Suigetsu saw his team as a mess. A bunch of broken souls who decided they worked good together and stuck with each other till the end. They had a leader still burdened with the mistakes of his past and the blood on his hands. A calm man who went wild in battle, still fighting his curse mark and trying to learm what it means to live for himself. A lost Uzumaki, discarded and abused by villages and holding on to the one bit of Uchiha light that kept her from sinking into despair. Then there was him, the product of a village that treated shinobi like tools to use.

Although Suigetsu was free spirited and his attitude towards shinobi ways was nonchalant, he loved to fight and blood never disturbed him. It made him sadistic.

Everyone around him was blood thirsty too at one point or another, even Karin. Being surrounded by people like them made him feel normal in a sense. He knew if he were in a village, people would run from him and view him as an anomaly. But in the Hideout, there were no Shinobi rules or judgement. Everyone was like him; they were products of their rotten villages.

"I'm going out. There's something I want to check out." Sasuke said before leaving. Suigetsu wanted to ask what was making him leave the hideout so much, but he knew if Sasuke wanted to tell Team Taka then he would. However, he wondered, what exactly Sasuke did on the trips he took daily.

He wondered if it was something that could soothe the bloodlust that had permanently taken residence in his misty soul.

: :

"YOLO"

Sachiki jumped at the sound of a male voice, immediately pulling out her kunai and moving to attack stance, ready for any action.

Suigestu stared at her weirdly, "Didn't mean to...sneak up on you. Sorry," then a harsh whisper, "yikes."

Seeing Suigestu's casual pose caused her to loosen up, but her kunai still remained in hand. Call it paranoia, but Sachiki didn't trust anybody. Not even herself.

Suigetsu smirked once noticing; she was messed up, just like them. That meant that she was in his good books for the time being.

"Who are you?" Sachiki started, a bit put off by the sick smile on his face.

"I'm the guy who attacked you and your clan. Gee, forgotten me so quickly? Harsh."

She rolled her eyes, "No, I meant your name?"

"Could have said 'what's your name' instead of 'who are you'." He mumbled. "I'm Suigetsu, and you're Karin's new assistant, apparently. Nice to meet you."

He pointed his hand in her direction. Sachiki eyed him suspiciously, then sighed and gripped him firmly.

"Sachiki."

Taking the time to observe her features, Suigestu saw nothing out of the ordinary other than the piercing colour of her eyes and the scar on her face. She had a body that looked like it could be crushed under the weight of a 1000 feathers and the non existent curves of a child. But her attitude and demeanor was a complete contrast to her appearance.

She was young, but he couldn't find the naivety and stupidity that most girls had at their teen years. Instead he saw a detached and calculated Shinobi, always ready for the worst.

It intrigued him. "What are you doing?"

She squinted at him, "Why do you care?"

"Isn't it obvious? I'm bored."

Sachiki almost smiled, "Well, I asked Karin sama if I could help her in any way and she gave me a 'simple task' , as she calls it."

Suigestu wondered why she called Karin 'master', but chose not to openly question her. He'd tease Karin later. "Which is?"

"Figuring out the last ingredient needed to create a chakra numbing spray."

"Have you figured it out?"

Sachiki shook her head, then nodded. Suigetsu stared at her until she finished her internal battle.

"Well, it's not like I don't know what the last ingredient is. It's just that, the last ingredient is something that can be found in different places and people, and is very hard to obtain."

"How so?"

Sachiki placed her arms on the desk, which were littered with all sorts of books. "One variable is the chakra of a clan in the Hidden leaf, that possess a skill that can paralyse one momentarily. However, I don't even know if it works for just bodily movements or also chakra movements, and if it only does, then how will I use it to make the potion?"

Suigetsu shook his head, "That one is definitely out of the question. If people from the Hidden Leaf get involved in Karin's experiments, you will be kicked out without hesitation."

Sachiki bit the inside of her cheek. "Okay, no problem. There's also a clan in the Hidden Mist that possess eye powers that can temporarily paralyse. It's incredibly temporary though, and I'll need Karin to extract the chakra from their eyes."

Suigetsu shrugged, "Eh, no biggie."

"Then there's a rogue shinobi with poisonous seme-"

"Second option. Let's go with the second option."

Sachiki wanted to smile, "Alright. It's going to be hard to obtain, I've heard people from the clan are very... hostile. Also, getting in that village is going to be hellishly difficult."

Suigetsu smirked. "I'm an ex shinobi of the Mist, and Sasuke has relations with the guy that runs the place. We can get in as long as we're diplomatic and shit."

"We?"

"You think you're going to do this on your own? Team Taka is bored as heck, I think we need a little outing. We've got to wait till Sasuke comes back though. This never came out of my mouth, but he kinda runs this whole dysfunctional family."

: :

"Welcome h-back, Sasuke."

Sasuke replied with a nod in Karin's direction, taking a seat on one of the chairs. The light above him was fading, he would change that later. Right now, he just needed a moment to rest and collect himself.

"How was your redemption trip?" Karin teasingly asked, but sincere with interest.

Sasuke's trip mainly consisted of following leads concerning Kaguya and her clan, thinking in a void-ish dimension, and checking up on the Hidden Leaf village. It was a three day long journey, which felt longer to him. Time can be funny in other dimensions.

"It was..." What word could he use to describe it? "Hn."

Karin cocked her head to the side and gave him an endearing look that could melt his heart. "I wonder how many redemption trips it's gonna take for you to actually voice your feelings, Sasuke."

Sasuke wondered too. "That won't happen."

He watched as Karin set herself on the opposite end of the couch, and wondered how long she could last without closing in the distance. He knew that when it came to him, Karin wasn't so crazy about personal space.

Karin bit her lip. In the other world, she had never asked Sasuke about his life or emotions. She had just assumed that being closed off was how Sasuke is.

But in this world, she wanted to be there for him.

"Expressing yourself is never easy for introverts like you Sasuke, but come on. We've been teammates for a long time now. Don't I deserve to know just a little," she shifted to tap the side of his head, "of what goes on in there? It can't be as empty as your face."

Sasuke knew, that if he kept staring at the redhead, he'd lose composure. So he averted his gaze to his hands.

"I thought of the number of people I killed. They're too many to count." His thoughts drifted to Itachi.

"Well, you're a frontline Shinobi, so it's inevitable." She paused, "Do you regret killing some people?"

"Itachi. I regret killing Itachi."

"Even after you had closure from meeting him?" Karin frowned. She thought he had squashed that since he came face to face with a reincarnated Itachi.

Although, Karin could understand. Losing family is a weight that can never be lifted.

"Yes. I still feel guilt over his death."

Admitting feelings out loud was different, Sasuke realised. It was like giving a heavy package for someone else to take. Naruto was able to share the weight of Sasuke's burdens with him, without him ever needing to explain. Sakura was willing to carry it all, without much understanding of what it entailed. But what about Karin? What would she do with the baggage?

"I've seen you at a point in your life where you let your darkness consume you and take you towards the wrong path. You were willing to risk everything to give that man justice, including me. So, that burden. That pain, that resolve that you had all because of Itachi, is more than enough redemption for his death. I don't know much, but I know Itachi died loving you, not hating you. So why would you hate yourself for killing him?"

Karin had rambled, not very sure if what she thought was what Sasuke wanted to hear. But it was what she felt from the bottom of her heart, as the girl who loved him and wanted him to be happy.

All she ever wished for was his burdens to be lifted.

As light as a feather, Karin felt the touch of a man that she had been loving for years on the back of her hand. A soft gesture, displaying all the emotions and gratitude he needed to show. Because now, he had someone who could show him that the burdens he carried, were nothing to fear. Someone who he could give a package to, and they'd just receive it. Not hold it, not tarnish it. Someone who could hear his woes and understand it all.

They both were products of the Shinobi world, with similar pains and sadness in their souls. And that evening, they found a solace, a piece of them, in each other.

It wasn't much, just a few words anyone could muster.

It wasn't much, just a feathery touch anyone could do.

It wasn't much, yet it meant so much.

Karin slowly looked up from their hands. His arm, that she had held on to time after time, wishing she'd notice him. The side of his neck, how she had wished to kiss that place. His face, his shy face, eyes cast downwards while he made Karin the happiest woman alive.

Taking their first step.

"Thank you."

It was just words.

"Sas-"

Suigetsu barged in, Sachiki and Juugo following close behind. "FINALLY YOU'RE HOME! WE'VE BEEN WAITING THREE DAMN DAYS FOR YOU. Anyways, we're going on a Team Taka mission to help Karin's assistant. You're coming, no questions asked."

Hand gone. Face neutral. Sasuke was pretending like nothing had transpired five seconds ago.

Unlike Karin, whose face could give away every secret.

"Well well well. What's going on here? Karin, are you trying to pull the moves on Sasuke, because let me tell you, you are not that hot-"

Suigetsu received a punch to the face.

::

For the past 5 years of my life I've spelt Suigetsu like Suigestu
😔
I'm not editing shit tho.