Iteration
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Naruto › Yaoi - Male/Male › Naruto/Sasuke
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Category:
Naruto › Yaoi - Male/Male › Naruto/Sasuke
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
119
Views:
2,735
Reviews:
1203
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Disclaimer:
This story has some of Masashi Kishimoto's characters from Naruto in a universe of my own devising. I do not own Naruto. I do not make any money from these writings.
Plans
‘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, YamanashiOchinashiIminashi, smauigirl, SyilxPrincess, unneeded, Dark Catalest, lonelylulaby, richon, sadie237, angelj232000, Dorkchic and Lychee who reviewed after chapter 93 was posted.
Please see author’s note at the end.
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.
Chapter ninety-four: Plans
Sasuke woke, opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling. It was day 10 of 105. He was determined to unpod the older children today. There would be no more delays; no more last minute postponements. He had his plan. He had lists. He had made sure that Biwako, Shikamaru and Inari would be available with Shino and Anko as back-ups.
He had gone over it again and again in his head; in what order to do things and exactly what to say. He was determined that it would go smoothly.
By mid morning they were ready. Inari was the last to arrive but he was still in good time. Konohamaru was with him. Sasuke was fine with that; another person might be useful.
“Sasuke, when are you unpodding Yuki?” Konohamaru asked him.
Konohamaru rarely called him Sasuke rather than Sasuke-sama. It was usually when he wanted something or was trying to soften a criticism. Sasuke guessed this was an example of the latter.
Sasuke consulted his list, which was unnecessary as he knew it off by heart. “Second, after Hoshi,” he answered.
“I would change it,” Konohamaru advised. “Unpod Yuki last. I think he might be very upset when he realises people have died. If you do him last, you will be able to spend time with him.”
Sasuke paused. “I wasn’t going to tell them people had died. Not yet.”
Konohamaru looked at him. “What are you going to do if they ask? Lie?”
Sasuke felt himself flush.
“And I don’t think you should be unpodding them,” Konohamaru added. “Let us do that. You sit with the children. We unpod them and carry them over to you.”
They ended up with a completely new plan. Sasuke would be in the snug. Pods would be brought one by one to the doorway. Once the child was unpodded, they would be carried in and put on the huge bed to recover.
The other adults thought this plan much more suitable than the original. Sasuke could see its advantages and pondered why he had not thought of it.
Then he worked it out; it was Naruto who was always at the centre of any group cuddle in the snug.
Could he substitute for Naruto? Would the children be upset to have him in Naruto’s place? He pulled himself together. The modified plan was better. He would do his best not to let Naruto down.
It started well. Each child was unpodded, wrapped in a blanket, carried into the snug and placed on the bed. Hoshi was first. Sasuke explained Naruto was hurt but recovering in the infirmary. She didn’t ask any awkward questions. She settled for a hug that probably calmed him as much as it did her.
That was the only part that went as Sasuke had envisioned. Hikaru exploded into a frenzy of questions about Naruto and Kiba; Sasuke had been ready for that from Haru but not from Hikaru. Haru went very white and completely still; Sasuke realised that he was imagining appalling scenarios, like Shika did. Ryuu was growling. All the kits, even Kuuya, started crying; Yuki was close to being hysterical.
It was extremely traumatic. Sasuke did his best. He cuddled kits. He risked stroking Ryuu and almost got bitten. He tried to answer Hikaru’s questions simply but truthfully.
Then Haru asked if anyone had died. Sasuke closed his eyes. Konohamaru was correct; lying was not an option. He steeled himself and admitted that people had been killed.
The children immediately began asking about individuals. Each time one of them suggested a name, Sasuke could see the others imagining that person dead. He had to stop the speculation; he told them who had died.
Hearing that Shikaku was gone upset all of them. Kazuki whimpered when Sasuke spoke Yoshino’s name. Hikaru went still and quiet when he learned about C-san.
At last the questions ceased, most of the crying stopped and Ryuu settled. They cuddled close in one, intertwined heap. Sasuke found himself extremely tired. Yuki was already asleep in the crook of his right arm.
Perhaps a nap might not be amiss.
“...be quiet. You’ll wake Papa,” Hoshi scolded.
He opened his eyes.
“See, I told you,” Hoshi added.
“It’s fine, Ho-chan,” Sasuke reassured her. “I shouldn’t be sleeping in the morning.”
Yasushi peered at him. “We’ve decided,” he stated.
“Decided what?” Sasuke asked, slightly alarmed.
“We’re going to look after you,” Hikaru explained. “Until To-chan is better.”
Sasuke blinked back tears. It was so unexpectedly sweet of them.
“You can cry if you like,” Keizo told him. “Crying is fine.”
“Thank you, Kei-chan, I shall remember that,” Sasuke promised. He looked about. Some of the children were awake, others were waking up and a few were still asleep. He wondered what to do next.
“I’m hungry,” Yasushi announced, which solved that issue.
Biwako had arranged for Ayame to join them for the midmeal. She chatted about living in the new apartment and visiting her Dada in the ‘firmy’ as if both were perfectly normal.
“Dada is asleep,” she explained. “He’s going to sleep ’til he’s better. He’s in gooey green gel to help the nan’bots make him better.” She considered. “He’s got no clothes on and he’s very still and quiet.”
All the children were listening, even Kazuki. Sasuke could see that it was good for them to hear about it from another child’s point of view.
“Can we visit To-chan?” Yuki asked. “And Kiba-san?”
Ten pairs of eyes, nine Naruto-blue and one amber, turned to him.
“Of course,” Sasuke replied. “We’ll finish our meal first and help Choza-san tidy up.”
“Dad has to lift me up,” Ayame added. “So I can see Dada’s face.”
Sasuke froze. He imagined being their height and standing next to Naruto’s tank. All you would be able to see would be the underside and the sides of the tank. They would be able to see his injuries but not his face.
Shikamaru was ahead of him. “Please excuse me Sasuke-sama, Biwako-san, children,” he said. He stood up. “I shall go down to the infirmary and tell Rin-san to expect us.”
That was a relief. He knew Shika would think of something; perhaps obscuring the bottom half of the tank or lowering it so Naruto’s injuries were less visible.
Sasuke suppressed a sigh; he never expected looking after the children to be so stressful.
The first face Haru had seen was Shi-chan’s. That was fine for all of three seconds until he took in how bad Shi-chan looked and that he could not see his To-chan or his Papa.
Were both To-chan and Papa dead?
Shi-chan carried him into the snug and laid him on the bed. Papa was there. He looked worse than Shi-chan.
Haru was sure To-chan was dead.
Papa stroked his hair and told him that To-chan was hurt but he wasn’t dead. He was tanked. Haru was so relieved that for a moment he was just there, snuggled close to the others and his Papa on the big bed.
Then his mind began working again. Why did Papa look so bad? Why had Shi-chan looked so bad? Who else was hurt other than To-chan and Kiba-san? Was anyone dead? He began wondering what it would be like if different people were dead.
In the end he had to ask.
Shikaku-san and Yoshino-san were dead. Haru understood now why Shi-chan looked so bad. It was like him losing To-chan and Papa.
He would miss Shikaku-san. They all would.
Haru stroked Kazuki, trying to comfort him. Kazuki would miss both Shikaku-san and Yoshino-san. Haru had never understood why Kazuki liked Yoshino-san so much, but he did.
Others were dead too. Seven other people that Haru would never see again.
How close had To-chan come to dying? He imagined never seeing his To-chan again. It would be like when he was kidnapped but much, much worse.
Yuki looked on the outside like Haru felt on the inside. Haru knew he was thinking about To-chan being dead like Ranmaru.
He wanted his mind to switch off. He didn’t want to be thinking about To-chan being dead. Yuki was falling asleep, cuddled close to Papa.
That seemed a good idea to Haru. He snuggled closer to Kazuki and let go.
When he woke Hoshi was talking with Hikaru, Yasushi, Keizo and Kuuya. The others were still asleep. She was saying that they needed to look after Papa, be good and do stuff for themselves.
Haru only agreed with two of the three, so he pretended to still be sleeping. He was fine with looking after Papa and he was more than fine with doing stuff for himself.
He was less sure about being good. That depended on what you thought of as ‘good’. Haru was pretty sure that Hoshi was using it to stand for ‘behaving the way Kiba-san expects us to behave’.
Haru had no intention of behaving the way Kiba-san expected him to behave when Kiba-san wasn’t there to check on him.
After that they did some normal things that weren’t normal because neither To-chan nor Kiba-san was there. Ayame had her midmeal with them. She talked about visiting Izumo-san in the infirmary. It did not sound too bad.
Yuki ask if they could go and see To-chan and Kiba-san and Papa said yes.
Haru studied his To-chan in the tank. He wanted to crouch down and try to see what was happening underneath, where To-chan’s injuries were. He wanted to ask real questions about regeneration in hybrids and epigenetic variation. He didn’t because he knew this was not the time. Yuki was still right on the edge and Ryuu wasn’t much better; even Hi-chan looked like he might burst into tears any moment.
He watched his Papa. He looked almost as lost as he had when they were in the snug. Haru knew that look. Haru had seen it before when Papa was trying to look after them without To-chan or Kiba-san to help him.
Haru guessed he would be seeing it a lot over the next divs.
After they had ‘visited with’ To-chan they went into Kiba-san’s room. That was when Papa told them that Kiba-san would be better before To-chan.
Hoshi asked when, which was good, because Haru did not want Papa linking that question with him.
Kiba-san was less badly hurt than To-chan; he should be out of the tank in about twenty-five days.
Twenty-five days was a long time. Haru could do a lot in twenty-five days. He wished Shikaku-san and the others had not died. He wished that To-chan and the others were not hurt. But given that it had happened, there were things that Haru had wanted to do for a long time.
Then he remembered Haku-san. A few hints persuaded Yuki to ask. Haku-san would be tanked for twenty days.
Twenty days would have to be enough.
His attention went to Hoshi. The litter had their own code. They didn’t tell on each other. He could trust his brothers, even Hikaru, to keep quiet. Hoshi was different. Hoshi had limits. If she thought you were doing something dangerous, she would warn you that she was going to tell and then, if you didn’t stop, she would find a way of bringing what you were doing to Kiba-san’s or To-chan’s attention.
She would not hesitate to tell Papa about some of the things Haru was planning.
He would have to think about that.
Recently, Haru’s favourite way of avoiding Kiba-san’s attention had been Ran. Ran still bolted when spooked and Kiba-san spooked him really easily. Sitting with Ran meant that Kiba-san checked on Haru nine times less often than usual; Haru had kept a count.
Before the bombing, Haru had been working at Ran allowing him into his room. Ran’s room was an adult-free zone. Even Iruka-san did not go into it.
Then there was the added bonus that Ran’s version of ‘good’ was even further from Kiba-san’s than Haru’s.
Also being with Ran was fun. Haru could always rely on Ran to be interesting. Even the way he thought was different and Haru was fascinated by the way he changed, day by day, as he interacted with other people.
He needed to get Ran unpodded.
Iruka had only a few snatches of memory from the bombing. He remembered Naruto moving at maximum speed, yanking the cover off the locker and tossing him the first of the suits.
He did not remember the explosion or losing his lower legs. He did have blurry recollections of slowly tumbling in space and thinking that if anyone could find him, Kakashi would.
Then there were the dreams. They had been strangely vivid and bizarre; informed by reality yet warped by fears and desires.
He now knew what people meant by tank visions.
When he had first woken, Kakashi had been wonderfully present; holding his hand and kissing his fingers.
Iruka had known it was real; Kakashi’s lips against his skin had been blissfully familiar.
Each day he had managed to stay awake a little longer. Slowly he had built a picture of what had happened. He had already guessed that Kurenai, Ibiki and Suzume were dead. It was a relief that the others in his meeting had made it; deeply distressing that those in the apartments had not.
Naruto had almost died. That, above everything, terrified him.
Moving to the crew room was an improvement, even if he was still sleeping most of the time. Kakashi had filled the room with his favourite things.
Best of all was having Kakashi close.
Shikamaru was his first visitor. Iruka sent Kakashi away so that Shika-kun would not feel inhibited. He wept; mostly for the loss of his parents but also for Naruto.
He was so anxious about having to raise Sumiko; so frightened that he would never be able to love her.
Then came Sasuke who did not cry and who barely spoke. He looked exhausted. Iruka settled for a promise that he would talk whenever he felt the need.
Third was Tayuya, fresh off the Maple. She sat there, her eyes fixed on him; reassuring herself that he was alive.
It was critical that he did not move either leg during the first phase of the regeneration, so that the new tissues connected properly to the old. Rin was not taking any chances; she had him immobile from the waist down.
It was like being in armour. Each nascent lower leg and foot was in a supergen that was like a thick, rigid boot. Knees, thighs, hips, groin and buttocks were encased in maintainers; units that dealt with bodily wastes and ensured that his skin, joints and muscles stayed in excellent condition. Rin had them bolted together to prevent even the slightest movement.
He did not have a bed. He had stand for the supergens and the maintainers and a complex contoured support for his upper body. Neither stand nor support extended far sideways from his body. Iruka liked that; it meant that Kakashi could get close to him.
This morning, the fourth since he had been moved from the infirmary, Iruka had been drifting in and out of sleep. Then Kakashi came through the new doorway from their room; naked, fresh from the shower and not quite dry. Iruka was immediately fully awake; his senses were assaulted with the sight and scent of his lover.
Kakashi leaned over and kissed him gently on the lips. Long, elegant, strong fingers combed his hair back from his face.
“Breakfast,” Kakashi said, turning away and claiming a bowl from one of the tables.
Iruka would have preferred more kisses but being fed pieces of fruit by a naked Kakashi had its good points. So did being gently washed, stroked dry with a towel and having his hair brushed.
Kakashi caring for him was a wonderful gift. It was also unexpected, which made it all the sweeter. He kissed a bare arm as it came within range.
“I would have understood if you had left me tanked,” Iruka admitted. “There is so much to do and so few to do it.”
To his surprise Kakashi looked away.
“I did it as much for me as for you,” he admitted. “I need you, Ir-chan. You remind me who I am.”
Iruka raised a hand and stroked the wild silver hair. “Kashi,” he whispered.
Kakashi laid his head on Iruka’s torso. “Sasuke is unpodding the children today. Only the older ones. I think he needs them because he can’t have Naruto. He needs them like I need you.”
Iruka smiled. “That should keep you all on your toes,” he suggested.
“You were meant to say it will be fine,” Kakashi complained.
“It will be,” Iruka assured him. “It will also be interesting to see what they are like when Kiba isn’t watching them.”
The tips of Kakashi’s fingers traced lazy circles around his nipple, teasingly avoiding the nub. “Neji asked me when we were unpodding Ran,” he admitted.
Iruka stilled Kakashi’s hand with his own. “When we are ready,” he answered.
Kakashi’s one eye smiled at him.
The rest of the morning went well; time with the door to the shared area open so that he could be included in the comings and goings, a nap and then a midday meal of finger food that Choza had prepared for him. Iruka wiped his hands on the warm, damp towel provided; ridiculously proud of feeding himself without making a mess.
Another nap and he woke to find a note from Shino explaining that he could now open and close the double doors himself. He pressed the newly installed button and waited for someone to come by.
It was Tayuya. This time she was chatty. She told him about Jiro and the crew of the Ninken. She hinted that Inari had a recording that he would enjoy hearing; she asked if it was safe for him to laugh.
He was about to volunteer to try when a familiar small figure flashed by in his peripheral vision.
It could not be Ran. Ran was podded.
“Tayuya?” he queried. She was looking in the direction of Ran’s room; frowning.
“I will investigate, Iruka-sensei,” she promised.
As she left, Konohamaru arrived at a run. He paused when he saw the doors open and came over.
“I am sorry, Iruka-sensei,” he admitted. “There was a red flashing light on his pod and Grandma Biwako decided to unpod him as a precaution. I managed to get there in time to open the lid and lift him out but then he spooked.”
Iruka did not know what to think. It was worrying that a pod could malfunction. They relied on the pods to keep the children alive and safe whatever the circumstances.
Tayuya appeared in the doorway. “He’s in his room, Iruka-sensei,” she informed him.
Iruka sighed; so much for waiting until they were ready.
Author’s note 18.06.11
OK, this chapter is being posted today and I haven’t finished chapter 95. I am very busy at work and the words are not flowing easily during the small amount of time I have to spend on them. I cannot see my current situation letting up until mid July.
I am going to move to Saturday only posting for now. Apologies, but stressing out about not having chapters ready is slowing the writing.
I hope that I can manage a chapter a week.
Mannah Pierce
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, YamanashiOchinashiIminashi, smauigirl, SyilxPrincess, unneeded, Dark Catalest, lonelylulaby, richon, sadie237, angelj232000, Dorkchic and Lychee who reviewed after chapter 93 was posted.
Please see author’s note at the end.
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.
Chapter ninety-four: Plans
Sasuke woke, opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling. It was day 10 of 105. He was determined to unpod the older children today. There would be no more delays; no more last minute postponements. He had his plan. He had lists. He had made sure that Biwako, Shikamaru and Inari would be available with Shino and Anko as back-ups.
He had gone over it again and again in his head; in what order to do things and exactly what to say. He was determined that it would go smoothly.
By mid morning they were ready. Inari was the last to arrive but he was still in good time. Konohamaru was with him. Sasuke was fine with that; another person might be useful.
“Sasuke, when are you unpodding Yuki?” Konohamaru asked him.
Konohamaru rarely called him Sasuke rather than Sasuke-sama. It was usually when he wanted something or was trying to soften a criticism. Sasuke guessed this was an example of the latter.
Sasuke consulted his list, which was unnecessary as he knew it off by heart. “Second, after Hoshi,” he answered.
“I would change it,” Konohamaru advised. “Unpod Yuki last. I think he might be very upset when he realises people have died. If you do him last, you will be able to spend time with him.”
Sasuke paused. “I wasn’t going to tell them people had died. Not yet.”
Konohamaru looked at him. “What are you going to do if they ask? Lie?”
Sasuke felt himself flush.
“And I don’t think you should be unpodding them,” Konohamaru added. “Let us do that. You sit with the children. We unpod them and carry them over to you.”
They ended up with a completely new plan. Sasuke would be in the snug. Pods would be brought one by one to the doorway. Once the child was unpodded, they would be carried in and put on the huge bed to recover.
The other adults thought this plan much more suitable than the original. Sasuke could see its advantages and pondered why he had not thought of it.
Then he worked it out; it was Naruto who was always at the centre of any group cuddle in the snug.
Could he substitute for Naruto? Would the children be upset to have him in Naruto’s place? He pulled himself together. The modified plan was better. He would do his best not to let Naruto down.
It started well. Each child was unpodded, wrapped in a blanket, carried into the snug and placed on the bed. Hoshi was first. Sasuke explained Naruto was hurt but recovering in the infirmary. She didn’t ask any awkward questions. She settled for a hug that probably calmed him as much as it did her.
That was the only part that went as Sasuke had envisioned. Hikaru exploded into a frenzy of questions about Naruto and Kiba; Sasuke had been ready for that from Haru but not from Hikaru. Haru went very white and completely still; Sasuke realised that he was imagining appalling scenarios, like Shika did. Ryuu was growling. All the kits, even Kuuya, started crying; Yuki was close to being hysterical.
It was extremely traumatic. Sasuke did his best. He cuddled kits. He risked stroking Ryuu and almost got bitten. He tried to answer Hikaru’s questions simply but truthfully.
Then Haru asked if anyone had died. Sasuke closed his eyes. Konohamaru was correct; lying was not an option. He steeled himself and admitted that people had been killed.
The children immediately began asking about individuals. Each time one of them suggested a name, Sasuke could see the others imagining that person dead. He had to stop the speculation; he told them who had died.
Hearing that Shikaku was gone upset all of them. Kazuki whimpered when Sasuke spoke Yoshino’s name. Hikaru went still and quiet when he learned about C-san.
At last the questions ceased, most of the crying stopped and Ryuu settled. They cuddled close in one, intertwined heap. Sasuke found himself extremely tired. Yuki was already asleep in the crook of his right arm.
Perhaps a nap might not be amiss.
“...be quiet. You’ll wake Papa,” Hoshi scolded.
He opened his eyes.
“See, I told you,” Hoshi added.
“It’s fine, Ho-chan,” Sasuke reassured her. “I shouldn’t be sleeping in the morning.”
Yasushi peered at him. “We’ve decided,” he stated.
“Decided what?” Sasuke asked, slightly alarmed.
“We’re going to look after you,” Hikaru explained. “Until To-chan is better.”
Sasuke blinked back tears. It was so unexpectedly sweet of them.
“You can cry if you like,” Keizo told him. “Crying is fine.”
“Thank you, Kei-chan, I shall remember that,” Sasuke promised. He looked about. Some of the children were awake, others were waking up and a few were still asleep. He wondered what to do next.
“I’m hungry,” Yasushi announced, which solved that issue.
Biwako had arranged for Ayame to join them for the midmeal. She chatted about living in the new apartment and visiting her Dada in the ‘firmy’ as if both were perfectly normal.
“Dada is asleep,” she explained. “He’s going to sleep ’til he’s better. He’s in gooey green gel to help the nan’bots make him better.” She considered. “He’s got no clothes on and he’s very still and quiet.”
All the children were listening, even Kazuki. Sasuke could see that it was good for them to hear about it from another child’s point of view.
“Can we visit To-chan?” Yuki asked. “And Kiba-san?”
Ten pairs of eyes, nine Naruto-blue and one amber, turned to him.
“Of course,” Sasuke replied. “We’ll finish our meal first and help Choza-san tidy up.”
“Dad has to lift me up,” Ayame added. “So I can see Dada’s face.”
Sasuke froze. He imagined being their height and standing next to Naruto’s tank. All you would be able to see would be the underside and the sides of the tank. They would be able to see his injuries but not his face.
Shikamaru was ahead of him. “Please excuse me Sasuke-sama, Biwako-san, children,” he said. He stood up. “I shall go down to the infirmary and tell Rin-san to expect us.”
That was a relief. He knew Shika would think of something; perhaps obscuring the bottom half of the tank or lowering it so Naruto’s injuries were less visible.
Sasuke suppressed a sigh; he never expected looking after the children to be so stressful.
The first face Haru had seen was Shi-chan’s. That was fine for all of three seconds until he took in how bad Shi-chan looked and that he could not see his To-chan or his Papa.
Were both To-chan and Papa dead?
Shi-chan carried him into the snug and laid him on the bed. Papa was there. He looked worse than Shi-chan.
Haru was sure To-chan was dead.
Papa stroked his hair and told him that To-chan was hurt but he wasn’t dead. He was tanked. Haru was so relieved that for a moment he was just there, snuggled close to the others and his Papa on the big bed.
Then his mind began working again. Why did Papa look so bad? Why had Shi-chan looked so bad? Who else was hurt other than To-chan and Kiba-san? Was anyone dead? He began wondering what it would be like if different people were dead.
In the end he had to ask.
Shikaku-san and Yoshino-san were dead. Haru understood now why Shi-chan looked so bad. It was like him losing To-chan and Papa.
He would miss Shikaku-san. They all would.
Haru stroked Kazuki, trying to comfort him. Kazuki would miss both Shikaku-san and Yoshino-san. Haru had never understood why Kazuki liked Yoshino-san so much, but he did.
Others were dead too. Seven other people that Haru would never see again.
How close had To-chan come to dying? He imagined never seeing his To-chan again. It would be like when he was kidnapped but much, much worse.
Yuki looked on the outside like Haru felt on the inside. Haru knew he was thinking about To-chan being dead like Ranmaru.
He wanted his mind to switch off. He didn’t want to be thinking about To-chan being dead. Yuki was falling asleep, cuddled close to Papa.
That seemed a good idea to Haru. He snuggled closer to Kazuki and let go.
When he woke Hoshi was talking with Hikaru, Yasushi, Keizo and Kuuya. The others were still asleep. She was saying that they needed to look after Papa, be good and do stuff for themselves.
Haru only agreed with two of the three, so he pretended to still be sleeping. He was fine with looking after Papa and he was more than fine with doing stuff for himself.
He was less sure about being good. That depended on what you thought of as ‘good’. Haru was pretty sure that Hoshi was using it to stand for ‘behaving the way Kiba-san expects us to behave’.
Haru had no intention of behaving the way Kiba-san expected him to behave when Kiba-san wasn’t there to check on him.
After that they did some normal things that weren’t normal because neither To-chan nor Kiba-san was there. Ayame had her midmeal with them. She talked about visiting Izumo-san in the infirmary. It did not sound too bad.
Yuki ask if they could go and see To-chan and Kiba-san and Papa said yes.
Haru studied his To-chan in the tank. He wanted to crouch down and try to see what was happening underneath, where To-chan’s injuries were. He wanted to ask real questions about regeneration in hybrids and epigenetic variation. He didn’t because he knew this was not the time. Yuki was still right on the edge and Ryuu wasn’t much better; even Hi-chan looked like he might burst into tears any moment.
He watched his Papa. He looked almost as lost as he had when they were in the snug. Haru knew that look. Haru had seen it before when Papa was trying to look after them without To-chan or Kiba-san to help him.
Haru guessed he would be seeing it a lot over the next divs.
After they had ‘visited with’ To-chan they went into Kiba-san’s room. That was when Papa told them that Kiba-san would be better before To-chan.
Hoshi asked when, which was good, because Haru did not want Papa linking that question with him.
Kiba-san was less badly hurt than To-chan; he should be out of the tank in about twenty-five days.
Twenty-five days was a long time. Haru could do a lot in twenty-five days. He wished Shikaku-san and the others had not died. He wished that To-chan and the others were not hurt. But given that it had happened, there were things that Haru had wanted to do for a long time.
Then he remembered Haku-san. A few hints persuaded Yuki to ask. Haku-san would be tanked for twenty days.
Twenty days would have to be enough.
His attention went to Hoshi. The litter had their own code. They didn’t tell on each other. He could trust his brothers, even Hikaru, to keep quiet. Hoshi was different. Hoshi had limits. If she thought you were doing something dangerous, she would warn you that she was going to tell and then, if you didn’t stop, she would find a way of bringing what you were doing to Kiba-san’s or To-chan’s attention.
She would not hesitate to tell Papa about some of the things Haru was planning.
He would have to think about that.
Recently, Haru’s favourite way of avoiding Kiba-san’s attention had been Ran. Ran still bolted when spooked and Kiba-san spooked him really easily. Sitting with Ran meant that Kiba-san checked on Haru nine times less often than usual; Haru had kept a count.
Before the bombing, Haru had been working at Ran allowing him into his room. Ran’s room was an adult-free zone. Even Iruka-san did not go into it.
Then there was the added bonus that Ran’s version of ‘good’ was even further from Kiba-san’s than Haru’s.
Also being with Ran was fun. Haru could always rely on Ran to be interesting. Even the way he thought was different and Haru was fascinated by the way he changed, day by day, as he interacted with other people.
He needed to get Ran unpodded.
Iruka had only a few snatches of memory from the bombing. He remembered Naruto moving at maximum speed, yanking the cover off the locker and tossing him the first of the suits.
He did not remember the explosion or losing his lower legs. He did have blurry recollections of slowly tumbling in space and thinking that if anyone could find him, Kakashi would.
Then there were the dreams. They had been strangely vivid and bizarre; informed by reality yet warped by fears and desires.
He now knew what people meant by tank visions.
When he had first woken, Kakashi had been wonderfully present; holding his hand and kissing his fingers.
Iruka had known it was real; Kakashi’s lips against his skin had been blissfully familiar.
Each day he had managed to stay awake a little longer. Slowly he had built a picture of what had happened. He had already guessed that Kurenai, Ibiki and Suzume were dead. It was a relief that the others in his meeting had made it; deeply distressing that those in the apartments had not.
Naruto had almost died. That, above everything, terrified him.
Moving to the crew room was an improvement, even if he was still sleeping most of the time. Kakashi had filled the room with his favourite things.
Best of all was having Kakashi close.
Shikamaru was his first visitor. Iruka sent Kakashi away so that Shika-kun would not feel inhibited. He wept; mostly for the loss of his parents but also for Naruto.
He was so anxious about having to raise Sumiko; so frightened that he would never be able to love her.
Then came Sasuke who did not cry and who barely spoke. He looked exhausted. Iruka settled for a promise that he would talk whenever he felt the need.
Third was Tayuya, fresh off the Maple. She sat there, her eyes fixed on him; reassuring herself that he was alive.
It was critical that he did not move either leg during the first phase of the regeneration, so that the new tissues connected properly to the old. Rin was not taking any chances; she had him immobile from the waist down.
It was like being in armour. Each nascent lower leg and foot was in a supergen that was like a thick, rigid boot. Knees, thighs, hips, groin and buttocks were encased in maintainers; units that dealt with bodily wastes and ensured that his skin, joints and muscles stayed in excellent condition. Rin had them bolted together to prevent even the slightest movement.
He did not have a bed. He had stand for the supergens and the maintainers and a complex contoured support for his upper body. Neither stand nor support extended far sideways from his body. Iruka liked that; it meant that Kakashi could get close to him.
This morning, the fourth since he had been moved from the infirmary, Iruka had been drifting in and out of sleep. Then Kakashi came through the new doorway from their room; naked, fresh from the shower and not quite dry. Iruka was immediately fully awake; his senses were assaulted with the sight and scent of his lover.
Kakashi leaned over and kissed him gently on the lips. Long, elegant, strong fingers combed his hair back from his face.
“Breakfast,” Kakashi said, turning away and claiming a bowl from one of the tables.
Iruka would have preferred more kisses but being fed pieces of fruit by a naked Kakashi had its good points. So did being gently washed, stroked dry with a towel and having his hair brushed.
Kakashi caring for him was a wonderful gift. It was also unexpected, which made it all the sweeter. He kissed a bare arm as it came within range.
“I would have understood if you had left me tanked,” Iruka admitted. “There is so much to do and so few to do it.”
To his surprise Kakashi looked away.
“I did it as much for me as for you,” he admitted. “I need you, Ir-chan. You remind me who I am.”
Iruka raised a hand and stroked the wild silver hair. “Kashi,” he whispered.
Kakashi laid his head on Iruka’s torso. “Sasuke is unpodding the children today. Only the older ones. I think he needs them because he can’t have Naruto. He needs them like I need you.”
Iruka smiled. “That should keep you all on your toes,” he suggested.
“You were meant to say it will be fine,” Kakashi complained.
“It will be,” Iruka assured him. “It will also be interesting to see what they are like when Kiba isn’t watching them.”
The tips of Kakashi’s fingers traced lazy circles around his nipple, teasingly avoiding the nub. “Neji asked me when we were unpodding Ran,” he admitted.
Iruka stilled Kakashi’s hand with his own. “When we are ready,” he answered.
Kakashi’s one eye smiled at him.
The rest of the morning went well; time with the door to the shared area open so that he could be included in the comings and goings, a nap and then a midday meal of finger food that Choza had prepared for him. Iruka wiped his hands on the warm, damp towel provided; ridiculously proud of feeding himself without making a mess.
Another nap and he woke to find a note from Shino explaining that he could now open and close the double doors himself. He pressed the newly installed button and waited for someone to come by.
It was Tayuya. This time she was chatty. She told him about Jiro and the crew of the Ninken. She hinted that Inari had a recording that he would enjoy hearing; she asked if it was safe for him to laugh.
He was about to volunteer to try when a familiar small figure flashed by in his peripheral vision.
It could not be Ran. Ran was podded.
“Tayuya?” he queried. She was looking in the direction of Ran’s room; frowning.
“I will investigate, Iruka-sensei,” she promised.
As she left, Konohamaru arrived at a run. He paused when he saw the doors open and came over.
“I am sorry, Iruka-sensei,” he admitted. “There was a red flashing light on his pod and Grandma Biwako decided to unpod him as a precaution. I managed to get there in time to open the lid and lift him out but then he spooked.”
Iruka did not know what to think. It was worrying that a pod could malfunction. They relied on the pods to keep the children alive and safe whatever the circumstances.
Tayuya appeared in the doorway. “He’s in his room, Iruka-sensei,” she informed him.
Iruka sighed; so much for waiting until they were ready.
Author’s note 18.06.11
OK, this chapter is being posted today and I haven’t finished chapter 95. I am very busy at work and the words are not flowing easily during the small amount of time I have to spend on them. I cannot see my current situation letting up until mid July.
I am going to move to Saturday only posting for now. Apologies, but stressing out about not having chapters ready is slowing the writing.
I hope that I can manage a chapter a week.
Mannah Pierce