Iteration
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Naruto › Yaoi - Male/Male › Naruto/Sasuke
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Category:
Naruto › Yaoi - Male/Male › Naruto/Sasuke
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
119
Views:
2,669
Reviews:
1203
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Disclaimer:
This story has some of Masashi Kishimoto's characters from Naruto in a universe of my own devising. I do not own Naruto. I do not make any money from these writings.
Lull
‘Iteration’ is part of the space saga that began with ‘In the cold of space you find the heat of suns’ and continues in ‘Tales in Tarrasade’.
This is posted in the Naruto/Sasuke section because it is part of a Naru/Sasu/Naru space saga. However, it does feature many other pairings (and a few threesomes). Apologies to those who are expecting Naruto/Sasuke or Sasuke/Naruto every chapter.
Apologies if the characters have grown differently in their new environment.
Thanks to Small Fox for being my beta. For this story he has also been my muse, suggesting a number of the ideas that have evolved to create this arc.
Thank you to those who have left a review or sent an email. Thanks to richon, Mirror¢¼, The Horseman of Death, kanazerosukenaru, Prism0467, meow-ku, Jenova625, v, gingitsune, disembodiedvoiceofthedying, sadie237, unneeded and cynaga [200th review!] who reviewed chapter 30. Reviews (and my great beta, Small Fox) keep me going.
Chapter thirty-one: Lull
Choza knew that Inoichi was dead. Tatsuji and Kunugi stood staring after they had finished off the surviving attackers. If there had been any hope Kunugi would have run for Dan.
He peered into the wreckage. No, it was hopeless. Inoichi’s chest was caved in and his skull crushed. Not even Rin could have saved him.
He felt numb. Inoichi had been a huge part of his life.
“We had to stop it before they saw it,” Tatsuji whispered. He gestured in the direction of the spur.
Choza walked to the junction. It wasn’t far; the vehicle had travelled a considerable distance after Inoichi had attacked it. He looked around the corner and saw the spur filled with row upon row upon row of unsuspecting hybrids, each one of them relying on Uchiha for protection.
He imagined the vehicle mowing its way through a terrified, stampeding mob.
Inoichi, the most selfish and thoughtless of them, had sacrificed himself.
Once the adrenalin of battle had gone, Sasuke was exhausted. He refused to show it but he did sit on the chair Sumaru found for him.
Gai had posted lookouts in each of the side corridors while Itachi and Kisame, assisted by some of the spacers, were mending the barricade. Everyone else, including the injured, had gathered in the assembly room.
Dan had personally brought the news of Inoichi’s death. Sasuke did not know how he felt about it. In his mind Inoichi was still alive.
Two of the spacers were critically wounded. They had been given emergency treatment and then dispatched with stretcher bearers to the Oak in the hope that Rin could save them. Five others were dead, including two who had been hit when the vehicle driven through squad C.
There was still no news of Gaara and Lee.
By every measure the battle had been a success. The attackers had been eliminated with the loss of six, possibly up to ten, defenders and three evacuees. Even a kill ratio of fifteen-to-one was remarkable when outnumbered three-to-one.
But Inoichi and at least eight other people Sasuke had been responsible for were dead.
His gaze went to Naruto. There was a grey tinge to his golden skin and his whiskers were drooping, confirming that he was in pain. Sasuke made himself stand and walked over to where Naruto was sitting.
Sumaru followed him with the chair and placed it, pointedly, next to Naruto’s. Sasuke sat down.
“You should take a shot, dobe,” he said gently.
Naruto shook his head. “Not until someone has checked the damage,” he replied.
Sasuke knew that. In the field, with limited diagnostic equipment, pain was the most useful symptom. Even so, he hated seeing Naruto suffer.
Kakashi’s voice in his ear, across the private channel he usually shared with Shikamaru, “Sasu-kun?”
For one awful moment Sasuke thought he would have to tell Kakashi about Inoichi.
“About Inoichi,” Kakashi began, to Sasuke’s relief. “He made a choice. It was a good choice. There were over a thousand people in that spur. He died well.”
There was a pause. Kakashi was expecting him to respond. Sasuke thought he understood. Kakashi was checking that he did not blame himself for Inoichi’s death. “His death brought honour to his name and to Uchiha,” he replied.
“Exactly,” Kakashi agreed. “How are you, Sasu-kun? How is Naruto?”
“I am fine, Kakashi-sensei. Sumaru-kun was perfect. Naruto has crush injuries to his shoulder and ribs because there was an idiot with a gun shooting bullets. He flipped but stayed in control. It was awesome.”
“Awesome?” Kakashi queried and Sasuke could hear the amusement in his voice. “You are doing an excellent job, Sasu-kun. I am proud of you. Naruto will want to know that Gaara has arrived with Lee. Lee was in a bad way but he is now tanked and Rin says he will recover. Kimimaro is, as we assumed, dead.”
Sasuke mouthed “Gaara and Lee are safe” to Naruto whose smile, although brief, lifted Sasuke’s spirit.
Sickler was brought back to consciousness by the touch of small hands and the odd feeling of a tongue grooming him.
He had a horrendous headache.
The hands and tongue belonged to one of the feral children, a small female who had too many cat features for someone’s comfort. Sickler stroked her to thank her for looking after him. She purred.
He was surrounded by the group he had seen sleeping. A little way away he could see the boy who had been guarding the group. Sickler guessed he was one of the oldest of the ferals, perhaps ten standards; old enough that he had probably been owned when he was younger rather than smuggled out of the laboratory as a toddler.
“Do you understand me?” Sickler asked.
The boy hesitated and then nodded.
“Have you heard of Naruto-san?” Sickler asked. It was worth a try.
The boy’s eyes lit up despite his caution. He nodded again.
“Naruto-san is here. He has come with ships to rescue the hybrids and take them to a better place. I spoke with him yesterday. He wants you to bring your group to him.”
“Me?” the boy queried.
“Yes, you,” Sickler insisted. It was not a lie. Naruto-san did want the feral children to leave the Warren and have a better life. He had said so. “I can take you to him,” he offered. “He is in the spacer quarter,” he added, knowing that would help. They all knew that the hunters never went into the spacer quarter.
The boy considered. “Naruto-san?” he checked.
“Naruto-san,” Sickler said with confidence.
Maybe if he helped Naruto-san by convincing the feral children to evacuate, Naruto-san would persuade Uchiha-sama to save Ebisu.
Naruto was not happy. As soon as Dan had checked his shoulder, he had insisted that Naruto go to the Oak for treatment. He wanted to be helping with the evacuation. Instead he was in the infirmary receiving treatment; a supergen that encased his shoulder and strapping around his ribs to keep the bones aligned while the nanobots mended them.
At least Sasuke had come back to the Oak with him, along with Sumaru, Konohamaru and Choza. Sasuke was in his office, being updated on the situation by Shikamaru via his private channel. Naruto was following the other radio traffic through his earpiece; not much appeared to be happening.
Rin had stopped. Naruto twitched his whiskers and raised his eyebrows questioningly.
“You can go,” she admitted. “You should be tanked. It would mean you would be forced to rest,” she complained.
He did not bother to respond. “Thank you, Rin-san,” he said instead and was rewarded by an easing of her scowl.
He did not go far, only to the doorway of the side room in which Gaara sat staring into Lee’s tank.
“Gaara-san?” Naruto queried.
Gaara’s turquoise eyes turned to him. “I should not have let him go ahead of me,” he replied. “We should have been fighting side by side.”
Naruto considered. “Kimimaro is dead. Lee-san will recover. You will not make the same mistake again,” he observed.
Gaara straightened. “I shall not make the same mistake again,” he agreed.
“And perhaps Lee-san going ahead stopped Kimimaro reaching and killing some defenceless evacuees,” he suggested.
“Yes,” Gaara admitted. He looked back to the tank. “It is like Lee to do that.”
“Lee will be fine,” Naruto reminded him.
Gaara leaned his forehead on the side of the tank as if willing Lee better. “Lee will be fine,” he echoed.
Naruto left the infirmary and loped to the crew room. He needed a shower and he had promised Sasuke that he would eat. Then he would tour the dormitories before going out to the spurs to check things there.
Choza was in the galley. He looked pale and tired. Naruto hesitated for a moment and then closed the distance between them and hugged him. Choza stiffened for a moment, surprised, but soon relaxed into Naruto’s embrace.
“Kiba would hug you if you were here,” Naruto explained.
Choza smiled as they separated. “Thank you, Naruto-san, that is kind of you. I am fine. I do not think it has sunk in yet that Inoichi is gone.”
Naruto collected a plateful of food and ate it on his way to the shower. He decided to leave his earpiece in, it was meant to be waterproof, and placed the receiver, transmitter and microphone within range.
He wished that Sasuke was there to help him wash his hair; the supergen around his shoulder meant he could not raise his left arm and his movement was further restricted by the bands about his ribs.
There again, if Sasuke was with him it would be too easy to become distracted.
Sasuke had showered and, with relief, washed the dried blood and gore from his hair. He had sneaked a stim while neither Naruto nor Iruka were around to stop him and was now in his office, at his desk, with Shikamaru’s voice in his ear.
“Neji says Akatsuchi-san is mortified by the sabotage in spurs 1 and 2,” Shikamaru was telling him. “Tenten is moving the evacuees to spur 6. We’ve loaded the first of the modified freighters from spur 8 and another is docked at spur 6. The Silver Leaf is still at the private dock with forty-seven hybrids aboard and still the occasional one arriving. The Oak now has about six hundred evacuees on board. I estimate that one third of the hybrids have been evacuated at least as far as the spacer quarter including almost all of those in the upper levels.
“It is almost certain that Kurotsuchi has taken control but her power base is the AHB and you have just wiped out its paramilitary wing. Kakashi-sensei, Jiraiya-san and Neji all agree that she will only stay in power if the official security forces accept her authority. We think they will, because of the bombings.
“We are worried that she may interfere with the evacuation. Neji says that it will depend on whether her hatred of hybrids outweighs her desire to keep hold of political power. If she had any sense she should allow us to remove the hybrids. If she kills them when we were here offering an alternative, the average purebred resident will never trust her.”
Sasuke thought it through. “We keep evacuating hybrids as swiftly as possible and hope for the best,” he summarised.
There was a short silence at the other end of the radio link. “We keep evacuating hybrids as swiftly as possible,” Shikamaru agreed.
“Shika-san?”
“I could hack into the computer system and remove her control of the emergency doors and of the environmental systems,” he suggested.
For a moment Sasuke was tempted, but only for a moment. “No, Shikamaru. That would be overstepping the mark. We can defend the spacer quarter because we are spacers and because we had Akatsuchi-san’s consent. We have no authority to take control of the residential sector.”
“I could make it look like a malfuction,” Shikamaru argued.
“No Shika. There are limits Uchiha will not exceed. Do you understand me, Shikamaru-san?”
“I understand, Sasuke-sama,” Shikamaru replied. “There are boundaries Uchiha will not cross.”
Sickler led the group through the access tunnels and ducts into the spacer quarter. Once they had crossed the boundary, he turned to the boy.
“We can do this two ways. I can take you to my room in the hostel and then go and tell Naruto-san you are there. Otherwise I can escort you directly to his ship, but that will mean you will have to walk down the corridors.”
The boy considered. “We must get to the ship,” he suggested.
“Yes,” Sickler agreed, “but you might feel safer if Naruto-san or one of his crew is with you.”
The boy’s chin came up. “We are not afraid,” he insisted.
Sickler’s eyes went to the others, some of whom were obviously very fearful. “Fine, I will get us as close to the ship as we can but we will have to walk the length of the spur.”
Naruto had showered, redressed and was in Sasuke’s office checking up on him before he toured the dormitories and then the spurs. He had only meant to spend a few minutes with Sasuke, but they had ended up having a cuddle.
Shino’s voice came across the intercom. “Sasuke-sama, Asuma-san, Naruto-san, Sickler is walking up the spur. He has a group of hybrid youngsters with him. Some of them are very young.”
Naruto leapt to his feet.
“You had better get down there, dobe,” Sasuke told him.
He slowed as he approached them, mindful that he was large and scary while they were small and defenceless. There were eight of them other than Sickler. The oldest was a boy; a cat hybrid with yellow eyes, grey hair, whiskers and impressive fangs. The others were younger, Naruto guessed under seven standards. Other than the older boy, they all had tails and cat ears and many were furry.
Naruto stopped and bowed. “I am Naruto. I welcome you.”
The catboy put down the smaller child he had been carrying and gave a sketchy bow. “I am Chamu. Sickler says you will take us somewhere nicer.”
Naruto’s whiskers twitched. “Yes,” he answered. He smiled one of his best smiles. “Would anyone like to be carried?”
Sickler was pleased. Naruto-san had not let him down. He had carried four of the cat children into the ship yet still managed to hold the sweet cat girl’s hand. Chamu and Sickler had carried the other two.
Better, Naruto-san had not taken the group to a dormitory where they would be expected to sleep in separate beds and do what the adults said. He had asked Chamu some questions and then taken the group to something called a ‘guest crew room’.
Sickler and Naruto-san waited while Chamu and the catgirl, whose name had not yet been shared with them, sniffed about.
After some time they looked at each other and Chamu announced that the group would be sleeping in one of the rooms. When Naruto-san asked them if they minded if other groups of children slept in some of the other rooms Chamu looked at him.
“Are any other groups here?” he asked.
Naruto-san whiskers had drooped a little. “No,” he admitted.
“I could get them,” Chamu offered.
Naruto-san considered. “It might be dangerous,” he said warily.
Chamu turned to Sickler. “Sickler will come with me. He knows the tunnels and ducts.”
Sickler found himself nodding. “I could find the way. Chamu could persuade them to come. You will need to find someone to look after the group while we are gone. Maybe Kamatari?”
“I will find someone,” Naruto-san had promised. “Perhaps Sickler-kun could wear a radio so we can stay in contact?” he suggested.
After a quick meal, he and Chamu were back in the ducting system heading back to the upper levels of the residential sector.
Maybe if Sickler managed to bring in many of the groups of ferals, Naruto-san would speak with Sasuke-sama about Ebisu.
Sakura was surprised by the suddenly loud voice that came from all directions. She had not known that there was a public address system in the Warren. From the reaction of the people around her, it was not often, if ever, used.
“This is the office of the mayor addressing all residents of the Warren. Onoki-sama has regrettably had to resign due to ill health. The council of advisors has asked Kurotsuchi-sama to assume mayoral responsibilities, stating that she is the strong leader who is required to lead the Warren through this difficult time. Kurotsuchi-sama will now address you.”
The voice changed from male to female.
“This is Kurotsuchi. These are testing times. We are under attack from undesirables within. The bombings this morning were the most visible and despicable display so far by those who wish to destroy our way of life. I have vowed to hunt down these terrorists and eliminate the threat they pose.
“Regretfully, this requires us to impose martial law to ensure residents’ safety. Anyone who is not a resident must leave the residential sector. Spacers and other visitors, including journalists, should return to the spacer quarter. Any ships not owned by residents must leave private docks in the residential sector. If you reside in other parts of the Warren you should return there. You have until curfew today to comply.
“Spacers and other visitors should use entrance 2 to the spacer quarter, which is located on the lower upper level. I have informed the harbour master that all other entrances to the spacer quarter will be closed.
“Until further notice, the curfew during station’s night will apply to all residents other than members of station security who are on duty. Anyone found outside their assigned accommodation will be assume to be involved in terrorist activities, arrested and detained.
“All traffic between the spacer quarter and the residential sector has been suspended. The exception is spacers and visitors returning to the spacer quarter via entrance 2, which will continue only until curfew today. All other entrances to the spacer quarter are being sealed.
“Do not be afraid. The interests of decent residents of the Warren are dear to my heart. Tough measures will be necessary to protect our way of life but I will not shirk from taking the difficult decisions. Short term sacrifice will lead to a better future.”
The female voice changed back to male. “That was your mayor, Kurotsuchi-sama. Her message will now be repeated. Your compliance with her instructions is required. Lack of compliance will be considered a gesture of sympathy to the terrorists.”
Sakura had been heading to the bar but she changed direction. Doubtless the bar would be under surveillance. She needed to get back to her ship and update Chaaruzu-san. She tuned her radio to the frequency being used by the couriers.
“This is Sakura. You heard the announcement. I am returning to the spacer quarter. Please continue with your current assignment for the rest of station’s day or until it becomes unsafe to do so. Please make sure that you give yourselves time to return to your accommodation before curfew. I would like to thank you for your excellent service today. You will be paid triple rate. Please keep the radios as a token of the esteem in which I hold you.”
One of the dispatchers replied. “We understand, Sakura-san. We thank you for being an exemplary client. Be safe and good journeys."
She switched to the other channel. “This is Sakura reporting to Shikamaru-san.”
“This is Shikamaru.” The now familiar voice replied. “We heard the announcement. It was broadcast.”
“I am returning to my ship,” she informed him. “I have told the couriers that they are to cease activities well before curfew. I do not want them putting themselves in danger but they do still have the radios. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you need further assistance. I will be staying in port.”
“Understood, Sakura-san. Thank you for being our eyes and ears today and for arranging the safe evacuation of so many hybrids. We will be in contact.”
Anko was tired but determined to keep going. She chewed another mouthful of ration bar, took two swallows of water and checked how long it was since her last stim; not long enough to justify another.
She persuaded one group of evacuees to speed up and then another to slow a little; with so many people it was difficult to keep a steady flow but she had become more skilled at it as the day had progressed.
Neji had briefed them about body language. They were to smile without showing their teeth. They were to stand without crossing their arms across their chests. They were to build up to fast movement rather than accelerating suddenly.
Smiling without showing her teeth was a challenge but the hybrids seemed to find such smiles reassuring, so she kept doing it.
Part of the route was a cargo corridor that ran from the middle of the lower levels into the spacer quarter. The border was overseen by two older spacers who had instructions to allow the evacuees through. One of them leered at Anko every time she walked past them, which Anko found extremely wearing. Anko had refrained from punching him because it might be detrimental to the operation; occasionally they had been helpful, like lending her a hover platform and tape to mend a broken strap on an evacuee’s bag.
She had just passed the leering spacer on her way back into the residential sector when the sirens started. She looked about, trying to deduce their meaning.
“The doors are going to close,” one of the spacers yelled. “The ones the residents control. Get back this side or you will be trapped.”
Anko looked at the moving stream of hybrids and made a decision. She chose a family group carrying two children. She swept down on them, grabbed the bundle of belongings from the man and looked him straight in the eyes.
“Run,” she ordered. She then yelled at the evacuees in front of them. “Get through the doorway now. It is closing.”
He picked up the smaller of the children, the woman grabbed the hand of the other and they began running. Luckily the corridor was for cargo. That meant it was wide and the doors were so large that they closed slowly.
One of the faster hybrids went past them and then another. Another stopped and caught up the child who was running beside her mother.
They made it, just. Three evacuees made it through after them, the last almost being caught by the doors.
Anko stood looking at the closed doors. On the other side were the remaining hybrids, Shizune, Tayuya and Inari.
This is posted in the Naruto/Sasuke section because it is part of a Naru/Sasu/Naru space saga. However, it does feature many other pairings (and a few threesomes). Apologies to those who are expecting Naruto/Sasuke or Sasuke/Naruto every chapter.
Apologies if the characters have grown differently in their new environment.
Thanks to Small Fox for being my beta. For this story he has also been my muse, suggesting a number of the ideas that have evolved to create this arc.
Thank you to those who have left a review or sent an email. Thanks to richon, Mirror¢¼, The Horseman of Death, kanazerosukenaru, Prism0467, meow-ku, Jenova625, v, gingitsune, disembodiedvoiceofthedying, sadie237, unneeded and cynaga [200th review!] who reviewed chapter 30. Reviews (and my great beta, Small Fox) keep me going.
Chapter thirty-one: Lull
Choza knew that Inoichi was dead. Tatsuji and Kunugi stood staring after they had finished off the surviving attackers. If there had been any hope Kunugi would have run for Dan.
He peered into the wreckage. No, it was hopeless. Inoichi’s chest was caved in and his skull crushed. Not even Rin could have saved him.
He felt numb. Inoichi had been a huge part of his life.
“We had to stop it before they saw it,” Tatsuji whispered. He gestured in the direction of the spur.
Choza walked to the junction. It wasn’t far; the vehicle had travelled a considerable distance after Inoichi had attacked it. He looked around the corner and saw the spur filled with row upon row upon row of unsuspecting hybrids, each one of them relying on Uchiha for protection.
He imagined the vehicle mowing its way through a terrified, stampeding mob.
Inoichi, the most selfish and thoughtless of them, had sacrificed himself.
Once the adrenalin of battle had gone, Sasuke was exhausted. He refused to show it but he did sit on the chair Sumaru found for him.
Gai had posted lookouts in each of the side corridors while Itachi and Kisame, assisted by some of the spacers, were mending the barricade. Everyone else, including the injured, had gathered in the assembly room.
Dan had personally brought the news of Inoichi’s death. Sasuke did not know how he felt about it. In his mind Inoichi was still alive.
Two of the spacers were critically wounded. They had been given emergency treatment and then dispatched with stretcher bearers to the Oak in the hope that Rin could save them. Five others were dead, including two who had been hit when the vehicle driven through squad C.
There was still no news of Gaara and Lee.
By every measure the battle had been a success. The attackers had been eliminated with the loss of six, possibly up to ten, defenders and three evacuees. Even a kill ratio of fifteen-to-one was remarkable when outnumbered three-to-one.
But Inoichi and at least eight other people Sasuke had been responsible for were dead.
His gaze went to Naruto. There was a grey tinge to his golden skin and his whiskers were drooping, confirming that he was in pain. Sasuke made himself stand and walked over to where Naruto was sitting.
Sumaru followed him with the chair and placed it, pointedly, next to Naruto’s. Sasuke sat down.
“You should take a shot, dobe,” he said gently.
Naruto shook his head. “Not until someone has checked the damage,” he replied.
Sasuke knew that. In the field, with limited diagnostic equipment, pain was the most useful symptom. Even so, he hated seeing Naruto suffer.
Kakashi’s voice in his ear, across the private channel he usually shared with Shikamaru, “Sasu-kun?”
For one awful moment Sasuke thought he would have to tell Kakashi about Inoichi.
“About Inoichi,” Kakashi began, to Sasuke’s relief. “He made a choice. It was a good choice. There were over a thousand people in that spur. He died well.”
There was a pause. Kakashi was expecting him to respond. Sasuke thought he understood. Kakashi was checking that he did not blame himself for Inoichi’s death. “His death brought honour to his name and to Uchiha,” he replied.
“Exactly,” Kakashi agreed. “How are you, Sasu-kun? How is Naruto?”
“I am fine, Kakashi-sensei. Sumaru-kun was perfect. Naruto has crush injuries to his shoulder and ribs because there was an idiot with a gun shooting bullets. He flipped but stayed in control. It was awesome.”
“Awesome?” Kakashi queried and Sasuke could hear the amusement in his voice. “You are doing an excellent job, Sasu-kun. I am proud of you. Naruto will want to know that Gaara has arrived with Lee. Lee was in a bad way but he is now tanked and Rin says he will recover. Kimimaro is, as we assumed, dead.”
Sasuke mouthed “Gaara and Lee are safe” to Naruto whose smile, although brief, lifted Sasuke’s spirit.
Sickler was brought back to consciousness by the touch of small hands and the odd feeling of a tongue grooming him.
He had a horrendous headache.
The hands and tongue belonged to one of the feral children, a small female who had too many cat features for someone’s comfort. Sickler stroked her to thank her for looking after him. She purred.
He was surrounded by the group he had seen sleeping. A little way away he could see the boy who had been guarding the group. Sickler guessed he was one of the oldest of the ferals, perhaps ten standards; old enough that he had probably been owned when he was younger rather than smuggled out of the laboratory as a toddler.
“Do you understand me?” Sickler asked.
The boy hesitated and then nodded.
“Have you heard of Naruto-san?” Sickler asked. It was worth a try.
The boy’s eyes lit up despite his caution. He nodded again.
“Naruto-san is here. He has come with ships to rescue the hybrids and take them to a better place. I spoke with him yesterday. He wants you to bring your group to him.”
“Me?” the boy queried.
“Yes, you,” Sickler insisted. It was not a lie. Naruto-san did want the feral children to leave the Warren and have a better life. He had said so. “I can take you to him,” he offered. “He is in the spacer quarter,” he added, knowing that would help. They all knew that the hunters never went into the spacer quarter.
The boy considered. “Naruto-san?” he checked.
“Naruto-san,” Sickler said with confidence.
Maybe if he helped Naruto-san by convincing the feral children to evacuate, Naruto-san would persuade Uchiha-sama to save Ebisu.
Naruto was not happy. As soon as Dan had checked his shoulder, he had insisted that Naruto go to the Oak for treatment. He wanted to be helping with the evacuation. Instead he was in the infirmary receiving treatment; a supergen that encased his shoulder and strapping around his ribs to keep the bones aligned while the nanobots mended them.
At least Sasuke had come back to the Oak with him, along with Sumaru, Konohamaru and Choza. Sasuke was in his office, being updated on the situation by Shikamaru via his private channel. Naruto was following the other radio traffic through his earpiece; not much appeared to be happening.
Rin had stopped. Naruto twitched his whiskers and raised his eyebrows questioningly.
“You can go,” she admitted. “You should be tanked. It would mean you would be forced to rest,” she complained.
He did not bother to respond. “Thank you, Rin-san,” he said instead and was rewarded by an easing of her scowl.
He did not go far, only to the doorway of the side room in which Gaara sat staring into Lee’s tank.
“Gaara-san?” Naruto queried.
Gaara’s turquoise eyes turned to him. “I should not have let him go ahead of me,” he replied. “We should have been fighting side by side.”
Naruto considered. “Kimimaro is dead. Lee-san will recover. You will not make the same mistake again,” he observed.
Gaara straightened. “I shall not make the same mistake again,” he agreed.
“And perhaps Lee-san going ahead stopped Kimimaro reaching and killing some defenceless evacuees,” he suggested.
“Yes,” Gaara admitted. He looked back to the tank. “It is like Lee to do that.”
“Lee will be fine,” Naruto reminded him.
Gaara leaned his forehead on the side of the tank as if willing Lee better. “Lee will be fine,” he echoed.
Naruto left the infirmary and loped to the crew room. He needed a shower and he had promised Sasuke that he would eat. Then he would tour the dormitories before going out to the spurs to check things there.
Choza was in the galley. He looked pale and tired. Naruto hesitated for a moment and then closed the distance between them and hugged him. Choza stiffened for a moment, surprised, but soon relaxed into Naruto’s embrace.
“Kiba would hug you if you were here,” Naruto explained.
Choza smiled as they separated. “Thank you, Naruto-san, that is kind of you. I am fine. I do not think it has sunk in yet that Inoichi is gone.”
Naruto collected a plateful of food and ate it on his way to the shower. He decided to leave his earpiece in, it was meant to be waterproof, and placed the receiver, transmitter and microphone within range.
He wished that Sasuke was there to help him wash his hair; the supergen around his shoulder meant he could not raise his left arm and his movement was further restricted by the bands about his ribs.
There again, if Sasuke was with him it would be too easy to become distracted.
Sasuke had showered and, with relief, washed the dried blood and gore from his hair. He had sneaked a stim while neither Naruto nor Iruka were around to stop him and was now in his office, at his desk, with Shikamaru’s voice in his ear.
“Neji says Akatsuchi-san is mortified by the sabotage in spurs 1 and 2,” Shikamaru was telling him. “Tenten is moving the evacuees to spur 6. We’ve loaded the first of the modified freighters from spur 8 and another is docked at spur 6. The Silver Leaf is still at the private dock with forty-seven hybrids aboard and still the occasional one arriving. The Oak now has about six hundred evacuees on board. I estimate that one third of the hybrids have been evacuated at least as far as the spacer quarter including almost all of those in the upper levels.
“It is almost certain that Kurotsuchi has taken control but her power base is the AHB and you have just wiped out its paramilitary wing. Kakashi-sensei, Jiraiya-san and Neji all agree that she will only stay in power if the official security forces accept her authority. We think they will, because of the bombings.
“We are worried that she may interfere with the evacuation. Neji says that it will depend on whether her hatred of hybrids outweighs her desire to keep hold of political power. If she had any sense she should allow us to remove the hybrids. If she kills them when we were here offering an alternative, the average purebred resident will never trust her.”
Sasuke thought it through. “We keep evacuating hybrids as swiftly as possible and hope for the best,” he summarised.
There was a short silence at the other end of the radio link. “We keep evacuating hybrids as swiftly as possible,” Shikamaru agreed.
“Shika-san?”
“I could hack into the computer system and remove her control of the emergency doors and of the environmental systems,” he suggested.
For a moment Sasuke was tempted, but only for a moment. “No, Shikamaru. That would be overstepping the mark. We can defend the spacer quarter because we are spacers and because we had Akatsuchi-san’s consent. We have no authority to take control of the residential sector.”
“I could make it look like a malfuction,” Shikamaru argued.
“No Shika. There are limits Uchiha will not exceed. Do you understand me, Shikamaru-san?”
“I understand, Sasuke-sama,” Shikamaru replied. “There are boundaries Uchiha will not cross.”
Sickler led the group through the access tunnels and ducts into the spacer quarter. Once they had crossed the boundary, he turned to the boy.
“We can do this two ways. I can take you to my room in the hostel and then go and tell Naruto-san you are there. Otherwise I can escort you directly to his ship, but that will mean you will have to walk down the corridors.”
The boy considered. “We must get to the ship,” he suggested.
“Yes,” Sickler agreed, “but you might feel safer if Naruto-san or one of his crew is with you.”
The boy’s chin came up. “We are not afraid,” he insisted.
Sickler’s eyes went to the others, some of whom were obviously very fearful. “Fine, I will get us as close to the ship as we can but we will have to walk the length of the spur.”
Naruto had showered, redressed and was in Sasuke’s office checking up on him before he toured the dormitories and then the spurs. He had only meant to spend a few minutes with Sasuke, but they had ended up having a cuddle.
Shino’s voice came across the intercom. “Sasuke-sama, Asuma-san, Naruto-san, Sickler is walking up the spur. He has a group of hybrid youngsters with him. Some of them are very young.”
Naruto leapt to his feet.
“You had better get down there, dobe,” Sasuke told him.
He slowed as he approached them, mindful that he was large and scary while they were small and defenceless. There were eight of them other than Sickler. The oldest was a boy; a cat hybrid with yellow eyes, grey hair, whiskers and impressive fangs. The others were younger, Naruto guessed under seven standards. Other than the older boy, they all had tails and cat ears and many were furry.
Naruto stopped and bowed. “I am Naruto. I welcome you.”
The catboy put down the smaller child he had been carrying and gave a sketchy bow. “I am Chamu. Sickler says you will take us somewhere nicer.”
Naruto’s whiskers twitched. “Yes,” he answered. He smiled one of his best smiles. “Would anyone like to be carried?”
Sickler was pleased. Naruto-san had not let him down. He had carried four of the cat children into the ship yet still managed to hold the sweet cat girl’s hand. Chamu and Sickler had carried the other two.
Better, Naruto-san had not taken the group to a dormitory where they would be expected to sleep in separate beds and do what the adults said. He had asked Chamu some questions and then taken the group to something called a ‘guest crew room’.
Sickler and Naruto-san waited while Chamu and the catgirl, whose name had not yet been shared with them, sniffed about.
After some time they looked at each other and Chamu announced that the group would be sleeping in one of the rooms. When Naruto-san asked them if they minded if other groups of children slept in some of the other rooms Chamu looked at him.
“Are any other groups here?” he asked.
Naruto-san whiskers had drooped a little. “No,” he admitted.
“I could get them,” Chamu offered.
Naruto-san considered. “It might be dangerous,” he said warily.
Chamu turned to Sickler. “Sickler will come with me. He knows the tunnels and ducts.”
Sickler found himself nodding. “I could find the way. Chamu could persuade them to come. You will need to find someone to look after the group while we are gone. Maybe Kamatari?”
“I will find someone,” Naruto-san had promised. “Perhaps Sickler-kun could wear a radio so we can stay in contact?” he suggested.
After a quick meal, he and Chamu were back in the ducting system heading back to the upper levels of the residential sector.
Maybe if Sickler managed to bring in many of the groups of ferals, Naruto-san would speak with Sasuke-sama about Ebisu.
Sakura was surprised by the suddenly loud voice that came from all directions. She had not known that there was a public address system in the Warren. From the reaction of the people around her, it was not often, if ever, used.
“This is the office of the mayor addressing all residents of the Warren. Onoki-sama has regrettably had to resign due to ill health. The council of advisors has asked Kurotsuchi-sama to assume mayoral responsibilities, stating that she is the strong leader who is required to lead the Warren through this difficult time. Kurotsuchi-sama will now address you.”
The voice changed from male to female.
“This is Kurotsuchi. These are testing times. We are under attack from undesirables within. The bombings this morning were the most visible and despicable display so far by those who wish to destroy our way of life. I have vowed to hunt down these terrorists and eliminate the threat they pose.
“Regretfully, this requires us to impose martial law to ensure residents’ safety. Anyone who is not a resident must leave the residential sector. Spacers and other visitors, including journalists, should return to the spacer quarter. Any ships not owned by residents must leave private docks in the residential sector. If you reside in other parts of the Warren you should return there. You have until curfew today to comply.
“Spacers and other visitors should use entrance 2 to the spacer quarter, which is located on the lower upper level. I have informed the harbour master that all other entrances to the spacer quarter will be closed.
“Until further notice, the curfew during station’s night will apply to all residents other than members of station security who are on duty. Anyone found outside their assigned accommodation will be assume to be involved in terrorist activities, arrested and detained.
“All traffic between the spacer quarter and the residential sector has been suspended. The exception is spacers and visitors returning to the spacer quarter via entrance 2, which will continue only until curfew today. All other entrances to the spacer quarter are being sealed.
“Do not be afraid. The interests of decent residents of the Warren are dear to my heart. Tough measures will be necessary to protect our way of life but I will not shirk from taking the difficult decisions. Short term sacrifice will lead to a better future.”
The female voice changed back to male. “That was your mayor, Kurotsuchi-sama. Her message will now be repeated. Your compliance with her instructions is required. Lack of compliance will be considered a gesture of sympathy to the terrorists.”
Sakura had been heading to the bar but she changed direction. Doubtless the bar would be under surveillance. She needed to get back to her ship and update Chaaruzu-san. She tuned her radio to the frequency being used by the couriers.
“This is Sakura. You heard the announcement. I am returning to the spacer quarter. Please continue with your current assignment for the rest of station’s day or until it becomes unsafe to do so. Please make sure that you give yourselves time to return to your accommodation before curfew. I would like to thank you for your excellent service today. You will be paid triple rate. Please keep the radios as a token of the esteem in which I hold you.”
One of the dispatchers replied. “We understand, Sakura-san. We thank you for being an exemplary client. Be safe and good journeys."
She switched to the other channel. “This is Sakura reporting to Shikamaru-san.”
“This is Shikamaru.” The now familiar voice replied. “We heard the announcement. It was broadcast.”
“I am returning to my ship,” she informed him. “I have told the couriers that they are to cease activities well before curfew. I do not want them putting themselves in danger but they do still have the radios. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you need further assistance. I will be staying in port.”
“Understood, Sakura-san. Thank you for being our eyes and ears today and for arranging the safe evacuation of so many hybrids. We will be in contact.”
Anko was tired but determined to keep going. She chewed another mouthful of ration bar, took two swallows of water and checked how long it was since her last stim; not long enough to justify another.
She persuaded one group of evacuees to speed up and then another to slow a little; with so many people it was difficult to keep a steady flow but she had become more skilled at it as the day had progressed.
Neji had briefed them about body language. They were to smile without showing their teeth. They were to stand without crossing their arms across their chests. They were to build up to fast movement rather than accelerating suddenly.
Smiling without showing her teeth was a challenge but the hybrids seemed to find such smiles reassuring, so she kept doing it.
Part of the route was a cargo corridor that ran from the middle of the lower levels into the spacer quarter. The border was overseen by two older spacers who had instructions to allow the evacuees through. One of them leered at Anko every time she walked past them, which Anko found extremely wearing. Anko had refrained from punching him because it might be detrimental to the operation; occasionally they had been helpful, like lending her a hover platform and tape to mend a broken strap on an evacuee’s bag.
She had just passed the leering spacer on her way back into the residential sector when the sirens started. She looked about, trying to deduce their meaning.
“The doors are going to close,” one of the spacers yelled. “The ones the residents control. Get back this side or you will be trapped.”
Anko looked at the moving stream of hybrids and made a decision. She chose a family group carrying two children. She swept down on them, grabbed the bundle of belongings from the man and looked him straight in the eyes.
“Run,” she ordered. She then yelled at the evacuees in front of them. “Get through the doorway now. It is closing.”
He picked up the smaller of the children, the woman grabbed the hand of the other and they began running. Luckily the corridor was for cargo. That meant it was wide and the doors were so large that they closed slowly.
One of the faster hybrids went past them and then another. Another stopped and caught up the child who was running beside her mother.
They made it, just. Three evacuees made it through after them, the last almost being caught by the doors.
Anko stood looking at the closed doors. On the other side were the remaining hybrids, Shizune, Tayuya and Inari.