Never Loved
Summary: She loved him, but he had eyes for no one but a certain pink-haired woman. She continued to watch the secret couple from afar, a few tears escaping her eyes and splattering onto the table. He would never love her. SasuSakuKarin. AU. One-shot. Karin-centric.
A/N: This is my first time writing anything like this, so yeah. Enjoy.
Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.
He didn't love her.
The revelation crashed onto Karin as she woke up that morning. It was so inevitable to ignore. Sasuke Uchiha didn't love her, and he probably never would. The tears came fresh and spilled onto the pillow as she stared up at the ceiling through her tears, trying to ignore the pain inside and face another day.
Karin sat up in bed and glanced towards the other end. It was empty, as it had been so frequently these days. The tears continued to come as she tried to suppress them, but failed. Sasuke was probably downstairs already, having come home early that morning. He was probably drinking his coffee, humming the tune as he always did when he didn't have to spend the night at home.
When he didn't have to tolerate her.
He doesn't love me.
Karin bit back a sob as she washed her face in the sink and brushed back her red locks. She wouldn't let that get to her today. After all, hadn't this been anticipated by everyone? Sasuke had only married her for the financial advantages that Konoha Corp. would get if they made an alliance with her family. It wasn't meant to last.
He doesn't love me.
She tried to keep that voice out of her mind that whispered that she was nothing more than a pawn. A pawn for the advancement of those around her. Tears stung her eyes again, but she forced herself to be calm. She couldn't face him. Not yet. Not after what she had discovered yesterday.
"I'm not going to be here tonight." Sasuke said quietly, reading the newspaper as Karin flipped another pancake. She didn't say anything except give him a wide smile.
"How come, Sasuke-kun?" she asked sweetly, flipping one of them onto a plate and placing it in front of Sasuke. Her husband, in name only, said nothing and flipped another page of the newspaper. Karin cleared her throat and tried again. "How come?"
Sasuke paused for a while before replying. "I heard you the first time, stupid." he muttered. "And I don't have to explain my every move to you. I have things to attend to." He lowered the paper and fixed her with his onyx eyed gaze. "The company your family owns needs to transfer some more of their accounts. I have to work overtime to make sure that nothing happens."
Karin said nothing and turned to face the stove of the kitchen again. She didn't bother telling her husband that a message had come for him yesterday, saying that all accounts had been transferred successfully. She didn't want to face the reality of the situation. Instead, she forced a smile on her face and continued to make breakfast as cheerfully as she could, trying to ignore the heartbreak inside.
"Do you want me to come with you?" she asked finally. Karin could see Sasuke tense up out of her peripheral vision.
"No. You're good for nothing in the office, and you know. I don't want you to mess things up like you normally do." Sasuke bit back a reply. Karin said nothing.
Something was up, and Karin was going to find out what it was.
Karin gasped as tried not to remember any more of the details of that night. She knew that it was an arranged marriage, but a small part of her had hoped that Sasuke would come to love her. But even that hope had been dashed eventually.
And it was all because of her.
Karin parked her black car outside of Konoha Corp. and waited patiently for her husband to come out. She was calm, composed. Karin wore a figure flattering black dress, but nothing too trashy. Her hair was neatly done in a ponytail. She had switched her glasses for contact lenses, due to the risk of being recognized.
Sasuke's car pulled up smoothly in front of the building. The small hope inside Karin that he actually to work overtime was dashed as Sasuke walked out of the double doors. His chauffer held up a flower box, and Sasuke nodded in thanks before taking it and entering the car. Karin gasped as realization hit her. It was so obvious, why hadn't she seen the truth before?
Sasuke was having an affair.
Tears ran down her cheeks, but she forced herself to be calm. The car in front of her revved up, and Karin followed it as discreetly as possible, all the while assuring herself that it couldn't be. Sasuke must love her. If he didn't, why was he still married to her? But even that small hope was dashed as soon as the car stopped outside of a fancy restaurant. Sasuke stepped out and nodded towards his chauffer to park the car. Karin bit her lip to keep her sobs inside. It couldn't be. Who could he be seeing behind her back?
She quickly parked across the street and rushed towards the restaurant. Thankfully, no one asked her if she had a reservation, and sat in the small table for two at the corner. Her black eyes scanned the restaurant for Sasuke, but she didn't see him there. Relief flooded through her, and she got ready to leave when-
"So, how did you manage to get away from your wife?" a voice asked anxiously. Karin recognized it as Sakura Haruno's, personal assistant to Tsunade of Konoha Corp.
"Don't worry about a thing, Sakura." Sasuke's smooth voice reached her. Karin's heart stopped as the two of them rounded the corner and made their way towards a table for two. "Karin hasn't caught on in the past two years, why would she now?"
Sakura looked around her anxiously. Rage filled Karin as she stared at the bitch that was hooked onto Sasuke's arm. No one had the right to do that except for her, Sasuke's wife. Karin knew that Sasuke had had a relationship with Sakura before their marriage, but she had no idea that he was still going out with her. In the two years they had been married.
Karin had always hated Sakura, even before her marriage. The girl had managed to seduce (Karin would never admit that Sasuke liked her of his own free will) her Sasuke-kun. For that, she hated her with a vengeance. Karin had felt smug after their engagement that Sakura would forever be out of their lives, but apparently, she was wrong. She continued to watch the secret couple from afar, a few tears escaping her eyes and splattering onto the table.
"And even if she does find out, does it matter?" Sasuke continued. "She would never sign the divorce papers because she has this thought that I'll actually come to love her."
Sakura didn't say anything. "Sasuke-kun, please." she began gently. "You know that even Karin-san had no choice in this matter."
Sasuke snorted, "Yeah, well, I don't give a damn. I don't love her Sakura, I love you. And I want you to know that no matter what happens, I'll always love you. And I'll find some way to be with you." He leaned forward and kissed her on the lips. Karin couldn't hold back her tears anymore as she rushed out of the restaurant.
He didn't love her.
Karin clutched herself in fetal position as she heard footsteps come up the stairs. It was a Saturday, and she knew that she had no choice but to face him. It was inevitable.
"Karin, are you up here?" Sasuke called, entering the room to find Karin lying upon the bed. "What are you doing still in bed? The maids are off today, remember? Why can't you do some work for a change? Sometimes, I just wish I'd never married you." Sasuke continued, unaware of what he was saying or Karin's mood.
Please...stop...Karin prayed silently. She couldn't take much more of this. Everything was happening too fast. She couldn't take it, couldn't face it.
"Why can't you be more like Sakura, you know? She does so much for the company, and so much besides that too. You ought to be more like her." Sasuke said, picking up his tie.
That was it.
"STOP IT!" Karin shrieked suddenly, standing up. "Just...stop it!" Sasuke turned to her with a confused look.
"Stop what? Look, I'm just saying you ought to do more than just sit around, that's all." Sasuke replied.
"No...Stop it...Sasuke..." she sobbed, kneeling on the floor. "Why...her?"
His eyes widened. "What?" he snapped. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"WHY HER?!" Karin screamed. "WHY SAKURA?! WHY DO YOU ALWAYS HAVE TO LOOK AT HER AND NOT ME?! I'M BETTER, I'M SMARTER! I CAN GIVE YOU SO MUCH MONEY BUT YOU ALWAYS COMPARE ME TO HER! I HATE IT! I HATE HOW YOU NEVER LOOK AT ME WITH LOVE IN YOUR EYES, EVEN THOUGH I'M YOUR WIFE! I'M SICK OF IT SASUKE-KUN! WHAT THE HELL DO YOU SEE IN SAKURA THAT YOU DON'T SEE IN ME?!"
Sasuke stared at her as she continued to sob. "You know." he said quietly. Karin nodded through her tears, the pain taking shape. She couldn't take it anymore. The pain of the past two years...she had hoped that getting what she had wanted would at least alleviate some of the longing whenever she saw Sasuke and Sakura. All it had done was make it worse.
"Why...Sasuke...?" she asked quietly, after calming down. "Why can't you love me? Why do you love her?"
Sasuke looked away. "You wouldn't understand, Karin." he replied.
"LIKE HELL I WON'T!" Karin screamed again. "YOU'RE MINE! I MARRIED YOU, SASUKE! I CHANGED MYSELF FOR YOU SO THAT YOU COULD LOVE ME! WHY CAN'T YOU LOVE ME?! WHY DO YOU HAVE TO LOVE HER?!"
Sasuke said nothing but walked past her. He needed to get away from home for a while. Pausing at the doorway, he gave her a reply.
"People like you...who look at people as if they own them wouldn't understand."
With that, he left her.
"Thank you." Karin said quietly, and stepped out of the car in front of Konoha Corp. The car sped away as she adjusted her jacket and handbag before entering the building. People nodded towards her. She was impossible to not recognize, as the wife of Sasuke Uchiha. Karin held herself with poise as she walked up to the front desk and smiled at the receptionist. "I have an appointment with Sakura Haruno?" she asked. The receptionist checked, and then nodded.
"You're right on time." she said. "Ms. Haruno doesn't take late appointments." she smiled. Karin smiled back.
She was going to give that bitch some payback for her heartache.
It was two weeks after that argument. Sasuke had pointedly ignored Karin. She didn't mind in the least, feeling almost relieved that she had gotten her feelings out. That didn't mean that she wasn't heartbroken though. Sakura had stolen her Sasuke. Karin didn't care about the fact that she had had him to begin with, but still. The bitch was going to learn that no one messed with Karin.
She strode quietly towards the elevator, pressing the number eleven with an unseen rage. The elevator dinged as soon as it hit the floor, and she stepped out. Sakura's office was situated in a quiet corner of the building, and she walked towards the door, her heels clicking on the tiled floor. Sakura's secretary smiled at her, and she nodded curtly before promptly saying, "You're fired."
The secretary's eyes widened. "What?" she sputtered. Karin fixed her with a sleazy grin.
"You heard me. Get out. I have orders from above to fire you, so there you go." Karin spat. The girl stood up, glared at Karin but walked out nevertheless. Karin turned to face the door before knocking upon it once.
Sakura opened the door and smiled at Karin. "Karin-san! What brings you by?" she asked politely.
"Cut the fucking shit, Sakura." Karin spat at the girl. Sakura looked surprised, but opened the door wider to allow the other woman to enter.
"Cut the...what?" Sakura asked, confused. "I'm afraid I don't understand what you are talking about."
"You know what I'm talking about, bitch." Karin snarled. "You and Sasuke! You stole Sasuke from me, you fucking whore!"
Sakura's eyes widened. "W-what?" she stammered. "I don't know what you're talking about!"
"YES YOU DO!" Karin screamed. Her rage poured out in her words. "YOU STOLE SASUKE FROM ME YOU WHORE! YOU-YOU SEDUCED HIM! HE WAS MINE AND YOU TOOK HIM AWAY!"
"Karin-san, please don't yell." Sakura whispered. "Please, I never took him away from you-"
Karin didn't care. She raised one arm and slapped Sakura. Sakura staggered, falling slightly on her heels. Karin breathed heavily as she advanced on the other girl. "You...don't lie...I saw you, two weeks ago...with Sasuke in that restaurant..." Sakura backed away. "I just want you to know...you don't know who you're messing with."
Sakura didn't say anything, but looked defiantly at Karin. "No wonder..." she muttered to herself.
"What?" Karin snapped. Sakura laughed slightly.
"I said no wonder he doesn't love you. I always thought he was just being harsh when he spoke about you, but I never really realized that when he might be saying is true." Sakura said. "Let me tell you this. Sasuke will never, ever love you."
"SHUT UP!" Karin screamed. She didn't want to be reminded...didn't need to be reminded...
"Because people like you who think they own him will never find a place in his heart." Sakura breathed, standing upright. Karin stared at Sakura for a few moments before walking out the office door and slamming it. She made it all the way to the car before bursting into tears on the way home. The fact which had seemed easier to accept before had just become harder.
He would never love her.
A/N: I never write stuff like this. Ever. But I was in a Karin-bashing mood right about now, so here you go. Reviews would be great! I'd really like constructive crit on this, because it is my first time writing angsty pieces, so I'd really like to learn on how I can improve.
Well, that's about it. REVIEW please! :)
- B.W