THE WHAT IF THEORY | sasukarin

2: Only Time Would Tell

"Ugh!", Karin fumbled, almost missing while slicing the tentacles. She wasn't sure what absurd experiment Orichimaru had in mind,(though she had a hunch it involved poison or something), but that wasn't of her concern at the moment. All she had in her mind was what Juugo had done, and whether it was a bad thing or not.

A part of her felt like she cheated, like she did not deserve this. Sasuke had chosen Sakura fair and square and it was a wonder what made him change his mind in this universe. Juugo had told her that nothing had changed, but Sasuke just took another path. What did that mean? Was it the jutsu that made him change his mind?

And if so, did that make him choosing Team Taka fake?

"Good work, Karin."

As usual, Sasuke would come to her side and tell her she was doing a good job. It had been thirteen days, but Karin still hadn't come to terms with the fact that in the new world Juugo created, Sasuke was by her side once again. So she jumped, frightened by the voice that she had told herself she'd never hear again.

"T-Thank you."

Karin sighed, portraying every single emotion she had felt since the jutsu was cast with the hunch of her back, the roll of her shoulders, the clench in her stomach and of her fist, and the droop in her eyes.

She did not turn back to face him. She couldn't. Not when her thoughts were such a mess. Not when she was in such a state.

Not when she felt like she didn't deserve to even look at him.

"Karin. You've been out of it since that day you went to Juugo's room. Is everything alright?"

Whenever Sasuke noticed something about her, or that something was wrong with her, she usually felt a sensation in her stomach. Karin smiled, albeit her troubles. "I'm fine, maybe stress has been getting to me."

"Stress?", Sasuke wasn't buying it. "Is that why you claimed that I married Sakura and got her pregnant?"

Karin shot up.

She had hoped he'd forgotten that.

"No, not at all! I just...Youㅡ It was a bad dream I had, and you and Sakura wereㅡyeah."

Naturally, as a Shinobi, Karin was an expert liar. However when it came to Sasuke, her deception skills seemed to just hurl themselves out the window like they never existed.

"Bad dream? Why would Sakura and I being together be a bad dream?"

Karin glared at the tentacles. Now she knew he was messing with her, in his own discreet way. Dammit Sasuke. This is seriously not the time to be playing around.

"I mean, being with a woman romantically isn't something you'd seem to like. And Sakura didn't look so happy in the dream either..."

Karin trailed off. She didn't know if her words were true or false. Sakura did seem happy to be next to Sasuke, but that happiness masked a whole lot of tiredness. Karin had assumed it was because of the stress of being pregnant, but recalling her few conversations with Sakura that involved Sasuke, she wasn't so sure anymore.

"Use this world to your advantage", Juugo advised.

"How am I even supposed to do that?"

"One, forget about Sakura. In this world, Sasuke didn't choose her. Two, find your happiness, not the sacrificial kind, but the true kind of happiness. That's all I have to say to you."