[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

[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.