As said, this is a spin-off, only with different characters and personalities.

I thank those who have read and reviewed.

Disclaimers apply, of course.

Dozo.


Voices of a Distant Star

CHAPTER 2

It was spring of the year 2047. The sky was a clear blue with just the smallest puffs of clouds drifting lazily across the sky. A school, prim and neat in the bright sunlight, sat atop a hill. Its school nameplate glinted like a medal – Anbu Senior High School.

"Naruto has joined the Kendo Club again?" disbelief laced the voice. "Is he crazy? Everyone knows how tough the training is in Anbu!"

Another voice quipped up uncertainly against the first. "I dunno…he did show plenty of kendo spirit in Junior High…"

-line-

The hard crack of wood against wood shot through the air. A lithe figure in a fully armoured Kendo suit stepped forward to bring the bamboo stick mercilessly on its opponent. The smaller body parried back in fierce determination and stilled as the larger figure paused to catch a breath. The match was soon over when the smaller person moved fast to slap the stick close to the other's neck.

The hard headgear was pulled off to reveal striking blonde hair under the swathe of cloth (1). A tanned hand lifted to wipe the sweat off the equally tanned brow.

"See ya 'round," a taller teen remarked casually as he walked out the smallish Sports Hall with his friends. The blonde snapped around to reply awkwardly to his senior.

"Uh, thanks for your guidance."

As the last of the group disappeared past the door, a dark head turned. "Oh yeah, clean up the locker room, first years. Not a single layer of dust, you hear?"

Once again, the blonde replied. "Ye- Yes…"

The blonde soon moved to do as his seniors said dutifully. The other first years weren't that enthusiastic about the whole thing, though. A few of them lounged around, changing at their own pace and mumbling grumpily.

"Bunch of slave drivers…I'm gonna get a soda."

It's been six months since Sasuke left Earth.

"Hey, soccer's on," another called and sat himself comfortably before the small television. A few more first years moved to watch as well. Their voices echoed loudly in the small locker room. "C'mon! Shoot!"

At the time, the Tharsian Expedition had just begun, and everyone was talking about it…

The blonde boy slowed in his cleaning and finally paused. His blue eyes glazed over to stare off absently.

But like the candle's flame, the buzz has all but snuffed out.

Still in the absent gaze, he reached for the small electronic peeping out the white pocket of his school shirt.

I'm in Senior High now, but my days go by as quietly as they did in Junior High.

The tanned hand held it quietly, seeming unsure.

Perhaps that's the reason.

The phone beeped as the tanned fingers moved methodically, typing.

Maybe that's why the messages I get a couple of times a week from Sasuke seem so out of place.

The fingers paused again.

He says he has completed the training on Mars, and has been formally chosen as a crew member of the Lysithea…

The blonde turned from the small screen to the window. His eyes caught sight of the moon, a small line of pale light in the shape of a sickle. He fell silent.

Now, he pulled on his school uniform, the phone forgotten.

I don't know when it started…

The locker room was empty; the only sounds the faint rustling of clothes from the blonde teen.

But now, I avoid asking him when he can return…

A sharp noise of a small metal hitting the floor broke the boy's reverie. He turned in puzzlement to the source and took notice of an earring by his left foot. His eyes widened slightly as he picked up the broken accessory. Blonde hair fell across blue eyes and silence once again overruled the place.

The earring rested absently in the teen's grasp.

-lineflashbackline-

"Damn, it's broken…" a dark-haired boy swore quietly under his breath as he cradled a black earring in his hands. A simple insignia of a red and white upside-down fan decorated it.(2) His mouth bordered on wanting to settle on a pout. A blonde boy laughed cheerfully at him.

"You took that blow full on your head, Sasuke. Be thankful that nothing else is broken!"

Dark eyes looked up ruefully at the blonde. "Yeah…but that was my lucky earring…"

The blonde was tempted to roll his eyes at the silly notion of his friend. Only little children believed in such things! But the temptation was forgotten when he saw how upset the raven was becoming. He had never seen the boy looking so upset – not Uchiha Sasuke!

"Well, I think I can fix that," he decided to say and reached out to scoop the broken thing from the pale hands. He attempted a wide, reassuring grin at the doubtful look Sasuke was giving him. "Hey, hey! Have faith in me! It's gonna be a piece of cake!"

And the small, quiet smile Naruto received in return seemed so worth it.

-line-

It was late, and getting later. Still, the blonde struggled to piece the two halves of the earring – with adhesive glue, nonetheless. Either way, it wasn't working. He finally stretched out with a groan.

"I give up!" he exclaimed in full weariness and slumped lower in his chair at the failure. "Me and my big mouth. Lousy earring."

Troubled, he stared at the small metal. He couldn't give up so soon! Somehow, he couldn't stand seeing the raven looking so upset. And with that in mind, he switched off his desk lamp.

-line-

The next day, straight after school, Naruto was rounding the shops. In one hand he held the broken earring.

"Where the hell did he get this bloody—"

Naruto froze at the giggling group of girls beside him. He knew they were talking about him. After all, what boy would enter a girls' accessory shop willingly? He wondered again how Sasuke could have bought the earring. He was a boy as well, wasn't he? Then again, the raven was kind of eccentric. A relieved smile came upon his face as he finally took sight of a familiar piece of black.

Found it!

-line-

It was almost dark when Naruto found Sasuke, still in his Kendo outfit and watching the sunset quietly from the Kendo practice room. Amidst blushes and mumbles of 'it was nothing's, Naruto passed the black earring to the raven.

Once again, that small, sweet smile that was meant especially for him was restored.

It was worth it.

-lineflashbackline-

The blonde sat quietly in the locker room, his blue eyes hazy with the past.

"Come to think of it, I didn't tell him the truth."

His subdued voice barely broke the heavy silence.

-lineflashbackline-

"Hey, you got that mended!"

The raven boy spun around in surprise at the sudden comment. He nodded curtly to the asking teammate and lowered the bamboo stick he was using for Kendo practice. "Naruto did it."

The girl smiled and leaned in to look closer. "Great job. It looks brand new…"

Despite leaning back in return to escape the closing distance between him and the girl, he froze at the thought. It looks brand new…

-lineflashbackline-

Dark eyes gazed thoughtfully at a black earring. The small insignia of an upside-down red and white fan stood out in contrast to its dark back. Pale fingers pulled it back into a warm embrace. The dark eyes grew soft with an unforgotten memory. The faint rustle of white sheets barely disturbed the calm hum of the ship.

The soft glow of the planets' light from outside the ship's windows made the room look surreal.

-line-

Even floating in space, the ships were buzzing with news.

"I hear he's a special case. Name's Uchiha, right? He's been assigned to the Lysithea…"

"Yeah, I've seen him. Kid did pretty well on Mars."

A snort of disbelief. "But he's a newbie, and still a baby, to boot. Has he really got what it takes?"

Amused laughter. "Your guess is as good as mine…"

Sasuke sat by the wide windows, the drone of the crew around him simply like the buzz it was called. Still, his pale fingers clutched tighter around the small phone. He looked up as a young woman in uniform bowed slightly to him. A small frown graced his features as he followed her.

Here we go…

"Including those on the Lysithea, there are a total of seventy-two tracers on the entire fleet," the woman told him matter-of-factly, "You've been assigned to the eighth squad. It's the smallest team, with just six tracers in it."

Sasuke listened intently, trying to process all the information being piled into him. The woman continued talking again after the confused crease between the boy's brows went away. "Now, don't be fooled by its size. Your team packs quite a punch. It's made of a group of oddballs, but it's the one of the best in Lysithea."

They reached a gray door and the woman pressed a few numbers into the computer lock next to the door. "Your squad leader, Commander Hatake, will fill you in with more details."

The young woman stepped in with practiced ease as the door slid open. Sasuke stared after her and gaped slightly at the yawning hangar. The hangars at the training center were the size of bathrooms compared to it. In awe, Sasuke stepped in. He stared at the many wires that hung from the mecha and wondered idly what they were for.

"Commander Hatake, you there?" the woman's shout pulled Sasuke out is thoughts. "Your new kid's here to report for duty!"

Sasuke spun around as another voice called. "Over here!"

He stared yet again at the gray-haired man sitting atop a mecha, the small circuit boards for the robot open before him. "Gimme a sec, 'kay? I'll be right there…"

The gray hair fell softly over one eye, strangely enhancing his handsome face. The man smiled kindly, tilting his head to look at Sasuke and absently showing the eye patch he wore over the supposed hidden eye.

"Hello, I'm Hatake Kakashi."

-line-

"Is that all you brought?" the Commander remarked in amusement as he watched the raven boy, "You are aware that you're not on some weekend holiday trip, right?"

Sasuke bent his head lower to hide the small smile on his face. "Yes…I didn't think I would pass the tests…"

The man smiled in that kind way again. He leaned casually against the mirrored wall. "I observed your performance on Mars. People who can do so well, and in such a short time, are few and far between. You raised everyone's eyebrows back there."

Sasuke only answered that in silence.

"What are your thoughts on this expedition, Sasuke? Tell me," Kakashi suddenly asked. Sasuke looked up in surprise at the informal way the Commander called him.

"Hn?"

"There's nothing wrong in having a sense of adventure and all, but have you ever wondered…" – the gray-haired man looked almost rueful – "If we manage to protect the human race at the end of it, great. However, we could end up as cannon fodder at any time…"

Sasuke listened quietly as the man went on; "I just wish the top brass had given you kids a choice on whether to become mecha pilots…"

The sudden melodic cry of the phone interrupted them. Sasuke was decent enough to look sheepish as he fumbled for the small device. "Excuse me…"

Kakashi raised the only visible eyebrow in interest. He bent lower over the phone. "Hmm…? A girlfriend?"

Sasuke smirked at the thought of a certain blonde as his girlfriend. "No…a friend." – he smiled a little – "A very special friend."

A comfortable silence stretched out between the two as the raven read the message. After a while, he asked, "Commander Hatake, why did you come aboard the Lysithea?"

Kakashi smiled at the question. "Me? Well, I just thought it didn't make any difference where I was."

Sasuke tilted his head in question. No difference…?

"Wherever I am, I'm constantly grappling with my inner demons. The Lysithea may lead us to glory, or death…but for better or for worse, it widens my horizons. On a brighter note, I have the authority to reject any mission I've been given, as I deem fit," the man smiled still at Sasuke's lack of words. "To be honest, it's not as if we have all the time or human resources in the world…and this is not a school excursion so we should not act too hastily."

"If I may…I'd like to perform a functional check on the mecha," Sasuke mumbled after a few moments of silence. He still had yet to absorb all that Kakashi had told him and it would take a while. For now, he knew not to be too comfortable with the whole situation. Anytime now, any day…

-line-

So, teme, how goes it?

Sasuke looked at the mecha his Commander showed him to. It was big. But not so overly bigger than those used during training. He supposed he could get used to it…

You're a crew of the Lysithea now, huh? Congrats, I guess.

Kakashi watched silently from behind his mechanic controls as the raven climbed the large mecha.

Oh, I have something to tell you. About time, I suppose…

Remember the time I helped fix your earring?

Without another word, Sasuke slipped into the mecha's cockpit.

The truth is, I couldn't get it done, so I got a new one that looked exactly like it.

The man's voice crackled over the speakers. "This metal baby's the same design as the ones you used during training. The controls should be familiar to you."

I'm sorry I lied…

Sasuke's reply was instantaneous. "Yes, sir."

The ordinary world I had lived in had seemed immense enough for me.

Pale fingers ran over the controls to set it to his personal liking. Only the calm hum of the mecha's engine and the beeping of the buttons broke the quiet. It all paused suddenly.

Is the existence of Tharsians a good or bad thing for mankind?

Dark eyes stared forward glassily. Nothing stirred.

The answer eludes me.

The boy finally shifted to pull something out his school pant's pocket. It was small and black with the smallest of a red and white as an insignia.

But I do know one thing…

-lineflashbackline-

Water splashed freely into the sink, the metal letting out a loud basal groan.

"Sasuke!"

The said raven boy turned to look at the wet Naruto.

"Get me a towel! Quickly!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes as he dug into the blonde's bag for the towel. He could vaguely make out the impatient 'Gimme's Naruto was chanting as he stepped from one foot to the other. He found it despite the mess and passed the cloth to his friend. "Here…"

The small 'ting' didn't escape his hearing. He turned back, thinking that he had dropped something from Naruto's bag. His eyes widened at the familiar sight of a broken earring.

I…

Sasuke lifted a hand absently to his ear, where another, fixed earring was.

I do not wish…

He spun around to look at Naruto. Had he—Did he—

the world I know and love to be destroyed.

-lineflashbackline-

In the past, no matter what happened elsewhere…

Now, Sasuke clutched the earring tight.

It felt surreal, like something from a TV show.

His hands slowly relaxed to allow the accessory, which perhaps might not have held that much of a meaning, to be cradled gently instead.

If the incident didn't involve me, I would think nothing of it.

The dark eyes were closed. A small furrow of something gentle, yet sad, touched Sasuke's brow.

Maybe that thinking is wrong…

"Everything functional, Sasuke?" Kakashi's voice woke him out his small daze. Sasuke looked at the earring in his hand silently and put it on. It was only then did he sit straighter in his seat.

"Commander Hatake…"

If what I'm doing…

"Can I take this out for a test flight?"

is the only way I can contribute…

-line-

The locker room again – why couldn't he ever be someplace else?

Naruto sighed and continued to mop the floor. He started at the sudden melody of his hand phone. His tanned fingers reached for it and read the message. His eyes widened.

I knew about the pin.

The phone now held in lax fingers, Naruto's blue eyes looked up to the clear sky. A small smile lit his face.

-line-

Thanks…

to be continued…

(1) under the Kendo headgear, there's the white cloth that they use as a sort of higher protection(?) during spars.

(2) the Uchiha insignia dearies.


yea…this chapter took me a while…the feelings on their faces were hard to type out… Guh, roar!

Comments please…?