[FANFIC - HBD, KARIN! PII] READING BETWEEN THE LINES ; (SK)
By: Kanae (Goth-Punk88 @ ff.net)505Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsKdPfw7eVL
Rating: K+505Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf3iOy3Cutr
Word Count: 1.956505Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgqVMvs6y2z
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 lol505Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIcI1P2OsB3
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reading between the lines ;505Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0Anx5rL2a0
by Kanae505Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkyUWCR4Ve0
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Stupid Orochimaru.505Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV4wlPKBhnC
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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.505Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwYO9MOmQIJ
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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.505Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuw3Ot9qCbC
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And now it would be ruined.505Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTOaxGpGZit
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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.505Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaeMJ4EycMk
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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.505Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnDn6xvKFZ2
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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.505Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXT8VLq4tDP
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Understood. You won’t be disappointed, Orochimaru-sama.505Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBOJ6BX3pcn
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The man had simply smirked, mirth in those gashes he had for eyes. I know.505Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ7ERyihK3K
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Karin knew, too, even though she rather wished she didn’t.505Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCYRP8EBAH4
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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.505Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiQKpJCjZ8I
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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.505Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡynfvGRs2PH
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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.505Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa17SmEMsBo
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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.505Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf3z0eAY6Jp
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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.505Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2YRTAsF7Zg
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So focused was she on her thoughts, that she does not realize the chakra approaching her until he speaks.505Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAk6EwXbTUZ
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“Still packing, Karin?”505Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOHZVatyQxy
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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.505Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvtKiuKe20a
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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.”505Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOnrO1rXmCO
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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.”505Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW2Qm5T6ZEz
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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?505Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDzSCgeOVvo
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Oh. Right.505Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsU8MhYDGf5
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It takes her a considerable amount of will to repress the sigh that wanted to leave her lips, “Whatever.”505Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTMS3qRTGzr
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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.505Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgb2wz9UBRd
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“…You shouldn’t leave your door open like this, there.”505Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiIVxa1lPJK
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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.”505Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRbTDjhKv9m
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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.”505Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDv8X8vyq0N
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“I’ve never been there.”505Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5SST0QAyor
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“… I see.”505Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVYQ8fc5QzO
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Silence. For Orochimaru to have never taken Sasuke there, it could only mean one thing—505Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4Bs8o9kmEP
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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…”505Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwCExXf1AW7
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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.505Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUuakO6QHBZ
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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.505Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCqA7ZpuFFq
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Sasuke.505Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgEsnRJyVRO
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“Heh, so you asked him?”505Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU0ufQxLI2E
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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?”505Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpiOqiYVw89
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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.”505Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0hLSpKLp0m
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“I’m not worried, Karin.”505Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡScPGpxhr2L
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Karin snorts, “Sure you aren’t.”505Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2uIlRLho89
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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.505Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqSuqQnYB90
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Anytime soon. Her eyes widen.505Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzw5RNigy8v
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“Say, Sasuke, did you ask Orochimaru for how long will I be there?”505Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg6cBV1QDTS
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He does not reply immediately; and in his silence, Karin hears the reply loudest of all. “… It’s undetermined.”505Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9sCMZvA2jk
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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.505Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr0ASFf6G6K
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Chances are she would not get to talk, feel or bicker with Sasuke for months.505Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEiiDa35NId
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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.505Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1QcYzhnWpX
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“… It won’t be that long, Karin.”505Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEDFqqUTu1e
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When she looks at him, she finds a dangerous glint sharpening his eyes and at once knows what he means.505Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUK4YkjUOXV
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Orochimaru would not be around for much longer.505Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ35mbIH3E0h
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Karin swallows, a shot of adrenaline reigniting her veins.505Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf0h0YM7Jj5
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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.505Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMi8KUxswvE
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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.”505Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLfkQAhuLN1
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“Hn.”505Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS5Shpthxrk
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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.505Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeZ856jmiOn
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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.505Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQrPx1JgyVY
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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—505Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsyGs7VbuNv
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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.505Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQUqFFDrCsH
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As will she.505Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdMFNndsbUs
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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.505Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoxCVFazTiR
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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.505Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWbtZwBKuzL
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Flabbergasted, Karin can only catch the pouch that is suddenly thrown at her, “Huh?”505Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMGeew08wHC
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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.”505Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCmjcOsPGHf
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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.”505Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEgwjfV0Aas
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“See ya, Karin.”505Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWAHe5BrGWL
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“Later, Sasuke.”505Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLWFySE2ZqM
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It is almost as embarrassing as her treacherous blush, but for a moment, Karin had actually thought—505Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa1JLMmwqsl
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“Pft, as if.”505Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2VG8Uglt7h
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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.505Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAWp0gwqsBv
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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.505Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcX4AQB73bA
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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.505Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6zvuUZH6zk
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She blinks—once, twice—and then her smile morphs into a full blown smirk, her fingertips longingly tracing the pattern.505Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ078gi9NU25
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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—505Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwi1uaJ1inb
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At the end, it all amounted to the same.505Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpWBXB8xRsK
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“Happy birthday,” Karin mutters, an enthusiastic glint in her eye. “Uchiha Karin.”505Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQAdUpyy50q
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end.
tags: fanfic, karin, naruto, sasukarin, sasuke
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