Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Never have, never will.

Suigetsu scoffed as he watched Karin swoon over Sasuke. Now, there was no doubt that Suigetsu held Sasuke in high regard. The guy was powerful as all hell, and his presence practically demanded respect.

He couldn't understand, however, why Karin fawned over him so much. The dud was as frigid as a stick! Scratch that- Suigetsu highly doubted that Sasuke could even manage to have the amount of sexual desire that a stick had. He was a cold fish, and that was the end of that. Karin just couldn't understand that, though. She shamelessly threw herself at him, attempting to win the boy's affections. Suigetsu scowled at the thought.
Sasuke didn't give a shit about her, and he was incredibly clear about that! He constantly exploited her, used her till she was beaten and broken, but she still kept going back for more, appearing as if it hadn't fazed her. Sasuke even made Suigetsu share rooms with her (every single time!) because he didn't want to be attacked in his sleep, using the excuse that only he could control Juugo, and the others were too weak to hold their own. Still, sometimes Suigetsu would catch her in a private moment, sitting quietly by herself to hide the tears.

His eye twitched. He really hated how stupid she could be.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Karin excuse herself, sensually caressing Sasuke's shoulder. Nostrils flaring slightly, Suigetsu convinced himself that he couldn't care less. The atmosphere in the room immediately turned tense and heavy. Sasuke always seemed to command silence, and Suigetsu, for the most part, was okay with that. It didn't mean he particularly liked it, though.

Juugo cleared his throat, drawing Suigetsu's attention. "Come, let's go to the bath."

Suigetsu pouted and opened his mouth to retort, but Juugo motioned to the corner of the room, and Suigetsu then understood why. Sasuke was in one of those moods. "Fine," he agreed begrudgingly. "Let's go."

The two men soaked in the bath for a while, relishing the moment. "Ah, I'm glad I came, actually. Just need some down time from those crazy bastards." He looked at Juugo. "No offense, bro, though you do scare the shit out of me."

"None taken. We all need a break from you, too." Suigetsu frowned at that, but oddly enough, he didn't say anything. Juugo decided to speak his mind.

"You shouldn't treat her like that."

Suigetsu slowly looked away. He knew exactly what Juugo was talking about, but he decided to play dumb. "Treat who like what?"

"You shouldn't treat Karin like she's a burden."

Suigetsu sunk into the water, blowing bubbles. Juugo frowned ever so slightly. "Are you listening to me?"

Suigetsu made no indication that he was, except for the guilty expression painted onto his features.

Suigetsu finished putting on clothes first and bid Juugo adieu. The large man nodded, his expressions as serious as always. Walking to his room, he slid open the door and huffed impatiently. Then his eyes widened.

Karin was naked.

Her red eyes, shocked, bore into his. She remained still for a moment before shouting obscenities at Suigetsu, a flush ascending from her neck. Suigetsu remained frozen in place, not really hearing anything she said.

All he could see were the numerous bite marks all over her body, even ones on her back. Some were healing well, some...well, not so well. The most recent one had been inflicted on her shoulder, and it was a black and blue hue. She had been spreading salve on her wounds to help them heal better.

"-getsu, why are you just standing there?" she hissed, her arms shielding his eyes from her breasts. "Stupid pig, don't you think should leave?" Suigetsu, instead, walked forward, nearing her.

Karin gasped, indignant. "Suigetsu, I swear I will-"

Her voice cut short when he kneeled down and touched her.

His fingertips just barely brushed over the bruised skin of her shoulder, so tenderly it could have made her cry. His warm palm travelled the expanse of her shoulder and back, causing a badly suppressed shudder to run through her.

Suddenly, he straightened his knees, turning his face away from her. Karin angled herself away from his line of vision, peeking at him from over her shoulder. "I'm sorry," he laughed, scratching the back of his head. "I don't know what came over me. I'll leave now." Karin squeezed her eyes shut, not sure if this was really the best idea, but...

He made it to the doorway just as she called out, "Wait!" Suigetsu didn't dare look at her because...well, she was nude! Even he had the decency not to fantasize about her body- in front of her, that was.

"Help me?" she meekly asked, and Suigetsu smiled, closing his eyes.

"Of course," he said, his voice chipper. He took the salve from her, making sure not to look at her chest. Well, he couldn't help but sneak a tiny, miniscule peek. Nevertheless, he went to work on her back, working the medicine on the rough scarred tissue. He felt her wince underneath his hands and chuckled mirthlessly, trying to conceal his nervousness.

He could imagine the redhead scowling at him. "What's so funny?" she spat.

Suigetsu shook his head. "Nothing really."

"No, just say it. You think it's funny that my body's so ugly!" she whispered harshly, tears forming in her eyes. She was not sure why she valued his opinion so much, but she just knew that it mattered to her.

Suigetsu's eyes narrowed at her. "I never said your body was ugly, you dumb bitch!"

She whipped around, baring her exposed body to him. "But you were thinking it! Well, laugh all you want, you stupid jerk!" She reached for the salve, but Suigetsu caught her wrist, effectively barring her from taking it. "Let go of me-"

He took her hand and kissed her palm, breathing hard.

Karin's heart skipped a beat, her red eyes widening at his actions. "W-what are you- you asshole, what d-do you think you're doing?" she stammered, feeling extremely self conscious. She really should have thought this through.

"Oh, shut up!" Suigetsu snapped, releasing her hand. He looked her straight in the eyes, and Karin noticed a desire there that she had never seen before. "I'm so tired of pretending in this little game of ours," he rasped, voice raw with emotion. Furrowing his eyebrows, he left the room, not having the slightest idea of where he was going and not caring. As Karin watched him go, she bit her lip, looking down at the floor.

She would never admit it to anyone, but she was tired of it, too.

I actually really like Karin. She's such a vulnerable character.