[FANFIC - HBD, KARIN! PII] READING BETWEEN THE LINES ; (SK)
By: Kanae (Goth-Punk88 @ ff.net)424Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzMsD4liyor
Rating: K+424Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ9K0SFsgZ6
Word Count: 1.956424Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlqqK9ty0nh
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 lol424Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHFlFUkqvjt
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reading between the lines ;424Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqFUBMId63e
by Kanae424Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡct2nWvYYU6
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Stupid Orochimaru.424Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjoF6aJW8yI
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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.424Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXfY5gWmUXH
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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.424Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtc0rWi9kMG
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And now it would be ruined.424Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ45UsMu8zX6
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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.424Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEBSnB34ATz
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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.424Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNBi7WgjO6W
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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.424Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIHD6i3k8M1
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Understood. You won’t be disappointed, Orochimaru-sama.424Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPrRsCc7URb
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The man had simply smirked, mirth in those gashes he had for eyes. I know.424Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvUwtFXGMYw
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Karin knew, too, even though she rather wished she didn’t.424Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVEbg1Eerj1
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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.424Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFnYMFXfgJS
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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.424Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKyRJLRjQxI
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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.424Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ26Kl5Yyvr
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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.424Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZrsfNSjOSP
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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.424Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOYY7mTWZLN
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So focused was she on her thoughts, that she does not realize the chakra approaching her until he speaks.424Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCPeQD6kvVj
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“Still packing, Karin?”424Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvE5WvV5VPN
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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.424Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCSUPjxi6qX
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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.”424Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZy1e3R50UF
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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.”424Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh8BYYR03OG
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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?424Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvynHF0FJIr
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Oh. Right.424Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjgqQTWThHz
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It takes her a considerable amount of will to repress the sigh that wanted to leave her lips, “Whatever.”424Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt5WokA17Ag
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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.424Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdv2r2TF6a0
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“…You shouldn’t leave your door open like this, there.”424Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4dmLIJBmq3
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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.”424Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTQK8o7qNG2
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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.”424Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡagmK2vKl0r
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“I’ve never been there.”424Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz4PQndgrDr
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“… I see.”424Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZLC0LnIIfD
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Silence. For Orochimaru to have never taken Sasuke there, it could only mean one thing—424Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8fo81mu6Lr
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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…”424Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwcSqqFZjtb
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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.424Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJmZtcUlbLj
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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.424Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUGvlW4aLpU
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Sasuke.424Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡamC3V49zFk
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“Heh, so you asked him?”424Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTHUiuLEiiR
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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?”424Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUcZFtuu3C1
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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.”424Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmJGIqpagTJ
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“I’m not worried, Karin.”424Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW9n4f2Uvtj
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Karin snorts, “Sure you aren’t.”424Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiR16ryANfx
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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.424Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0gMZmbmsU0
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Anytime soon. Her eyes widen.424Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOclOI6fAbd
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“Say, Sasuke, did you ask Orochimaru for how long will I be there?”424Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDS36xaxWLj
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He does not reply immediately; and in his silence, Karin hears the reply loudest of all. “… It’s undetermined.”424Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4Pj3EXuGrm
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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.424Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKyw8SL4I6P
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Chances are she would not get to talk, feel or bicker with Sasuke for months.424Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXBgYqDvZxA
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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.424Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmWVIEjskwz
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“… It won’t be that long, Karin.”424Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaQS6RgSAaa
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When she looks at him, she finds a dangerous glint sharpening his eyes and at once knows what he means.424Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjOxSpHinJv
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Orochimaru would not be around for much longer.424Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL1MaIysjW8
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Karin swallows, a shot of adrenaline reigniting her veins.424Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2k7LLWj7qx
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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.424Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtlNJxvR2bU
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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.”424Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWruWEfxAaY
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“Hn.”424Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWZDW7Za6gu
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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.424Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjOl3EKUQpi
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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.424Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqWYpApiAgC
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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—424Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoWvOISe2Gu
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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.424Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlJ0XXv20Gn
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As will she.424Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLYLZRonzxC
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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.424Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbOoNTX1YC0
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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.424Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRU2q1uTotD
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Flabbergasted, Karin can only catch the pouch that is suddenly thrown at her, “Huh?”424Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡai2h0thdwS
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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.”424Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCe4lT6eLDW
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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.”424Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmIxDRcargr
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“See ya, Karin.”424Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiCrViWIdXO
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“Later, Sasuke.”424Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSpwQscrOdc
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It is almost as embarrassing as her treacherous blush, but for a moment, Karin had actually thought—424Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzP9erSfefX
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“Pft, as if.”424Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCBD2j5Hhz1
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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.424Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8WnYc0Pu6E
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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.424Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL20XCsgWI2
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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.424Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQEfIIMBC4x
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She blinks—once, twice—and then her smile morphs into a full blown smirk, her fingertips longingly tracing the pattern.424Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbaFb8TErRq
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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—424Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdfzz3cmAMc
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At the end, it all amounted to the same.424Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN8xD5MBqAB
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“Happy birthday,” Karin mutters, an enthusiastic glint in her eye. “Uchiha Karin.”424Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw2GE9n31Oz
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end.
tags: fanfic, karin, naruto, sasukarin, sasuke
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