[FANFIC - HBD, KARIN! PII] READING BETWEEN THE LINES ; (SK)
By: Kanae (Goth-Punk88 @ ff.net)404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCcccbmdSMD
Rating: K+404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVy6ATLxT5P
Word Count: 1.956404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp4w3YiU42c
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 lol404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUBCN1s0Csw
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reading between the lines ;404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnZ9YthPR2O
by Kanae404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjvWq2O6zqk
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Stupid Orochimaru.404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgLeTGfYuO5
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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.404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ72qJqkUBkp
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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.404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPihDiQd9Hw
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And now it would be ruined.404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwCq766Gu61
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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.404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnQ7eGuHMm2
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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.404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG0zYf1qa8U
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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.404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8iXJqsgUrr
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Understood. You won’t be disappointed, Orochimaru-sama.404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4c6GnbKBmA
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The man had simply smirked, mirth in those gashes he had for eyes. I know.404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi0JREunIPF
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Karin knew, too, even though she rather wished she didn’t.404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZt0B6kunlq
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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.404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpi7ITPepJR
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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.404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu1DF0uy8Hp
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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.404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8l5JRl93j0
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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.404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe2Z3qLuTeP
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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.404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVuVCIfIJ5Z
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So focused was she on her thoughts, that she does not realize the chakra approaching her until he speaks.404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy5vEHNpt5R
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“Still packing, Karin?”404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPTnCiSoHlp
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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.404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiCmdEvdSFp
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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.”404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡktSpk0WXXb
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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.”404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPCM4QUBFeV
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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?404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4Q83c1aXYX
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Oh. Right.404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZlUDe3UwRK
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It takes her a considerable amount of will to repress the sigh that wanted to leave her lips, “Whatever.”404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2jlobWDi3o
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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.404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrf0wgJUolq
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“…You shouldn’t leave your door open like this, there.”404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5Aklvr4ZtW
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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.”404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrWGVnE5BRI
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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.”404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCb0bOWvZKg
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“I’ve never been there.”404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP4fIf6YKzW
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“… I see.”404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCqZEKUSr2H
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Silence. For Orochimaru to have never taken Sasuke there, it could only mean one thing—404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhQupP7dJhR
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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…”404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs9AoPeSoGh
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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.404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbCjBfMrlmO
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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.404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcsuG5aTgme
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Sasuke.404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBvnD5VyZ4G
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“Heh, so you asked him?”404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy8RyAPjhqx
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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?”404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMz61mUinZ6
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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.”404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR0WwC81SQD
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“I’m not worried, Karin.”404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFUKBQc4clg
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Karin snorts, “Sure you aren’t.”404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrjG3wIABLS
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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.404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnteH7yAuPS
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Anytime soon. Her eyes widen.404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGbgU9HAaZe
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“Say, Sasuke, did you ask Orochimaru for how long will I be there?”404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ46Qf1rVFFa
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He does not reply immediately; and in his silence, Karin hears the reply loudest of all. “… It’s undetermined.”404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡilWQa41zFJ
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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.404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3XP91GlcBr
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Chances are she would not get to talk, feel or bicker with Sasuke for months.404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJm5rRjKGqJ
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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.404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgp0PxxHiSo
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“… It won’t be that long, Karin.”404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwV5gWF5NsQ
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When she looks at him, she finds a dangerous glint sharpening his eyes and at once knows what he means.404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMq2XEaSqQc
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Orochimaru would not be around for much longer.404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPtFdL4Xsow
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Karin swallows, a shot of adrenaline reigniting her veins.404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNNU1EMIHj4
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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.404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡASDD6JvGFo
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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.”404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIgzcbke6fR
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“Hn.”404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp9TvWwx8r6
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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.404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡho7dZ4KH6X
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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.404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLkjHx39We4
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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—404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoevh2agHJX
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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.404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoqSUuQZqwS
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As will she.404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdB6U3HleNA
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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.404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4LBaO9NdPB
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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.404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdPsURPDBpI
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Flabbergasted, Karin can only catch the pouch that is suddenly thrown at her, “Huh?”404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7pEFnGL9U9
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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.”404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnuKk5IZlPR
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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.”404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJl0NrUbNoL
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“See ya, Karin.”404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkfnlA36QKx
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“Later, Sasuke.”404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK5bD0R3wQF
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It is almost as embarrassing as her treacherous blush, but for a moment, Karin had actually thought—404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQYbxR8kHxM
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“Pft, as if.”404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBuQ0Ek3xJX
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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.404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGaUCUbHRi6
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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.404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0VN1ZrpLxS
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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.404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTfROuYVLQ8
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She blinks—once, twice—and then her smile morphs into a full blown smirk, her fingertips longingly tracing the pattern.404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ058BVIKGeZ
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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—404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡelmgY5Vn6h
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At the end, it all amounted to the same.404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡedeuO5gnUz
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“Happy birthday,” Karin mutters, an enthusiastic glint in her eye. “Uchiha Karin.”404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ25sMBzKGmz
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end.
tags: fanfic, karin, naruto, sasukarin, sasuke
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