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 disembodiedvoiceofthedying, lonelylulaby, telynaayuri, Prism0467, Aflyingmonkey123, sadie237, TanuKyle, richon, unneeded, angelj232000 and Dorkchic who reviewed after chapter 98 was posted.

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-nine: Guardian

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It was some time before Kiba realised this was not another dream.

He sniffed the air. He was in the infirmary; he could tell by the mixture of scents. He stank of regen gel.

Choza was nearby; Kiba could hear his pattern of breathing as well as smell him. He was anxious. Kiba did not like that. He struggled towards full consciousness. As he did so, his mind filled with the sound of Naruto’s voice, the alarm, the thud of the closing door, the tearing of metal and the sound of Haku’s breathing.

He was suddenly fully awake.

“Did everyone make it?” he demanded.

Choza flinched.

He softened his tone. “Please Cho-chan,” he asked.

“No,” Choza admitted. “Haku and Naruto are tanked. Iruka is in supergens. Kurenai, Ibiki and Suzume did not make it. It was a bomb. There were others. Izumo was injured; he was detanked two days ago. The apartments were completely blown away. Kunugi, C, Tsunade, Jiraiya, Shikaku and Yoshino were killed.”

Kiba’s first thought was the children. He tried to focus on Choza. “I am sorry about Kunugi,” he managed.

Choza gave a small, sad smile. “I have had twenty-six days to get use to it,” he replied. “Do you want to hear about the children?”

Kiba nodded but he was thinking that twenty-six days was a long time and that Naruto and Haku must be badly injured.

“All the children younger than Keitaro were podded during the emergency. The big litter, Ayame and Ran have been woken but not the others.”

He was off the recovery bed and in the shower. The room swam slightly but he ignored it.

“Be careful,” Choza warned. “You are meant to be resting.”

Kiba could only think of the children without Naruto or him to look after them.

“Sasuke-sama wants to speak to you before you see the children,” Choza shouted over the noise of the shower.

Kiba was momentarily still before scrubbing harder and rinsing faster.


Sasuke-sama interrupted a meeting to see him. Kiba appreciated it. He was not sure he could have managed a lengthy delay; he already was having most un-Kiba-like urges to bark and growl.

He sat in the chair and forced himself to be still while Sasuke-sama made tea.

“Of course they all have missed you and Naruto terribly,” Sasuke-sama began. He picked up the tray, carried it over, placed it on the low table and sat down. “Yuki has been having nightmares,” he continued. “We think it is because people dying reminded him of losing Ranmaru.”

Kiba watched the tea being poured into his cup. He did not want tea. He wanted to see the children. He wanted to comfort Yuki. He forced himself to pick up the cup.

Sasuke-sama sipped his tea. “There have been a few incidents,” he admitted.

Kiba put the cup down again. “Incidents?” he queried.

“The boys decided to go on a few night-time adventures. Yuki asked if he and Hoshi could have a sleepover with Ayame. It turned out to be a way of getting Hoshi out of the nursery so the other boys could sneak into the void between the floors via the ducts.”

Kiba had no idea what either the ducts or void were like. He imagined the dangers they might contain.

Sasuke-sama should have guessed something was up as soon as Yuki pretended to want to sleep elsewhere.

“I have dealt with the matter and it is closed,” Sasuke-sama added. “I expect that you want to see them. We haven’t told them that you are awake but Biwako-san is expecting you. As soon as you have finished your tea.”

The tea was gone, the empty cup replaced on the table and Kiba was on his feet.

Sasuke-sama gave the smallest of smiles and stood up. “That would be now then,” he observed.


They walked at Sasuke-sama’s usual measured pace. Kiba made himself relax into it. Being too tense or too excited would set the kits off.

Sasuke-sama was too pale. He smelled wrong. Kiba guessed he was unhappy without Naruto. He had not asked how long Naruto-san would be tanked. He felt bad about that. He should have asked more questions while they were in the office. Thinking back, he realised that he had hardly spoken.


Then Ryuu and Kazuki were running down the corridor towards them with the other kits in their wake; they must have heard them coming. Ryuu was barking and Kazuki was yelping. The others were calling, “Kiba-san! Kiba-san!”

Kazuki was on his back and Ryuu was in his arms. The other kits were clustered around him, bouncing up and down on their toes. A little way down the corridor were Hoshi and Hikaru. Haru was in the doorway to the playroom.

Sasuke-sama picked up Yuki so that he could give Kiba a whiskery kiss. “Shall we go into the playroom?” he suggested, gently herding the kits and Kiba in that direction.


Kiba sat in a rocking chair with Ryuu and Yuki in his lap and Kazuki sitting on his foot with his body pressed up against Kiba’s leg. The others jostled with each other to be as close as possible.

Except for Haru. Haru hung back. Kiba could see that he was not happy. He resolved to speak to Biwako-san about him.

There were so many small things amiss. No one had trimmed Hikaru, Hoshi and Haru’s hair. None of the children smelled properly clean. Their clothes were laundered but their white tops were not completely stain-free. Some of them were wearing clothes that were too big or too small.

The playroom was very untidy and a little dirty. He shuddered to think what the nursery was like.

“Did you miss us?” Yasushi asked.

Kiba focused on the children rather than the mess and smiled. “No, Ya-chan. I was asleep.”

“We missed you,” Kuuya added. His face lit up with a smile. “But you are back now.”

“Will To-chan be back soon?” Keizo asked.

Kiba looked to Sasuke-sama.

“Not soon,” he admitted. “He has a lot of healing to do.”

And Kiba knew, without the slightest doubt, that Sasuke-sama was uncertain that Naruto would recover. His gut twisted. What would that mean to the children?

“I have to go back to my meeting now,” Sasuke-sama told them. “You must make sure that Kiba-san does not do too much on his first day out of the tank. I shall see you all at the evemeal. Kiba-san,” he acknowledged.

“Sasuke-sama,” Kiba replied, not trying to get up because of the children.


Kiba itched to start cleaning and tidying, but he knew that was not as important as reassuring the children. Ryuu was not going to let go of him any time soon. Yuki had vacated his place on Kiba’s lap; it was now occupied by Yoshimi. Yasushi was sitting at his feet.

Biwako-san had spoken to him briefly, just to welcome him back, and then set out art materials for the children to use should they wish. Yuki, Kazuki, Keizo and Kuuya had chosen to do so. Hikaru was building something using his rubber bricks. Haru was studying his tablet.

Hoshi brought up a small chair and sat beside him. “Papa has tried very hard to look after us,” she told him. “It is difficult to be Sasuke-sama and do that. He misses To-chan very much.”

Kiba understood. Hoshi knew that standards had slipped and she wanted him to make allowances.

“He has given us lots of cuddles,” she added.

“He has done an excellent job,” Kiba suggested.

Hoshi looked at him with solemn eyes. “Yes.”


Kiba found himself glad that Hoshi had spoken to him. It meant that he held back rather than rushing in to put everything right. The more he watched the more he realised how badly affected everyone had been by the bombing.

It was not just the children. Sasuke-sama was, as Hoshi had said, missing Naruto very much. Choza was sad. Biwako-san looked weary and older.

Akemi and Misora were helping Choza when they went to the kitchen for the children’s evemeal. Kiba studied them. He could see how much they had changed; how deeply their mother’s death had disturbed them.

Then Shika-san joined them for the children’s evemeal and Kiba was shocked. Shikamaru was much thinner and he smelled unwell. He looked haunted.

Kiba had never properly appreciated that children’s relationship with their parents persisted into adulthood; Shika-san was obviously grief-stricken at the loss of his mother and father.

He found himself thinking about the children when Naruto was dying of old age. They would be younger than Shika-san was now. Would that be as harrowing for them? Or would it be easier because it was expected?

Then, unbidden, he recalled Sasuke-sama telling the children that Naruto had a lot of healing to do. Maybe that dreadful day was not fifteen standards into the future. Perhaps it would be far too soon.

“Kiba-san?” Shikamaru asked, distracting him from his thoughts.

“Shika-san,” Kiba acknowledged.

“I would like to speak with you soon, about Sumiko-chan,” he said.

Kiba had not made the connection. Sumiko had been in the playroom. Who would look after her? Shika-san because he was her sibling?

Looking at Shikamaru, he did not look in any state to take on a small child.

“Certainly, Shika-san. Perhaps when the children are in bed?”

“Not this evening, Shika-san,” Sasuke-sama said from his place at the head of the table. “Kiba-san needs to rest this evening. Tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow would be excellent,” Shika-san acknowledged.

“And perhaps Neji-san should be there,” Sasuke-sama added.

“Is Shika-san going to be Su-chan’s Papa?” Keizo asked.

“Or her To-chan?” added Yoshimi.

“Shika-san is Sumiko’s onii-san,” Sasuke-sama told them. “That’s an older brother you look up to.”

Kazuki’s ears perked up. “That’s me. I’m the oldest.”

Sasuke-sama smiled. “I don’t think a few minutes’ difference is enough to qualify as an onii-san, Ka-chan. Maybe you can be Nii-san to the triplets.”

“Are Te-chan, Ta-chan and Tsu-chan going to be depodded?” Hikaru asked. “Kiba-san could look after them.”

“They would be sad,” Yuki suggested. “They would miss To-chan. They’re too little to understand about the tank.”


Kiba was impressed. Yuki’s understanding and command of language had developed recently, as had that of all the kits. They had always seemed younger than Hikaru, Hoshi and Haru but that was no longer the case. He thought about Kamatari, who had easily passed as fourteen standards when Kiba had known he was only twelve; perhaps their childhood would be shorter than those of their pureblood siblings.

“We will probably wait until To-chan is awake,” Sasuke-sama agreed.

That was interesting; Sasuke-sama was confident that Naruto would wake but not that he would be fully recovered. Kiba found himself both relieved and anxious.


They supervised the children bathing, which was new because Kiba and Naruto had always scrubbed them. Kiba settled for making comments about them washing themselves thoroughly enough that they smelled clean to him, which appeared to have the desired effect.

He told himself that it was good that they were being expected to wash and dress themselves.

He tucked them each into his or her bunk while Sasuke-sama played and sang for them. Every child but Haru gave him an extra hug.

He resolved again to speak to Biwako-san about Haru.


After Sasuke-sama had gone, Kiba sat in the rocking chair until all the children were sleeping. Before he left the nursery, he activated the microphone and put one of the small, wireless speakers into his ear; he wanted to pick up any early signs that Yuki was having a nightmare.

On his way out he made a quick check around and found the narrow but adult-sized cot in the adjacent room. The smell confirmed that Sasuke-sama had been sleeping there, often with one or more kits.

Kiba sighed. He was sure that Sasuke-sama had meant well but the kits needed to understand that sleeping was something they did alone, at least until they were old enough to find mates.


He made his way to the crew room and settled into his usual chair in the kitchen, watching Choza finish the adult’s evemeal and occasionally helping by placing a filled dish or plate on the table.

People came and went.

“Kiba-san?”

It was Itachi-san with Kisame-san. He was standing in a way that made Kiba stand and face them. Itachi-san put his hands together in front of him and bowed.

“I already owe you, Kiba-san, for turning against Orochimaru. Now I owe you again, we both owe you, for saving Haku’s life,” he said. “We are deeply grateful.”

Kiba was not sure what to say. Haku had been the youngest there; Kiba had selected him without thought. “I wish I had been more successful and he had not been injured,” Kiba admitted.

Kisame-san came over and rested a hand on his shoulder. “We would have lost our beloved. Mai and Shou would have lost their To-chan. We will forever be in your debt, Kiba-san.”

Kiba felt himself blush. “It’s what I am, Kisame-san,” he admitted. “I do not think about it. I just act.” He considered. “Naruto saved the people in that room who survived. He gave us those extra seconds by reacting so quickly.”

“You may wish to know that it was Neji-san who found you before the air ran out,” Itachi-san told him.

Kiba did. He decided that he would thank Neji-san the next day, when he came with Shika-san to discuss Sumiko. “Thank you, Itachi-san. There is a lot for me to catch up with.”

Kisame squeezed his shoulder. “Each time one of you comes back to us it gets better,” he told him.


Once Itachi and Kisame left, Kiba sat down again at the table.

“You have just enough time to pay your respects to Iruka-san,” Choza suggested, waving a spoon towards Iruka’s crew room.

The new double doors were open. Kiba made his way over and stood a pace from the threshold. Iruka-san was in one of Rin-san’s contraptions. Kakashi-san had been sitting beside him but stood up.

“I’m going to spend a few minutes with Asuma,” he said. “Kiba-san, it is wonderful to see you up and about. Have you seen the children?”

“Iruka-san, Kakashi-san,” Kiba acknowledged. “Yes, I have seen the children. They are sleeping now,” he said, tapping the speaker in his ear.


Iruka-san gestured him towards the chair that Kakashi-san had occupied. “How are you, Kiba-san?” he asked as Kiba sat down.

“A little tired,” Kiba admitted. His limbs were beginning to ache. “You?”

“I sleep a great deal,” Iruka-san admitted. “Kashi is taking care of me, which makes it all bearable.”


They talked. Kiba learnt that he had Hana to thank as well as Naruto and Neji. They talked about Ran. Iruka-san could not tell him much about Haru other than that the expeditions into the ducts had been his idea, which was and was not a surprise. It was like Haru to think of it but not like Haru to want to crawl through dark ducts.

Iruka-san did not mention Naruto.

“Sasuke-sama is very concerned about Naruto-san,” Kiba hinted, hoping to get a lead.

Iruka-san caught on at once. “Is he? I shall follow that up. Thank you, Kiba-san.”


It was good to eat with the others around the table, even if the gaps were painfully apparent. Afterwards he settled at the table with Choza, Gai, Dan and Tatsuji while Tayuya, Konohamaru and Inari cleaned and tidied.

He was wondering how badly Gai and Tatsuji missed C-san when he heard something from the nursery. He excused himself and swiftly made his way there.


The children, specifically the kits, must have become even more skilled at moving silently because five out of the six of them had moved beds. Yasushi was in Yoshimi’s bunk. Keizo and Kuuya were in Sasuke-sama’s cot, obviously hoping not to be evicted if, or perhaps when, he arrived. Kazuki was in with Haru and Yuki with Hoshi.

Kiba went through the same procedure with each of them. He would pick up a kit and move him back to his own bunk. If he woke, Kiba would tuck him in and then stroke his fur until he was asleep again.

It took a long time. Once they were all settled he sat in the rocking chair for a while. Then he moved the microphone closer to Yuki’s bunk and crept away.


He decided to find Sasuke-sama; he needed to persuade him not to sleep where the kits would seek him out. He wasn’t in the crew room. Kiba could not hear him in the room he usually shared with Naruto-san.

Finally he found him in his office. It was far too late for Sasuke-sama to be working. Kiba pressed the door announcer and waited. Nothing happened. He tried again.

He was on the verge of going to find someone, perhaps Kakashi-san, when the door slid open.


Sasuke-sama tried to cover it but it was obvious he had been sleeping at his desk.

“Kiba-san?” he queried.

“Sasuke-sama,” Kiba replied. “I have checked the nursery and moved all the kits back into their own bunks.” He stopped himself asking Sasuke-sama not to sleep in the cot. What if he could not bear to sleep in his own bed alone?

Sasuke-sama flushed slightly. “Yes, that has slipped. Thank you for checking on them.”

It was not a time to hide behind formality. “They are the centre of my world, Sasuke-sama,” Kiba admitted. He decided to ask. “Is there uncertainty about Naruto-san’s recovery?”

Sasuke-sama hesitated before gesturing him towards the comfortable chairs. Kiba settled into one. The display frame showed the drawing of Naruto-san; beautiful and perfect.

“The regeneration has failed three times,” Sasuke-sama admitted. He bit his bottom lip like Haru. “Naruto put restrictions on the treatment options. No creating embryos for spare parts. No transplanting tissues from the kits, like Rin-san transplanted tissues from Hana into you.”

Kiba tried to think of a way around it but could not. Should Sasuke-sama go against Naruto-san’s wishes?

“Shizune suggested using stem cells from Keizo’s umbilical cord,” Sasuke-sama continued. “That’s what they are trying now. If that fails, it will be implants.”

Using Keizo’s umbilical cord was very clever. Kiba was impressed. Whether it would work was another matter. Stem cells from an umbilical cord were less flexible than those from an early embryo.

“Naruto-san has so much to live for,” Kiba suggested. “He will cope with implants if that proves to be the only way. He will continue to love his life with you and the children.”

Sasuke-sama considered and then nodded. “Yes, he will. Thank you, Kiba-san.”


They walked together to the crew room. On the way, Sasuke-sama asked him not to mention the possibility of implants to anyone but particularly not to Shika-san. Kiba understood. Shika-san was stressed enough without adding an extra burden.

Once they arrived, Kiba watched Sasuke-sama go into his room. He hoped that Sasuke-sama would decide to sleep there.


Choza was still sitting at the table in the kitchen; all the others had gone. Kiba went close and rubbed up against him. Choza smiled.

“That’s nice,” he admitted. “You’ll want to sleep in your room, to be close to the children in case Yuki needs you.”

Kiba was grateful that Choza understood. “Do you want to sleep with me?” he asked.

Choza hugged him close. “Of course. By the Lady, Kiba, it is good to have you back. I didn’t know I could miss someone that much.”


Kiba woke at his usual time. Either Yuki had slept through or Kiba had not heard him. He slipped out of bed, sliding a pillow into Choza’s arms to replace him.

Shower, clothes, a quick glance into the kitchen to judge when breakfast might be ready and he was checking the nursery. They were all still asleep in their own bunks, which was satisfying. He picked out clothes for each of them to wear; picking out garments that he considered clean enough. Those selected were hung on the hooks on each bunk while the stains on the others were treated and they were loaded into the clothes-cleaning machine. Seven tops and three pairs of pants did not make the grade and were put into the mending basket.

He would have to do an audit of the children’s clothes. With Haku tanked he might have to find someone who could sew or improve his own skills.

He added it to his mental list of things to do and began scrubbing the bathroom.


He was just finishing when Hikaru walked in rubbing his eyes.

“Good morning, Kiba-san,” he murmured. He came over and gave Kiba a hug.

Kiba was touched. Hikaru was not usually so demonstrative. “Good morning, Hi-chan,” he replied.


It was a good start to the morning. Kiba made himself hang back and confirmed that twenty-six days without him running after them had made the children more independent. The ones who could not tie their shoelaces asked one of the others to do it; Hoshi reminded each of them that it was the day the beds were changed and Kiba watched as they put the dirty linen in a basket and folded their bedcovers.

Sasuke-sama was up, washed and dressed in time to eat breakfast with them. He reminded the children that Itachi-san was leading training that morning and that he would be with them for a music session that afternoon.

Kiba added talking to Biwako-san about their schedule to his ever-lengthening list.


He was planning on talking to Biwako-san when the children had training but Shikamaru and Neji arrived with Itachi and Kisame, obviously wanting to discuss Sumiko.

Kiba was determined to thank Neji before talking about Sumiko. He was not quite sure how to approach it so he decided to be direct.

“Thank you, Neji-san, for reaching me and Haku-san in time,” he said once the children had gone into the gym.

Neji responded with a small bow. “It was my privilege, Kiba-san, I only wish that I could have reached you sooner. Shika and I are here to discuss Sumiko-chan. We are going to take responsibility for raising her.”

Kiba studied them. Shikamaru looked awful. Even Neji smelled stressed. “Maybe you should wait until a better time to unpod her,” he suggested.

Shikamaru shook his head. “When will that be? In another div or two or three? Who knows what will be happening then?”

Neji rested a hand on his lover’s arm. “Shika, we need Kiba’s help with this. We agreed that we would follow his advice. If he thinks that we should wait, we should wait.” He turned to Kiba. “How badly will Sumiko-chan be affected by losing her mother and father?”

“Badly,” Kiba admitted. “She’s old enough to know they have gone and too young to fully understand what has happened.” He considered. “Sasuke-sama has decided that the triplets will not be unpodded until after Naruto-san is detanked. If we unpodded Sumiko-chan soon, I could concentrate on her for a div or so.”

“That would be great,” Shikamaru responded.

“It would be extremely generous of you,” Neji acknowledged. “Maybe you could drop by and look at the room we have prepared for her?”

“It was tricky,” Shikamaru admitted. “The apartment was completely destroyed. We only managed to retrieve a few items and they were too damaged to use. I’ve used what I can remember and looked through purchase records. I hope we have recreated her room.”

Kiba doubted it; a room was more than the objects in it. He decided that saying so would not be constructive. “There are a few of her things here,” he told them, “including the plushie she must have had with her when she was podded. I’ll get them for you. I’ll add in some of the toys she particularly likes. Should we go and look at the room now?” he suggested.


The room was very much in Yoshino’s taste, which Kiba was uncertain about. He decided not to comment and made some practical suggestions. Every time he mentioned something Shikamaru wilted a little more.

“You should concentrate on the essentials,” Kiba recommended. “Lots of reassurance and affection. A simple routine to make her feel secure.”

He had thought it would help but it didn’t. If anything, Shikamaru looked even more unhappy.

“I shall return to the playroom now,” he announced. “You can tell me what you have decided after you have had the time to discuss it. There is no rush.”

They thanked him and he left them there in the irritatingly flowery room. After the door slid closed behind him, as he walked across the crew room, he heard Shikamaru giving voice to his anxiety and Neji assuring him all would be well.

Kiba struggled to understand why Shikamaru was so determined to unpod Sumiko when he was so uncertain about caring for her.


The training session was not over when he arrived at the playroom but Haru and Ran were sitting in a corner while Yuki and Hoshi were playing make-believe with dollies. Kiba guessed that the others had moved onto one of Itachi-san’s fiercely competitive games.

They had showered and redressed themselves. Kiba was impressed.

He craned his neck to see what Haru and Ran were doing. Ran was drawing. Haru was using his tablet. He decided not to go over because Ran might bolt.

He decided that now would be a good time to speak with Biwako-san but before he could do so Yuki was beside him with huge, woeful eyes and a dolly that had lost its arm.

Broken toys always took precedence.

As he reattached the arm, Hoshi brought him a basketful of toys and puzzles. “There was no one to mend them,” she told him, sadly.

Shikaku-san had often sat in the playroom doing minor repairs. Kiba drew Hoshi to him and hugged her before settling into the task.


Then it was the midmeal, during which Choza asked Kiba to accompany him on his regular visit to the prisoners’ apartment that afternoon. Kiba checked that Sasuke-sama would be fine leading the music session without him and then jumped at the chance to thank Hana.

They packed an impressive range of baskets.

“It’s not working,” Choza warned him as they made their way to the lower level of accommodation. “Hana is doing her best but Konan is unhappy cooped up in the apartment. I do not think having a depressed mother is good for the baby. Maybe if you had a word with Sasuke-sama? And, if you do, perhaps you could remind him that he agreed to think about Shikamaru’s suggestion that Hana should look after Zetsu.”

Kiba braced himself. It had to be bad if Choza was being so critical.


It was. Konan was worse than ‘unhappy’, she was almost completely withdrawn. Hana was desperate. The baby was well cared for physically but Kiba suspected that he was being neglected emotionally.

When Kiba thanked Hana for donating tissue she told him, bluntly, that she had hoped that by helping him she would gain some consideration. Kiba squirmed inside. He already felt that he owed her for saving Haru’s life and helping Shikamaru escape. Now he was even more in her debt; she had accelerated his recovery, possibly halving the time he was away from the children.

Then they moved onto Zetsu’s apartment and Kiba’s embarrassment turned to anger. The man was skeletally thin; the apartment filthy. Whatever Zetsu had done, Uchiha was better than this. The situation had to be resolved immediately, that very day, with no more delay.

Zetsu cowered in a corner while Choza tidied and Kiba cleaned.


Kiba helped Choza load all the debris into the baskets and carry it back to the crew room. Then he went to the playroom to be waiting when Sasuke-sama finished the music session. At least he did not have long to wait, which was good because all he could think of was Hana’s righteous indignation and Zetsu’s misery. He spoke as soon as Sasuke-sama dismissed the children.

“I need to speak to you, Sasuke-sama. Now. Perhaps Tayuya-san and Inari-san could watch the children?”

Sasuke-sama looked at him with concern. “Is it that urgent, Kiba-san?”

“Yes, Sasuke-sama,” he insisted. “It is that urgent.”

“Here?” Sasuke-sama asked.

“Somewhere more private would be better,” Kiba replied.


They went to Sasuke-sama’s office. He sat at his desk and gestured that Kiba should take the seat opposite him.

“It’s about the prisoners,” he began. “Zetsu is wasting away. Konan is so depressed that it would not surprise me if she committed suicide. Sasuke-sama, if you intended to kill them, there are cleaner ways of doing it.”

Sasuke-sama flushed. “I intend no such thing, Kiba-san, as you well know. There are security issues.”

“I can’t see that they are insurmountable,” Kiba replied, determined not to be deflected from his goal. “If you are so worried about Hana, put a controller on her. She’d accept it. She’s that desperate. Or assign one of the elite fighters to escort her whenever she’s outside the apartment like you did when she was in the infirmary.”

“I shall think about it,” Sasuke-sama promised.

Kiba steeled himself. “I am sorry, Sasuke-sama. I have never said this to you before but that is not good enough.”

Sasuke-sama looked at him. Kiba looked back. Then Sasuke-sama sighed, he pressed the activator for the intercom. “Sasuke here. Kakashi-san, unless you are busy with something you cannot leave, please could you come to my office.”

There was a few seconds’ delay and then the click of the intercom. “Kakashi here. On my way, Sasuke-sama.”


Once Kakashi had arrived, Kiba began to understand one cause of Sasuke-sama’s reluctance; Kakashi-san had not come to terms with Sasuke-sama’s decision to accept the Akatsuki renegades.

The arguments went back and forth. Kiba surprised himself; he had not known he could be so stubborn. Finally they settled on doubling the size of Konan’s apartment so that Hana could establish a garden, installing a door between the two apartments and Kiba visiting regularly.

Kakashi argued vociferously against allowing Hana or Konan to bring the baby to the playroom.

Kiba stated that he did not think the improvements went far enough but that he appreciated that Sasuke-sama had responded to his concerns.


Kakashi left first. Kiba could not tell if he was angry at the concessions or pleased to have kept Hana, Konan and Zetsu imprisoned.

“Thank you, Kiba-san,” Sasuke-sama said once the door had closed.

For a moment Kiba thought he was being sarcastic; Orochimaru had liked sarcasm.

“Naruto would have spoken out for them,” he explained. “He would have insisted as you did.”

Kiba felt guilty for putting Orochimaru and Sasuke-sama in the same thought. “It is an honour to be compared to Naruto-san. I apologise for pushing so hard.”

“And I apologise for not listening until you did,” Sasuke-sama replied.


Kiba hurried back to the playroom. By the time he arrived the kits had closed in on Tayuya and she was looking more than a little desperate; Kiba resolved to hide the tin whistles. Inari looked much more comfortable with Hikaru, Ryuu and Hoshi.

Haru was in the corner again, this time without Ran. Kiba was on his way to investigate when he was swamped by kits; Tayuya was determined to get away and had suggested that the kits play their whistles for him rather than her.


Before he knew it, Kiba was caught up in the routine of tidying the playroom before the evemeal, followed by feeding, bathing, storytelling and tucking the children into their bunks.

On his way out of the nursery Shikamaru thanked him for moving the Zetsus’ situation in the right direction and told him that he and Neji had decided to unpod Sumiko the next day.

That was sooner than Kiba had anticipated. He sat in the rocking chair, waiting for the children to fall asleep and making a mental note of what preparations would be required.


After the evemeal, he warned Choza that he would be a while and returned to the playroom. The day nursery had not been touched since the day of the bombing. He told himself he would only do the minimum only to find himself struggling to decide what that entailed.

He almost had it to his liking when he heard whimpers in his earpiece.


It was late by the time Yuki’s nightmares had passed. Kiba resisted the urge to sleep in the rocking chair and made his way to the kitchen.

Choza was still there; Kiba felt guilty for keeping him waiting but Choza only smiled and welcomed him with a hug.


It was only when he was falling asleep in his own bed, with Choza beside him, that Kiba remembered that he still had not spoken to Biwako-san about Haru.

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