Bonded Souls

Chapter 6: Bonds

An entire week had passed, and... nothing. Nothing more had happened between them. To say Sakura was disappointed would be an understatement. Of course, she wanted there to be nothing happening in terms of them being found, but since their near experience before Karin's arrival, Sasuke seemed to have withdrawn from her. That particular day she hadn't been interested in anything, especially with the arrival of Karin throwing her off, not to mention reality sinking in, but... He'd yet to make another move on her.

Sure, they kissed. Oh, did they ever. He kissed her so thoroughly she felt like she was going to faint half the time. And to say they weren't close would be an understatement; they spent most if not all of their time watching movies or reading books while curled up under blankets. They'd ventured out into the snow for a hike a few times, Sasuke making extra sure that Sakura was more than dressed for the cold, even fretting over her if she wasn't dressed to his standards. There was nothing quite like a large, sometimes intimidating detective grumbling and shoving extra layers in her hands and demanding she put them on, but she couldn't blame him.

Sasuke, on the other hand... He was struggling. He wanted to make a move, but he felt he wasn't sure how after Karin's sudden interruption. How did one initiate that kind of thing? Their first attempt had felt natural, but now he wondered if this was even the time. They'd been interrupted in the middle of it once; who was to say that danger wouldn't come around the corner again? Who was to say someone wouldn't sneak up while they were distracted, ready to take them out while they were at their most vulnerable? He kept telling himself that he couldn't put Sakura in that position, that he couldn't risk putting her in that kind of danger. He'd spent the whole week fighting with himself to find the right moment, but he'd yet to come across it.

The sound of an engine caught Sasuke's attention again, and upon peering out the window, he could see that it was Karin waiting outside, much to his relief. She let herself in with a wave from the detective; he was just about to step outside and chop some more firewood as she arrived with more groceries. Sakura came out to greet her, helping carry some of them over to the kitchen to start putting things away.

Karin, noticing Sakura appeared to be quiet, tilted her head curiously at the girl. "Hey, everything okay, girl?" Her words snapped Sakura out of her stupor, eyes widening. Was her glum mood that noticeable?

"Oh, yeah, just... Yeah, everything's fine," she lied, clamping her mouth shut. No, it wasn't. Nothing was fine right now. Everything sucked right now. She couldn't help the thoughts that were coming through her head, even if she knew they weren't true; hell, even if Sasuke had told her otherwise, they were still there.

"No, it's not," Karin replied, her tone flat. "Not with that face you're making. You look like someone kicked a puppy, except that puppy is you." Sakura cringed at that thought. Maybe she was more evident than she thought.

"Well, it's just..." She let out a heavy sigh, glancing out the window where she could see Sasuke chopping wood, none the wiser to the conversation going on inside. Karin saw the way her face changed and reached forward, taking the vegetables Sakura held and setting them on the counter. She took both of her hands and led her to the couch, sitting her down before taking a seat beside her.

"He hasn't made another move, has he." It wasn't a question; it was a blunt statement from the redhead. Sakura was surprised by her sudden boldness but nodded in response. Karin let out a heavy sigh, slapping a hand to her forehead. "Goodness, he's hopeless." Karin knew what Sakura must have been thinking, and as usual, it went right over Sasuke's head. "Idiot detective."

"He's not--" Sakura tried to defend him7 but was silenced by Karin holding up a hand.

"Oh no, sweetie, he's an idiot. He might be one of the smartest guys you know, but trust me. I know. He's an idiot. And he'll always be an idiot. And unless you've got someone who's fluent in idiot to smack him upside the head, he's never going to figure it out." Karin threw her hands up in exasperation, then gestured to Sakura's entire form. "And even when he's got all of this sitting in front of him! Ugh, he makes me want to strangle him sometimes."