In the cold of space you find the heat of suns

Thank you for the reviews. They inspire me to continue this story.

This is the second of the slightly rushed chapters. Please feel free to point out any errors.

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

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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.


86. Appearances

Iruka was operating at his limit within minutes of the crew arriving at the household. Never, in all the standards he had been queen of his crew, had he failed to have everyone settled into the crew room before the evening meal on a day when they had moved.

This time it would be a challenge. They had to clear the three rooms adjacent to Sasuke’s for the babies, the kits and Kiba. Only one of the rooms was unoccupied; Shino and Ibiki had to move. Tayuya had been sent to the guest crew room to ask Ibiki if he could come or, alternatively, if they could move his things.

Sumaru, Anko, Tayuya and Inari did not even have rooms.

He envied Haku, who only had Itachi to worry about.

When Tayuya came back she told him that Ibiki would be coming as soon as he was able and that Gaara was not coping with his new apartment, which was not padded and did not have the air conditioning altered so that he could hibernate. He had already passed out three times and Lee was worried.

Iruka resisted making the suggestion that he use the cold storage. Instead he asked Shino if he could spare little time to work on the climate controls in Gaara’s apartment. Shino, who was trying to wire the temporary nurseries so that they could deshell the gestators, looked at him as if he was crazy.

The last thing Iruka needed was Neji talking to him about clothes.

“This cannot be urgent, Neji-san,” he complained as he listened with half an ear to Konohamaru assuring a sceptical Naruto that he could manage if Shino went with Shikamaru to sort out Gaara’s apartment.

“I am sorry, Iruka-san, but it is,” Neji insisted. “We have the invitation to dine with Klennethon Darrent tomorrow evening. The only formal clothes we have are our uniforms and neither Naruto’s nor Sasuke’s fit. Not that we should be wearing uniforms for a social engagement at a restaurant.”

“Has Sasuke decided to accept?” Iruka asked, relaxing one notch as Shino told Naruto that Konohamaru was more than capable of completing the wiring.

“No, but he will,” Neji insisted. “We must have something to wear. Naruto and Sasuke look like they’ve put on their younger siblings’ clothes by mistake.” He displayed a tablet showing a still from one of the loops running on the media channels.”

Iruka had to admit it looked bad.

“We’ll employ the tailor that we used last time,” Iruka promised. “We will order new uniforms and some other clothes for those who need them.”

“Good,” Neji acknowledged, “but that will not solve the problem of tomorrow night.”

Iruka gave in. “I assume you have a plan and you want my support getting Naruto and Sasuke to agree to it.”

“And Shikamaru,” Neji told him. “There is a Hunundau store here. They will see us today and they can have one outfit each ready by tomorrow afternoon. They have a privacy suite and a private entrance. They will even send a shuttle to collect us from one of the airlocks so we don’t have to use the corridors.”

Iruka sniffed. “And how much will that cost?”

Neji smiled slightly. “Nothing. It is enough that Naruto and Sasuke might be seen in public wearing their clothes.”

Iruka had always found it difficult to resist a bargain. “I’ll brief Kakashi. You get Jiraiya. It will need all four of us to convince them.”


Naruto was only on the shuttle because Sasuke had threatened to go without him. He could not believe that they were spending time shopping for clothes and going to restaurants when the temporary nurseries were not ready and they had not finished moving into the crew room.

He looked out the porthole. He sighed. It was nice seeing the stars. Using a shuttle was easier that fighting their way through corridors filled with screaming fans.

A neatly dressed assistant had been assigned to accompany them. Naruto listened to her explaining the process to Sasuke. Apparently they would be scanned so that any garments would fit them perfectly and so that they could view any outfit they were considering on their hologram.

“Will it take long?” Naruto asked.

The woman smiled at him. “No, Naruto-san. It is very quick. Many of our clients are very busy people.” She produced a tablet. “We could discuss your preferences now. It may speed things up. What colour and style of clothes were you considering, Naruto-san?”

Naruto remembered the shirt, now long outgrown. “I like orange,” he admitted.

“We require a style of clothes that is not inconsistent with our uniforms,” Sasuke told her, “but more formal.”

The woman nodded. “Classic spacer style. We have a number of clients who are spacers or who have spacer backgrounds. It will not be a problem. We have some exceptional hand-painted fabrics that can be made into jackets.” She made some selections on her tablet and then angled it towards Naruto. “You might like one of these, Naruto-san.”

Naruto peered at the picture of a black jacket with orange flames licking up from the hem and the cuffs. The image changed to one of a jacket with an image of a fox that was mostly on the back but wrapped across one shoulder and around the sides. He was immediately converted. “They’re awesome,” he declared.


On the way back Naruto sat with the box in his lap. He refused to feel guilty. It was not as if he had set out to take advantage; the other clothes they had chosen were not the most expensive that the store had to offer. It was not his fault that the store manager had been a sucker for pleading blue eyes and whiskers.

Once home, Naruto walked swiftly from the airlock to the household with Shikamaru, Neji and Sasuke having to run occasionally to keep up. He went straight into the other crew room, stranding the others on the threshold as they did not have rooms there. They craned their necks to watch as he thrust the box into Haku’s hands.

Inside was the most exquisite kimono that any of them, including Haku, had ever seen.

Haku sat on the couch, tears of joy trickling down his face, panicking about watermarking the silk yet unable to bring himself to replace the lid of the box.


Seeing Haku’s reaction was the high point of Naruto’s day.


Kiba, Shino and Konohamaru had continued working on the temporary nurseries while Naruto visited the store. Naruto forced himself to smile and to say how pleased he was that the babies and the kits were out of their shells, when, in truth, neither of the nurseries felt right.

He told himself they would do until the larger nursery was finished.

The plan was to build a large nursery behind the crew room. Once it was complete it would be accessed by converting the babies’ temporary nursery to a corridor. Naruto decided to check on the work that had already been done under Jiraiya's direction. He stood in the large, empty shell of a room, the centre of which was filled with equipment that had been delivered in their absence: the milk synthesiser, a dedicated clothes washer and drier, even an automated feeder that Kiba had insisted would be necessary for the kits.

There were three, but only three, cribs. Kurenai-san had told them that purebred babies were better off sleeping alone while Naruto agreed with Kiba that kits would be unhappy away from a huddle.

None of it felt right.

And it was too far away from their room. Even Naruto would not be able to hear them. They would need microphones and speakers.

Naruto shivered.


He had resolved to speak with Iruka-sensei about his concerns but changed his mind when he returned to the crew room. The move was still incomplete. Iruka was so stressed that his skin was beige and his lips thin. Much of the day had been spent on the temporary nurseries; they were coming up to the evening meal and the crew room was still chaotic.

Iruka’s workforce had been reduced to Tayuya and Sumaru. Kiba was stocking the nurseries and sorting out his room. Neji, Shikamaru and Kakashi had been summoned by Sasuke to a meeting and taken Inari with them. Rin and Dan were in the infirmary. Shino and Konohamaru were in Gaara’s apartment finishing the adjustments to the climate control so that Gaara did not freeze. Anko was nowhere to be seen.

Tayuya and Sumaru had been helping all day. They were tired and fractious.

Naruto put his concerns aside. He fetched, carried and lifted. He suggested that Tayuya and Sumaru concentrate on their own rooms. He dumped Anko’s stuff in her room, added a pile of bed linen and towels, shut the door and told Iruka-sensei that it was her fault for vanishing. They made up Inari’s bed, stocked his shower and placed his bags neatly in one corner of his room.

It was only then that Iruka admitted that he had not begun unpacking his own and Kakashi’s belongings. Naruto told him to go and see to it while he sorted the bathroom and tidied the shared area of the crew room.

By the time Choza summoned them to the kitchen Iruka looked better and the crew room was presentable.


Next morning Iruka, Kurenai, Kiba and Naruto met to discuss the new nursery. Naruto arrived resolved to give voice to his feelings. Then he saw the day by day work schedule on the wall of Iruka’s office. The first topic they discussed was whether they could delay decanting the babies and the kits because the nursery might not be ready. Kurenai had brought Rin to give her opinion.

Neither Kiba nor Rin were keen on delaying. Altering the plans would make delay more likely. Naruto told himself the new nursery would be fine. When Iruka asked him if anything was wrong, he shook his head and smiled.


He had many opportunities to practice that smile as they worked on the nursery for the rest of the day. By the time they were preparing to leave for the restaurant it was convincing enough to pass even Sasuke’s scrutiny.


Naruto had no illusions that the visit to the restaurant would turn out as well as the trip to the store. Specifically, he still wanted to wring Klennethon Darrent’s neck for telling Sasuke that fox-human hybrids did not live as long as purebreds.

They were wearing the clothes that had arrived that day from the Hunundau store. Shikamaru’s jacket was a rich brown with a pattern based on trees, Neji’s was grey with a flowering vine and Sasuke’s was dark blue with a moonlit landscape. When it had come to making a choice, Naruto had forgone the jackets he had liked, with the flames or the fox, for a plain dark blue jacket that he felt befitted his role as bodyguard and looked good with his tags. However, when he had opened the box addressed to him there had been all three jackets along with an assortment of matching shirts, pants and boots. Naruto was surprised. He thought he had already pushed his luck getting the kimono for Haku.

He insisted on wearing the plain jacket to the meal with Klennethon Darrent.


Like the store, the restaurant had a private airlock. They were met by the maitre d' who escorted them to a dining room that was large enough for several tables but only contained one. The walls of the room were transparent on three sides; they were surrounded by stars.

Klennethon Darrent and his three companions rose as they entered. One was Garner Parrad. The second was a beautiful young man with long, golden hair and sapphire blue eyes. The third was a Hyuga. Naruto scented the air; he even smelt like Neji. Naruto studied Neji out of the corner of his eye. He seemed calm. He even smelt calm.

“This is Elkellen, my companion, and a representative of Hyuga who is working with me at his time,” he informed them. “Elkellen, Hyuga-san, these are Sasuke-san, Shikamaru-san, Neji-san and Naruto-san.”

The young man bowed slightly. “It is an honour,” he acknowledged.

The Hyuga bowed very slightly and said nothing. His eyes bored into Neji.


Naruto noticed that Elkellen’s eyes did not linger on him, as might be expected, or even on Sasuke, but on Shikamaru.


The conversation was convoluted and multi-layered. It was mainly between Klennethon Darrent and Sasuke or Klennethon Darrent and Shikamaru. The Hyuga and Neji said nothing. Elkellen contributed when Klennethon Darrent invited him to do so, which was only occasionally.

Naruto played the dumb fox, as he had done during the meetings on Elessen, apparently paying little attention and only answering direct questions.

The food would have been excellent if it had not been for the company.


“You realise that the scientist Kabuto was here,” Klennethon Darrent informed them during dessert.

He immediately had Naruto’s full attention, although Naruto tried not to show it.

“We did,” Sasuke answered smoothly, “but we were unable to detain him.”

Klennethon Darrent gave one of his humourless smiles. “Yes, he left remarkably soon after your arrival despite apparently wishing to intercept you. I suspect he was disconcerted to be the focus of your brother’s and Kisame-san’s attention.”

Naruto wondered if there was anything the man did not know.

“It may be useful for you to know that the reporter who shows so much interest in you, Karin, knows him,” Klennethon Darrent continued. “Also that the young man that you rescued from Jewel, Kimimaro, has already been offered and accepted passage on a ship of a known associate of his. I shall send you this and other details, Shikamaru-san.”

Shikamaru gave a small bow of acknowledgement.

Klennethon Darrent consumed his last forkful of fruit. “The media is fascinated by the ten gestators, Sasuke-san. I confess I also find them interesting. You only had six with you when you left Jewel. Are any of the other four yours? Are congratulations in order?”

“If they were, it would be a family matter, Klennethon-san,” Sasuke informed him.

“And how do you feel about acquiring six clones of yourself, Naruto-san?” Klennethon Darrent asked.

Naruto managed not to growl.

“That is also a family matter, Klennethon-san,” Sasuke stated.

“I see,” Klennethon Darrent replied. “Epigenetics is such an interesting branch of science,” he added.

This time Naruto did not suppress a low, rumbling growl. He was rewarded by Klennethon Darrent paling slightly. Garner Parrad’s eyes flicked momentarily to the side of the room. Naruto wondered if they had snipers there, concealed among the waiters; as if he could not kill Klennethon Darrent before any purebred could react.

“Elkellen, please fetch our gift for Sasuke-san and Naruto-san,” Klennethon Darrent requested.

The young man smiled and left the table. He returned with a rectangular parcel the size and shape of a large tray.

“I hope you liked the reproduction of the drawing in pastels I sent, Sasuke-san,” Klennethon Darrent continued. He smiled at Naruto. “How could you not?” He indicated that Elkellen should place the parcel close to Sasuke. “I thought that you might like this sketch in pastels by the same artist.”

Sasuke made no move to open it. “That is appreciated, Klennethon-san,” he acknowledged. “I thank you for the gift.”


After that the conversation returned to an exchange between Klennethon Darrent and Shikamaru that made little sense to Naruto nor, he suspected, to anyone else.

The Hyuga continued to observe Neji.

Neji ignored the Hyuga.

When they were on the verge of leaving, Klennethon Darrent turned to Sasuke. “I have purchased this restaurant. I decided that it pleases me. Feel free to hold functions here...” He gestured to indicate the small dining room. “...whenever you wish. They will only require a day or so of warning. As an ally, there would be no charge.”

Sasuke gave the smallest bow. “That is a generous offer, Klennethon-san,” he replied.


They waited until they were home; too aware that Klennethon Darrent probably had eyes and ears in the shuttle. Once they were inside the airlock Sasuke looked questioningly at Neji.

“We knew it would come,” Neji answered. “It was inevitable. Perhaps we should have also expected Klennethon Darrent to precipitate it. We can expect a formal complaint from the Hyuga to arrive within the div.”

“Do you know him?” Shikamaru asked.

Neji shook his head. “There are over two hundred Hyuga active off planet. At most, I would only recognise one or two of them.” He turned to Sasuke. “The last statement, the one in which he called you his ally, was the most important moment of the whole encounter. He wanted the Hyuga to read your reaction.”

“And?” Sasuke asked.

“You see him more as an ally than an enemy. It pleased him.” Neji smiled very slightly. “He thoroughly enjoyed our company. He derived great satisfaction from his conversation with you, Shika. He also liked showing his young lover why he would be tossed away in a heartbeat if you were available. Despite his attraction to Shikamaru, it is Naruto he likes to watch. He would very much like Naruto for his collection but he knows that Naruto is bonded and unavailable. He has some admiration for you, Sasuke-sama, which is probably very rare for him.” He paused, considering and then continued. “He is a deeply lonely man and you are not.”

Sasuke scowled. “He is a dangerous man,” he complained. He hugged Naruto. “You were brilliant, dobe.”

“Do we get to see the picture?” Shikamaru asked.

Sasuke appeared to be weighing up the options of opening it where they were or in the crew room. He made his decision and tore away the paper.

It was them both, naked. Sasuke was beneath, his back and neck arched, his eyes mostly closed and his mouth slightly open. Naruto was above him gazing intently at his lover’s face.

Neji’s breath hitched.

“There is no way you posed like during the imaging,” Shikamaru observed. “By the Lady, that Kuroda has a good imagination.”

Naruto knew better. No artist could have imagined that precise expression on Sasuke’s face. There must have been cameras in their bedroom on Elessen.

He growled all the way back to the crew room.

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