Iteration

‘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. It does feature many other pairings (and a few threesomes) but this chapter is Naruto/Sasuke.

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 especially Jenny, v, disembodiedvoiceofthedying, the Horseman of Death, sadie237, meow-ku, lonelylulaby, Prism0467 and Moonmore who reviewed chapter 35. Every review is much appreciated.

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Chapter thirty-six: Loose ends

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Naruto was pleased. The air was good. The purebred residents were grateful and had gone back, as far as possible, to their normal lives. There were queues of hybrids registering at the HDL stand. They had set up a soup kitchen adjacent to the medical aid station. The immediate crisis had been averted.

They had set up a tent to function as Sasuke’s office for confidential discussions and negotiations. Shi-chan had been persuaded to flush the stims from his system and had slept. Itachi had been in radio conference with Kakashi and Jiraiya about the security implications of having Han and his fighters on the Oak. Naruto had agreed that Sickler could go looking for the last two feral groups. Roshi and Yugito had looked over the plans for the next stage of evacuation; they would start loading the next two of the modified freighters almost immediately.


Kotohime had asked to speak with Sasuke. He had chosen a time when Shikamaru, Neji and Kakashi would be available.

Naruto was at Sasuke’s side. Kotohime had brought Denka. Sasuke gestured towards the small two way radio on the table.

“I would like my advisors to participate,” he stated.

Kotohime nodded. She seemed distracted. “I never thought past this point,” she admitted. “When I broke with my family, it was to save as many hybrids as I could from the purge.” She looked at Naruto. “The HDL does not like hybrid engineers. I am, was, a hybrid engineer.”

“Do you know Kabuto?” Sasuke asked, which was a complete surprise to Naruto.

She nodded. “Kabuto trained with my father. Fuma is allied to Orochimaru.”

“Is?” Naruto whispered. “Orochimaru is dead.”

All colour drained from Kotohime’s face. “When?” she queried.

“Four standards ago,” Sasuke informed her. “Itachi killed him.”

She shook her head in disbelief. “I was with him only days ago. Denka also met him. He left, with Kabuto, when he realised you were coming.”

Naruto growled. There were various muttered exclamations over the channel that fed into their earpieces but not the speaker.

Kotohime frowned. “Perhaps you killed a body double, or a clone, or only thought you had killed him. We did not see him for over three standards.” She considered. “His body was heavily regenerated.”

Denka shuddered. “It was Orochimaru.”

Naruto was more interested in finding Kabuto. Itachi and Kisame would want Orochimaru.

“This is far too good an opportunity to miss,” Kakashi reminded them. “She may have a great deal of information.”

“She is a complex character,” Neji added. “I think there is much about the situation that we do not understand. I recommend you keep her where you can find her, Sasuke-sama. That may mean offering to take her and her people onto the ship, like Han.”

Naruto was less sure. Inviting her aboard the Oak reminded him too much of them trusting Kabuto.

Kotohime seemed to sense his uncertainty and spoke directly to him. “Orochimaru is obsessed by you. This is not surprising if you are what he thinks you are.”

“A Bara hybrid,” Naruto admitted. “I have this mark on my belly. People are convinced it means Bara designed me.”

“Perfection,” Kotohime replied. “You represent tantalising, unattainable perfection.” She turned to Sasuke. “You must never let Orochimaru near him, Uchiha-sama. He taints and warps anything he touches.”

“Like her,” Neji observed in their earpieces. “Probably like Kabuto.”

Sasuke stiffened. “I assure you, I have no intention of allowing Orochimaru anywhere near Naruto or any other member of my family. He has insulted Uchiha, as has Kabuto. If I or any of my people ever get close to either of them it will be to kill them. Next time we will make sure of it.”

Kotohime nodded. “I understand.” She smiled slightly. “I throw myself on your mercy, Uchiha-sama. Do with me what you will. I will cooperate with you in any way that I can short of betraying those who are close to me.”

“Who are?” Naruto asked.

“Denka, Hina and Tonton,” she answered. She looked away. “And Han,” she added.

Naruto had not expected that, but even Han was much better than Kabuto or Orochimaru.

Sasuke stood up, forcing everyone in the tent to do likewise. “I shall think on what you said. You may rest assured that we will not abandon you and your people here.”


Naruto showed them out and then turned back to Sasuke. “How did you know to ask about Kabuto?”

“Shino detected his presence,” Sasuke admitted. “He jumped out soon after we jumped in. We were too overcommitted to follow but hopefully we tagged his ship.”

Naruto was not sure if he was annoyed or pleased that Sasuke had not told him; probably both. Rescuing the hybrids had been much more important than chasing Kabuto.

“You are very quiet, Shika-san,” Sasuke observed into his microphone.

“Thinking,” Shikamaru admitted.

“Other than the mechanics of the evacuation, the security consideration of having strangers on the Oak and working out a strategy for chasing Kabuto, is there anything else we should be considering at this time?” Sasuke asked.

One issue jumped immediately into Naruto’s mind. “Yes, Ebisu, Sickler’s business partner. We said that we would try to stop them framing him for the murders he did not commit.”

Naruto could see Sasuke readying all the reasons why they were unlikely to be successful.

“I am on it, Na-chan,” Shikamaru told him. “Sakura-san has Shibito-san and the couriers spreading the word of his innocence. I have the video from the tape that shows what really happened. I have sent it to the Stellar Exchange telling them to make multiple tape copies and distribute them widely across the upper levels of the Warren; they should be delivered today and tomorrow. I have spread it across the datastream and the only reason it has not been on the local media is because Kurotsuchi has shut them down; all they are putting out are her pronouncements and music.”

Naruto smiled. “Thank you, Shi-chan,” he acknowledged.

“When?” Sasuke muttered and then pulled himself together. “Yes, thank you Shikamaru-san. It is the least we can do in return for the assistance Sickler-kun has given us.”


After the meeting Naruto handed bodyguard duty over to Sumaru, put in an appearance at the HDL stand and checked in with Sickler over the radio link.

“These groups are horribly weak,” Sickler told him. “That’s why they have the worst territory. They are not frightened of me, but I am a stranger, so they will not listen to me. I am not even sure they understood. I have spoken with Tonton-san and we have come up with a plan. We’re going to make two dens full of soft places to sleep and lots of food. She and I will guide each group to one of them. Then we will gas them. I know it sounds drastic, but it is the only way. We can’t leave them, Naruto-san.”

Naruto would have preferred them to have made a choice. “How old are they?” he asked.

“Tonton-san says that the alpha male in each group is about six standards. Some of the smaller ones are only two or three. Most of them are barely functional. They are so thin, Naruto-san. We cannot leave them here to fend for themselves. I won’t.”

“I understand, Sickler-san,” Naruto acknowledged, impressed by the youngster’s determination. He considered whether to tell Sickler about what Shikamaru had done. He was worried about raising Sickler’s hopes but felt he had a right to know. In the end he told him that they had communicated the contents of the tape to as many people in the upper levels as they could.

“That is wonderful, Naruto-san,” Sickler replied. “Thank you.”

---

Kiba hated being on the Sakura. He understood the logic; if Naruto and Sasuke were killed the children would desperately need him. The knowledge that it was necessary did not outweigh the reality of having nothing to do while the majority of the pack was in danger. It was even worse once Inoichi was killed and Lee was injured; Choza and Gaara needed him and Kiba was not there for them.

He had brought work, toys to mend or remake and some technical builds for Kotetsu, but it was difficult to concentrate. He could not even do the cooking and the cleaning because Ranmaru was using those to distract him from Konohamaru being in danger.

Checking the children’s pods was pointless; even so he did it four times a day.

He understood that it was equally bad for Ranmaru and possibly worse for Hamaki, Terai and Fu. Once news of Inoichi’s death reached them the three elite fighters had given up any attempt to include him. They only attended meals because Iruka-san insisted. Deprived of alcohol because they were on duty, they spent their time fighting and fucking. Ranmaru steered clear of them; Kiba hated to imagine what the little empath felt when he was close to them.

Kiba was in the galley with Iruka-san when Kakashi and Neji walked in. He was surprised; Kakashi, Neji and Shikamaru had only left the meeting room to use the head or for brief naps. Kiba wondered if it meant it was almost over. He hoped so.

“Kiba-san, we want to speak with you about what happened on Jewel, when you released Itachi,” Kakashi told him.

Kiba flushed. He could not help it.

“You did not tell us everything,” Neji suggested. “At the time you were not sworn to Uchiha, so you were not obliged to do so.”

He was glad Neji understood.

“We should have asked you about it after you were sworn,” Kakashi admitted.

“You didn’t,” Kiba reminded them.

“No, we didn’t,” Kakashi confirmed. “What did you do with Orochimaru’s body?” he asked.

Kiba frowned. It was not the question he had expected. “I put it in the freezer,” he told them.

“It was not there when we checked the freezers,” Kakashi prompted.

Kiba flushed anew. “Kabuto took it. I thought he wanted to say goodbye, to speak words over him. Kabuto loved him, even though Orochimaru was cruel to him.”

Neji took a deep breath. “Apparently Kabuto managed to resuscitate him,” he said. “Orochimaru is alive.”

Ice ran the length of Kiba’s spine and his hackles rose. He growled. “He was dead. His throat was slit. He had bled out. I know dead.”

“Someone calling himself Orochimaru is alive. Someone who is travelling with Kabuto and is genuine enough to convince Kotohime and the rest of Fuma,” Neji told him. “Perhaps there is some technology we do not understand. Maybe nanobots that preserve the brain from damage when the rest of the body dies and or when the body is frozen. Or perhaps the Orochimaru Itachi killed was a double.”

Kiba shook his head. “It was him. I put enough anaesthetic into him to stop three bullmen and Itachi-san slit his throat.”

Kakashi sighed. “At least we have more information now. Perhaps Kotohime can give us more.” He looked directly at Kiba with his single eye. “Is there anything else you think you should have told us?”

Kiba shivered. It was now or never. “I sent a warning to Kabuto-san. I told him Itachi-san was free and that Orochimaru was dead. I thought he would stay away. Instead he attacked and took Orochimaru’s body.”

“Why did you send the warning?” asked Neji gently.

“He had helped me hide from Orochimaru.” Kiba considered. “We needed each other,” he admitted. “It was all I knew,” he added. He took a deep breath. “Can I still be Guardian? Will Sasuke-sama be able to accept what I did?”

Kakashi frowned at him and the bottom threatened to fall out of Kiba’s world.

“Kiba, you are a member of our crew, our family,” Kakashi growled at him. “What you did before you were sworn to Uchiha is insignificant compared to your service since.” His frowned lessened. “No one is going to let you go, Kiba. If we didn’t have you the rest of us would have to deal with those little menaces on a day-to-day basis.”

Iruka scowled at Kakashi. “We all love the children, even Kakashi,” he insisted. “Kiba-san, being sworn is a new beginning. What you did before is only interesting, we will not judge you on it. If Orochimaru is alive we will have the pleasure of killing him again.” He smiled reassuringly. “Does anyone want more tea?”

---

Naruto was last off the station. He was as certain as he could be that every hybrid had been evacuated. They had ended up with five of the modified freighters, each loaded with about five hundred hybrids; for now they were docked at spurs in the spacer quarter. The needy, the ferals, the Kaiju and Kotohime’s people had been ferried to the Oak. Mayor Kurotsuchi had announced that the pumps had been ‘mended’ and they had started working. The air scrubbers had been retrieved. Izumo had helped the locals mend almost all the damage to the doors; they would leave before they were opened.

He and Sasuke left on the Silver Leaf. Despite the refit it was a reminder of old times. They sat side by side on a bunk in the crew room for the short journey to the Oak.

Naruto was wondering about a quick, nostalgic cuddle.

“Itachi thinks that the children and Shikamaru should stay on the Sakura, separate, while the Kaiju and Kotohime’s people are on the Oak,” Sasuke told him.

All thoughts of a cuddle vanished. “Another ten days without the children?” he queried. “Another ten days without Iruka-sensei and Shi-chan?” He considered. The more he thought about it the more he hated the idea. “Shi-chan needs to see us. I need to see the children. Kiba will be unhappy. You will be unhappy.” His whiskers twitched. “You asked Itachi to consider only security. It will always be more secure to have the children in pods but they will never grow up.”

Sasuke stared at him and then chuckled. “I should have said that to Itachi,” he admitted. “Risk should be managed, not eliminated. We will go for a compromise. The situation will remain as it is for another day and then we will review. Personally, I think it will work best if we treat Han as a person who keeps his word once he had given it.”

Naruto was greatly relieved. He did not like the idea of a day’s delay but he could see the sense in it. It would allow him time to check that the hybrids had settled on the Oak, and to visit each of the freighters, before he had the children to care for. He pulled Sasuke close to him and nuzzled his hair. He wished that they could get out of their suits but it made sense to remain in them until they were on the Oak.


But once they were on the Oak there was much to do. Sasuke had a meeting with Asuma. Naruto toured the dormitories before checking on the ferals. Haku was there with Rin, Isaribi, Sickler and Kamatari. They had just finished settling the two new groups into their rooms.

“Rin-san and I have decided that we will feed the children and make sure they are comfortable before subjecting them to any medical treatment,” Haku told him with a pointed look towards Rin.

Rin scowled at him. “I have made a preliminary assessment of each individual and shall think about the treatment they require. Haku-san has a point about being careful to consider their psychological well-being.”

“Kisame, Itachi and I will live here for the time being,” Haku told him. “C-san has agreed to be particularly attentive to Old Uchiha fighters to help them over Inoichi’s death as the majority of my attention will be here. When will those on the Sakura rejoin us, Naruto-san?”

Naruto knew Haku was thinking about Mai, whose gestator was in its shell and who was on the Sakura with the other children.

“Another day at the soonest, Haku-san,” he admitted, his whiskers drooping slightly at the thought of the delay.

Haku sighed slightly. “It is probably for the best,” he admitted. “What we have set up here is only temporary, Naruto-san,” he warned. “We can use what we learn to work out a solution, but that solution will have to be found.”


It was an uncomfortably incomplete crew who sat down together for the evening meal. Asuma, Kurenai and their children joined them, which was a nice distraction but also served to remind Naruto, Sasuke, Izumo and Kotetsu of the pods on the Sakura. Haku, Kisame and Itachi were eating in the guest crew room with Sickler and Isaribi. Not having Iruka there felt very wrong, as if the pivot about which they all turned had been snatched away.

Perhaps the absences helped conceal the gap left by Inoichi’s death, but probably not.

At the end of the meal people began leaving; first Kurenai and the children, followed by Izumo and Kotetsu and then Shino and Anko. Rin excused herself and Naruto realised that Dan and Asuma were staying because the elite fighters of old Uchiha would want to speak of old shared memories. His eyes went to Tatsuji, who was even more introverted than usual. Naruto wondered if drinking whisky and listening to people talk about Inoichi was really what he needed.

Then Naruto heard Sasuke’s sudden intake of breath and followed his gaze to the door from the galley to the corridor. There, framed in the doorway was a vision that it took Naruto a moment to recognise as C-san.

He was dressed as the highest class of spacer’s floozy. His blonde hair tumbled across his shoulders. His face was painted and his eyelashes enhanced. The jewels in his ears flashed. His high-heeled boots encased his legs up to the lower thigh. His jacket was short and open and his chest was visible through his mesh shirt. His iridescent pants were so tight that no imagination was needed to appreciate his assets.

“Can we help you?” Asuma asked. Naruto realised that Asuma was not in the least surprised to see C-san or how he was dressed; the visit had been prearranged.

“I was feeling lonely,” C-san purred. “I was wondering if Tatsuji-san could spare me his company for the evening.” He looked down demurely and then looked up and at Tatsuji. “And maybe, if he was feeling very generous, for the night.”

There were various involuntary groans around the table. Tatsuji stood and bowed. “Please excuse me,” he whispered.

They watched them walk away with C-san clinging to Tatsuji’s arm. Even Sasuke’s eyes were riveted to C-san’s butt; it was one of those times when Naruto realised how unusual it was that he found no one but Sasuke attractive.


Once they were in the haven of their room they undressed each other. Sasuke’s fingers brushed the strapping about Naruto’s ribs and shoulders while Naruto examined Sasuke’s skin and noted every small bruise or blemish.

“Thank you,” Sasuke whispered.

Naruto looked at him quizzically.

“For letting me lead, even when it required me to be in danger. I know how hard that is for you.”

Naruto inhaled the scent that was Sasuke. “You are the centre of my world,” he admitted. “If I kept you in a pod you would never grow up,” he added, remembering their conversation about the children.

Sasuke smiled his gratitude. He gave Naruto a sideways look before moving a little way apart and misquoting C-san. “I am feeling lonely,” he purred. “I am wondering if Naruto-san could spare me his company for the evening.” He fluttered his eyelashes before looking up and at Naruto through them. “And maybe, if he is feeling very generous, for the night.”

Naruto growled.

Sasuke managed a surprisingly convincing imitation of C-san’s walk, despite not having the high heels. He moved further away from Naruto and gave a come-hither look over his shoulder.

Naruto may have not found C-san’s butt attractive but watching Sasuke’s was entirely different. He howled and then he pounced.

Sasuke was gathered up and carried to the bed, to the heart of the den, where he was nuzzled and stroked until he smelt, tasted, sounded, felt and looked ready.

Growling-possessive Naruto drew back, repeatedly howling his intent. Sasuke was reaching for him, desperate that he finish what he had begun.

With a growl Naruto had Sasuke rolled up onto his shoulders, his legs hooked over Naruto’s arms and Naruto’s prick had found his hole.

He slid in with one, long, slow, smooth push.

Sasuke sighed. He bit his bottom lip. Eyelashes fluttered against flushed cheeks.

Learning to fuck face-to-face had been a challenge for growling-possessive-Naruto but being able to watch Sasuke’s face made it worthwhile.

Naruto began thrusting. With each push he heard the huff of Sasuke’s breath and felt his erection against his abdomen.

Then the moment came; Naruto’s prick changed shape. Sasuke’s back and neck arched. His eyes flew open and he gasped as Naruto hit his button.

And Naruto carried Sasuke with him, abandoning restraint, riding wave after wave of sensation until Sasuke screamed, Naruto howled and they climaxed together.

They were home.

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