She soundlessly sneaks behind him and leans her chin on his shoulder.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8dS7dZcrlo
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“Sewing again?”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡULO93MLyQB
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“Not my fault you have so many clothes,” is his simple reply as he continues to work the needle and the thread, slowly-but surely creating what would be a white and red fan.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9vp9O5581c
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEP1CsUSjtK
Her fingers come to play with his hair, pulling and twisting some strands of raven black; “I don’t get why you do it manually, Sasuke. Sewing machines exist just for this kind of thing, in case you forgot.”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMMYaQhbd6k
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“I told you, Karin. It’s an Uchiha tradition, it’s supposed be done manually.” His voice is as light as her warm breathing against his neck, and they remain like that—he calmly sewing, she silently watching—until she suddenly straightens.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPqoGtNcH2c
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“Where are you going?” he can’t help but ask, and hopes the way he is already missing her doesn’t seep into his voice.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsSOiVrMZfi
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“For the sewing kit,” comes her matter-of-fact reply, and surprised, Sasuke arches one eyebrow. “Since I’m becoming an Uchiha myself, I may as well learn, right?”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdFr5TffauT
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She shoots him a playful smirk that looks too much like a smile before leaving the room, and Sasuke cannot help the way his pulse quickens at its sight.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkSK7Fg6jc5
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And he finds himself smiling at her back, like one of those love-sick fools he always used to make fun of.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjxbEKz5Ext
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But it’s just, back then—he had never thought someone could actually make him this happy.
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“Stop doing that, Sasuke.”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVi812kRFI0
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“Doing what?”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6YvZOtu4AC
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“This—making me happy,” her eyes are stern as she looks at him, but he does not take her honesty as seriously as he probably should.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdLsleRW28i
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“Or what?”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3vJtydC0gE
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“…Or I may fall in love with you, Uchiha.”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjCKkLuWkGC
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She is both elated and horrified to see how soft and harmless his usual menacing and intimidating smirk looks as he replies.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡymxhXMD5FL
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“… Maybe I wouldn’t mind that.”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpwrr1afeFV
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His naked form is gone before she can gather herself enough to reply; gone to the living room of the luxury-hotel-room to call for room service—and as she hears his voice drifting over to her from the other room, Karin digs her nails into her palms.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsaaQM1RZJa
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She was alone in the room, his suitcase forgotten on a nearby chair and his laptop on the table—she knows his passwords; has the knowledge and tools to get through what she does not know, and above all, she has the time to do so.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbb4Fjd2dBF
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Only a minute would be enough for a spy as skilled as herself.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAhRZC2vogD
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By the he would come back into the room and make love to her again, it would be too late for him; and he wouldn’t suspect a thing.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡimu4YXqeaJ
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She could get away with it, if she were to go through it. She should go through it. This is what they sent her for—this is what she is getting paid for, not for screwing the target all night long.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNG6EIUMWj1
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She sighs, lays back down on the bed and thinks of his pathetic attempt at a smirk. It makes it easier to forget her duties, to forget the papers she should be revising, the documents she should be hacking into—508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6VuOcDu93k
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To forget the atrocities she would find if she did.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnrgjXI9v8H
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And, really—who would have thought that a monster like Uchiha Sasuke was capable of making a face like that?
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Sasuke was just putting a plate aside when the sound of porcelain breaking reaches his ears.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjfeaZ7cNuF
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With a start, he turns only to find Karin crouched on the ground, her feet surrounded by tiny pieces of what had just been one of her favorite sets of dishes.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsOoLMPQCiC
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“Karin,” he calls, drying his hands on his pants—and he misses the way Karin’s shoulders tense, her back stiffening. “Are you alright?”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2B2dhHJz8W
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“Yeah,” she murmurs after a moment, and Sasuke blinks. She didn’t sound alright.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAp1x6ItC59
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“Karin,” he calls again, approaching her. “Leave that be, I’ll take care of it.”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYTbCEqGS4M
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“I told you, it’s fine.”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK0OvmRr4LJ
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He frowns, concerned. “Karin—”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCelNHdlXoX
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But the words freeze in his throat as Karin yelps and slaps away the hand he had been about to reassuringly place on her shoulder.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGNP6ZbOObt
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For a long moment, all they do is stare at each other—Sasuke staggered by Karin’s frightened eyes, by the raw fear contorting her features—and then the moment ends and Karin is standing up and taking a loud breath.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8f1hSfmrua
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“Sorry, Sasuke—I think I’ll go and lie down for a while.”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBjCJ3ItLEj
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Her voice is even, but Sasuke knows her better than that; and so he can’t bring himself to watch her as she leaves the kitchen.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK1JRObpDgs
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He doesn’t know what he would do if he were to see that same fright reflected in her eyes again.
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She jolts back as the lights go on and the shadows melt away into an all too familiar figure—one that is sitting on the one-man couch and that tilts his head to the side, dark bangs falling across his face and eyes as black as abysses centered on her.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2gxkF38OAg
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“S-sasuke, what—?”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuEYUEH04Hz
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“Where were you, Karin?”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlFiBQjJA0w
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His question is smooth and steady; placid, even. Except that Karin knows him well enough; has gotten to know this side of him—this terrifying side of him, twisted and manipulative, brutally honest in order to hurt rather than to please—well enough lately. Enough to be able to see beyond and into the brewing storm.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD57XGckeYe
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It reeks of lighting and promises pain—it frankly terrifies her.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk726Fya5jd
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But she holds her ground.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF1bjNdM74g
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqxh3CfAzZp
“I—I was having lunch with my parents, Sasuke. They called to invite us today but you were at—”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxOxtqQrxT0
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2o1AwG5o2X
“Liar,” he grits out, and Karin’s blood runs cold. “I called them myself. You were not with them. So, where were you?”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh1lQZSbzNu
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEJ3KWKXwRA
It is trying to keep her voice and hands from shaking that she says the truth. “I was out with the girls, Sasuke—but we were just eating and talking! We did nothing w—”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhtf4hzNLW4
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRwIx1GOYiV
“Then why didn’t you say so from the start, Karin?” she freezes, like a deer caught in headlights—and then lowers his eyes. Slowly, Sasuke stands. “… Do you not trust me, Karin? Do you think I do not trust you? Is that it?”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYpstyVZvu8
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEW7sY10HSg
“Sasuke, I—”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGfC5g4SOYo
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeKsBpkNKOT
“Because I do, Karin,” he is standing before her now, his hand lovingly caressing her face, his eyes warm—and though Karin knows better, her body remains as loyal to him as ever and it betrays her; closing its eyes and leaning into the touch. “I trust you, because I love you. Do you not love me, Karin?”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBvsidY36Zc
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU1v22o6wua
A part of her hates herself for how easily the answer comes forth to her lips. For how true it remains. “… I do, Sasuke.”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTlDjq2remQ
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEAxs11t6KP
She hears his smile, “Good. Then, you will stop seeing them, won’t you? Those girls.”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhYznzGBRPa
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjHLDF3GhLX
Her eyes snap open—and the Sasuke that greets them is once again back to being rough oceans and thunderstorms. “You’re better than them, Karin.”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEQVjFXVqwX
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqOrN2qGDzx
I want you all for myself—is what Karin hears instead, and she frowns. “Sasuke, you can’t be serious—they are my friends!”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXJvSbxAQHx
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM26ur4Rdpy
She comes to regret her words almost immediately, as his features snap into a mad grimace and his hand shots to her wrist, grasping it tightly enough to make her yelp—“And I not enough for you, Karin?”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6ph3b24pc4
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXk5FASWr9W
“I—” yes, he is—was. Is.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡutcDawHIb7
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdgoLSwsflO
And that frightens her more than he possibly could.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7ZVXZGKejC
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwsnmxTMoQ0
“—alright, Sasuke… you win.”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZPfQ8J2QAa
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxRZ3pHAk4p
His features relax and his hands come to cup her cheeks again, a soft, almost child-like smile in his lips. Innocent enough to trick anyone.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUiCSfIFz7Q
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSKfKNPe3Vq
Even himself.
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508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIc8GyvWwC8
The silence is deafening. The unsaid drawing knots with his vocal chords, until he decides that enough has been enough.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBNZcdXSel5
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1yXQcs8p3V
“Karin, about yesterday….” He trails off, figures he will give her the chance to own up to what happened by herself, rather than attempting to play the game of pretend like she has been doing all day.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaoDFKp3bDu
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMMFzD2UBJW
She doesn’t bulge. “What?”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMpCAIrLtTJ
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡphcg7wbh5J
And perhaps that’s what worries Sasuke the most.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYI079XskB9
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB6nLxfmsca
It takes him a few moments before he is able to gain control of the ominous feeling pooling in his stomach; the one making it hard to speak.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG55HpeTWMC
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQcwWLlm99C
“Don’t try to avoid the subject, Karin. There is something you aren’t telling me, isn’t there?”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzmDo2IWouk
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJvXnlsNAiq
Karin’s hands pause for half a second—and then she is moving the chopsticks again, her lips curving in a mystifying smile that does not reach her eyes.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8PFBOJGWQJ
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTP7RVOuTNk
And Sasuke wants nothing more than to ask her to stop—but he is too scared to do so.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn4Kf49o7WT
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSasAXXT19V
“Eat, Sasuke. It’s going to get cold.”
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He rolls the raspberries between his fingers, memories swirling in his head.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡalCAr6xSJw
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1VA9tndWQi
He has always had a very good memory; and throughout his life, it has proved to be a curse more often than a blessing.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVszgpr9QOq
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5kF1ysX1sg
In this case, it is both at once.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIUUSkfRZoT
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNek9jl0fMG
A redheaded toddler pulls him along to play on the backyard; a young girl holds him as he weeps for his parents and brother; a teenager kissing the raspberry lipstick off his lips.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN2rc8VJPEw
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlQ29Bt8S0K
A girl sending him off with a sad smile, and never looking back.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2VCV1zCP8B
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPT0MOGP1Oi
Broken promises.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqLgwDCclng
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A call. A funeral.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzmCOgbteUz
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And tears.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYFCukzwYC3
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6FQUU3lKqn
Heartbreak.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHFroJAYlN5
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV5SdsYIC4P
Loneliness.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0gR9vfBlGQ
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnmjEskZLFX
…then there was nothing else.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN0JFMuNTng
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7KizUKz0ME
And then there was everything all over again.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC5wUXdDOop
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb6gElOJFCR
Rinse and repeat over and over; relieving both the good and the bad, but not feeling the sunlight warm nor the pain sting. It was like a movie etched on his corneas—he saw it over and over whenever he had his eyes open, whenever he had his eyes closed. And by now he has seen it enough times to know every turn, every scene—and yet he can’t stop.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo5apXcuC9P
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ34g2HA59zr
He can’t stop.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPQYNQFC7ZG
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFh8SCowkqc
He does not want to.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRi5Uet6kbv
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW5BApF8Y41
One of the raspberries snaps, juice rolling down his fingers—but he does nothing to clean it up.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6Jdph2PR0f
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7Ts1KskLtQ
The door creaks open.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXl13owvPCk
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSiHqZyembM
“Uchiha-san, you have to eat.”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwd4SeiAWVM
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTRwelH0Se3
The nurse says, more out of habit than anything else; but he is too far away to hear—508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPX9QIHw6W3
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMob13ipFSU
(“I’ll see you around… Sasuke,” comes her goodbye—and then there is a whirlwind of colors and images as the roll film reels back to their beginning.)508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRgxpVVV9Lp
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsIBNN9sAvh
—and it’s been a year since the patient of the room 723 has pronounced a single word.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLrcUvHemVq
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGAj0KSdOGC
(And a five-year old Karin is smiling.)
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508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa1bO6CHHWB
When the first rays of the sun slip through the open curtains, Sasuke awakens only to find that it was one of those rare days when Karin has woken up first.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5vxzWzbTu7
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsR2kdsZCOa
For a blissful moment, he is ignorant; forgetful. He does not remember how weird she has been acting, does not remember the silences from the past couple of days—and so he is about to tease her about waking up so early when he realizes there was something very, very wrong—and any drowsiness is suddenly yanked from underneath him like a rug.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr4WZRaSiN3
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg1W5H8xKeC
Karin was sitting on the bed, unnaturally straight and still; her eyes vacant and unseeing, telltale trails of dried tears on her cheeks.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCjyQUstrV2
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUUpqTLc9XL
For an excruciatingly long moment, Sasuke is frozen in place—at a complete loss as to what to do. This was the first time he has ever seen Karin cry, and the sight makes an ugly feeling curl up in his gut.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMPPWuzUMlt
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfqadpMlxWR
“Karin…” his voice is faint; a tentative call more to spur himself into motion than to reach her. “Karin, what’s wrong?”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsjiNslgPfz
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjnmNU6BGxZ
She does not react—gives no signs of having heard him, and Sasuke is filled with a sense of foreboding so potent that it robs him of his breathing.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbEw1ZUrb9T
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4AWciEDC9j
And then she parts her lips.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvkAnnFtPxf
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD3koaOwSXE
“Sasuke… I had a dream… a new one.”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwvXJkMpBSy
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNxN6cYDfaD
Sasuke swallows; what could she have possibly seen to put her in such a state?508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv5G5q7rkc4
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj990psubge
“Karin, I…” the redhead simply shakes her head, and to his ever-growing alarm there are fresh tears dripping from her eyes.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqSUJfMLdQG
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvQdtiAo7mp
“Forget it, Sasuke… it’s better if you do.”
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508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe3OHESUx79
She chokes on a distraught sob as she gathers his body in her arms, his blood seeping into her shirt and tainting it as crimson as her hair.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8uPGYe6Gup
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx7p6nBgQqI
“Stop it, Karin. You were not supposed to care about him—”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRSMAsQOrmx
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZjQei1JRYi
“And you weren’t supposed to kill him! This was my job!” she growls, her sight blurry by unleashed tears—and despite it she can still clearly see the apathy in her coworker’s face.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXbV9XBcIHI
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR2FxjwKzbF
It makes something in her tightly clench.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVMPqvLO4DU
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt6n4SRWRjy
“Hn, you took too long. We couldn’t keep waiting for you to remember your roots. Did you forget you’re a spy, Karin? You’re trained for riding the world of bastards like these.”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEnQ9bBtrH5
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy8Tall5YUU
And then he distastefully kicks him—he kicks Sasuke’s side, as if he were nothing but a sack of bones and skin—and something in her snaps.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxH5VTnAqEO
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5Y6I7zh4Ky
She is taking her gun out and blowing his brains out before he has got time to even think—and as the body falls to the ground with a sick thud, Karin wipes off her tears—smearing her cheeks with Sasuke’s blood—and loads the gun again.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhQVqyRCcR5
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX33El9Z9Oa
She can hear them coming from her, and she knows she won’t be able to escape—but that was fine.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuFjWmo9Kfh
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxtCuMLwOe8
She would take as many of them as she possibly could before going down, and—508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpxOmxJZ9vH
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZYyYCvvrNi
“…we’ll meet soon, Sasuke.”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqeypmyipDu
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA9diyIiAQQ
—and Sasuke had always liked souvenirs.
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He is crudely woken up by Karin screaming his name.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6KWbALyPvc
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7dmnyUOzQN
Her yells are shrill and terrified; and they do not stop, no matter how much he shakes her, how much he calls out to her.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgMpcDZDXH3
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzvpuHkfBuA
In fact—she seemed to only be getting worse.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡreeekAdw0n
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLsZ3iMdZyY
“Sasuke, no—!”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRRqLXxeUw3
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyqIZiV8MbG
“Karin! Karin, wake up!” he has her seized by her shoulders, but Karin trashes in his hold; so he brushes the bangs off her forehead instead, trying to soothe her nightmares with his touch. “It’s fine, I’m here, I won’t let anyone hurt—”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKQGSJKAIKB
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqUHJCXUUUB
But his sincere promise is cut short by her terrified sob.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdY2jAeGNe9
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBhGM0jrKcI
“N-no, Sasuke—get away from me!”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwZL2qqjqsz
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRXo2sZ1uLA
Sasuke jumps back, as if burnt. “W-what…?”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ1rMGAMXWB
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYjS7K6FU8H
He could not believe his ears—she was frightened—of him?508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeVN391qwQm
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuLGWHl7xzz
He leans back; backs off the bed and steps into the cold floor, his mind whirling—and it’s then a memory sneaks into his conscious. Uninvited, and terrible with the clarity it brings him.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxAs2jOA9h3
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcuToc2iTml
‘… They weren’t always nice, Sasuke. They rarely were.’508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4w9tGptkCf
‘What weren’t?’508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC3CtACWKh0
‘...You.’508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmFdNRpA5mr
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuoEnNPZADj
The thought makes trepidation mercilessly grip his heart—and he can do nothing but helplessly watch as Karin twists and turns in her sleep, battling against ghosts he cannot see.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1AbErNaaoF
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE59uvtTi9j
Ghosts he has started to fear, too.
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508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp3QFbtnH3t
“Karin,” he whispers affectionately, caressing her cheek with his right hand, “I need you.”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBg4MALZ31U
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKXCYErWOE0
Karin swallows the knot in her throat and forces her knees to remain firm, “I—I know, so plea—”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXBKaO4ICxP
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkUBOGkloA1
“You’re the only one for me,” he talks over her, as if she hadn’t said a word. And Karin cannot fight the shiver that runs down her spine as something cold is pressed to her ribcage, right in between her breasts. “That’s why… I must to do this.”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxShoQeIRDk
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡORumda2DA7
“Sasuke,” her voice is hoarse, her eyes begging him to rethink this—to be reasonable. But Sasuke simply shakes his head and smiles an impossibly sad smile, his thumb tracing her bottom lip, which has started to quiver.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcJp2KI3y3Z
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnIHCHvdYMl
“I’ll see you soon… Karin.”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpHLVe5E4HY
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHDzG8g0h0x
He says, and his words are as loud as the gunshot that follows.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGsUbVdBrGc
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And then her lifeless body is crumbling to the ground, his soon to follow.
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508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtp79AYK7Wh
“What was I doing to you?”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyODiB9EXCl
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKS1ODxJjbA
“… I don’t remember.”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0Xrgrx2l4o
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTKwvH8GEUY
Sasuke shuts his eyes close, his hands gripping the sheets. It would be so much easier to pretend to believe her; to pretend there was nothing wrong. To pretend he didn’t spend the whole night fighting the desperation gripping at his core as he watched her shake in her turmoil-filled sleep; longing for it to end, dreading what would happen once it did.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0E4ev4Ei9E
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But he has played that game long enough.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFT4iyGbdMR
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDxr84cpOsx
He cannot continue to allow himself to remain blissfully unaware while she battles on her own.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6MekrR6xDG
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1Fx3MWjeYF
“Don’t lie to me, Karin.”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYiT84hCnWa
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbiVLEhmjZy
“I’m not lying, Sasuke… I can’t remember what I dreamed,” Karin whispers, and a shiver runs down his spine as she places her cold hand atop of his own; it was trembling. “…But I can remember the rest.”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJoJORw2N7T
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He is shaking, too—and so he uncurls his fists and entwines his fingers with hers, and makes the one request that would surely change everything.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm8D1aBD3Lv
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“…Tell me the truth, Karin.”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHucq3GsbEQ
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Karin takes a deep breath, and Sasuke braces himself.
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The world seems to slow to a halt as she coughs up blood, the sword cleanly piercing her chest and stopping dangerously close to his own heart.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ58oFVZ5Q8I
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He can only stare, eyes wide, at the back of her head—the vibrant strands of hair tickling his face as she takes an involuntary step backward—and then there is a cold flush of liquid splaying all over his shirt as the sword is pulled out and she begins to crumble down like a leaf—508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa2HDAVvmd4
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And her name leaves his lips in the form of a horrified call—one that is cut short by her strained smile.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBLEsbYMS45
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“Idiot, I… told you… to move, Sasuke…”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL0CkPTpjjo
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“Stop talking, Karin,” he ushers, and his vision blurs. Despite it he thinks he sees her smile widening, and he cradles her closer to his chest, tries to ignore the blood seeping from her body at an alarmingly fast pace. “You need to save your strength, Sakura is c—”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwEOCH1T77l
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“Sa…suke,” and though her voice is nothing but a dying whisper, he is rendered silent at once. “Promise me… you won’t… die.”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJPp6OC5T8w
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His teeth clatter and sink on his lip, drawing blood—and suddenly he is yelling. “You are the idiot, Karin! Why?! Why would you do that for me? Did you forget what I did to you? I thought you said you wouldn’t! I thought you said you would—”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1KaAcAfdWo
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“—make you… regret it… I know,” her smile looks like unleashed tears. “I admit… this… wasn’t exactly… what I had… in mind.”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0GsDuF4khE
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There is a choked sob—and he barely registers it is his own.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWPrwd1wjxy
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She does, though—and her fingertips come to softly brush away the tears from the corner of his eyes, leaving telltale traces of crimson instead.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGxuyeerKFv
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“Don’t… all I want…ed… is for you… to smile… like that day.”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTfMEXycka8
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He knows at once what she means—but the memories feel light-years away; they are colored in grays and smeared with blood, and for the life of him—for the life of her—he cannot find it in himself the will to smile.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrySKvj6UCV
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And she slips away through his hesitation like he had always slipped through her fingers.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmGupa3tuSe
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“See ya… Sasuke.”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCf064wUXxk
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Her hand drops and her body goes cold, and all his lips seem to be able to do is call her name—a name accompanied by lonesome apologies and regrets that would never get either of them anywhere.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKszACDGjSH
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He never seems to be able to get anywhere, ever, not even when he is trying to—but if he could—if only he could do it all over again, he—508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡweWI9b6Osz
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Mere hours later, his body is the one to drop lifelessly to the ground—and it’s all over before he can realize the smile that grazes his lips.
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A terrible silence has descended upon them.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLbWS4re18G
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He has retreated to the edge of the bed, his elbows sinking on his knees and his horrified face cradled in his shaking hands.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQNpkHJlk5t
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“Why…?” and he does not know it, but it always seemed to come to this very question. “Why are you with me, despite all the things I’ve done to you?”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiV48rtBWQb
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Karin watches his desolated back and has a hard time swallowing the lump in her throat, “Because… they are not you, Sasuke.”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8sPQIfUEdm
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He says nothing in response—can not possibly wrap his mind around her words, Karin knows. And so she softly crawls to him and drapes her arms around his neck, leans her cheek on the side of his head, closes her eyes, and smiles.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9Hpqpk0zVK
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“And, above all…”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcWvCErzU7S
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The smile is strained—but resolute. Serene. It says nothing and everything at once. And despite himself, Sasuke finds solace in her touch—his own hand coming to seize her own as her words carry over to him, a simple truth that at once gives him hope and clogs his throat with trepidation.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH0EAbXXYRu
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“…Above all, I want to see how this one ends.”
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It happens a sunny morning as she trips and a bear lunges at her, its roar so deafening that she thought her head would burst before the beast would get to sink its teeth on her flesh.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhXn706s9O2
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Except that it doesn’t get to.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRczBJfGbzx
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And when she puts her glasses back on, her sight is met by a smile that would carve itself on her mind and set ablaze a flame that would burn just as strongly and lastingly as the eyes of the boy she would never, ever forget.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTV5pGPE7xf
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“See ya.”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjh2TPzhImw
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This is what I give,508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8zdapu02N5
A circle is complete.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfJWadgR693
Another circle spins508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxB9DJU3Imz
There's life within,508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFfBurUQW5B
Within
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Ok! Now you guys should understand what I meant by the warnings at the beginning; I tried to make each SK set of reincarnations distinctly different from each other, both in personalities, dynamics, and backgrounds; so they indeed diverge from the Sasuke and Karin we're used to, as they have all grown in different environments. All the same, I tried to keep some traits of their canon personalities, so hopefully, they aren't absurdly OOC.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7Hr6L6fBJZ
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That said~! The song used at the beginning is Kitade Nana’s Tsukihana, and the one at the end is Blue Foundation’s Bonfires. Now, onto random details about the fic~ there are five versions of SasuKarin total in the fic; the originals, and 4 pairs of reincarnations.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2osuht71QE
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The format of the fic didn’t allow me to expand and truly explain each particular set, so if you are curious about any of them drop me a comment and I’ll tell you their background and/or explain anything you may be wondering about~!508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMcazoUATQ5
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For now, though, I must mention a couple of things about the 4th SK pair (aka, the most controversial - the one with cute!Karin and businessman!Sasuke); their meeting (the umbrella thing) was completely inspired by a real-life story I read here, and overly-jealous-and-possessive-Sasuke was inspired by might 'Anyone's Ghost' SK AMV, here. I debated a bit about this version because it's kind of hard to imagine a Karin who would allow Sasuke to be that way with her; but then again, this particular Karin is less headstrong than the one we know and love. So I decided to leave it as it lol Also, his overdone “I love you(s)” and cheesiness, while sincere, were meant to be creepy and manipulative; I really hope they came out that way lol508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQxNjs033r6
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Thanks for reading! ♥
Tags: fanfic, karin, naruto, sasukarin, sasuke
ns3.133.137.102da2
