Something is missing. Something, something is missing.

Suigetsu realizes that every night, every day, every second his mind isn't occupied with anything else, and sometimes, when it should be.

He misses her. A lot.

It was like a pull on his heart, like she had grasped it the last time they met and still held onto it now, even though she was nowhere near.

He would do anything to see Karin again.

Sometimes he kissed his pillow. Imagined kissing her.

They weren't even anything. Hardly even friends.

His feelings were obvious, surely, there was no way she didn't know about them already. So. The lack of any actions on her part only meant she didn't feel anything towards him.

He isn't sure he's okay with that.

But there was no way he could force her into anything. He respected her too much.

So he taunted, he kept his flirts to a minimum, he acted like nothing was wrong, he acted like he didn't want to touch her when she was there.

And there was the problem: She wasn't there.

Hell if he knew where she'd gone. She sure as hell hadn't told him anything. He just knew that she wasn't where she should be, the laboratory, her bedroom, the lavatory, the building. She was just gone, and he didn't know where to. Suigetsu hadn't seen her in a month already, and it was driving him crazy.

Something is missing, he tells himself and tries not to think of her. Tries not to think of taking her hair in his hand and giving it a light kiss, tries not to imagine feathering his lips over her neck and further down, tries not to imagine what it would be like, because it wouldn't happen and she wasn't even there.

He misses her so bad.

His heart was about to burst, that's how bad it was, not mentioning the fact that he had quite possibly cried last night when he had thought he'd seen a flash of her red hair and it had turned out to be a squirrel.

He had it bad, his heart whispered, and he knew it was true. He had it bad, he told himself in the quiet of the night, and let himself fall into spiraling thoughts about her. She was hung up on that guy, somewhere in her heart, no matter the face she put on. That guy, the guy who had married, whose kid she had helped birth. It was insane, but he could still see it in her eyes. She had no hope for a relationship with him, he knew that. But she still loved, with all her soul and heart, with all she had to give.

He wished he could be on the receiving end of that all-encompassing love she had.

He's missing her. Like she's an integral piece of his existence, and he's not whole without her.

The grip on his heart turns tighter, and it took all he had not to keel over. To fall to his knees. The pain was unbearable.

He wondered, maybe, maybe this was how she felt whenever she thought about Sasuke.

He thought, he should tell her. Take a chance.

But what chance would that be? He would throw all of their tentative friendship overboard, and that wasn't what he wanted. That pull on his heart would just grow stronger, until it was pulled completely out of his body.

Suigetsu didn't think she knew exactly what she was doing to him.

Oh, he misses her.

Where was she?

He should tell her. Make himself out to be an idiot, maybe, but when wasn't he an idiot? She had punched him in the head more than once for all of his comments.

He'll tell her, he decides then.

If she ever returns.

He also decides to grab her into a hug once she's back. Tell her he's missed her. Tell her he loves her.

Because he felt calm around her – calm, collected, more sane than he ever was when he was on his own. That's why he loved her. She wouldn't be able to tell, would she? She'd never really given him the light of day, and a part of his heart clenches at the thought. Karin wouldn't know that he is completely incapable of anything when she wasn't there, she wouldn't know how much he misses her when she's gone, she wouldn't-

"You look like you're thinking hard. Can't be good for that peanut-sized brain of yours."

Speak of the devil.

Karin was leaning calmly against a just table behind him, her arms crossed in front of her chest, a sparkle in her eyes. Her eyebrows slowly pulled together, and her nonchalant smile turned into a frown when she inspected his face. Suigetsu wasn't able to keep his disapproving glance from his face when she just stood there like that after being away for a month.

"Where the fuck where you these last few weeks?"

"What crawled into your panties?"

"Oh, excuse me for caring. You just up and go without a word and I'm- ugh, whatever. I got shit to do."

Suigetsu pushed past her. There was no work to be done, truthfully, but Karin ran up to him and they went through the hallways together, keeping the pace quick.

"Look, I had things to do. I didn't think you'd take it so badly."

"Course you didn't."

"Suigetsu, stop acting like a five-year-old. It's not like I got hurt or anything."

Angry, Suigetsu stopped and turned to her. Karin was startled at the sudden stop, but gathered herself quickly. Like she always would.

"I wasn't worried about you."

She put her hands on her hips and sneered up at him.

"What is your problem then? Why are you so pissed at me?"

He closed his eyes and calmed himself.

"I'm pissed off at myself. Because, fuck, it shouldn't feel like I'm complete when you return."

When he opened his eyes he was met with hers, full of confusion, worry. Her lips were pulled into a thin line, and he absently noted her fidgeting with her hands like a schoolgirl about to get scolded, though he was the one asking for an ass-kicking with his next, gentle words.

"I missed you a lot, Karin."