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’.

I would like to thank those who have left a review. I read every one and they mean a great deal to me.

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.

Apologies if the characters have grown differently in their new environment.

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.

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Chapter seven: Waiting

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Naruto was pleased when Kurenai arrived at the playroom that afternoon. She had Keitaro with her; they watched fondly as the boy was mobbed by the kits and persuaded to help them with the train set. Hoshi, Ayame and Haru were playing with dolls. Hikaru was building one of his rubber brick edifices. Ryuu sat by himself, unable to understand why trains, dolls or rubber bricks were so interesting, until Kurenai rescued him and sat him in her lap for a cuddle.

“C-san and I are worried about Haku,” Kurenai informed Naruto.

Naruto recalled Haku’s face during that day’s midday meal. He had been too pale and his lips too thin. “Word from the Silver Leaf is only a few days overdue,” he observed.

“Five days overdue,” Kurenai reminded him. “Being challenged and the acquisition of Ranmaru mean that Haku is struggling to think of it as a routine mission. I fear that he is on the edge of regretting beginning Mai’s gestation.”

Personally, Naruto had always doubted the wisdom of conceiving a child when two of the parents were going to be absent. He remembered how he had wanted Sasuke close to him.

“We think that Haku-san would benefit from being distracted,” Kurenai continued.

Naruto’s eyes were fixed on Kuuya and Yasushi, who were on the edge of quarrelling over which engine to use.

“We were wondering if you could accompany us to the Hunundau store,” she concluded.

Keitaro had made the decision for Kuuya and Yasushi, diplomatically choosing a third engine. Naruto relaxed and reviewed in his mind what Kurenai had been saying to him. “I cannot go to the store during the ordinary opening times,” he reminded her before realising what she meant.

He turned to her. She was mussing Ryuu’s ears and he was snuggling against her breasts. It was not often that one of his children got to nuzzle breasts.

“I shall contact Dengaku-san,” he promised; he was careful not to contact the Hunundau store manager too often.


Naruto mentioned the delayed contact to Shikamaru when he visited the playroom later that afternoon. The children were taking one of their spontaneous naps in one of the nests, which did not happen often but was welcomed when it did. Shikamaru had plucked Haru from the huddle despite Naruto’s objections. Luckily the child had only woken momentarily and he was now asleep in Shi-chan’s lap.

“Five days is significant,” Shikamaru admitted. “However, I can think of a hundred mundane reasons why it would occur.”

“And many worrying ones,” Naruto suggested.

“And some worrying ones,” he conceded. “However, there is no reason to believe it has anything to do with Ranmaru. Everything Inari sent us about him has checked out. I have even managed to get hold of the orphanage records from Geeon. They cared for a child who fits Ranmaru’s description and who left the orphanage at the correct time.”

“It may not involve Ranmaru,” Naruto observed.

“No,” Shikamaru agreed. He looked down at the sleeping child in his arms. “It is only five days,” he repeated.

Naruto nodded. “Kurenai and C-san want me to take Haku and them to the Hunundau store. Kurenai says it will be good to distract Haku. I have agreed to do so.”

There was a silence. Shikamaru looked at him. Naruto looked back. Shi-chan was not going to volunteer.

“Will you come with me?” Naruto asked.

Shikamaru grimaced. “Is this a best friend thing?” he asked.

Naruto smiled at him. “I think so,” he replied.


Once he found out what was happening, Kakashi complained that including Shikamaru made security concerns worse rather than better. In the end, somehow, he, Iruka and Asuma were added to the party.

Shikamaru asked Neji but he was firmly set against the idea.

“No,” he replied. “I have no intention of ending up in a beauty parlour with Haku and C-san.”

Naruto’s whiskers twitched. No one had mentioned a beauty parlour.


Dengaku-san had overlapped their visit with that of some other high status clients. Naruto had agreed to it because Dengaku was so obviously disappointed that Sasuke was not going to be with them.

Sasuke had said no before Naruto had begun asking the question; Naruto blamed Neji.


“We are no longer short of funds?” Naruto checked with Shikamaru when they were in the shuttle.

“No,” Shikamaru admitted reluctantly. The communication channels based on the mini-gates were rapidly decreasing the gap between Uchiha’s perceived wealth and the reality. “The store will give you anything you want, Na-chan.”

“I feel bad letting them do that,” Naruto told him. “We have an account there?”

Shikamaru’s eye twitched. “Yes,” he replied.

“And you and Iruka-sensei can both authorise purchases?” Naruto asked.

“You can do it yourself, Na-chan” Shikamaru told him. “You are Sasuke-sama’s partner. He has you as a main user on the account Uchiha has there.” He sighed. “Try not to buy the entire store.”


Dengaku himself met them at the store’s high security dock.

“Naruto-san, Shikamaru-san, it is an honour,” he said. He then bowed to C-san. “It is truly a pleasure that you should again grace us with your presence, C-san.”

C-san acknowledged the greeting with a small bow.

“These are other members of the Uchiha household,” Naruto told him. “This is Iruka-san, who is head of the Uchiha household.”

Dengaku’s bow would only have been lower if Sasuke himself had been present. “It is a great privilege, Iruka-san.”

“And these are Kakashi-san, Asuma-san, Kurenai-san and Haku-san,” Naruto continued. “Haku-san was the recipient of the kimono you gave me.”

Dengaku bowed again. “It could have had no more appropriate owner,” he replied. He straightened and smiled. “We have reserved you a table at our fashion show,” he told them. He smiled. “Kimonos are very fashionable at the moment.”


They sat at one of seven tables. The other six tables were occupied by exquisitely dressed people who were pretending not to stare at Naruto. A waiter offered them refreshments before a rather scary woman introduced herself as their personal assistant.

“What happened to the young lady who helped me last time?” Naruto whispered to Dengaku as the store manager was about to take his leave. “She was nice.”

“It’s been three standards, Na-chan,” Shikamaru reminded him. “She may not work here anymore.”

Dengaku smiled and said that he would check if she was available.


Naruto found himself intrigued how the process worked. They each had a tablet. A person walked down the raised platform wearing the garment and a picture appeared on the tablet. If you were interested in discussing the garment further, you indicated so on your tablet.

He did not expect to find anything interesting enough to want to know more, but then a man walked along the platform in a short kimono that Naruto thought would look amazing on Sasuke.

The nice young woman, her name was Tamaki, was waiting for them in the sitting room where they went next. Apparently this was where they discussed whether they wanted to buy any of the clothes. They were also offered the opportunity to be scanned so that their clothes would fit perfectly.

“I want this for Sasuke, Tamaki-san,” Naruto told her. “But I think he has grown since he was last here.”

“Iruka-sensei brought measurements,” Shikamaru told him. “In case we saw something appropriate.”

Tamaki smiled. “We will update our records. Did you not see anything for yourself, Naruto-san?”

Naruto had not thought of looking for himself.

“Perhaps something similar in another colour?” Tamaki suggested. “Perhaps with a different design on the back.” She worked at the tablet and then angled it towards him with a smile.

Naruto looked at the blue kimono with the orange fox demon on the back and smiled in return.


Haku was enjoying discussing the kimonos, even wanting to see the actual garments, so they decided to split up. Asuma stayed with Haku, Kurenai and C-san while Kakashi, Iruka and Naruto accompanied Shikamaru to the fitness department.

“I can’t believe that Shikamaru wants to look at training equipment,” Kakashi grumbled.

“You can always swap with Asuma and watch Haku inspect kimonos,” Iruka reminded him.

Kakashi suddenly smiled. “Fitness department it is,” he agreed.


Naruto knew that Shi-chan was up to something. He had that look on his face and his smell always changed slightly.

Then he saw the trampoline.

“Where are we going to put it?” asked Kakashi as the three of them watched Naruto soar, twist, bounce and tumble. “He’s touching the ceiling here and it is far higher than anything we have in the compound.”

“We will buy an old spacecraft from one of the salvage yards,” Shikamaru told him. “Izumo can gut it and we will connect it to the compound somewhere.”

“And we will pad it,” Iruka insisted, “for when the children start using it.”


Naruto decided that spa did not sound as bad as beauty parlour. Trampolining had been better exercise than he expected, so soaking in a hot bath and then receiving a massage was welcome. The masseuse looked like her eyes would pop from her head when she recognised her client but she managed to be professional.

Naruto much preferred Sasuke; his hands were stronger and his touch more welcome.


When he rejoined the others Haku, C-san and Kurenai were trying to persuade Iruka to have his hair, hands and feet treated.

“I shall do it if Shikamaru agrees to join us,” Iruka said.

Naruto suppressed a smile. Iruka-sensei often nagged Shikamaru about the way he neglected his hair and his nails.

Then there was an excellent moment when Kakashi overheard Iruka telling the woman with the scissors that he was considering cutting his hair. Kakashi had transformed from uninterested to attentive and had hovered protectively until the scissors were no longer anywhere to be seen.

“Was it so bad?” Naruto asked. Shikamaru’s hair looked like it had appreciated the attention. It fell soft and glossy about his face.

“No,” Shikamaru admitted. “Once he realised I wasn’t going to wear it down he showed me all these fixings for holding it up.” He picked up a hinged, toothed silver ring, swept his hair back from his face and secured it. “It works well. I like things that work well.”

“It looks good loose,” Naruto told him.

“I know,” Shikamaru admitted. “Neji likes it,” he added.

Naruto understood. Some things were better kept between lovers.


Finally the shopping began in earnest: fabrics, soft furnishings, linens, toys and, eventually, a whole floor of objects designed to divide parents-to-be from their credit.

Naruto watched Haku examining a beautifully painted crib and smiled. Haku’s nursery would be completely different to the one he had built.

Then he was distracted by Shikamaru dragging him over to a section dedicated to objects for children between two and four standards.

They actually considered buying the children matching outfits before regaining their sanity.


They did discuss shoes; Kiba was convinced that if they did not get the kits and Ryuu used to shoes soon they would grow up refusing to wear them. The assistant in that department suggested that they bring the children to the shop to have shoes fitted. Naruto was wary because of the way the man’s eyes lit up; he imagined the man selling pictures of Kazuki to the media.

Tamaki frowned at the man and promised to send a pair of each style Naruto liked in all the sizes for the children to try.

“I understand how important it must be to you that their privacy is protected, Naruto-san,” she told him once the man had gone.


Naruto found himself studying the young woman as the purchases that were to be given as gifts were wrapped.

“Did you always want to work in a store, Tamaki-san?” he asked.

She smiled a little sadly. “Not really, Naruto-san, but the pay is regular and I have responsibilities. When my grandmother was younger she had a stall in the market. I enjoyed working there but this is not the same. It is very formal and hierarchical.”


He was still thinking about Tamaki when they were heading home in the shuttle.

“Shi-chan, could you do a background check on Tamaki-san?” he asked.

Shikamaru frowned at him. “You worried about her going to the media? I don’t think she will, Na-chan. She didn’t last time and it must have been pretty tempting.”

“No, I don’t think she will go to the media,” Naruto replied. “I like her. She is nice. I would like to know if it was safe to know
her.”


“Why is Shika-san doing a background check on some woman you met at the store?” Sasuke asked the next day.

Naruto twitched his whiskers. “She is not ‘some woman’, teme,” he replied. “It is Tamaki-san, the woman who helped us when we went to the store the first time.”

Sasuke rephrased the question as if he were speaking to an errant child. “Naruto, why have you asked Shikamaru-san to do a background check on Tamaki-san?”

“I like her,” Naruto told her. “She reminds me of Kurenai-san. I was wondering if she would like to work for us.”

“For us?” Sasuke queried.

Naruto scowled at him. “For me, then. As my assistant. To help with the HDL work. She doesn’t really like working at the store.”

Sasuke scowled back. “We can’t trust outsiders. You know that.”

Naruto was not going to back down. He had only asked for Shi-chan to do a background check. He had not mentioned the possibility to Tamaki or even arranged a meeting. “I am sure that she is safe and I will be careful,” he replied.

“I forbid it,” Sasuke retorted.

There was silence. Naruto could not quite believe what he had heard. He was on the edge of retaliating but bit it back. Instead he walked away, ignoring Sasuke’s demands that he return.


“Have you and Sasuke argued?” Iruka asked gently the next morning.

Naruto wanted to shrug, but that would be rude. It had been a difficult night. He could not sleep in his room in Haku’s crew room because it had no speaker linked to the microphone in the nursery. Instead he had pretended to be sleeping when Sasuke came to bed and ignored the fact that Sasuke took forever to fall asleep.

There was nothing unusual about Naruto waking long before Sasuke in the morning.

“How do you think Sasuke sees me, Iruka-sensei?” he asked.

Iruka looked alarmed. “You are the love of his life, Naru-kun. He adores you.”

“He forbade me to do something,” Naruto admitted. “With no discussion at all. As if...” he hesitated. “As if I had no choice but to obey him.”

Iruka’s tone was gentle. “He is stressed, Naru-kun. He worries that something has happened to the Silver Leaf. He feels that the ultimate responsibility lies with him. He agreed that they should go. He has allowed them to take the ship into a system where the locals will want to kill Sumaru if they discover who he is. He went with the balance of probabilities and did not overrule Inari when Inari said that the new cat should be detanked and integrated into the crew.”

It made sense but it did not help. “I know he is stressed,” Naruto acknowledged. When people were under pressure they reverted to their core values; Sasuke had expected Naruto’s unquestioning obedience.

“I would like to go to the gym early, Iruka-sensei,” he admitted. “Could you help Kiba with the children’s breakfast?”

Iruka nodded.

Naruto scraped his uneaten food into the recycle and made his way to the gym. He missed Gaara. Gaara was busy with HDL business in Kaze. Gaara had always listened and then made observations that forced Naruto to see things differently.


He was midway through his warm-up routine when Sasuke appeared in the doorway. He looked as if he had been dragged out of bed by his hair and had put on the first clothes that had come to hand, including the shirt that Naruto had been wearing the day before.

“I never, never think of you like that,” he declared.

Naruto stopped and stared at him. “Like what?” he asked.

“Like I am superior to you because I am purebred and you are a hybrid.”

Naruto blinked back tears. He had been so careful not to say that to Iruka-sensei. Iruka-sensei had slapped him last time he had said something like that.

“I was unreasonable and rude, but it wasn’t because of that,” Sasuke continued. “It would never be that. It was because I am an arrogant, self-centred, selfish, jealous, over-protective, Uchiha prig.”

Naruto could not help but smile. “Jealous? I am bonded to you, teme. How does that leave room for jealousy?”

Sasuke’s chin jutted out toward him. “I already have to share you with too many other people,” he complained.

Naruto looked again at what Sasuke was wearing. “Did Iruka-sensei drag you out of bed?” he asked.

Sasuke scowled. “Yes. He did not even knock. First thing I knew was when my arse hit the floor. I missed the first chunk of the lecture but he was more than willing to repeat it.”

Naruto started to laugh. He could not help it. Sasuke’s hair stuck up in all directions, particularly at the back, and orange really wasn’t his colour.


Iruka called them to a meeting in his office the next morning. Naruto and Sasuke arrived together after supervising the children’s breakfast and delivering them to Kiba in the playroom. Kakashi and Shikamaru were already there although Shi-chan looked two-thirds asleep. Sasuke poured coffee for himself and Shikamaru while Iruka made tea.

“I think that we five should have regular meetings,” Iruka told them. “Asuma-san always insists that we five are the core of the new Uchiha and after much thought I have decided that he is probably correct.”

Naruto knew that Asuma would not have put it that way; he would have said that they were Kakashi’s family.

“Shika-kun, if, after today, you decide you want to invite Neji and he decides to accept, that will be fine,” Iruka added.

Part of Naruto hoped that Neji would decline. If Neji attended it would be like a strategy meeting with Iruka and him tacked on.

“We are going to use these meetings to keep all five of us fully informed and for frank discussions of whether we, as a family, are on the right track.” He took a deep breath. “We all know that Sasu-kun and Naru-kun have had a spat which, thankfully, is now over.

“Their disagreement happened after Naruto met someone who looked good for an administrative role in the Uchiha organisation, a young woman who is pleasant and who has shown herself trustworthy. There should have been a standard, agreed process for him to use. So that is my contribution to issues for future discussion; recruitment, both of adults and of trainees.”

“Educating the children,” Kakashi added, much to Naruto’s surprise. “We have tried Akemi in three schools that have the required level of security and he has hated all three. They were the three least objectionable of the schools Asuma and Kurenai visited.”

Shikamaru cast Iruka an apologetic glance and took a deep breath. “Meal times,” he admitted. “Do we really benefit from having both midday and evening meals as a whole family? Also, how in known space are we going to cope once the younger children are old enough to eat with us?”

“Persuading Sasuke that he is not responsible for everything that goes wrong,” Naruto contributed. “He never thinks of taking credit for all the good stuff but he insists on taking the blame for all the bad.”

Sasuke pretended to scowl at him. “Communications,” he decided. “Shika, we need a way of enabling ordinary gates for light speed communications.”

There was silence. They were all thinking of the crew of the Silver Leaf.

“We’ll hear from them soon, Sasu-kun,” Iruka assured him. “You will see.”

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