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.

49. Answers

Iruka stood in the wreckage of the galley. His eyes were drawn to his favourite tea set, which was sitting on one of the counters. It was sprinkled with dust but otherwise undamaged. He pointed it out to Kakashi.

“I think the lute would have been fine,” he said, knowing how inane he sounded. Then he started to cry.

Ibiki managed to find two entire chairs so that Iruka and Kakashi could sit at the table while Shino made tea. He had to use the tea set; it was the only undamaged crockery available. Iruka leaned against Kakashi’s shoulder and wept.

Kakashi’s fingers made small circles on his back. “It’s only stuff, Ir-chan,” he whispered.

The tears stopped. Iruka pulled away so that he could look Kakashi in the face. “I don’t care about the stuff,” he retorted. “I care that we aren’t going to have Naruto for as long as we should. I care that Sasuke can’t cope with the thought of it. I care that we almost lost Shikamaru without even realising what was happening.” He started to cry again. “I had to sit opposite Naruto and pretend that I was fine with what he was telling me. It was so hard.”

“Do you want to go to our room?” Kakashi asked.

Iruka shook his head. “No. The others will need us. We must clean up this mess and have the galley ready for the midday meal.”

There was an outbreak of activity in the fighters’ crew room. Iruka heard Kurenai and the children. He wiped the tears from his face as Kurenai entered armed with brush and dustpan.

“Fu, Hamaki and Terai turned up at our cabin looking for Asuma,” she explained. “They do that when they are worried.” She began sweeping the debris on one of the counters into a pile. “Perhaps we need a container for the rubbish, Ibiki-san,” she suggested. She looked towards Shino. “I have left the children with Fu and Hamaki in the crew room. Perhaps they would be better off with you, Shino-san. If you agree, Iruka-san.”

Iruka managed a smile. “That would be sensible, Kurenai-san.”

“Haku is organising the collection of crockery and chairs from the Sakura,” Kurenai informed him. “We will soon have this sorted.”


Haku had seen how Sasuke’s display of temper had upset his fighters. Hamaki, Terai and Fu had run to Asuma. Choza had snacked. Inoichi had hidden in his room, Kunugi had suddenly been at Dan’s side and Tatsuji had sat rocking. Even Gai had turned pale. Once it was over they were almost too happy. He commented on it to Dan as the two of them packed crockery in the Sakura’s galley.

“No one was beaten, raped or killed,” Dan replied. “These things happened when Fugaku-kyou lost his temper.” He cocked his head at Haku. “You know happens when Itachi-san loses his temper.”

Haku shuddered. Dying was not something he wished to recall.

Dan considered. “Maybe it was a good thing. We have now seen what happens when Sasuke-sama loses his temper. He throws plates to miss. He breaks chairs. He even managed not to break Iruka-san’s tea set. It was a very Sasuke-sama temper tantrum.”

Haku smiled. Calling it a tantrum put the morning’s events into perspective. They finished packing the crockery and found a hover platform to transport it.


They were taking their places at the table for the midday meal when Naruto arrived. He greeted Iruka with a hug. “Sasuke is asleep,” he confided. He sat down, examined his plate as if looking for cracks and smiled.

They had already begun eating when, unexpectedly, Sasuke entered. He was pale; his obsidian eyes intense within sockets so dark they looked bruised. There was a graze on his chin and a cut on one cheekbone.

“I apologise for being tardy, Iruka-sensei,” he said. He straightened his back and stood taller. “I apologise to you all for my behaviour this morning. It was unacceptable.”

Those who had crewed on the Silver Leaf nodded their acknowledgment. The others stared, their expressions varying from shocked to disbelieving. Sasuke walked to his usual place and sat down. At first he kept his hands in his lap but once he had to use them the others found themselves looking at the torn and battered skin.

“Installation of the improver went well,” Kakashi announced into the silence. “The engineers suggested testing it on holes that do not require improving. It will make a difference to travel times. Shikamaru-san has been doing some research on our route to the Wave system.” He looked meaningfully at Shikamaru.

“Yes, a five division trip should take only two,” Shikamaru confirmed. “It won’t always make that much of a difference, because it depends on there being poor holes and us knowing about them.” His eyes acquired a distant look. “I’ve always been interested in holes, so we know a lot about where there are poor holes.” He came back to them and smiled. “I have integrated the information into our route calculator. Our travel time back to Tarrasade from here would be halved.”

Asuma shook his head. “I still find it difficult to believe that anyone could invent such a device and then not sell it. Everyone would want one. It would revolutionise space travel.”

“He does sell it,” Sasuke observed. “People buy it. We bought it. The price we paid was high.” He looked at Naruto and then moved his gaze so it rested on Shikamaru. “The price he wanted us to pay was even higher. For those of you who do not know, Klennethon Darrent tried to persuade Shikamaru-san to change allegiance. This was, of course, a ridiculous and unattainable objective, but Klennethon Darrent did not know that.” Sasuke smiled. “He does now.”

“He wanted him because he’s a genius, not because he’s pretty?” Fu checked.

Shikamaru flushed scarlet. There were many smiles and a few laughs about the table.

“I am sure that being pretty was a factor,” Sasuke confirmed. “However, him being a type seven genius was probably more significant. Type seven geniuses are very rare.” He was struck by a realisation and saw no reason not to share it. “Shikamaru’s service is Uchiha’s greatest asset.”

Asuma chuckled. “And for all those standards we teased Kakashi about wasting his time looking for a genius cat,” he recalled.

Sasuke caught Kakashi’s eye. “Kakashi-sensei’s wisdom is invaluable,” he acknowledged.


Once the meal was over Naruto made his way over to Sasuke, leaned over him from behind, angled his chin carefully with a finger and kissed him. The others responded with a communal sigh of relief. Naruto smiled.

“You stay here for a while to reassure them,” he said so quietly that no one else could hear. “I will be back later.”


Sasuke feared he was too exhausted to pay each person the attention they deserved but he agreed with Naruto that it was important to try. Iruka stayed, aware that Sasuke might require support.

Fu, Hamaki and Terai watched him for some time under the guise of finishing their meal and drinking tea.

Jiraiya told him about the latest communication from the Silver Leaf, which confirmed that they would rendezvous after the next jump. After that their conversation wandered a little before Sasuke realised what he wanted and raised the possibility that Jiraiya might space on the Silver Leaf as Uchiha liaison. Jiraiya immediately came up with a list of reasons why it was unrealistic, including Tsunade’s desire to have an all female crew. Even so, Sasuke could tell that he was pleased.

Konohamaru and Sumaru cleaned up the galley and then sat at the table working on a task Ibiki had given them. After a while, at Konohamaru’s urging, Sumaru asked Sasuke a few questions about the ship’s security system.

Haku produced a bedcover that he thought Naruto would like. He explained that he was showing it to Sasuke while Naruto was absent in case the mix of colours was too much for Sasuke’s taste. Sasuke suggested that Haku give the bedcover to Naruto as a gift.

Choza consulted him and Iruka about the celebratory meal they were planning when the Silver Leaf docked with the Oak.

Rin appeared with her medical kit and insisted on looking at his hands. She was uncharacteristically gentle, even saying that Naruto had done a good job in treating the damage. She offered him the option of supergens and did not argue when he refused.

Shino brought Akemi to show Sasuke how well he could control his flyer. During the demonstration, Sasuke became aware of Shikamaru in the doorway to their crew room. He was leaning on the doorjamb with his hands thrust into his pockets. Sasuke acknowledged his presence with a look and Shikamaru nodded, agreeing to wait. Sasuke then concentrated on asking Akemi questions and listening carefully to the answers. There was much praise for his skill in managing not to crash the flyer for fifteen seconds. Finally Shino carried a waving Akemi away and Shikamaru made his way to the table and sat down.

“Should I go?” Iruka asked.

Shikamaru looked at him, frowning slightly. “Of course not, Iruka-sensei,” he replied.

Iruka smiled. “Real coffee?” he asked.

Shikamaru’s eyes lit up and even Sasuke liked the idea. Iruka found the small tin containing the precious beans and began the time consuming process.

“I have been thinking…” Shikamaru began.

Sasuke braced himself.

“…about Shino’s question. The one about what the New Uchiha should be for.”

“And?” Sasuke encouraged.

“Even only one improver makes a huge difference. It means that we can do things that other organisations cannot. It would allow us to be very successful traders. We would accumulate credit. Funds will not longer be a problem but there is also the issue of reputation.

“Unfortunately, much of the Old Uchiha reputation was about how ruthless they were and much of their success was tied up with the network of contacts created through accepting babies and children. You aren’t going to be that ruthless and there is no way you are going to take people’s babies.

“So we have to think of something else. What Naruto said stuck in my mind. He wanted Uchiha to be the good guys, the people you call when you get into trouble and I thought, why not?

“We could become problem solvers. People come to us with their problem. We analyse it, work out whether it can be solved and whether we are the right people to solve it. If we are, we give them a price and do it. We make it clear what kind of problem we will take. Eliminating your problem with pirates or slavers would be fine, cutting off your neighbour’s trade routes would not.” Shikamaru coloured slightly. “This uses what you called your greatest asset, me, because I can think of solutions that would never occur to others. It uses the improver because that gives us speed and unpredictability. It uses the Uchiha intelligence gathering systems. It uses Neji because we would need to recruit the right people and there will be many negotiations. It uses the elite fighters because we will need to be effective militarily. It uses you and Naruto because the two of you are shaping up to be great romantic heroes and heroes rescue people.” He paused. “It needs a lot more thought.”

“I love it,” Iruka declared from where he had stopped making coffee to listen more carefully to what Shikamaru was saying. “Professional heroes. What could be better than that?”

It had sounded too much like being mercenaries for Sasuke’s liking, but Iruka’s reaction made him reconsider. “It sounds interesting,” he admitted. He suspected Naruto would think the same way as Iruka. “I like it,” he decided, “but I am too tired to think properly.”

They batted some of the ideas about while Shikamaru and Sasuke savoured their coffee and Iruka drank more tea. They began talking about recruiting many youngsters as trainees rather than a few as cats; an idea that pleased Shikamaru because it was a way of recruiting personnel to replace those who were no longer to be acquired as babies or children.

In the end Sasuke had to confess to being too tired to continue and Shikamaru left to add some of the new ideas into his simulations.


Sasuke and Iruka sat in silence for some time. Sasuke began thinking about the contrast between Shikamaru’s vision of the future and his own miserable outlook the day before. Given the choice, he knew which one Naruto would choose. Naruto would make the perfect professional hero. Merely thinking about it made Sasuke smile.

“Happy thoughts?” Iruka queried.

“Naruto is right,” Sasuke admitted. “What he and I have is amazing and wonderful and I would not swap the time we have already had together for a century with someone else. Another twenty standards would be a gift and a privilege.” He looked at Iruka. “You and Kakashi must remind me of that if it slips my mind.”

“And you must listen, Sasuke-kun,” Iruka reproached him.

Sasuke looked at his hands. “I suppose it could have been worse,” he suggested.

Iruka sniffed. “It was quite bad enough. You bullied Rin. You threw a temper tantrum. Worst, you ignored Naruto when your first thought should have been to go to him and ask how he felt. I did not know you were so self-centred and spoilt.”

Sasuke felt himself flushing.

“As long as you learn from it,” Iruka relented. He poured more tea. “Do you know why Klennethon Darrent did it? Why he told you?”

It was a good question. Sasuke was often impressed by Iruka-sensei’s questions. “No,” he admitted. “It might have been because Shikamaru chose us over him.” He considered the question further. “It could be to make this folktale of his more compelling.” Sasuke thought of his father and Itachi. “Maybe he hurts people to make himself feel better.” He tried to smile. “He almost had me doing what he wanted but he underestimated Naruto.”

Iruka smiled in response. “Yes, we are inclined to do that, us purebreds.”


The coffee ensured that Sasuke was still awake when Naruto came for him but he swayed as he tried to stand. Naruto picked him up.

“I do not think Sasuke will be with you for the evening meal, Iruka-sensei,” he observed.

“Dobe, I am fine,” Sasuke complained.

“You need to sleep,” Naruto insisted, carrying him through the shared area of the crew room and into their room.

“I had real coffee,” Sasuke told him.

Naruto tried to look stern but his whiskers were moving as if he were smiling. “That was unwise,” he stated.

“Iruka-sensei made it for Shikamaru,” Sasuke told him. “Shikamaru has decided what Uchiha should be. He thinks we should be professional heroes.”

Naruto could not resist smiling at that. “Shi-chan described us as professional heroes?” he queried.

“No, that was what Iruka-sensei called us once Shikamaru said what we should do. Shikamaru called it problem solving. It didn’t sound as good when it was problem solving,” Sasuke admitted.

Naruto put him on the bed and tried to move away. Sasuke refused let go and pulled him closer. “You smell nice,” he murmured, rubbing his nose and cheek against Naruto’s skin.

A soft growl rumbled in Naruto’s throat. “Teme,” he warned. “Your hands. And you are too tired. I will hurt you.”

Sasuke ran the tip of his tongue up Naruto’s neck and suckled on his earlobe.

Naruto whimpered.

“We can make sure my body is supported,” Sasuke suggested. He nipped and sucked the skin over Naruto’s collarbone. “Then you can fuck me. It will be nice.”

“Nice?” Naruto queried, but he was already reaching for pillows and cushions.

Sasuke smiled, pleased to have won the argument, and began the task of removing his and Naruto’s clothes. It was difficult because his hands were stiff but Naruto was keen to assist. Once they were naked, Sasuke hugged Naruto.

“Thank you, for this morning,” he whispered.

Naruto pulled him closer.

“I was in a bad place,” Sasuke admitted. “It was my fault. I put myself there. You forced me out of it. If our future is precarious, it only makes the present more precious.”

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