[voice; backdate to 02/11]

[thethundersaid]

[private -- to Marvelous]

[His usual matter-of-fact tone:] There are two more people from my world here.

[And then, much more reluctantly:] They'll be in need of a ship.

[private -- to Itachi]

Brother, my ... genin teammates are here. Former teammates. [A long pause, then:] It's complicated. I'll explain it to you if you want.

Comments

perma-voice, perma-private, etc

[gokai_red]

Boy, don't you sound thrilled.

[thethundersaid]

They're skilled, and one of them is a medic-nin. [Not that that information makes him sound any more enthusiastic.]

Our relationship in our own world is -- [Uncharacteristic hesitation here, because he has no idea what to even call it by now.] -- complex. It should have no bearing here.

[Or so he'd like to tell himself.]

[gokai_red]

Well, that would have been useful... a couple weeks ago. [Huh. Little Link and the others in that situation were going to love that irony.]

...

[Man, you have to know he's not going to miss that hesitation.] Now, when you say complex...

[thethundersaid]

[Dryly:] Yes, it would. If they don't find the fairies they're looking for, we'll have a back-up plan.

[Answering that probably can't be avoided in the long run, especially given that Naruto in particular is hardly one for keeping his mouth shut. There is an audible sigh from Sasuke's end, though.]

I mean very complex. We were fighting on the same side before we came here, but that was ... a recent development.

[gokai_red]

At the very least. I mean, the fairies could still be useful, but...

[He trails off.]

Recent, eh? I know you said it won't be a problem, but I've gotta ask - required ninja question: Do I have to worry about them trying to kill you or anyone else here?

[thethundersaid]

[Required ninja question? Sasuke gives the journal an odd look, not that it will be seen, before responding as if his answer is fully reassuring:]

They won't try to kill me. [Well, Sakura has once before, but ...] Probably.

And they've been warned off Itachi.

[gokai_red]

Probably.

Oh, yeah. I'm totally not worried, now. [Of course, there was that time when Itachi first came on board and he basically threatened to shoot him in th head if he tried anything funny.] But. Eh. If you want 'em on here, I can't really argue much, I guess.

If they cause trouble, I'm not going to put up with it, though. We've been through enough crap lately.

[thethundersaid]

I can take them if it comes to that, but it's not likely.

Trust me, if they cause trouble, I'll be the first to throw them overboard. [Where they will probably just walk back up to the ship, but Naruto's optimism is already starting to grate on Sasuke enough that he's tempted to do it just for the satisfaction.]

[gokai_red]

Well, good on both accounts, at least.

[Pause.] Heh! Okay, then. I'll have to take your word on that, I guess.

[private]

[forthevillage]

I see.

Will they be joining our crew?

[Older brother habits kicking in. Friends will be good for Sasuke, he thinks hypocritically.]

You needn't explain any more than you want to.

[private]

[thethundersaid]

Probably. [He sounds irritated, though.] Better that they're on this crew than posing a problem on another one.

[He pauses, though, and finally adds with greater reluctance:] They know you're here, but ... they may not know everything about you. [Definitely not everything. Sasuke isn't sure if he knows everything himself.]

[private]

[forthevillage]

... I see. [Sasuke's not required to tell them anything, really, so that's fine. A small smile does tug at the edge of his lips.]

Do you find them so bothersome?

[private 4eva]

[thethundersaid]

Yes. [The answer is immediate and aggravated, then followed by a sigh.]

But they're strong, and Sakura can heal.

[forthevillage]

A medic-nin? That's good.

[So he does respect them some. Tsun harder, brother.]

Are you willing to have them as crewmates?

[thethundersaid]

We could use a medic. It can't be helped.

I'll just ... hope they've matured. [Sakura, at least, had grown enough to try to kill him, however ineffectively. Not that that's a recommendation he'll give to Itachi; that's a story that he'd much rather not tell over journals.]

[forthevillage]

If it's been some time, then I'm sure they have.

[He hides his amusement fairly well, but it's only growing as Sasuke goes on. He's very interested in meeting this team.]

[thethundersaid]

It's been a while, but they're uniquely ... [He can't find another word.] ... unique.

[There's moment, and then he just gives up and heaves another sigh. They've spent enough time on board that he's starting to forget when to keep everything contained, and his former team is a special kind of aggravation.]

They're way more persistent than anyone sane should be.

[forthevillage]

So they care for you.

[Troublesome for someone who would have wanted to cut ties.]

[thethundersaid]

[Itachi cuts to the core of it so quickly that Sasuke flounders on his end; there's an awkward pause before he speaks again.]

They don't know me anymore, brother. They were chasing a memory for a long time.

[For all that their teamwork on the battlefield had fallen easily, seamlessly into place -- they've been Konoha-nin all along, and Sasuke hasn't.]

[forthevillage]

I don't think it's as much of a memory as you want it to be.

A team like that, one that will stick with you for as long as they apparently have, is hard to fine.

[thethundersaid]

[No -- he's certain on this, as much as he's certain of the number of years that have passed since he's worn a Konoha forehead protector.]

I'm not the teammate they had. I've never wanted them to stick with me.

[forthevillage]

We don't always want what's good for us.

[His own team had given up on having his full attention soon after he was assigned with them.]

[thethundersaid]

What's good for us isn't always what needs to be done.

[He's not so blind to himself that he pretends he wasn't -- for a brief while, at least -- complacent in Konohagakure, dangerously willing to settle into new bonds.]

[forthevillage]

Sometimes. And sometimes we just make ourselves believe that.

[A sigh.]

If not for me, perhaps you would have enjoyed your time with them more.

[thethundersaid]

[There's a long silence, Sasuke not quite sure how to respond -- there's no doubt he'd still be in the village if Itachi had made a different decision all those years ago, but then -- who knows if he'd have even been on this team, were that the case?]

What's done is done, brother. [He pauses again, and then, tone shifting into something that sounds more aggravated:] Anyway, it would have been impossible not to find Naruto annoying, no matter what our circumstances were.

[forthevillage]

Is he that bad?

He must be the outgoing and energetic sort, one who clashes with your personality something fierce.

[Another smile where Sasuke can't see.] I will have to meet him and judge for myself.

[thethundersaid]

Yes. [It's immediate and emphatic.

But the idea of Itachi meeting Naruto -- it's a shocking juxtaposition, the disaster of the first time Itachi met Naruto in Sasuke's memories and the weird situation now. His tone shades serious again, almost hesitant.]

I don't know how much they know about the Uchiha. I'm telling them not to try to fight or harm you, but ... their information is probably incomplete.

If you don't want them on board for that reason, I'll tell them to find another ship.

[forthevillage]

No. It's for the best that they're here. Anyone you know how to work with at all can be a benefit to us, and their attachment to you secures their loyalty.

If the ships ever turn on each other for possession of the shards, we'll want that sort of firepower with us, not against us. And as you've said, we need a healer.

[thethundersaid]

[He almost says that he's not actually sure how well they can work together, but the reality is -- it's still weirdly easy to fight with Naruto, at least. Their styles match in terms of volume and power. Sakura is more the odd one out, a close-range physical fighter with precision violence rather than landscape-changing bursts of chakra.

But the notion of ships turning on each other is a good point. As is the one about a healer. He sighs, finally.]

Yes. They're better on board with us than elsewhere.

[forthevillage]

I'm not sure the captain will appreciate the influx of ninja, especially if more arrive and wish to follow suit, but I do think it's the best option for now.

[As much as Sasuke and Marvelous get along, he knows his brother ultimately doesn't care as much for the opinions of the crew anyway.]

[thethundersaid]

We have the room. As long as we don't fight, Marvelous probably won't care.

[If anything, the medical know-how is something they need badly. And in any case:] If they do cause trouble, I'll get rid of them myself.

[forthevillage]

Will you?

[The look he gives his brother next is hard to read.]

Let's hope it doesn't come to that, then.

[thethundersaid]

[Is that a dubious tone he detects? He can't put his finger on it and it rankles -- but without being able to explain what it is, he can't say anything about it. Sasuke settles for an acknowledging grunt.]

Let's hope.