001

[uncagedforjustamoment]

[The camera flicks on to reveal a young man with eyes so pale lavender and missing pupils that it might appear as if his eyes are white and unmarked at first glance. There's a small frown on his lips, and his eyes squint in a curious determination.

Through observation and intuition, he's puzzled out the purpose and general function of the device well enough to activate it, but unfortunately it has...so far...not provided illumination over where he's woken or how. Waking up after death is no surprise--it's happened more than once before, though the last time it happened to him he hadn't been as certain of his own death when he lost consciousness as this time.

Waking here, however...is less...understandable.]

Explain to me where this place is and why I've been taken. Have I missed the end of the war? [That seems the most reasonable conclusion: otherwise he would have been brought back out to the battlefield, wouldn't he?]

Comments

[VIDEO | locked]

[usedswift]

But Neji...

[She shakes her head, fist clenching against the steel again as if that might bring back some shred of normalcy. She's supposed to be ecstatic that Neji was here, but he had to come here like this...?

She trusts Neji more than anything -- almost anything -- but this is something she doesn't want to let go of so easily. She'd hoped he'd understand.]

Naruto-kun accepts him. Why can't you? Why won't you let me? You'll meet him, you'll see. Things will change, Neji.

[She feels like a broken record now, lips pressed together in a thin line. She hasn't seen the kinds of wounds that could be inflicted; Neji was always untouchable, and with Neji's confirmation that Lee had recovered, she couldn't believe that some flunky of Orochimaru's had managed to almost get them both. It's beyond her comprehension without seeing it herself. Instead she adds, quietly,]

You say he didn't listen, but you didn't know that at the time. You still went after him, didn't you? Where was I? If you tell me right now, that I went with you and he didn't listen to me, I'll stop arguing about this.

[And she waits, almost holding her breath with a kind of sick worry. What if it had already happened, and no matter what she said, she couldn't convince Sasuke to stay? She already knew he had no plans of joining Orochimaru, but... she also knew his hints of leaving the village anyway. Peacefully, but...]

Tell me there was nothing I could do to make him stay, Neji.

[VIDEO | locked]

[uncagedforjustamoment]

[--Does she want to have been harmed...?

No. That isn't it. It's that she speaks of the Uchiha in the same way that Naruto and Sakura do, with the blind faith in what he now realizes to be impossible and self-destructive. For them it is understandable enough, especially of Naruto, who so prizes his friendship with the rogue ninja. But Tenten...he expects more from.

To know that she will choose the interests of Sasuke over her own team...perhaps it is the team's own fault, the dysfunction caused by his own inability to forge bonds at that age due to his hatred and bitterness. It is not completely unreasonable to believe she holds no close bonds to Team Gai (not yet even dubbed as such) at her age yet, but still...it is a disappointment.

His expression darkens a shade in that disappointment, although whether she will correctly recognize it as disappointment rather than annoyance this time he can't be certain.

This argument is becoming circular, and he will have no more part of it. He scoffs lightly and shakes his head.]

I have nothing to say to Sasuke Uchiha and I'm finished with speaking through this box: if you wish to speak to me, do it in person. [Because he can do with a few days of radio silence and traveling to sort through everything from death to not-death to a teammate too young and naive to be his teammate anymore, anyway.]

[VIDEO | locked]

[usedswift]

Neji--

[She falls back, trying to read as much of his expression as she can on the tiny screen. Maybe it would be better to talk in person, but for now? She feels like he's dismissing her. Maybe it's just because she's so used to Neji wanting her around for nothing but training, testing his Kaiten against her weapons. To being dismissed by his holier-than-thou attitude. Because he's the genius and no matter how hard she and Lee would try, they would never measure up.

Her team will always be her team, but she's spent the last six months learning how to function without them. On her own, or with the help of yes, that Uchiha. She swallows hard and forces her expression to harden, though there's no hiding the hurt that he won't believe her about Sasuke.]

Fine. I'll meet you in Cherrygrove on the 25th.

For what it's worth, I'm glad you're here.

[And she slams the 'gear closed to end the transmission.]