Pale feet are at the river basin, with fresh mud layered on top, with grains of wet sand scraping at her soles. Karin couldn't give less of a fuck if that was unladylike or dirty. Red eyes gazed at the murky river water, its drab green hue looks like sewage.

"So, Sasuke?"

Karin rolled her eyes at the older Uchiha, duh Sasuke. The sole reason that they sat side by side on the muddy forest floor in the middle of the day. She, for the single reason of distracting her self from Suigetsu's prodding nature, Juugo's psychopathic nature, and Sasuke's neglectful nature. In the spur of the moment after getting nailed in the back of the head with another one of Suigetsu's water bombs, she announced that she would be going to take a long walk, alone. Sasuke dismissively nodded her off and Juugo kept playing with the birds as he sat on a large rock, some way from the campsite. Itachi, for the reason of asking for his 'precious' baby brother. Why he chose her as his informant was simply just because she would be the most easily swayed to keep quiet by the older male, due to his knack for murder and his uncanny likeness to her precious Sasuke. Also lots of morphine. Lots and lots of morphine.

"Yeah, your precious baby brother." she snickered.

She thought about straight up telling Sasuke that his brother was spying on him, but decided against it. It was nice having a secret he didn't know for once, and she hadn't forgiven him for actually trying to use her as a meat puppet. Karin watched him out of the corner of her eye. The older male looked much nicer without the famous Akatsuki cloak that he would normally wear. He was of average build, of average height, and of average everything. He was completely normal.

Worn black orbs looked at her, seeking answers. Seeking affirmation on the condition of his brother. She could tell he hadn't slept much that night, nor did he comb his oily raven hairs, which were loose and running down his back. His tired weathered face and his long lanky legs had allowed for his feet to reach the water, unlike hers that were covered in earth. Karin cursed his long legs.

At first, they discreetly arranged to meet in the nearby small town, at some shop. Karin stood outside the store for a good five minutes until he showed up, dressed in black training garb. His pants and his shirt were both of the same colors, and he held a small bag of rice balls while eating one slowly.

She recalled the way he politely ate, gingerly like he was some type of fucking princess. Like he wasn't a mass murderer; like he was a decent person. She hated the way he held himself as if he was better than her. He had renounced his title as clan heir the second he pierced the skin of his own kin. The millisecond he defied natural order.

Clean untouched alabaster skin, unflawed pacakaging, unmarked, left uneroded. She was utterly jealous, jealous beyond her wildest dreams.

People must have confused them for lovers. People probably looked at them and wondered what an ugly shrew-like brat was doing with the fair man. Karin didn't dress up, she was wearing a brown pair of shorts and a black shirt, sporting some new black sandals. Her skin isn't pale, its a tan shade of some abomination like a peach typhoon, accented by ugly bite marks that litter her body.

Karin watches him distantly stare off, instead of making eye contact. It's pathetic, he's pathetic. He can't man up and tell his baby brother that he was wrong. He was so damn wrong to desert him, without anyone left in the world. Uchiha Itachi cultivated a monster, and for that, he cannot garner her pity.

"How is he?" he asks, eyes still on the light blue sky.

"Alright."

Karin couldn't help but wonder what if she had never met him.