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’. There is also a one-shot ‘Silver Leaf Tales: Tying the knot’.

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 readers who have written a review and particular thanks to Midnight Essence, SunaoTsuji, Dorkchic, satterb, disembodiedvoiceofthedying, KL, lonelylulaby, blugirlami21, v, Prism0467, sadie237, Aflyingmonkey123, YamanashiOchinashiIminashi and angelj232000 who reviewed after chapter 89 was posted.

Your feedback and Small Fox’s support keeps me writing.

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 hoping for Sasuke/Naruto or Naruto/Sasuke action in every chapter.

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Chapter ninety: Reaction

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With Iruka safe and the injured stabilised, Sasuke spent some time sitting with Naruto before walking with Kakashi back to the control room. On the way they decided that Kakashi would take over as watch commander, freeing Shikamaru and Neji to set up the small meeting room as their crisis control centre.

Sasuke took some time alone in his office. He activated the display frame and chose a portrait of Naruto with the children. Then he settled at his desk, thinking that the chair was not suitable for someone wearing a suit.

There was one task that would not wait; the media would be all over them for a statement. Delaying would only encourage speculation. He began ordering his thoughts.

Twenty minutes later he walked into the small meeting room. Shikamaru and Neji were sitting together; they had set up two extra holoprojectors, organised the seating, set up display boards and found a supply of tablets. Shika had his head on Neji’s shoulder. For a moment Sasuke wondered if he had fallen asleep in response to the shock but he sat up when Sasuke came closer.

“We were talking about Sumiko,” Shikamaru told him.

Sasuke waited. Shikaku and Yoshino had died whilst Uchiha’s guests. He would, of course, offer to adopt Sumiko but he needed to find out what Shika was thinking first.

“We think we will put her room between mine and Neji’s,” Shikamaru continued.

Sasuke remembered what Shika had said about Sumiko only that morning, which felt as if it was standards ago. He guessed that he was less than enthusiastic about taking on his little sister. As for Neji, Sasuke knew that he had no alternative to asking; reading the Hyuga was impossible.

“Once things are back to normal, you know everyone will help,” he reminded them. “There is always room for one more in the playroom and Kiba is always happy to have an extra one to look after.” He cast about for more. “Hoshi has a way with her.”

“Hoshi has a way with everyone,” Neji pointed out, which, Sasuke realised, was true. Neji patted Shikamaru’s arm. “We’ll be fine. The whole point of a family like ours is that the children will always be loved and cared for, come what may.”

Sasuke liked that; he liked it a lot. He sat down. “For now, the children are podded,” he pointed out. “We need to set priorities so that we don’t miss anything.”

“There is one thing that won’t wait,” Neji warned.

Sasuke nodded. “A statement for the media.” He displayed the tablet he was carrying. “I have notes but I don’t want to record it with a suit on.”

Shikamaru handed him an earpiece and microphone. “I delivered one of these to Kakashi-san, so the four of us could talk privately.”


The all clear could be declared as soon as Itachi confirmed that there were no more bombs. They decided to delay it by thirty minutes; that would give Sasuke time to shower, change and record the statement.

Then, having set that aside, they began to plan. They started with the tasks that could not wait, like checking the structural integrity of the compound and collecting evidence. Then there was finding out who was responsible for the atrocity, extracting retribution, rebuilding the household and continuing with their plans for the rest of the compound; Sasuke was determined not be deflected from his previous course by a bomber.

Sasuke decided to bring the Maple home. He had just finished finding the correct words and sending them when the door announcer sounded.

It was Akemi with a basket of Choza’s meal bars and a flask of soup. With him were Misora and Keitaro.

Sasuke found himself focused on Keitaro’s suit; the way Biwako had pleated the arms and legs so that he could wear it. Suddenly, in his mind, he was eight. His family was dead, his mother gone, and no one knew what to say to him so they had said nothing.

He went to them. He took the basket from Akemi, thanked him and placed it on the table. Then he knelt in front of Keitaro and hugged him.

“I am sorry, Kei-kun. I know how much you love her. We will all miss her very much but I know it will be hardest for you and Misora and Akemi.”

Keitaro hugged him back. “And Father,” he reminded Sasuke.

“And especially your father,” Sasuke agreed. “He will need you three to look after him.” He moved onto Misora, who was a little stiff but permitted him to hug her. He then stood up and rested his hand on Akemi’s shoulder.

“If you need anything, you must come to me, Akemi-kun,” he said.

Akemi nodded. “Father is helping making the structure safe,” he replied.

Sasuke did not know if it were good or bad that Asuma had prioritised duties over being with his children. Maybe ‘making the structure safe’ actually meant ‘finding Kurenai’s body’.

“I am going to be recording a statement for the media. If Choza-san can spare you, Kono-san could probably do with your help setting up the cameras in my office. Misora and Keitaro could watch,” he suggested.

Akemi nodded again.

“I’ll send someone to the kitchen to find you. You warn Choza that he may have to do without you for a bit,” Sasuke suggested.


He watched them leave. Once the door had shut he turned and discovered Neji and Shikamaru studying him. Shikamaru managed a small smile; Neji gave him a tiny nod of approval.


Once Itachi had confirmed that there were no more bombs, they moved into the unofficial all-clear. Sasuke contacted Konohamaru and told him that Akemi would be helping him set up the cameras in his office. Then he went for a shower.

Their bedroom and bathroom felt strange. It wasn’t just Naruto’s absence; it was the knowledge that he would not be there for three divs. Sasuke concentrated on showering and dressing as swiftly as possible.


When he arrived at his office Konohamaru was setting up the camera, Neji was worrying about the lighting, Akemi was assisting and the younger children were sitting in the comfortable chairs. Sasuke found the box of curiosities he had collected because Hikaru liked odd objects, added a few of Haru’s puzzles and placed it on the low table.

He sat at his desk, placed his arm to display his rings and waited for Kono-kun to give him the signal.

He found himself using slightly different words, but the message was as he had planned. After the first few, factual sentences he paid tribute to those who had died, starting with Kurenai. Having her children watching him made the words far more real. He then thanked the medicos. Finally, unplanned, he admitted that Naruto was badly hurt before returning to the script and requesting that they be left alone to care for their injured and mourn their dead.

Once the camera stopped he looked at Neji, who nodded.

It was a relief; Sasuke was not sure he could do another take.


Then they sounded the official all-clear and got back to work. It was a long, hard afternoon filled with reports and decisions.

By the evening meal all the bodies had been placed in stasis and Wasabi Engineering, under Kotetsu’s supervision, had made the structure safe.

They ate together. There were far too few of them. Looking about the table, it came home to Sasuke how difficult the next few divs would be. All the queens and all the other care-givers, were absent. Most of those who remained would bury themselves in their work or a whisky bottle rather than discuss their emotions.

Tatsuji looked completely lost; Sasuke wondered how he would cope without C-san and Kunugi.

Choza fed them. They ate. It was too quiet. After the meal those who had duties escaped to them. Shikamaru went into the data streams. Dan helped Asuma and the children settle into the guest quarters because their apartment had been destroyed. Neji did the same for Kotetsu.

Sasuke stayed at his desk until he could no longer keep his eyes open. He would have slept there but Kakashi had made him promise to go to bed.

Their room felt empty; the bed far too wide.

105 days; he could be strong for 105 days.

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Udon felt odd from the moment he woke up on the morning after the bombing. He wondered if he might be sick, or developing a new allergy, but this was different. He found himself daydreaming. Then his body reacted. So it continued, reciprocating thoughts and reactions, until he was completely distracted.

Then he recognised his symptoms from the poems and stories he had read; he was in love.

Thinking back to the previous day, he knew exactly when it had happened. The station had shaken, the alarms had started and Moegi had transformed into this magnificent, passionate woman who was determined to save her family.

She had swept aside objections and pulverised barriers. The moment she had faced up to one of the security men was still fresh in Udon’s mind. He had told her that it would be impossible to allow the medicos access to the Uchiha household via the headquarters. She had drawn herself up to her full height and informed him that he would have to kill her to stop them.

He had folded in the face of her determination.

She and half the medicos had gone, leaving him with Angela-san and the others. He had watched, uncomfortable in the unfamiliar survival suit, whilst they prepared Angela-san and four of the medicos to exit by an airlock and search the outside of the station for survivors.


He had sat there quietly, in his suit, waiting for Angela-san to return.


It had been a long time but finally the flashing lights had stopped and the all-clear had sounded. Someone had asked him to take off the suit.

The people who worked at the medico school, unlike the medicos themselves, were residents. The woman had carried away the suit as if it had been contaminated.

Udon had gone back to sitting quietly.

Soon after that the medicos who had accompanied Moegi had returned. Moegi had not been with them; she had stayed with her family.

The medicos were keen to tell him what happened. There had been bombs planted on the surface of the station. Several people had been killed. They had treated three badly injured individuals.


Then someone had turned on a screen showing people talking about what had happened.

There had been a fuzzy moving picture of Uchiha-sama serving him tea. Udon had been shocked. He had not known that someone had been making pictures. A man had said that the bombing had happened because Uchiha-sama had made him tea.

No one would look at him, not even the medicos.

Udon had not believed the man; he still didn’t. People who cared about who made whom tea did not blow things up.


Then Uchiha-sama had been shown. He had made a ‘statement’ about the bombing. Udon could not remember the exact words but Uchiha-sama had been very sad and, in a way, what he had said had been beautiful. He had praised all the people who had helped and paid tribute to those who had died.

At the end he had admitted that Naruto-san was gravely injured. It had hit Udon like a blow. He was impressed that Uchiha-sama could acknowledge the service of others during his personal tragedy.

Then, sometime after that, Angela-san had returned. She had looked exhausted. The staff had fussed about her and the medicos who had returned with her.

Udon had offered to escort her to where Ishidate, Karenbana and Kongo could meet her. She had thanked him and accepted.


He still liked Angela-san, but now he dreamed of Moegi.


He began his rounds, determined to concentrate on the morning’s tasks, but thoughts of Naruto-san and Moegi invaded his mind, flipping him between anxiety and elation.

Someone calling his name. That did not happen often. He looked up and saw Tanishi.

There were strangers, Outsiders, with him. Udon almost fled but he stopped himself. This was his home. He was proud of what they were doing. He would at least find out what the Outsiders wanted before he ran away.

It was another woman, this time with two protectors rather than three. One of them had a weird contraption on his shoulders; Udon wondered if it were some type of weapon. The woman had long dark hair and was very beautiful but Udon preferred Moegi.

“Udon-san?” she queried.

‘Udon-san’ was a good start. It did not suggest anti-Scavenger vitriol. “Yes, I am Udon,” he confirmed.

She smiled at him. “My name is Yukie Fujikaze. I am a journalist.”

Udon did not recognise the word ‘journalist’. He waited.

“I would like to talk to you about what you are doing here,” she added.

He thought about it. “Why?” he asked.

She was a little flustered by his answer. “I think it would be good if more people understood what was happening here,” she replied.

Udon pondered that for a while. “I do not agree,” he decided. “It is better if I get on with my work and Outsiders stay away.”

She changed tack. “Do you have anything to say about the bombing? I understand that you were in Level 1 when it happened.”

Udon found himself talking without having thought about it beforehand. It was odd. “Yes. Naruto-san only wants to care for those who have no one. How can that be wrong? Uchiha-sama wants to help him do that. That is right, not wrong. It is terrible that someone should attack their family like this. How could bombing someone’s family ever be justified? Members of their family died. Others were hurt. Naruto-san is hurt. All he wants to do is make sure that people don’t die alone and that little children don’t die before they have a chance to live. How can that be wrong? I don’t see how that can be wrong. I just don’t.”

Udon realised that Tanishi was staring at him with his mouth hanging open. He was talking too much and, worse, it was to a stranger.

“I have work to do,” he said, turning and walking away.

The woman, Yukie-san, ran after him. “What work do you do here?” she asked.

Udon found himself talking again. “I am employed by the charitable trust Jizenkai. I am setting up a hospice on behalf of the charity Songen. The charity Cho is going to be establishing an orphanage.”

“Why you, Udon-san?” she asked him.

Udon wished he had not encouraged her. He had been angry about the bombing. He should have stayed silent. “I understand Sublevel C,” he answered.

“Because you are a Scavenger,” she prompted.

He corrected her. “I was a Scavenger. Now I work for Jizenkai. Jizenkai acknowledges the service that the Scavengers do for Tarrasade.”

“Jizenkai cares about those no one else cares about,” Yukie-san suggested. “Even Scavengers.”

Udon tongue ran away again. “Scavengers have people to care for them. They have each other. Scavenger families are very close-knit and different Scavenger families cooperate closely. It is Jizenkai policy to preserve the Scavenger way of life so that they can continue to play their essential part in maintaining the station.”

She blinked at him. “You sound proud,” she commented.

His chin came up and his shoulders went back. “Of course. Scavengers are proud of what they are and what they do. I regret that my present employment means I can no longer be a Scavenger.”

He really had to get away from her. What was it about the woman that made him want to talk so much? Was it a side effect of being in love?

“I really must go now,” he insisted.

“Perhaps I could accompany you?” she asked.

The idea horrified him. “No, that would not be appropriate,” he told her. “Dying people deserve privacy.”

It worked, she let him go.

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Sasuke woke uncharacteristically early on day 1 of 105. He had entertained some half-baked scheme about helping with breakfast, but when he entered the kitchen it was obvious that there were others with the same idea; Konohamaru, Moegi, Kamatari, Neji, Choza and Akemi were all present.

He ordered Choza back to bed and suggested that Akemi return to the guest apartments to look after his siblings and check on Asuma. Moegi and Kamatari started breakfast while he, Neji and Konohamaru sat at the table and drank tea.

“Do you wish me to run the household until Iruka-san or Haku-san is available?” Neji asked.

Sasuke did not want to overload Neji; he had all his usual duties and a grieving Shikamaru to look after.

“I shall delegate,” Neji assured him.

Neji was the best choice; Sasuke knew that; everyone would do as they were told. He capitulated. “Thank you, Neji-san,” he admitted.

“I shall begin with the rosters,” Neji informed him. “Kono-san can help me,” he added.

Konohamaru looked at him. Neji looked back. Then Konohamaru went to fetch one of Iruka-san’s blank roster sheets and a pen.

Sasuke returned to his tea.


After breakfast he spent some time in his office, intending to review reports but finding himself unable to settle. He decided on a training session, managed half of it, had another shower and then found himself heading for the infirmary.

He sat beside the tank. He knew he was one of the lucky ones. Naruto was alive. He would recover. 105 days was a small price to pay when compared to that suffered by Asuma or Keitaro or Shikamaru.

He desperately wanted to reach down through the green gel and hold him.


He went back to the office and read more reports. He authorised the contract for Wasabi Engineering to carry out the repairs. Then he made notes for the letters of sympathy to the families of those who had died.

All but Jiraiya and Kunugi; they only had Uchiha.


He was early for the midmeal. Akemi made him tea. He was about to ask him about his siblings when they entered with Biwako.

Watching them was a welcome distraction.


Then it was back to his office. He resisted the urge to summon people for meetings. Shikamaru was reviewing the evidence they had collected. Neji was organising the household. Itachi was trying to find out how the bombs had been planted. Konohamaru and Kamatari were over in the plaza, hopefully stopping the few businesses that had moved in from leaving.

He thought about Kakashi but then told himself that the remaining old Uchiha fighters needed Kakashi more than he did.

He returned to the letters of sympathy; procrastinating would not make them any easier to write.


Mid afternoon he tried training again and had another shower.


He had finished the letters by the evemeal. He set them aside to check through the next day.


For some reason this evemeal was harder to get through than the one the day before. The evening before it had been too quiet. Now it was too tense. Keitaro would not eat and Misora told him not to be a baby. Terai and Fu were sniping at each other. Tatsuji ate two forkfuls of food and then left the rest; he sat there staring into space. Kotetsu only managed to sit at the table for five minutes before excusing himself.

Shikamaru was so far way in his mind that Neji had to keep reminding him to eat. Gai, Kakashi and Asuma ate in complete silence. Choza looked miserable.

Moegi, Konohamaru, Kamatari and Biwako managed to maintain a conversation that was so forced that Sasuke wanted to scream.

Sasuke was glad when it was over. He escaped to his office, sat at his desk and brooded.


The door slid open. Sasuke looked up, knowing it would be Shikamaru; with Naruto and Iruka tanked, Shika was the only person who would enter without using the announcer.

“You have to see this,” he said, activating the projector.

Sasuke thought about pretending he was annoyed by Shika treating his office as if it were his own but chose not to. Instead he pushed the secondary interface in Shikamaru’s direction.

“They first broadcast it in an early evening slot and, since then, it’s been the most viewed programme,” Shikamaru told him.

Sasuke watched the image of Udon, dressed in even less impressive clothes than when he had met him, walking up a grey and rusty corridor that Sasuke assumed was in Sublevel C.

“Udon-san, the Scavenger who cares,” a rich male voice intoned.

The image faded away to be replaced by another familiar face; Yukie Fujikaze. Sasuke sat up.

“What has she been up to?” he asked.

Shikamaru gestured that he should watch and find out.


It was, Sasuke had to admit, extremely touching. Udon’s simple dignity, which had come over so strongly when Sasuke had met him, reached through the camera and out of the projector. He shone with pride to have been a Scavenger. His understanding of the importance of family was so real you could almost taste it. His indignation about the bombing brought tears to Sasuke’s eyes and his description of what they were doing in Sublevel C had an innocent simplicity that reminded Sasuke so acutely of Naruto that it hurt.

Yukie Fujikaze followed it up with extracts from Chikara’s interview that described how grateful he was that Udon had saved his grandson, finishing up with Chikara’s comment about him never even hinting that he wanted a reward. It then showed a clip of Sasuke serving Udon tea while Yukie questioned what Udon had done that was not worthy of respect. It ended with video of Udon walking away down the corridor in his simple clothes with his satchel, intent on ministering to the dying.


He looked at Shikamaru, whose eyes were filled with tears.

“I’ve watched it three times. It gets to me every time,” he admitted.

“We are predisposed to be sympathetic towards him,” Sasuke suggested.

Shikamaru’s fingers flew over the interface, bringing up commentators and interviews with residents. What they said was overpoweringly positive.

Sasuke hated the media. First they went one way and then the other with no concern for the damage they might do. He was pleased for Udon; the ex-Scavenger deserved some positive coverage.

“I don’t think it was because of Udon,” Shikamaru said suddenly.

Sasuke took a moment to catch up. Shika was talking about the bombing. “Why?” he queried.

“It’s too sophisticated. Do you have any idea of how clever the bomber must have been to circumvent the station’s defences? It must have been planned for ages and the majority of the implementation would have been well in advance. The Udon thing was probably a coincidence, at the most a trigger or an excuse.”


Suddenly it sank in. An outsider, an enemy, had attempted to destroy his home and kill his family. This enemy had succeeded in murdering people who were dear to him. This enemy had almost killed Naruto.

The rage boiled up from somewhere deep.

“Sasuke?” a voice was asking from a long, long way away.

He needed to be away from precious things like Shika and his mother’s desk.


He stopped when he reached the small gym. He threw his knife into one of the targets before attacking the punch bag. Blow after blow landed, but the harder he hit the more the bag gave.

Then, unexpectedly, the punch bag was still and his kick made contact with a satisfying thud. He kicked again, again and again before realising that Kakashi was holding the bag.


The bag moved towards him, making him modify his punch. It moved right and then left. Sasuke heard a snarl; his. Kakashi responded by thrusting the punch bag at him.

Sasuke was in no mood to give ground to a punch bag. He attacked with renewed ferocity only to find the bag gone and Kakashi countering his blows.

If that was what Kakashi wanted, Sasuke would comply. If Kakashi wanted to hurt him, Naruto was not there to stop him.

He attacked. A small voice in his head told him that Kakashi would always hold back. The rest of him no longer cared.

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