In the cold of space you find the heat of suns

Spacer crews travel the Far Borders and the Fringe of occupied space, trading. Spacing is an ancient and honourable profession carved out by millenniums. Most spacers start out as fourteen-year-old boys seeking a future. Few survive a decade spacing.

18. Rin

“She’s going to live with us in the crew room?” Naruto queried.

“Rin-san is going to be crew,” Iruka said patiently. “Where did you expect her to live?”

“But she’s a woman.”

“The only relevant difference between men and women is that women get pregnant and have babies. Rin will not get pregnant.

“Rin, however, is Rin,” Jiraiya observed. “So we can expect trouble.”

“Have you crewed with Rin-san before, Iruka-sensei?” Sasuke asked.

Iruka shook his head. “No, she crewed with Kakashi and Jiraiya many standards ago. Perhaps she has changed since then. Perhaps she will have mellowed as she had become older.

“Some hope,” Jiraiya murmured. “It will be like having Genma back only ten times worse. She’ll flirt constantly with Kakashi and squeal.”

“Squeal like she did when we met her?” asked Ibiki, horrified.

“Yes, Ibiki-san,” Jiraiya confirmed, “exactly like that.”

It was bad. Rin did, indeed, flirt outrageously with Kakashi. She also challenged Iruka’s authority at every possible opportunity. The rows were horrendous, particularly for Naruto who seemed to lack the others’ ability to tune them out. The one, small, relief was that she rarely squealed.

Naruto’s new way of coping was to walk out of the crew room. The second time Sasuke followed him to the gym and watched him train until he dropped. The third time was in the middle of their evening meal. Iruka snapped and Rin followed up, triumphant that she had managed to ruin the most sacrosanct of Iruka’s daily rituals. Naruto stopped eating, stood and walked out, ignoring Iruka’s calls for him to return. Rin made some comment about Iruka’s lack of authority and Iruka retaliated.

Sasuke found himself on his feet, his fist impacting the table so hard that the dishes jumped. “This stops,” he ordered. “It stops now. Rin, goading Iruka is not a sport. If you continue I will assign you to the Uchiha research facility. Iruka, winning an argument is not so important that it is worth upsetting Naruto. Kakashi, you may find watching the two of them fight over you amusing, but the rest of us are sick of it. Sort it out.” He watched Rin’s lips part to deliver a clever retort. “Don’t push, me, Rin,” he warned.

She stayed silent. Noone said anything. Sasuke stalked away, intent on finding Naruto. Then Iruka almost ran from the galley, followed more slowly by Kakashi.

“That was interesting,” observed Shikamaru into the silence.

“He means it,” Jiraiya added gleefully. “Make Naruto miserable and you’ll be gone.”

Rin grimaced, “Does he play the Uchiha-sama card often?”

Ibiki scowled at her. “No.”

Shikamaru appeared to be looking at some point on the ceiling. “Is Sasuke right? Are you deluded enough to think Kakashi would give up Iruka for a kyapi-kyapi gyaru like you?”

“Shikamaru!” Ibiki scolded while Jiraiya chuckled. “Please excuse Shikamaru, Rin-san,” continued Ibiki. “His loyalty has overtaken his manners.”

“Don’t speak for me, Ibiki,” Shikamaru complained, “I am not cat.” He spared a brief look for Rin. “I apologise for voicing my thoughts.”

Rin shrugged. “I deserved to be insulted, if not the insult. No, I do not expect Kakashi to choose me over Iruka. Kakashi has never chosen me. It is good that he has Iruka. It is good to see him close to happy.”

“So you will stop,” Shikamaru checked.

“I will stop,” Rin agreed. “I can find other amusements and I think Sasuke-san does not make hollow threats.”

Naruto was not sure what had happened but he was grateful it had. Once Rin stopped being mean to Iruka it was easier for Naruto not to dislike her, which was good because he had to spend time with her. She and Shikamaru were modifying the new diagnostic and treatment machines to accept him. That involved much lying down while they collected data. He would listen to them arguing. Occasionally Shikamaru would check on him but Rin never did. Sometimes Naruto thought it was because Shikamaru was his friend while Rin was not. Other times he wondered if she saw him as human.

At least watching them gave him something to do while he was laying there. At first they just argued. Shikamaru had dismissed Rin as someone who over-rated her own intelligence. Rin moved from thinking Shikamaru was arrogant to resenting his condescension. Then came the morning that Rin won an argument because she out-thought Shikamaru. That was the moment his attitude towards her changed. Naruto could smell it.

He wanted her, but he did not want her to know it. He achieved this for a surprising number of days.

Then Rin worked it out.

Shikamaru sat with his forehead against the galley table. He twitched at the sound of someone walking through the crew room towards the galley.

“It’s only Jiraiya,” Naruto reassured him. “Rin’s running the maintenance on the old dia-doc and its tank. Sasuke says it will take her at least another 100 minutes. He’s promised to keep her there.”

“This looks interesting,” Jiraiya observed, taking one of the unoccupied seats.

“We are sympathising with Shikamaru,” Ibiki informed him. “About Rin.”

“Aarh,” said Jiraiya, sagely.

“He wants to fuck her,” Naruto explained, his tone confirming that he believed Shikamaru was insane.

“But she does not reciprocate his feelings,” added Ibiki.

Jiraiya considered. “Even if she does, she is not going to pass up such a wonderful opportunity to persecute someone who called her a bimbo.”

Naruto’s eyes widened.

“She flirts,” moaned Shikamaru

“Flirt back?” Naruto suggested.

Ibiki snorted and Jiraiya rolled his eyes.

“She calls me Shika-kun. She treats me as if I were barely old enough to cat.” Shikamaru groaned, “I need a cat so bad.”

The other three males nodded. Everyone in the crew room was aware of Shikamaru’s nightly attempts to assuage his desire. The only long-term effect it had was to increase Rin’s arsenal.

“Ask Iruka and Kakashi to help you out,” Jiraiya suggested, “they are fond enough of you to do it.”

Shikamaru’s head came off the table and he stared at Jiraiya. “Ask them to…”

“Why not? You went with them when you were cat.”

“You did?” asked Naruto.

“I didn’t have your experience,” Shikamaru admitted, “someone had to teach me.” He considered. “It’s a thought.”

“Only if you are certain you never, never, never want to fuck Rin,” Ibiki told him.

Shikamaru slowly turned to Jiraiya. “You are an evil, manipulative old pervert,” he complained.

Jiraiya shrugged, “I try.”

“I could ask Sasuke,” Naruto suggested slowly.

All three turned to him. “No, Naruto,” said Shikamaru. “That would not work on so many levels that it isn’t even worth discussing.”

“Frigid cat, monogamous fox, irrational possessiveness, fucking the boss, running the risk of getting your cock torn off and pushed down your throat,” listed Jiraiya.

“I would offer,” said Ibiki, “but…”

Shikamaru held up his hand. “I agree, Ibiki-san.”

Jiraiya suddenly smiled. “I have an idea. I shall begin pursuing Rin. This should at least give you some space, Shika-kun, and may have other unexpected effects.”

Shikamaru flinched to hear that particular version of his name. “Thank you, Jiraiya-san. At least I think so.”

It worked. Rin was completed unnerved by Jiraiya's sudden attention. Rin spent much time in the infirmary and only came to the crew room to sleep and eat. One evening, when a particularly graphic compliment had driven Rin away from the crew room, Kakashi turned to Jiraiya.

"This has to stop, old man," he said. "It is too cruel."

Jiraiya dismissed him. "You are making too much of it. It is a game, a mere fancy."

"On your side perhaps, but not on hers."

Iruka frowned. "You should let up, Jiraiya-san. We do not want to drive Rin-san away."

Shikamaru waited until the conversation was over and quietly left. Rin was in the infirmary, sitting at her console, staring at nothing. Shikamaru knocked on the bulkhead and she startled.

“Oh, it is you, Shikamaru-san.”

“I am here to apologise, Rin-san.”

She looked at him and then nodded for him to proceed.

“I apologise for calling you a kyapi-kyapi gyaru. If I had not done that, you would have had no reason to tease me and Jiraiya-san would not be pretending to be interested in you. He said he would do it to distract you.”

Rin’s intelligent brown eyes studied him. “And I apologise for being mean to Iruka. I understand why you boys are so fond of him and it is natural that you should defend him. As for Jiraiya, I think you presented him with an opportunity rather than a reason. Jiraiya has reasons for the things he does but they are rarely so straightforward.”

Shikamaru considered leaving it at that but decided to finish implementing his plan. “I wish to state that I find you very attractive, Rin-san, and that I would be honoured if you ever decided to investigate physical intimacy with me.”

Rin smiled at him. “That is a sweet offer, Shikamaru-san. I shall keep it in mind.”

Naruto had not minded so much when Rin had been hiding in the infirmary. It was better than Shi-chan being wrecked or Iruka-sensei being upset. Even so, he was pleased that everyone had now settled comfortably into the crew room. They were heading for a planet called Dar to find one of the people the Captain had put on the list. Rin finally had the infirmary equipped and running as she wanted, including recalibrating the dia-docs so that they would work for him. She was seeing each crew member in turn; this morning it was he.

“You appear healthy, Naruto,” Rin concluded after she had described the tests she had run. She took a deep breath; Naruto could tell she was nervous about his reaction to what she was about to say. “Sasuke has told me to offer nanobots and age-retard to everyone. However, I cannot offer them to you because they are designed for humans who do not have any animal genes. Shikamaru has run simulations and we believe the risks are too great. They are as likely to do you damage as help you.” She paused and then sighed. “Naruto, do you understand what I am saying?”

“No nanobots or age-retard because of the fox genes.” Naruto confirmed.

“Does it bother you, Naruto?” she asked.

Naruto considered. “No,” he replied.

Rin shook her head. She brushed his controller with the very tip of one finger. “Does anything bother you?”

Naruto did not pull away; he had to resist the urge to bite her finger. “Many things bother me. Iruka or Shikamaru being upset bothered me,” he warned.