[FANFIC - HBD, KARIN! PII] READING BETWEEN THE LINES ; (SK)
By: Kanae (Goth-Punk88 @ ff.net)506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYkQNlK2ZnS
Rating: K+506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm7vA1K1yVC
Word Count: 1.956506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQWHdQKHU35
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 lol506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIBiuNlcOvb
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reading between the lines ;506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUFhq5qHWls
by Kanae506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIa9fomr9oy
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Stupid Orochimaru.506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvnCVVC2C6i
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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.506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI9XpqrLHsN
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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.506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQh5Q9PFAAz
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And now it would be ruined.506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGcOdXYO6UZ
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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.506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZx6JqJkjNg
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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.506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFyGHdDFkU1
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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.506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMy5nayiZB0
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Understood. You won’t be disappointed, Orochimaru-sama.506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrNAarPFdb8
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The man had simply smirked, mirth in those gashes he had for eyes. I know.506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIUCVK8fB00
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Karin knew, too, even though she rather wished she didn’t.506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ913awBGJfQ
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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.506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoYpnogwVV3
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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.506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMfYPo7Hfyj
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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.506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhnQUhW5Nad
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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.506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQMdyZktFyg
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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.506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqulE2YvphC
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So focused was she on her thoughts, that she does not realize the chakra approaching her until he speaks.506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkKtl0mXwGL
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“Still packing, Karin?”506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK0GrrvYy5Z
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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.506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5F7QkQe221
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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.”506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ212Rf24vR0
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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.”506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡva0Ogk8rq8
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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?506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvxz5UlnrPy
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Oh. Right.506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡioPPIsxzu4
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It takes her a considerable amount of will to repress the sigh that wanted to leave her lips, “Whatever.”506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0UY5ctBe9J
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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.506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡidSle4YakV
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“…You shouldn’t leave your door open like this, there.”506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8IZJppDWqw
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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.”506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡadb0MFoaCM
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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.”506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlOQ5pHVxTk
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“I’ve never been there.”506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqtFESE7SkS
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“… I see.”506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnQCNdBgv4k
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Silence. For Orochimaru to have never taken Sasuke there, it could only mean one thing—506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs98ELoMSr2
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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…”506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu67Ue2kkqv
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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.506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsruGmlwvlY
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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.506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJbai5N1IlN
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Sasuke.506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ96TujTFU2i
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“Heh, so you asked him?”506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYBUJSO8eHK
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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?”506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfTSl0YEHrM
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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.”506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRtPp5SZJUN
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“I’m not worried, Karin.”506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmXclDr1E0j
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Karin snorts, “Sure you aren’t.”506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvuJYYmbean
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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.506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡevSc6G7bRy
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Anytime soon. Her eyes widen.506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlXq0igJ6cq
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“Say, Sasuke, did you ask Orochimaru for how long will I be there?”506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfF26yTCtU0
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He does not reply immediately; and in his silence, Karin hears the reply loudest of all. “… It’s undetermined.”506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY4sRleXwDq
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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.506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAgJrx3v8D0
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Chances are she would not get to talk, feel or bicker with Sasuke for months.506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXn9D5BoBIA
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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.506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRAHv2cTzvI
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“… It won’t be that long, Karin.”506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUJs6TTrTz0
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When she looks at him, she finds a dangerous glint sharpening his eyes and at once knows what he means.506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJnydVDqLeJ
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Orochimaru would not be around for much longer.506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeikg6bAvY8
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Karin swallows, a shot of adrenaline reigniting her veins.506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn0kbMXUHZ6
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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.506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEkCdsG3wh3
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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.”506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjWgj3Xns9Z
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“Hn.”506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdM0l4pm4tT
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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.506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkmSYcYRv88
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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.506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjQeVw4GYqH
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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—506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlwAdXnIBwu
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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.506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7CXfcqoscw
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As will she.506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoFH6nUTwv0
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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.506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrpULlEAuqU
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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.506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8GVHtjzD9k
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Flabbergasted, Karin can only catch the pouch that is suddenly thrown at her, “Huh?”506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYWpXSdL4ee
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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.”506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqRGQIw3nVQ
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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.”506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3p4nLNK7c0
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“See ya, Karin.”506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7McrGt31ks
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“Later, Sasuke.”506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBHbwvtU1ET
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It is almost as embarrassing as her treacherous blush, but for a moment, Karin had actually thought—506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvjVczWa0Q1
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“Pft, as if.”506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHjq248c3bs
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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.506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9nXooE6tjO
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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.506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ25RTRSVAIf
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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.506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkgnbdwqqTv
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She blinks—once, twice—and then her smile morphs into a full blown smirk, her fingertips longingly tracing the pattern.506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKqZa3ifLGL
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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—506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSMrle0nLPi
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At the end, it all amounted to the same.506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ32uGqaog06
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“Happy birthday,” Karin mutters, an enthusiastic glint in her eye. “Uchiha Karin.”506Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmJjzpHhb9v
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end.
tags: fanfic, karin, naruto, sasukarin, sasuke
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