A/N: Hi guys, full A/N will be at the bottom this time but I hope you like it! Please read and review! And I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas and best wishes for 2018!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

…

It is Christmas, and she is all made up in her Santa hat and a beautiful purple dress, full with apprehension only a four year old can have. They have just moved from Oto to Konoha, where her cousin lives, and today, she will be meeting him for the first time. She clutches onto her mother's hand as they wait to be greeted at the door, other hand clenching onto her dress tightly, painting her knuckles white.

They are greeted by Aunt Kushina, Uncle Minato, and cousin Naruto. She is nervous, hiding behind her mother's skirt as the grownups exchange pleasantries, when Naruto finds her. He holds out a chubby hand, eyes shining from his too-bright smile, but she finds comfort in his sky-blue eyes and takes his hand.

"I'm Karin," she says shyly, giving a little curtsy like she has been taught, and when her cousin laughs and pulls her along, showing her his toys, she thinks Konoha might not be so bad after all.

Later, the Uchihas arrive, and she has never seen a more beautiful family in her life. Aunt Mikoto and Uncle Fugaku are beautiful, and so is Itachi-niisan, but Sasuke-kun is something different. When she lays her eyes on Sasuke-kun, when this boy with dark hair and darker eyes smiles shyly back at her, she knows that she will like it here.

She is only four when she meets Sasuke-kun, but she feels like she has known him for many lifetimes past.

Mama, I think I'm in love.

…

She is sandwiched between her two favourite boys, Naruto on her left and Sasuke-kun on her right. It is their first day back in kindergarten after the holidays, and she is eck-sta-teec to find that they are all in the same class again. Sasuke-kun later tells her "It's ecstatic, Karin", and she smiles because Sasuke-kun was paying attention even when he acted like he wasn't.

"Excuse me…," the voice is timid and shy and very, very soft, "is this seat taken?"

She turns from her colouring book to look to her right, and she doesn't know if she should be threatened or excited when she sees her. This girl is so small, she thinks, and she watches as Sasuke-kun sits a little straighter and Naruto smiles a little brighter. They have never taken interest in a girl who isn't her, so when Karin looks at this pretty girl with pink hair and huge green eyes, she thinks that maybe, she should be threatened.

She watches as Sasuke-kun shakes his head and moves his bag from the empty seat and places it by his feet. She watches as this newcomer blushes before she smiles a too-bright smile that reminds her a little too much of Naruto before taking a seat next to her Sasuke-kun and shyly introduces herself as Sakura-chan.

As the day goes on, they draw and colour and have lunch together, and when Sakura calls her Karin-chan and shares her beautiful royal blue crayon with her, she thinks that maybe, this won't be so bad after all.

Three days later, when Sakura-chan shares her juicy red strawberries with her, Karin knows that they will be friends forever.

She is only five when she goes home, announcing to her parents that she now has three best friends.

And one of them's a girl, mama.

…

Karin watches as the girl with pretty blond hair and sparkly blue eyes defends Sakura-chan from a group of girls. Crystalline tears are rolling down Sakura's cheeks, her hair is a mess and so are her clothes, and Karin feels anger bubbling in her chest. It's the kind of anger she feels when Naruto eats the last strawberry, or when Sasuke-kun breaks his promises. She watches as this blue-eyed blonde throws her arms in front of Sakura-chan, telling the other girls to go away but they only laugh and come closer. And before she knows it she has jumped in and it has now become a cat fight of sorts. There are no fists and angry war cries like she sees Naruto and Sasuke-kun exchange, but there are lots of hair tugging and screaming and she feels a surge of pride when Sakura joins in. When they are declared victors of this fight and the other girls scamper away in fear, Sakura-chan introduces her to Ino-chan.

Karin is thankful that Ino-chan defended Sakura, but her mouth twists in a frown as she wonders if she'll have to share Naruto and Sasuke-kun and Sakura-chan with her, but a little giggle from Sakura-chan and a hand over hers reassures her.

Karin is eight when she learns to share her three best friends, because they always know to quell her fear of losing them.

"Don't be silly, Karin. We'll always be best friends."

"You promise, Sakura-chan?"

"Aa."

"Aa?"

"Yup! Sasuke-kun said it sounds much cooler than yes!"

"Oh…"

…

Naruto is still as silly as ever. The pranks and jokes haven't stopped, he is loud and boisterous and is always getting them into trouble. He still eats the last strawberry just to spite her and he still smells like ramen and sunshine. Naruto is her cousin but he is also her ray of light, always encouraging and sometimes overly so, but she knows Naruto wouldn't be Naruto any other way.

Sasuke-kun is more reserved these days, gone is the little boy who was as loud as Naruto. Girls still follow him around and all the other boys get jealous, and he is mean and pretentious to everybody, but he has a soft spot just for the three of them, and Karin thinks that this is enough. He still gets into brawls with Naruto, still hugs her when she needs comfort, but there is a softness in his inky black eyes he only reserves for Sakura-chan. Karin wonders when she started noticing.

Sakura-chan is still the same bubbly spitfire girl. Gone is the insecurity that comes with her huge forehead, and it's all because of Ino-chan, she knows. There is only room for confidence in her, she is always tied for number one in class with Sasuke-kun and she works hard. Sakura-chan still saves her last strawberry for Karin and still smacks Naruto on the head when he is being stupid, but she is always smiling at Sasuke-kun. It's different to her usual too-bright smiles; these smiles light up her whole face, and she wonders if Sasuke-kun notices too.

Naruto and Sakura-chan are alike; they attract attention everywhere they go and everybody loves them. They are loud and happy and exude an energy Karin only wishes she has. But there is a silent happiness knowing that instead, she and Sasuke-kun are similar. They are both quiet, loud only in the company of those they trust. They are not as welcoming as Naruto and Sakura-chan and she knows people don't understand why two people who are like the sun stay with two who are like the storm, but she doesn't care. The four of them will always have each other, and Karin thinks that everybody else is just jealous. After all, nobody else has a friendship like theirs.

Karin has watched her best friends grow since she was four. But they are now fifteen and a little part of her wonders if Sasuke-kun and Sakura-chan will grow in a way that doesn't include her and Naruto.

"Here."

"Matching necklaces?"

"Not just any necklace, Sakura. These are friendship necklaces."

A giggle. "You're so cute, Karin. I love you!"

"Che. Why do we need something like this?"

"Teme, just say thank you and put it on like the rest of us."

"Sasuke-kun! Don't be mean."

"They're to symbolise our friendship, baka. So we'll always stay friends."

"Karin, don't be stupid. We'll always stay friends, necklace or no necklace."

…

If there is such a thing as a soulmate, Karin is one thousand percent certain that it exists in the form of Sasuke-kun. They're a match made in heaven, she thinks. Sasuke-kun accepts her wholeheartedly, supports her in every way possible and looks at her in a way that makes her skin tingle and her heart flutter. He makes her feel safe, he knows what to say and when to say them, and he is genuine. While Naruto is also accepting and supportive, he annoys her most days, and she imagines herself ripping his hair out and skinning him alive. No matter how strong their bond is, she doesn't think she can imagine a forever with someone like Naruto. But Sasuke-kun – he is her forever. He is the forever that makes her want to be a better person, the forever that doesn't give up, the forever that grows old together. He is the forever she wants to wake up to and kiss goodnight every day for the rest of her life.

And it is so easy to imagine a forever with him when they are standing side by side, him dressed up in a classic black tux and a blue tie that matches her blue halter dress that sweeps the floor. She is his date to prom, and she tells herself that it isn't because Naruto asked Sakura-chan first, so by default it meant that Sasuke-kun would take her because who else would he take?

But it is also easy to see the longing and jealousy in his dark eyes when he looks at them. At Naruto who has Sakura-chan in his arms, laughing and dancing in the middle of the dance floor. It isn't difficult for Karin to miss the slight clenching of his jaw or the way he holds her a little too tightly.

Karin is seventeen when Sasuke-kun has his arms around her. He is so close, yet so far. Years ago, she would have been content with this. She wonders when it stopped being enough.

Why am I not enough, Sasuke-kun?

…

It has always been this way. He is the first person she thinks about in the early hours of the morning, and the last person she thinks about when she is falling asleep. Whenever she thinks of him, or whenever he is close, her tummy flutters like it is filled with millions of tiny butterflies and it is so overwhelming she thinks she might burst. But she has known that he has always had eyes only for her. Sasuke-kun has never said it out loud and Sakura-chan has never given an inkling that she might know, so Karin pretends she can't see it either, because she has learned that sometimes ignorance is bliss. She loves him from a distance, despite its intangibility. She has loved him since she first laid eyes on him, she has loved him throughout the years, and she can't see herself stopping any time soon. Or forever.

"Karin…do you…like Sasuke-kun?" Sakura is nervous, nibbling on her bottom lip as she tucks a stray lock of hair behind her ear.

They are Christmas shopping, and Karin can honestly say that she did not see this coming.

"I…"

"I…I've always known, Karin. I just wanted to say that…I won't make a move. Because you saw him first and so, well…you know. You can tell him, if you want to. I won't be upset."

Karin can see how much courage it is taking Sakura-chan. She can see the trembling of her hands and she is pulling that face – the one she pulls when she tries to hold in her tears. They are best friends, in love with the same boy. Sometimes Karin wonders if this is fate's way of a joke, but she thinks about Naruto and Sasuke-kun and Sakura-chan, so she doesn't complain because she counts her blessings.

So Karin does what she does best. "Don't be silly, Sakura. He's never liked me like that, anyway." She turns her attention back to the rack of dresses, silently willing the tears not to fall. Saying it out loud for the first time hurts more than she has expected.

"What are you staring at, Sakura-chan? You still need to help me find the perfect dress for tomorrow."

Karin is eighteen turning nineteen, and when she sees Sasuke's face light up at the homemade scarf he receives from Sakura, she looks down at the still wrapped up sweater in her hands. It suddenly feels heavy and when she takes a sip from her glass, the once sweet strawberry and lime cider suddenly tastes a lot like unrequited love.

…

The sun glistens against her eyes and Karin stirs. Sakura-chan is still passed out in slumber next to her, Sasuke-kun is behind the wheel and Naruto is riding shotgun, legs up on the dashboard, and they are both quiet. Karin wonders if they were arguing over who could have control of the radio station again. She doesn't know why, but clamps her eyes shut when she hears his voice.

"Sasuke. I love her too, you know that right?" Naruto says quietly.

Sasuke is speechless at the unexpected question, but the answer is one they can all answer with their eyes closed. It is the too that might have surprised Sasuke-kun and Sakura-chan, but to the rest of the world it is only a matter of when and not if.

Sasuke clears his throat. "Aa." There is guilt in his voice, Karin can tell.

"Dude, I just…I needed to tell you." Gone is the enthusiasm from his voice, replaced by sullen heartbreak, and Karin chances opening one of her eyes, and she sees Naruto reaching over to put a hand on Sasuke-kun's shoulder.

She is sure that Sasuke's expression is stoic, but the way his hands reach out to ruffle Naruto's hair warms her heart. "I know, dobe. I've always known, that's why I never –"

Naruto cuts him off when he chuckles. "Well, you've got the green light from me, teme. Sakura-chan's told me that we would never work out."

This new information interests her, Sakura has never disclosed this and Naruto has given no hints, and there has been no strain in their relationship. But she can hear the slight change in Sasuke-kun's breathing. It is almost as if he is at ease now, all hints of previous tension gone, because Naruto and Sakura have already cleared things up.

But because Naruto is still Naruto, moments like this don't last forever. "But I doubt she'd pick you over me if she knew who had the bigger package." Karin can imagine him wiggling his eyebrows up and down, leering at Sasuke-kun, and she nearly snorts. She closes her eyes as Sasuke-kun smacks Naruto's head.

"Idiot."

When they arrive at the beach, Karin pretends that she has been asleep the whole drive, and Sakura-chan whines because she slept funny and now her neck is sore. Naruto rubs her neck while Sasuke-kun tells her she's annoying, and Karin is twenty when she wonders if her heart can be as big as Naruto's one day.

Maybe one day.

…

Karin loves Uchiha Sasuke in a broad, all-consuming way. It fills the space between the dotted lines so completely that sometimes she doesn't think she is missing anything. Her love, even though unrequited, is as valid as the way Uchiha Sasuke loves Haruno Sakura.

But she knows she cannot move on from this suffocation, she cannot let go of the long, broken trail of loose ends scattered behind her if she does not tell him. She finds it strange that the one she confides this to is Naruto. Matters of the heart are usually reserved for Sakura-chan, but Karin knows that this is not for Sakura-chan. But Naruto; he is her loud mouthed, clueless cousin, her best friend and confidant since she was four. He understands her because he used to look at Sakura-chan the way she looks at Sasuke-kun.

"Don't repress it, don't hold it down, don't dismiss your love." He is serious and his voice is quiet, eyes sympathetic as he squeezes her shoulders. "Unrequited love is hard, and will always be painful, but one day you'll realise that all this love you have for Sasuke, you can give to someone who will love you just as much, if not more."

She finds Sasuke-kun in the library, not for his love of books, but because it is her favourite place to be. She asks if she can have Sasuke-kun for an hour or so, and there is an understanding in Sakura-chan's eyes as she smiles and tells them to have fun. Sasuke-kun looks reluctant to leave and Karin tells herself it's because he doesn't feel like coffee, not because he wants to spend time with her instead.

They are walking side by side, and he is sipping on an iced mocha and she on a green tea frappe, when she suddenly blurts out "I love you, Sasuke-kun." There is a weariness brought on by carrying the weight of her affections that is somehow intensified, not lessened, in the act of her disclosure. But there is also a quiet, piercing wish for acceptance, for reciprocation, that she knows will not be granted.

Out of the corner of her eye she watches as his shoulders tense for less than a second, before he sighs and turns to look at her. Don't look, don't look, don't look, she tells herself, because she knows that he is looking at her like that. Dark eyes apologetic, full of sympathy and guilt, and that's not how she wants Sasuke-kun to look at her. So she keeps her eyes on the road and doesn't lift her lips from her straw, but when he puts an arm around her shoulders and pulls her close like he has done so many times before, and she thinks she might cry.

He places a kiss on the top of her head, and whispers "I know" and "I'm so sorry, Karin" and she forces back the tears and smiles. She is sure that he can see right through her, because they have been best friends since they were four and Sasuke-kun was always good at reading her.

"I just thought I should tell you, that's all."

She is so proud of herself when her voice doesn't break, and they walk around campus until the sun goes down. Sakura-chan will be okay that she has taken Sasuke-kun for the whole afternoon, she knows, because even though she might not admit it to herself, Karin is certain that she will have him for an entire lifetime.

That night, when she gets back to her dorm room, she isn't surprised to find Naruto there, waiting for her with freshly baked chocolate chip cookies, chocolate dipped strawberries and a tub of her favourite vanilla ice cream. As she allows herself to indulge, she finally lets the tears fall.

Karin is twenty one, half way through college, when she finally tells Sasuke-kun how she feels. Hours later, the spot where Sasuke-kun kissed her still burns.

I was meant to love you in this lifetime.

…

Naruto and Sasuke-kun and herself are graduating tomorrow. Sakura-chan still has two years to go because she is studying to become a doctor, unlike the three of them who will become lawyers. Sasuke-kun is buying her coffee; they are taking a break from graduation dress shopping because "Why didn't you get a dress earlier, Karin? and "God, Sasuke-kun. I just couldn't find the right one."

A sense of déjà vu washes over her when the words leave his mouth. Like most things, Karin smiles. It doesn't really hit her until much later, and by then she laughs awkwardly. Karin always wears her heart on her sleeve, so it's not as if he doesn't know.

"I'm in love with Sakura."

Karin has always known this. She has known this since she was five, when Sasuke-kun sat a little straighter and moved his precious bag for her. She has known this since she was eight, when Sasuke-kun was reluctant to leave her side when he learnt that she was getting picked on. She has known this since she was fifteen, when Sasuke-kun would silently brood whenever she introduced them to a new male friend she had made. She has known this since she was seventeen, when Sasuke-kun stopped talking to Naruto for three days because he asked Sakura-chan to be his date for homecoming dance. She has known this since she was eighteen turning nineteen, when she watched Sasuke-kun wear his new handmade scarf, radiating with happiness. She has known this since she was twenty, when Sasuke-kun agreed to drive them to a beach that was three hours away just because she asked. She has known this since she was twenty one, when Sasuke-kun told her he was sorry.

So of course, Karin is okay with this truth. It doesn't matter if she met Sasuke-kun first, because she knows that things like love cannot be forced. She loves Sasuke-kun and she loves Sakura-chan too, and if her two best friends decide they love each other, she thinks she can find it in herself to accept that.

After two hours, when she finally finds a dress, Sasuke looks at his watch and tells her he needs to pick her up from class and "Do you want to come, Karin?"

Karin is twenty three when she shakes her head no, and as she watches Sasuke smile because he is genuinely excited to see her, before he nearly skips offto find her,she feels a dull ache in her chest and thinks that she might not be okay after all. Because just like Sasuke-kun has loved Sakura-chan since he was five, and just like Sakura-chan has loved Sasuke-kun since forever, Karin has also loved Sasuke-kun for a long time. She wonders why she is the last to the finish line when she started at four.

I guess they never said love was easy.

…

Karin thinks that twenty years is too long to be in love alone. Even after twenty years, it still hurts. Twenty years of questioning and hoping and crying and giving without reciprocation. Sometimes, she resents that her heart invests so deeply.

So when Sasuke-kun tells her that he is finally going to ask Sakura out on a date, and "Will you be okay?", she cannot find it in herself to say yes, so she runs, tears streaming down her cheeks and she barely registers that this time, she is crying out loud, chest heaving and shoulders shaking. She doesn't register him calling her name, doesn't register that she has run onto the street without checking, doesn't register anything around her except for the breaking of her heart.

And then there is the hiss of tyres coming to an abrupt stop on the smooth tarmac, she is fleetingly aware that she has been hit, body hitting the hood of the car, her head and torso smashing into the windshield. Time slows to a crawl. There is the metallic taste of blood in her mouth, her eyelids don't stop fluttering. Her vision changes between from bitter darkness to blinding brightness, and all she can hear is the crushing of glass and people screaming, and everything becomes a blur when her broken body flies backwards and she lands on the road with a resounding thump. Everything comes crashing back when she finally registers the pain. She can barely see through the haze of tears, but every inch of her feels like it is on fire, she is struggling for breath, lungs moving with such force she wonders if they will collapse on her. Karin feels like she is alternating between fading and waking, and the only thing anchoring her to consciousness is her agony.

She thinks she can make out the blue and red flickers and the sounds of sirens wailing in the distance, but when something gently cradles her head, she knows it's him. Suddenly, there is no more pain, all she can feel are the soothing circles his thumbs draw on her cheeks and tears that aren't hers on her cheeks, mingling with her own, and "I'm here, Karin. I'm here," and she thinks that Sasuke-kun is the last person she wants to see if she dies today. She slips into sweet oblivion.

Two weeks later, she wakes up in a hospital bed, white walls and white sheets and the only thing that colours her room are the same people who have coloured her entire life. The pink mop of Sakura-chan's hair tickles her left arm, the brooding blue that is Sasuke-kun is slumped in the chair in the far corner of the room, and the blinding yellow that is Naruto is snoring softly on the seat to her right. She blinks blearily, clearing the haze from her mind when it all comes back to her. Sasuke-kun's confession, her tears, the accident. She moves her arms, only a little; the weight of Sakura's head is starting to bother her- and all of a sudden she is suffocating in warmth and tears are soaking her hair, and she breathes in the lavender and lime she associates with Sakura-chan and puts her arms weakly around her trembling shoulders.

She thinks of all the selfless things they've done for her, and she realises that she has never been in love alone. Because Sasuke-kun and Sakura-chan and Naruto have loved her since they met, and have never stopped.

Karin is twenty four when she realises that there is nothing more sacred than love between best friends. It is a love that will be forever, a love that has carried her through heartbreaks and happiness, tears and anger and hair holding in toilet stalls. It is the screaming and shouting and the making up, the kind of love that has been through hell and back.

Maybe, this is enough.

…

Karin watches as Sakura smacks Naruto on the head for attempting to slice the ham. "Oowwww, Sakura-chan! I just wanted to see if it's cooked properly!" Sakura-chan lets out an unlady-like snort and tells Naruto he won't be eating anything if he tries again. Sasuke-kun is helping her set the table, and Karin is pleasantly surprised when his hand brushes against hers gently and her skin doesn't tingle.

This Christmas, there is none of the usual apprehension she has always carried. Gone is the nervous little girl meeting Naruto and Sasuke-kun for the first time, gone is the girl who wondered if Sasuke-kun would like her present, gone is the girl who tried not to look at Sasuke-kun and Sakura-chan exchanging presents with their cheeks stained pink. Karin is still in love with Sasuke-kun, but she isn't the girl who worries about how to act around Sakura-chan who is also in love with Sasuke-kun. She doesn't need to worry about how Sasuke-kun and Sakura-chan's relationship will turn out and how it will affect their friendship, because she already knows.

Sasuke-kun and Sakura-chan have been going out for five months now, and Karin still remembers Sakura acting as if she was stepping on eggshells around her for the first two months. She remembers confronting her one night, because "What the fuck is wrong with you, Sakura?" and she remembers the tears and shouting and "I'm so sorry, Karin, because God, I know how it feels to love him too." Karin can still feel the fierceness in Sakura-chan's embrace and the relief she is sure they both felt when there were no more tears and screaming and shouting and all that was left were limbs tangled on the bed and empty ice cream tubs.

Karin will never know if Sasuke-kun has been privy to their little exchange, but she is thankful that he is still the same Sasuke-kun. He is still the Sasuke-kun who is her best friend, who reassures her when she's unsure, who hugs her when she needs comfort. He is still the same Sasuke-kun who tells her to shut up when she is too loud and buys her green tea frappe on coffee dates. He is still the same Sasuke-kun who loves her.

Naruto is also unaffected by Sasuke-kun and Sakura-chan's relationship. Naruto still bickers with Sasuke-kun, still turns everything into a competition, still tells the whole world Sasuke is his best friend and "Sasuke's been stuck to me since we could barely walk. The teme won't admit it, but he can't live without me." Naruto still loves Sakura-chan. He still tries too hard to get her attention, still gets angry when someone has upset her and still tells Sasuke to treat her right, "Because if you don't, teme, I know plenty of people who will." Naruto's eyes are now on Hinata-chan, a girl Sakura met in med school, and Karin almost feels sorry for this girl.Hinata is shy and reserved and so, so sweet, and she wonders if maybe quiet and collected and calm is what Naruto needs, because Kami knows that Sakura and herself are loud and boisterous and overwhelming when they are with Naruto. Karin finds it endearing how Naruto looks at her. It is not the way he used to look at Sakura-chan – there is no infatuation, no obvious affection. Instead, there is a silent admiration and a nuance of longing, a desire to get to know her, and Karin thinks that she just might be the one.

She still finds herself bursting into tears in the middle of the night when she can't sleep and all she can think about is how much she loves him. Sometimes she cries when she's eating a tub of ice cream watching her favourite movie with Sakura-chan. Sometimes it happens when she's having ramen with Naruto, and sometimes she's walking in the park with Sasuke-kun, green tea frappe in hand. But no matter when she cries, there is always a warm arm around her shoulder, always an embrace that makes her feel whole and always a love that lets her know that she will be alright.

"Karin! Are you excited?" She is brought out of her musing at the sound of Sakura's voice, and her cheeks heat up as she thinks of Suigetsu. She knows nothing about him, only that he is a doctor at the hospital Sakura-chan has been working at. From the photos Sakura has shown her, she knows that he has a smile that is not as bright as Naruto's or Sakura-chan's and not as heart-stopping as Sasuke-kun's, but it is charming in its own way. "You'll love him," Sakura-chan's promised, and Karin thinks that maybe, if Sakura-chan is to be believed, this will be the right kind of love.

That night, when she finally does meet Suigetsu over their annual Christmas dinner, he is not at all like she imagined him to be. He is loud and crude and abrasive, and he immediately gets on her nerves. There are no pretences of impressing or charming the people he is meeting for the first time, they argue and bicker and she doesn't understand how someone like this could get on like a house on fire with Sakura-chan. The whole night, Sakura-chan and Naruto's shoulders shake in silent laughter and Sasuke-kun doesn't wipe the annoying smirk off his face, and is this the first time I've felt like punching the living daylights out of Sasuke-kun? She doesn't understand what her best friends are finding so amusing, but she cannot deny that while she feels the desire to kick Suigetsu out of her house, she feels understood.

After dinner, as she gladly walks Suigetsu out the door, he grins at her, sharp canines protruding, and he leaves her shell-shocked. "I'll pick you up at seven on New Year's Eve. Wear something nice."

She is twenty five when she finally accepts that one day, she will have a wedding, in her dream dress, and Sasuke-kun will not be waiting for her at the altar. She knows, accepts the finite absurdity that one day, she will promise her life to someone who is not Sasuke-kun. She knows that she will still grow old with Sasuke-kun, that they will still love each other forever, but not in the way she has dreamed of since she was four. She is twenty five when she accepts that one day, when the world's weight is too heavy to bear, she will not be crawling into bed beside Sasuke-kun.

Karin is twenty five when she unclasps her fingers, full of heartache and reluctance, and lets Sasuke-kun go.

Karin is twenty five, and at a time when she really needed a miracle, she meets someone new. She doesn't know it yet, but she will fall in love with him and he will make her world brighter and make even the most ordinary moments feel enchanting. He will give her a reason to smile when all she wants is to break down in tears. He will see through her mask, make her feel brave, and Karin will entrust him her heart and he will protect it and nurture it. Their love will be magical and it will be all-encompassing and exciting. It will be a love that has turned out to be better than she has ever imagined, one that is real. He will fill her with wonder and passion and he will help her see the magic in a love story she never thought would exist.

Suigetsu, you really, really, really get on my nerves.

…

She is sprawled across the couch in her new oversized jumper, and watches as he saunters across the living room towards the Christmas tree. He looks endearing tonight, dressed in a matching off-white jumper she had picked out only yesterday while out shopping with Sakura-chan because she is Karin and she still does her shopping last minute and the Santa hat he wore all night long "Just for you, Karin." He walks towards the tree, Christmas spirit illuminating the atmosphere more blazing than the fairy lights she has put up, re-arranging the ornaments on the tree because "Karin, the colours have to be arranged in the right sequence."

Karin has grown up with Sakura, so of course, she knows of the significance of mistletoes, silver stars at the top of the tree, little snowflakes gathering on the window sill. Candy canes are a must-have and so are the milk and cookies for Santa. Her presents are always perfectly, beautifully wrapped with perfectly shaped bows, and she always has her perfectly made shortbread on the table and Christmas carols play on repeat. But she has never arranged her the baubles on the tree just so. She smiles because finally, she has found someone other than Sakura-chan who is as pedantic about Christmas as she is.

Tonight, after Sakura-chan and Sasuke-kun and Naruto and Hinata-chan have left, she finds herself locked in his gaze, spread out on her favourite couch, and a wave of gratitude surges through her as he tinkers in the liquor cabinet, looking for the right bottle that will bring this occasion another step closer to the perfection that they are yearning to accomplish. He walks toward the couch with two glasses filled halfway with the champagne she has been saving for the perfect moment, and she thinks that perhaps, the exquisiteness of this moment is perfect. She scoots over, making space for him, and he places the glasses on the coffee table and immediately she is tucked into the nook of his arms.

She sighs dreamily. "Tonight was perfect."

He laughs throatily, placing little kisses on her forehead. "I could make it even better."

She doesn't miss the meaning behind his words, and pulls back slightly to look at him. His eyes are not the bottomless inky pools that are Sasuke-kun's, his nose isn't tall and aristocratic and his jaw isn't perfectly chiselled. His hair isn't dark and soft like Sasuke-kun's, and his smirk doesn't ooze sex appeal, but she wonders when she stopped noticing. The glow from the fairy lights dance on his face, and he runs his fingers gently down her arm.

Karin is twenty seven when she finally experiences the perfect Christmas. It is replete with mistletoes and silver stars, with candy canes and fairy lights, with perfectly wrapped presents and cookies for Santa, and with eyes that glow with love and a shared warmth.

…

A/N: There it is! I hope you guys like this one! To some of you who are reading Lost At Sea, you will notice that Karin isn't the nicest girl. But to those of you who have been reading my other stories which include Karin, you will notice that I have a soft spot for her even though she never ends up with Sasuke. I will forever be on the SasuSaku ship but it doesn't mean I don't acknowledge that Karin really loves Sakura. Please read and review! I read every single review and they mean so much to me. Hope everybody had a good Christmas and best wishes for the New Year!