In the cold of space you find the heat of suns

Apologies if the characters have grown differently in their new environment

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.

27. Rendezvous

On the sixth day the Captain requested an Uchiha-style meeting in the crew room. She informed them that a berth could be secured at one of the other spaceports. It would cost a fortune in bribes but it was possible. They even had unofficial permission to drop disguised. They settled on the name ‘Performance Tracker’, which would mean nothing to anyone outside the crew, and set the ship’s colours to blue and orange to underline the message. They then discussed the ways that Sasuke or Haku could contact them to reduce the risk of a missed message.


Neji had left for work, leaving Sasuke and Haku to review the information that Haku had collected the day before. Top priority was the schedule for drops and lifts. Sasuke scanned the list while Haku finished tidying the kitchen. There was the familiar feeling of disappointment, followed by unexpected elation. “They’re dropping at Soutash,” he announced, “tomorrow.”

Haku abandoned the dishes and came over. “I couldn’t have missed that,” he complained.

Sasuke needed to hug someone, so he hugged Haku. “They are using an alternative identity for the ship. We need a plan,” he declared.

Haku did not know which was weirder, being hugged by Hinata or being hugged by Sasuke.

By the time Neji arrived they had a fully-fledged plan. He listened carefully and suggested a few modifications. The essence of the plan was to use short-route, public transport to make their way to Soutash. It would take five times as long as a direct flight but it did not involve being trapped with the same group of people for long lengths of time. Their cover would be that they were visiting Hinata and Urdo’s family so that Neji could be introduced to their mother. Before they left Neji would send a message to the Performance Tracker from the library. The message would say that Neji was an ex-spacer who was looking to place his fiancée’s brother as cat.

As they left before dawn next morning Neji felt Haku’s hand on his arm, delivering a sympathetic squeeze. Neji gave the slightest of nods, locked the door and picked up his and Hinata’s bag.


Shino had been getting up early each morning to check whether any messages came in overnight. He exploded into the crew room with the news. Undressed, half dressed and dressed, they crowded around the table in the galley to discuss the short message’s meaning.

“There’s only ever one place outside any spaceport where crews go to look over cats,” Iruka pointed out. “It’s a good idea. We turn up at the suggested time and they are there.”

“If they get there unrecognised,” Jiraiya responded.

“And if we do not alert the media,” Kakashi added. “We’ll need not to look like us.” He looked at Naruto. “Sorry, Naru-kun, but you cannot leave the ship. We cannot disguise what you are. We should also only take males. Apologies, Rin-san.”

Iruka stood in the middle of the closet. He had never missed Haku so much; the boy would have been in his element. Even Sasuke would have been useful; at least he knew his way around the closet. In the end he asked Naruto to help, more because Naruto would appreciate being involved than Iruka anticipated him being particularly suited for the task.

“We need to dress everyone who is leaving the ship so they look differently to normal,” Iruka explained. “That’s Kakashi, Ibiki, Jiraiya, Shino, Shikamaru and me.”

Naruto’s expression was particularly thoughtful. “Lots of crews have a shared style,” he said. “If we went for a crew style it would make it easier and more convincing.”

Iruka was pleasantly surprised. It was a good idea and it would cut down the number of decisions they had to make. He was about to make some suggestions, but Naruto was continuing.

“A bit outrageous would be good. It will distract from people focusing on faces and heights. What about a bit slutty? You know, make-up and a bit too much flesh showing? The kind of thing that’s shouts, ‘We can risk dressing like this because we are lethal’.”

If it had been Kakashi, Iruka would suspect that he was being teased, but this was Naruto.

“I mean, four of you could carry that off easy. We can make Ibiki look like a protector and we could dress Jiraiya like one of those queens who hasn’t come to terms with the fact that he’s old.”

That was too good an opportunity to miss, even for Iruka.

“Kakashi will be a problem,” Naruto continued, “because the media showed him a lot and because of the implant.”

“He has a skin he can wear over it. It makes it look like his other eye,” Iruka told him. “We’ll have to dye his hair.”

“And Shino will have to go out stripped down, which he won’t like. We’ll have to get Shikamaru to work on him.”

Fifteen minutes later they had found everything in the closet made of mesh, net or leather. There was a surprising amount of it. Naruto had found a box of studded leather accessories and Iruka a drawer full of chains. They looked at each other and smiled.


Neji had told himself that it would end when they left the apartment but every moment of their journey to Soutash was inscribed into his memory. Travelling was a risk and it was essential that Hinata-san did not falter for even a moment. No one could be given the slightest opportunity to spot Sasuke.

She had a small notebook in which she had written the details of every step of the journey. On the right hand pages were individual stages of the planned, first-choice route. On each facing page there were alternatives and notes. Even the handwriting was feminine, with the beautifully formed characters made rounder and more regular. At regular intervals, Hinata would fish the notebook out of the small bag she was carrying and study it, frowning slightly. Neji was not sure if he found it endearing or erotic or both.

He walked on her right, carried her bag, opened all doors and sat between her and any stranger. They said very little. Haku did most of the talking. At one point, mid afternoon, she fell asleep on his shoulder. He watched her, knowing that she often dreamed and ready to wake her. He said her name when she awoke, in case she forgot where and who she was.


Naruto was satisfied with his work. Both Rin-san and the Captain were suitably impressed. The six of them looked very much like a crew going out to seek a new cat. Shikamaru, who never bothered to make an effort beyond being clean and clothed, was utterly transformed. His lanky body was made for skin-tight leather and, strangely, the mesh was far more revealing on him than on anyone else. Loosed, his hair flowed down his back and framed his face. Shikamaru himself seemed unbothered with the attention he was receiving. He glided across the room, took a seat at the mirror and began painting his eyes. Shino sauntered over and proffered a lipstick, Shikamaru pointedly ignored it, choosing instead purple to match his eyes and his nails.


They had been travelling almost eight hundred minutes when they reached Soutash. They were later than they had hoped and they had to make their way directly to the plaza where the spacers went to view potential cats. Hinata paused for a moment, then picked out a table close but not too close to another occupied by a family. She waited for Neji to present her chair before she sat.

Haku went to buy them food and drink from one of the stalls. The two of them sat in companionable silence for some time before Hinata broke it.

“I would like to thank you, Neji-san. You have made it so much easier for me. I do not think I would have managed without you.” She leaned close and kissed his cheek.

Neji savoured the moment and stored the memory. “It has been an honour and a privilege, Hinata-san,” he replied.

Haku returned with the refreshments and settled down to watch for the crew, easily falling into the character of a lad looking to cat. Suddenly he stiffened. “You know we discussed how there were cameras everywhere and that they would need to be careful,” he said. “Well, I think they came up with a similar solution to ours. Don’t worry, Neji, we don’t usually dress like that.”

Neji looked. There was no missing them, not because they looked like the crew that had been shown endlessly on the broadcasts but because they exuded confidence and power. They were dressed in leather and mesh, with their faces painted and their knives blatantly displayed. Neji’s eyes were riveted by a young spacer with long hair and purple lipstick, clad in skin-tight leather pants with mesh stretched across his torso. The way he moved connected directly to a primeval part of Neji’s brain. Watching him was certainly a distraction from losing Hinata.

He sought their names among the information he had gleaned from Haku during their late evening conversations, after Hinata had retired and Sasuke was not present to curb his tongue. The biggest must be Ibiki and the oldest Jiraiya. Of the two youngest, the one with the network of control wires on his left hand must be Shino, which meant that the one whose every movement demanded Neji’s attention was Shikamaru: he who played Go better than Sasuke. The others had to be Kakashi, who was leader if not captain, and Iruka, the queen, of whom Haku had spoken with uncharacteristic respect.

Sasuke experienced a moment of bizarre disorientation before he could accept that his crew, particularly Shikamaru, could look like that. Then disappointment: Naruto was not with them. Of course he was not with them, to disguise Naruto you would need to pluck his whiskers and file his teeth. Neither had they brought the Captain or Rin; crews with women were rare.

Jiraiya recognised him first. Sasuke watched the blood drain from his face; it would appear that he did indeed look like his mother. The others only recognised Haku and Sasuke had the pleasure of watching each face travel through from worry, through confusion to recognition. Shikamaru took one of the seats opposite him.

“Wow,” he said quietly.

“Wow yourself,” Sasuke replied. “Haku’s idea,” he added.

“Naruto’s,” Shikamaru replied.

Sasuke gestured to his right. “This is Neji. He is coming with us.”

There was a short, stunned silence that Kakashi broke, “Is he?”

Neji flinched inside. Sasuke had handled the introduction badly. Having trained as a Hyuga, even if he was no longer one, Neji could see where the individuals’ behaviours were taking the group. Kakashi was on the edge of refusing to take him onto the ship. Sasuke and Haku would insist on arguring. There was a risk that would attract too much attention and the media would be alerted. Neji had to choose his target, the person with the most influence who was also most likely to respond. In this situation that was Iruka.

“I apologise for the inconvenience, Iruka-san,” he said politely. “I understand that this is a difficult situation. I have been honoured to assist Sasuke-san and Haku-kun in their quest to get home. I do not expect anything in return.”

“We can’t leave Neji behind,” Haku interrupted, scowling. “Say something, Sasuke,” he demanded.

Kakashi leaned towards him. “Haku, keep your voice down.”

“Neji-san, you are invited to accompany us onto the ship as crew guest,” Iruka said suddenly. “Kakashi-san, I am sure that our plan can be modified to accommodate Neji-san.”

Kakashi gaped slightly, then recovered. “But…” he began.

Iruka frowned at him. “I believe that, in the Captain’s absence, I have the final say.”

Sasuke blinked. He could not remember Iruka ever playing the queen card with Kakashi. Sasuke dropped his head, sheltered under his hair and glanced slideways at Neji. Despite the Hyuga’s few words, he could not shake the impression that a potentially explosive situation had been expertly defused.


Author's note 24/01/2010

I've decided to write my notes at the end rather than the beginning because I find that less distracting as a reader. As some you you who have been reading since the beginning know, this fic has been updated regularly. That is because I gave myself one month to write something for other people to read, instead of writing only for myself. The one month is almost up and I have, I think, three chapters left of this particular sequence, which I guess I could call 'part 1'.

I have enjoyed it far, far more than I expected. So much so that I find it hard not to think about it at work and my husband's assertion that 'it is wonderful to see me so interested in something' is beginning to sound a little pained.

I should leave it, I know I should. If I am going to invest this amount of time in writing, it should be in an original rather than a fanfic. On the other hand, it has been so much fun and I have worked so hard getting all the characters together. Worse, I know what happens next. I know what happens with Itachi and I have a scenario for introducing Orochimaru. I even know how it ends.

However, every step the story takes takes the characters away from the originals. Already, Sasuke is far too together and Itachi too crazy. Naruto the fox-boy is going to behave differently to Naruto who has the nine-tailed demon inside him. My world is too logical, my characters too emotionally intelligent.

So my question is, if I continue writing this, albeit much more slowly, will anyone read it?