Naruto Fic: "those bitter words"
It's been like, forever since I posted something here, and something Naruto-related. But life's been busy, what with being an adult with a job and all that, so hey, not much time for me to do much as of now.
HOWEVER, with the release of ch627 I HAD to write something. Couldn't NOT write something. Granted, it's not exactly ch627-related, but this little plot bunny just wouldn't stop nagging me until I wrote it down.
I hope you all enjoy it :)
Title: "those bitter words"
Author: moi
Rating: PG
Words: 3,266
Characters/Pairings: Karin, Sasuke/Sakura, Ino
Theme/Prompt: #077 - rejection
Warnings/AN: Post-canon. Um, this is not supposed to be anti-Karin or anything, I don't like her (and the respect I had for her pretty much dissapeared with ch627), but I don't do bashing, that's just not me. But it is angsty for her. Also, I'm pretending Tsunade survived the War.
Summary: In his eyes, she’s just another fan-girl.
Disclaimer: Not mine, just borrowing.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~
“You’re wasting your time.”
~
It enrages her to know she had to hear it from someone else to realize the obvious.
She’s been settling just fine in Konoha. The people, she finds out pretty soon, is very forgiving, perhaps too much she often thinks. But, well, when their savior is a boy with the warmest and brightest chakra she’s ever seen, it’s kind of given.
So, no, she’s not really surprised when, after a brief trial, she finds herself being embraced into their village.
Nor is she surprised to know Sasuke met the same fate; he is (used to be), after all, the prodigal son of one the most renowned clan of the land. And his help during the war against Uchiha Madara and Uchiha Obito is what helped the Shinobi Alliance to emerge victorious.
However, Karin reasons, the people forgave him because he saved the Five Kages and because he took the hit that could have killed Naruto (and he didn’t die thanks to the combined efforts of the Hokage and that pink-haired kunoichi).
So, okay, Konoha is perhaps too forgiving for their own good, but it works for her, and apparently Sasuke, as now she has a place to call home and he… well, he’s back with his Team, like he always wanted.
This sense of security now seems to blind her, give her hope. Now, she thinks, maybe now she’ll be able to be more than just a tool for the Uchiha. Maybe he’ll see her as the girl who is willing to give anything to be with him. Maybe. Maybe, maybe, maybe.
Maybe now that he’s no longer consumed by his own darkness he will turn and see her and, and…
So, yeah, it enrages her to know she had to hear it from someone else to realize the obvious.
~
It shocks her, because since the end of the War she’s been avoiding Sasuke. Not out of spite or anything like that, no, she loves him, but… she needed to get over the fact that, once upon a time, he thought she was disposable trash and struck her willingly, aiming to kill.
She’s always aware of his whereabouts though, mainly because he’s always in the company of Naruto, and the blonde’s chakra is so easy to find, all bright and warm, overwhelming all those around him. And when he isn’t with Naruto, he is with his other teammate, the girl, Sakura, whose chakra is warm and bright, but not quite on Naruto’s level (but then, hardly anyone is on Naruto’s level). And she wonders, how does Sakura do it? How does she cope with the fact that Sasuke tried to kill her and still be able to be happy to be with him, no sign of fear at all?
Karin doesn’t know the answer, but whatever it is, she wishes she were brave enough to ask, so she can move on too and start trying to gain Sasuke’s attention (attention that so far, is focused solely on Team 7).
The realization comes one afternoon, while waiting for Naruto for their daily lunch together, at Ichikaru’s.
After finding out they were related, however distantly, the exuberant boy insisted on them meeting daily to get to know each other, and maybe start seeing each other as family. It’s all good for her; really, she never knew her own family and having someone smile at her like they are actually happy to see her makes it all better. That and, Karin thinks, it’s one step closer to become more than just a tool for the last Uchiha.
So, there she is, waiting, when out of the corner of her eye she catches a glimpse of spiky black hair. She turns quickly and stares, feeling that familiar sensation of awe and adoration invading her senses, lust and love reaching out for the Uchiha survivor. She follows him with her eyes, probably looking foolish and desperate, but hey, no one ever paid much attention to her so why not?
Sasuke walks towards her, or well, towards the ramen stand, and for a brief, wondrous moment she thinks Naruto invited him to eat with them, but the moment is short-lived as the Uchiha stops across the street, and leans against the wall. Waiting.
Karin thinks of going to him, talk to him, maybe see if her fear has gone away, but before she can make a decision, a voice stops her.
“You’re wasting your time.”
She turns around and comes face to face with a blonde beauty, whom she recognizes a Yamanaka Ino; Sakura’s best friend.
“Excuse me?”
Ino looks briefly over her shoulder, at Sasuke, before returning her steady blue gaze to her. “With Sasuke. You’re wasting your time. You’re just another fan girl to him.”
Karin gives her a cold look, this girl hasn’t been exactly nice to her, but it’s still not enough reason to glare. “I don’t know what you are talking about. I don’t see anyone acting like a fan girl here.”
“I’m not saying this to bother you, really. It’s just…” Ino trails off, her eyes fixed over her shoulder. “Sasuke made his choice a long time ago. During the Chuunin Exams, when he broke the arms of the guy who dared to hurt… the only girl that ever mattered to him.”
Karin feels dread crawling under her skin, but she turns to look at Sasuke anyway, and stares. Again. Only there are no feelings accompanying that stare, just… muted realization.
Because, lo and behold, Uchiha Sasuke is smiling, a tiny but happy smile, at the pink-haired kunoichi standing in front of him and nodding at whatever she’s saying. Haruno Sakura. Who’s currently grabbing his hand and dragging him away to God-knows-where, all bright smiles and happy disposition. And Sasuke lets her, touch him, grab him-love him?
“See? You’re not the only one hung up on him, but I thought… you’re Naruto’s distant cousin, so… I thought I’d let you know before you were too far gone.”
Ino talks, but Karin’s fixated on the retreating forms two of the four members of Team 7.
“Karin… It’s always been like this, Sakura… she and Naruto are the only ones who’ve ever gotten a reaction out of Sasuke, an emotional reaction. You should… move on.”
The talk ends there, because Ino’s boyfriend shows up and then they leave, and before long Naruto’s sitting next to her and questioning about her day and telling her about his day and everything else kind of blends into a big blur.
It shocks her, you see, because whenever she thinks of Sasuke smiling, it’s always been at her (like the time he rescued during the Chuunin Exams).
~~~~~~~~~~~~
She decides not to take Ino’s word too seriously (although, her words never leave her mind) and do some research herself.
So she follows them.
For several days, actually. And finds nothing amiss, nothing of what she saw that day at the Ichikaru’s. They walk, they train, the spend time together, she talks and he listens, but there’s no touching, no tender smiles, and Karin thinks, triumphant, Ino is wrong. So, she stops following them.
But then, the day after she stops, as she’s heading for the ramen stand, she feels something that makes her stop-frozen, shocked, incapable of thought save the one running circles in her head: that’s Sasuke’s chakra. That’s Sasuke’s chakra, right there, flaring like a raging inferno but lacking the all-encompassing darkness that used to suffocate all those around him; it is warm and bright and happy.
And Karin is rushing towards the training grounds to see what prompted this change in the last living Uchiha, whose chakra had always been a washed out, muted version of Naruto’s. Until now. She can sense another chakra flickering nearby but it’s quickly been swallowed by the overwhelming nature of Sasuke’s. Soon, she reaches her destination, but again, freezes in place.
Because there is Sakura, standing a few feet from Sasuke, blushing crimson and averting her gaze, while nervously tugging at the hem of her shirt. And Sasuke closes the distance between them slowly. Karin can’t see his face, but hears a soft unintelligible murmur coming from him, and then Sakura gasps, green eyes filling up with tear, and sobs.
Briefly, Karin thinks, this is it. I knew Ino was wrong, he’s breaking her heart.
Only he isn’t. Instead, he cups Sakura’s face gently and draws her in for a kiss. Sakura sobs again, but slides her hands up his chest and around his neck; her chakra flickering slightly before flaring to Sasuke’s level of intense. Sasuke embraces her slowly, almost as if afraid to break her (and, really? The girl’s more sure to break him if it came down to that), and pulls her tight against him. And they kiss and kiss and kiss, and when they pull apart, Sakura hides her smiling face into his neck and-her murmurs she hears, loud and clear (because those are the same words she longs to whisper to him).
“I love you. God, Sasuke, I love you.”
Iloveyou. Iloveyou. Iloveyou.
So she’d followed them. Now she wishes she hadn’t.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
The next time she sees Sasuke, he’s in the market, and it’s been a year.
Of course, she’s heard all about him-them during this last year. The short period of dating before Sakura pretty much moved in with him. The short months later before the grand proposal. The happy chaos surrounding the Uchiha Manor as Sakura and her friends plan the big event.
A spring wedding. Of course he’s going to let her have her spring wedding.
Karin watches in silence as people stop to congratulate him, heartfelt smiles and polite words. Some simply wave at him, and his ever loyal fans following from a distance. He expresses his gratitude, waves back and completely ignores his fans. And it’s not until he rounds a corner and she follows that Karin realizes, she’s one of those ignored fans.
She revels at that thought, and steps forward, away from the clutter of despairing girls, and closer to Sasuke, intent on reminding him of her existence, of her devotion (and of how she was there for him when Sakura wasn’t).
“Hello, Sasuke.”
He doesn’t even glances her way, focused on the tomatoes before him. “Karin.”
Karin grits her teeth, pushing down her jealousy and trying to make her voice as soothing and seductive as possible (and, honestly? Hitting on a taken man? That’s not her, not her at all). “I suppose congratulations are in order.”
At this, he tilts his head to look at her, his expression as blank as she’s always seen it (directed at her). He probably hears the sarcasm dripping from her every word, her every breath, but says nothing, simply arches an eyebrow before turning back to the tomatoes. “Thank you.”
He finally picks which tomatoes to buy and then turns to leave, without so much as a parting word.
She snaps. “Why her? Why is she so special?”
Sasuke stops and turns slowly, leveling her with a hard look. That look that says she’s wasting his time, that says she’s an idiot for even asking because the answer is so very obvious. That look that says he owns her nothing, not even an explanation. That look he reserves especially for his fan girls.
And yet, he talks.
“She’s Sakura.”
The next time she sees Sasuke, he’s in the market, and it’s been a year. The sight is so very normal, so very domestic, that it breaks her heart.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
It is he who finds her at his wedding, purposely seeking her out.
The ceremony is about to start. The bride is getting ready with the help of her bridesmaids, the guests are eagerly waiting for the happy couple to tie the knot, and the groom is currently walking towards her.
Karin has been talking to a hyper excited Best Man when she sees him. The obvious answer to this is the Sasuke needs his Best Man, but once he’s standing before them, the Uchiha sends Naruto off to find Kakashi and make sure he doesn’t get lost on the road of life. Once alone, several seconds go by before he speaks again.
“You know, Karin… Naruto thinks of you as part of his family, a beloved cousin.”
She can’t decipher his motives to initiate this conversation. His chakra is carefully controlled and, for a moment there, it almost feels like the old Sasuke, the one she met at least. She eyes him warily. “I know that, Sasuke. I feel the same way about him.”
“Then you must also know that Sakura loves him as a brother, and that she cares about you a great deal.” His voice is a flat line, no distinctive emotion, not like when he talks to Sakura or Naruto. His eyes, though, bore into her purposely, almost as if daring her to contradict his statements.
She can’t. “I know that, too,” she says, averting her gaze.
And it’s true, she really can’t contradict him. Against all odds, Sakura warmed up to her rather quickly, but then, she is like Naruto in that sense; they don’t hold grudges, they forgive and forget and move on to a brighter future. That’s why she accepts Naruto’s attempts at making her part of his life, she’s drawn to him.
Just like Sasuke is drawn to Sakura.
“Then I must ask you to not ruin this for her-for us.”
His words are clear and delivered precisely. Karin blanches at the thought that Sasuke would even think of her falling that low, and she’s about to express her indignation but he stops her.
“Karin. I’ve seen the way you look at us whenever we meet at a social gathering, the way you look at Sakura.”
“And how is that?” She tries, but can’t really keep the venom out her voice.
“Envy. You’re jealous, I get that. But, I’m telling you now, if you do something-anything to ruin this day, I will make you pay.”
She bristles, wanting to deny his accusations but a part of her knows he’s right. A very small part of her wants to step up and make a scene and sabotage their wedding and ruin Sakura’s dream just like she ruined hers. She wants to grab him and kiss him in front of everyone and lie and tell them they’ve been together since long before Itachi’s death and-and.
Instead, Karin crosses her arms over her stomach and digs her nails into her skin to stop herself from lashing out. Some guests are looking their way and she, despite everything, does not want to cause a scene and upset Naruto… or Sakura.
“Just tell me why,” she hisses, her voice a flat monotone. “Tell me why you chose her when it was me the one who stood by your side when you got your revenge. I helped you fulfill your revenge against Itachi and I was ready to help you destroy this village as well.”
“No,” he says, a mere whisper because, seriously, this is not the place to talk about this subject. “You helped me self-destruct. You helped me destroy my life and were about to help me destroy those I hold dear. Sakura…” He pauses. His face softens, his stance relaxes, and his eyes seem to shine for a brief second before he focuses again on her. “Sakura did the opposite. She picked up the remaining pieces of my life and put them together. She doesn’t try to fix me, but she’s hell bent into making me see how bright my future can be if I only let go of the past.”
Naruto is running towards them, smiling brightly and trying to get Sasuke’s attention. Karin only sees him because she’s long averted her gaze, not being able to see the tenderness in Sasuke’s eyes as he speaks of his soon-to-be-wife.
“I did. And she’s right. I have a bright future now, with her.” He’s about to turn away, but stops, leveling her with one last glance. “Heed my words, Karin. You will not like the consequences if you cross me now.”
Naruto exclaims happily that everything’s ready and urges Sasuke to go take his place at the altar. Then he turns to her, his merriness contagious enough to elicit a smile from her, and ushers her to her seat. Before long, the music starts to play and the bridesmaids walk down the aisle and, there, the bride is being led by the only father figure she has left.
Everything about this -the ceremony, the day, the image Sasuke and Sakura present- is perfect. The happy ending they have been waiting for. And yet, Karin cannot find it in her to let go.
It is he who finds her at his wedding, purposely seeking her out. But he does it only to deliver a succinct ultimatum; a warning.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
The last time she sees Sasuke, it’s not even Sasuke the one bumping into her.
It’s been years, she doesn’t know how many, she’s lost track of them somewhere along the endless missions she takes nowadays, but it’s been years. She still keeps in touch with Naruto, not quite willing to give up her only glimpse of a family, but not as often as she once used to.
Her ninja skills have been so well-honed by now, that it’s very surprising to have someone crash into her while she’s strolling through the market without her sensing the approaching person. The crash sends them both to the ground, and Karin feels so humiliated (and this is one of the reasons she loathes this village and the way it lowered everyone’s guard with its sense of safety) that she’s about to scream at the idiot who bumped into her when she takes in his face.
And she freezes.
“Sasuke…”
Only, it isn’t. It’s a boy, a young boy, and the resemblance is so-so, that she can’t stop staring. The boy gives her a startled look, pushes his bangs off his face and stands up, dusting his shorts before offering her a hand. Karin doesn’t notices his hand, too entranced in the way his black hair spikes up the back and how his coal-black eyes shine with the innocence unique to children.
“Miss?”
Karin snaps out of her trance and accepts his help, still stunned speechless. She listens as he apologizes and rambles on, making excuses for the accident and mentioning something about a little girl and just when she’s about to ask about his parents (and really, she just can’t let go, can she?), a high-pitched scream interrupts them and a black-and-blue blur crashes into the boy, sending him to the floor again.
Karin feels her heart break, and for some reason, Ino’s words come back to her. I really am wasting my time, she thinks, as she watches the kids stand up and the girl (the black-and-blue blur) start sobbing. Even with her face half-hidden behind black hair and small hands, Karin doesn’t miss the resemblance either. It’s hard to overlook such a forehead.
And they lived happily ever after, uh?
She barely hears the boy apologize again, too focused on their looks as the bow and dash away. They run straight to the pink-haired woman who looks around the market’s streets worriedly, the small bump in her abdomen noticeable only because Karin is looking for it.
Happily ever after.
The last time she sees Sasuke, it’s not even Sasuke the one bumping into her. It’s his son, the embodiment of her crumbling dreams.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~
The end.
This is me trying to get back on board to write Naruto fanfiction, since I've been more focused with Harry Potter and Digimon these past months.
HOWEVER, with the release of ch627 I HAD to write something. Couldn't NOT write something. Granted, it's not exactly ch627-related, but this little plot bunny just wouldn't stop nagging me until I wrote it down.
I hope you all enjoy it :)
Title: "those bitter words"
Author: moi
Rating: PG
Words: 3,266
Characters/Pairings: Karin, Sasuke/Sakura, Ino
Theme/Prompt: #077 - rejection
Warnings/AN: Post-canon. Um, this is not supposed to be anti-Karin or anything, I don't like her (and the respect I had for her pretty much dissapeared with ch627), but I don't do bashing, that's just not me. But it is angsty for her. Also, I'm pretending Tsunade survived the War.
Summary: In his eyes, she’s just another fan-girl.
Disclaimer: Not mine, just borrowing.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~
“You’re wasting your time.”
~
It enrages her to know she had to hear it from someone else to realize the obvious.
She’s been settling just fine in Konoha. The people, she finds out pretty soon, is very forgiving, perhaps too much she often thinks. But, well, when their savior is a boy with the warmest and brightest chakra she’s ever seen, it’s kind of given.
So, no, she’s not really surprised when, after a brief trial, she finds herself being embraced into their village.
Nor is she surprised to know Sasuke met the same fate; he is (used to be), after all, the prodigal son of one the most renowned clan of the land. And his help during the war against Uchiha Madara and Uchiha Obito is what helped the Shinobi Alliance to emerge victorious.
However, Karin reasons, the people forgave him because he saved the Five Kages and because he took the hit that could have killed Naruto (and he didn’t die thanks to the combined efforts of the Hokage and that pink-haired kunoichi).
So, okay, Konoha is perhaps too forgiving for their own good, but it works for her, and apparently Sasuke, as now she has a place to call home and he… well, he’s back with his Team, like he always wanted.
This sense of security now seems to blind her, give her hope. Now, she thinks, maybe now she’ll be able to be more than just a tool for the Uchiha. Maybe he’ll see her as the girl who is willing to give anything to be with him. Maybe. Maybe, maybe, maybe.
Maybe now that he’s no longer consumed by his own darkness he will turn and see her and, and…
So, yeah, it enrages her to know she had to hear it from someone else to realize the obvious.
~
It shocks her, because since the end of the War she’s been avoiding Sasuke. Not out of spite or anything like that, no, she loves him, but… she needed to get over the fact that, once upon a time, he thought she was disposable trash and struck her willingly, aiming to kill.
She’s always aware of his whereabouts though, mainly because he’s always in the company of Naruto, and the blonde’s chakra is so easy to find, all bright and warm, overwhelming all those around him. And when he isn’t with Naruto, he is with his other teammate, the girl, Sakura, whose chakra is warm and bright, but not quite on Naruto’s level (but then, hardly anyone is on Naruto’s level). And she wonders, how does Sakura do it? How does she cope with the fact that Sasuke tried to kill her and still be able to be happy to be with him, no sign of fear at all?
Karin doesn’t know the answer, but whatever it is, she wishes she were brave enough to ask, so she can move on too and start trying to gain Sasuke’s attention (attention that so far, is focused solely on Team 7).
The realization comes one afternoon, while waiting for Naruto for their daily lunch together, at Ichikaru’s.
After finding out they were related, however distantly, the exuberant boy insisted on them meeting daily to get to know each other, and maybe start seeing each other as family. It’s all good for her; really, she never knew her own family and having someone smile at her like they are actually happy to see her makes it all better. That and, Karin thinks, it’s one step closer to become more than just a tool for the last Uchiha.
So, there she is, waiting, when out of the corner of her eye she catches a glimpse of spiky black hair. She turns quickly and stares, feeling that familiar sensation of awe and adoration invading her senses, lust and love reaching out for the Uchiha survivor. She follows him with her eyes, probably looking foolish and desperate, but hey, no one ever paid much attention to her so why not?
Sasuke walks towards her, or well, towards the ramen stand, and for a brief, wondrous moment she thinks Naruto invited him to eat with them, but the moment is short-lived as the Uchiha stops across the street, and leans against the wall. Waiting.
Karin thinks of going to him, talk to him, maybe see if her fear has gone away, but before she can make a decision, a voice stops her.
“You’re wasting your time.”
She turns around and comes face to face with a blonde beauty, whom she recognizes a Yamanaka Ino; Sakura’s best friend.
“Excuse me?”
Ino looks briefly over her shoulder, at Sasuke, before returning her steady blue gaze to her. “With Sasuke. You’re wasting your time. You’re just another fan girl to him.”
Karin gives her a cold look, this girl hasn’t been exactly nice to her, but it’s still not enough reason to glare. “I don’t know what you are talking about. I don’t see anyone acting like a fan girl here.”
“I’m not saying this to bother you, really. It’s just…” Ino trails off, her eyes fixed over her shoulder. “Sasuke made his choice a long time ago. During the Chuunin Exams, when he broke the arms of the guy who dared to hurt… the only girl that ever mattered to him.”
Karin feels dread crawling under her skin, but she turns to look at Sasuke anyway, and stares. Again. Only there are no feelings accompanying that stare, just… muted realization.
Because, lo and behold, Uchiha Sasuke is smiling, a tiny but happy smile, at the pink-haired kunoichi standing in front of him and nodding at whatever she’s saying. Haruno Sakura. Who’s currently grabbing his hand and dragging him away to God-knows-where, all bright smiles and happy disposition. And Sasuke lets her, touch him, grab him-love him?
“See? You’re not the only one hung up on him, but I thought… you’re Naruto’s distant cousin, so… I thought I’d let you know before you were too far gone.”
Ino talks, but Karin’s fixated on the retreating forms two of the four members of Team 7.
“Karin… It’s always been like this, Sakura… she and Naruto are the only ones who’ve ever gotten a reaction out of Sasuke, an emotional reaction. You should… move on.”
The talk ends there, because Ino’s boyfriend shows up and then they leave, and before long Naruto’s sitting next to her and questioning about her day and telling her about his day and everything else kind of blends into a big blur.
It shocks her, you see, because whenever she thinks of Sasuke smiling, it’s always been at her (like the time he rescued during the Chuunin Exams).
~~~~~~~~~~~~
She decides not to take Ino’s word too seriously (although, her words never leave her mind) and do some research herself.
So she follows them.
For several days, actually. And finds nothing amiss, nothing of what she saw that day at the Ichikaru’s. They walk, they train, the spend time together, she talks and he listens, but there’s no touching, no tender smiles, and Karin thinks, triumphant, Ino is wrong. So, she stops following them.
But then, the day after she stops, as she’s heading for the ramen stand, she feels something that makes her stop-frozen, shocked, incapable of thought save the one running circles in her head: that’s Sasuke’s chakra. That’s Sasuke’s chakra, right there, flaring like a raging inferno but lacking the all-encompassing darkness that used to suffocate all those around him; it is warm and bright and happy.
And Karin is rushing towards the training grounds to see what prompted this change in the last living Uchiha, whose chakra had always been a washed out, muted version of Naruto’s. Until now. She can sense another chakra flickering nearby but it’s quickly been swallowed by the overwhelming nature of Sasuke’s. Soon, she reaches her destination, but again, freezes in place.
Because there is Sakura, standing a few feet from Sasuke, blushing crimson and averting her gaze, while nervously tugging at the hem of her shirt. And Sasuke closes the distance between them slowly. Karin can’t see his face, but hears a soft unintelligible murmur coming from him, and then Sakura gasps, green eyes filling up with tear, and sobs.
Briefly, Karin thinks, this is it. I knew Ino was wrong, he’s breaking her heart.
Only he isn’t. Instead, he cups Sakura’s face gently and draws her in for a kiss. Sakura sobs again, but slides her hands up his chest and around his neck; her chakra flickering slightly before flaring to Sasuke’s level of intense. Sasuke embraces her slowly, almost as if afraid to break her (and, really? The girl’s more sure to break him if it came down to that), and pulls her tight against him. And they kiss and kiss and kiss, and when they pull apart, Sakura hides her smiling face into his neck and-her murmurs she hears, loud and clear (because those are the same words she longs to whisper to him).
“I love you. God, Sasuke, I love you.”
Iloveyou. Iloveyou. Iloveyou.
So she’d followed them. Now she wishes she hadn’t.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
The next time she sees Sasuke, he’s in the market, and it’s been a year.
Of course, she’s heard all about him-them during this last year. The short period of dating before Sakura pretty much moved in with him. The short months later before the grand proposal. The happy chaos surrounding the Uchiha Manor as Sakura and her friends plan the big event.
A spring wedding. Of course he’s going to let her have her spring wedding.
Karin watches in silence as people stop to congratulate him, heartfelt smiles and polite words. Some simply wave at him, and his ever loyal fans following from a distance. He expresses his gratitude, waves back and completely ignores his fans. And it’s not until he rounds a corner and she follows that Karin realizes, she’s one of those ignored fans.
She revels at that thought, and steps forward, away from the clutter of despairing girls, and closer to Sasuke, intent on reminding him of her existence, of her devotion (and of how she was there for him when Sakura wasn’t).
“Hello, Sasuke.”
He doesn’t even glances her way, focused on the tomatoes before him. “Karin.”
Karin grits her teeth, pushing down her jealousy and trying to make her voice as soothing and seductive as possible (and, honestly? Hitting on a taken man? That’s not her, not her at all). “I suppose congratulations are in order.”
At this, he tilts his head to look at her, his expression as blank as she’s always seen it (directed at her). He probably hears the sarcasm dripping from her every word, her every breath, but says nothing, simply arches an eyebrow before turning back to the tomatoes. “Thank you.”
He finally picks which tomatoes to buy and then turns to leave, without so much as a parting word.
She snaps. “Why her? Why is she so special?”
Sasuke stops and turns slowly, leveling her with a hard look. That look that says she’s wasting his time, that says she’s an idiot for even asking because the answer is so very obvious. That look that says he owns her nothing, not even an explanation. That look he reserves especially for his fan girls.
And yet, he talks.
“She’s Sakura.”
The next time she sees Sasuke, he’s in the market, and it’s been a year. The sight is so very normal, so very domestic, that it breaks her heart.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
It is he who finds her at his wedding, purposely seeking her out.
The ceremony is about to start. The bride is getting ready with the help of her bridesmaids, the guests are eagerly waiting for the happy couple to tie the knot, and the groom is currently walking towards her.
Karin has been talking to a hyper excited Best Man when she sees him. The obvious answer to this is the Sasuke needs his Best Man, but once he’s standing before them, the Uchiha sends Naruto off to find Kakashi and make sure he doesn’t get lost on the road of life. Once alone, several seconds go by before he speaks again.
“You know, Karin… Naruto thinks of you as part of his family, a beloved cousin.”
She can’t decipher his motives to initiate this conversation. His chakra is carefully controlled and, for a moment there, it almost feels like the old Sasuke, the one she met at least. She eyes him warily. “I know that, Sasuke. I feel the same way about him.”
“Then you must also know that Sakura loves him as a brother, and that she cares about you a great deal.” His voice is a flat line, no distinctive emotion, not like when he talks to Sakura or Naruto. His eyes, though, bore into her purposely, almost as if daring her to contradict his statements.
She can’t. “I know that, too,” she says, averting her gaze.
And it’s true, she really can’t contradict him. Against all odds, Sakura warmed up to her rather quickly, but then, she is like Naruto in that sense; they don’t hold grudges, they forgive and forget and move on to a brighter future. That’s why she accepts Naruto’s attempts at making her part of his life, she’s drawn to him.
Just like Sasuke is drawn to Sakura.
“Then I must ask you to not ruin this for her-for us.”
His words are clear and delivered precisely. Karin blanches at the thought that Sasuke would even think of her falling that low, and she’s about to express her indignation but he stops her.
“Karin. I’ve seen the way you look at us whenever we meet at a social gathering, the way you look at Sakura.”
“And how is that?” She tries, but can’t really keep the venom out her voice.
“Envy. You’re jealous, I get that. But, I’m telling you now, if you do something-anything to ruin this day, I will make you pay.”
She bristles, wanting to deny his accusations but a part of her knows he’s right. A very small part of her wants to step up and make a scene and sabotage their wedding and ruin Sakura’s dream just like she ruined hers. She wants to grab him and kiss him in front of everyone and lie and tell them they’ve been together since long before Itachi’s death and-and.
Instead, Karin crosses her arms over her stomach and digs her nails into her skin to stop herself from lashing out. Some guests are looking their way and she, despite everything, does not want to cause a scene and upset Naruto… or Sakura.
“Just tell me why,” she hisses, her voice a flat monotone. “Tell me why you chose her when it was me the one who stood by your side when you got your revenge. I helped you fulfill your revenge against Itachi and I was ready to help you destroy this village as well.”
“No,” he says, a mere whisper because, seriously, this is not the place to talk about this subject. “You helped me self-destruct. You helped me destroy my life and were about to help me destroy those I hold dear. Sakura…” He pauses. His face softens, his stance relaxes, and his eyes seem to shine for a brief second before he focuses again on her. “Sakura did the opposite. She picked up the remaining pieces of my life and put them together. She doesn’t try to fix me, but she’s hell bent into making me see how bright my future can be if I only let go of the past.”
Naruto is running towards them, smiling brightly and trying to get Sasuke’s attention. Karin only sees him because she’s long averted her gaze, not being able to see the tenderness in Sasuke’s eyes as he speaks of his soon-to-be-wife.
“I did. And she’s right. I have a bright future now, with her.” He’s about to turn away, but stops, leveling her with one last glance. “Heed my words, Karin. You will not like the consequences if you cross me now.”
Naruto exclaims happily that everything’s ready and urges Sasuke to go take his place at the altar. Then he turns to her, his merriness contagious enough to elicit a smile from her, and ushers her to her seat. Before long, the music starts to play and the bridesmaids walk down the aisle and, there, the bride is being led by the only father figure she has left.
Everything about this -the ceremony, the day, the image Sasuke and Sakura present- is perfect. The happy ending they have been waiting for. And yet, Karin cannot find it in her to let go.
It is he who finds her at his wedding, purposely seeking her out. But he does it only to deliver a succinct ultimatum; a warning.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
The last time she sees Sasuke, it’s not even Sasuke the one bumping into her.
It’s been years, she doesn’t know how many, she’s lost track of them somewhere along the endless missions she takes nowadays, but it’s been years. She still keeps in touch with Naruto, not quite willing to give up her only glimpse of a family, but not as often as she once used to.
Her ninja skills have been so well-honed by now, that it’s very surprising to have someone crash into her while she’s strolling through the market without her sensing the approaching person. The crash sends them both to the ground, and Karin feels so humiliated (and this is one of the reasons she loathes this village and the way it lowered everyone’s guard with its sense of safety) that she’s about to scream at the idiot who bumped into her when she takes in his face.
And she freezes.
“Sasuke…”
Only, it isn’t. It’s a boy, a young boy, and the resemblance is so-so, that she can’t stop staring. The boy gives her a startled look, pushes his bangs off his face and stands up, dusting his shorts before offering her a hand. Karin doesn’t notices his hand, too entranced in the way his black hair spikes up the back and how his coal-black eyes shine with the innocence unique to children.
“Miss?”
Karin snaps out of her trance and accepts his help, still stunned speechless. She listens as he apologizes and rambles on, making excuses for the accident and mentioning something about a little girl and just when she’s about to ask about his parents (and really, she just can’t let go, can she?), a high-pitched scream interrupts them and a black-and-blue blur crashes into the boy, sending him to the floor again.
Karin feels her heart break, and for some reason, Ino’s words come back to her. I really am wasting my time, she thinks, as she watches the kids stand up and the girl (the black-and-blue blur) start sobbing. Even with her face half-hidden behind black hair and small hands, Karin doesn’t miss the resemblance either. It’s hard to overlook such a forehead.
And they lived happily ever after, uh?
She barely hears the boy apologize again, too focused on their looks as the bow and dash away. They run straight to the pink-haired woman who looks around the market’s streets worriedly, the small bump in her abdomen noticeable only because Karin is looking for it.
Happily ever after.
The last time she sees Sasuke, it’s not even Sasuke the one bumping into her. It’s his son, the embodiment of her crumbling dreams.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~
The end.
This is me trying to get back on board to write Naruto fanfiction, since I've been more focused with Harry Potter and Digimon these past months.