Chapter 23

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He knew that she was at the library.

All day, every day, she would finish her chores early and head over there to read until the sun went down and then borrowed some books to read some more. He would watch her, though Karin didn't know. She didn't have to know.

That woman was a monster of her own league.

Sasuke felt terrible- which was strange, since he always felt terrible nowadays, but in a different way possible. Something Naruto had said when he exploded.

"You're icy, you're cold, and you've been playing with the one girl who've ever seen past your stupid ego!"

Sasuke gritted his teeth. Stupid loser.

Naruto didn't know anything about what happened, the day years before Itachi killed everyone. He wouldn't know, and he certainly had no business sticking his nose into any situation that he might have gotten himself into.

But still... a bit of those words' meaning tapped something deep inside him, cracking a bit through the hate and vengeful thinking that occupied his mind before Sakura came in. What had he done? He'd called her a friend, he'd lied and said that she was nothing in his eyes.

Karin might have been less wealthy or powerful than Sasuke, but she had a way to trap everyone into her sticky web so that she could play puppet with them.

It was the most disgusting thing ever, and he had seen some disgusting things.

When Karin went inside the library, Sasuke passed by- not bothering to listen to their conversation, not wanting to let Sakura see him in this state and not wanting to see her in hers.

The thing was, love was a complicated thing. To say and admit that you loved someone would bind you to them for the rest of your life, even after you married to someone else. A person's first love was something special.

Sasuke's first love was Itachi. The two were like peas in a pod, going hand in hand- the brother love that he had once thought would never separate them apart.

Of course, he had seen how that turned out.

But this was different. Sakura was different. That girl held honesty, allegiance, power, right all inside of her. He could see it when she leaned in for the kiss- her eyes held something that the Uchiha's sharingan didn't.

They held the truth.

His world was full of lies, hatred, violence, hence hers was love, hard work, and trust. She trusted anyone she thought was worth trusting, and they were usually good.

Including Sasuke.

Every night he argued to himself, I'm doing the right thing, I'm doing this for Sakura- but why did he feel sickened every time he thought it? Love wasn't something to toy with. Karin was doing that right now. She didn't love him. She only fell for his looks, his wealth, his power- nothing that was truly his.

Sakura didn't care about money, or looks, or power. She had lived without them for nineteen years. She understood pain. Karin never experienced what true pain was like- not like Sakura.

I sound like a pansy.

He walked around the corner and turned to see Sakura storming out of the library, wiping at her face. Heat slowly enveloped him until his fists clenched. After he was sure that she was gone, he brushed inside the library room.

Sure enough, Karin was inside.

She was holding her cheek, but she beamed at Sasuke as she simpered, "Sasuke! Dear, did you know what that girl did to me?"

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