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.
Warning: This story features male/male relationships. If you are uncomfortable reading about gay male relationships do not read this story.
This story is set in a very different world to ours. In 'known space', different societies and communities are often very isolated from each other and have very different histories. There is no common shared knowledge of Earth's history; in fact all knowledge of Earth as the home of mankind is lost. There is no shared law, no shared agreement of what what is 'right' and 'wrong', no pervasive religion.
Warning: The views, standards, mores and morals of the different groups in this story, including those of 'spacers', are not those of our world. They are the product of a fictional future history. Many of the behaviours they consider acceptable we do not.
I would like to thank the regular readers of 'In the cold of space you find the heat of suns' who left reviews or sent emails. Thanks to xxShadowheartxx for reviewing tales 1-8, kaname-luvr for reviewing tale 3 and Sable Scribe for reviewing the first chapter of this two part story.
Apologies if the characters have grown differently in their new environment.
Many thanks to 'Small Fox' for beta-ing.
Tales in Tarrasade 8 - Patron
Chapter 2 - Appeal
They gathered in Iruka's crew room to watch the programme, which was due to be simultaneously broadcast across much of the Inner Fringe. The room was overcrowded but as the programme was short everyone had agreed that they would cope. Izumo and Kotetsu were there with Ayame. Asuma and Kurenai had brought the children. The door to the nursery was open so that the children could sleep or watch the programme, whichever they wished. All other doors were closed to prevent the little ones escaping.
Haru and Kazuki sat in Shikamaru's lap. Hikaru and Ryuu were sitting on Inari. Yuki was curled up on Iruka and Kuuya bounced on Kakashi. Yoshimi and Yasushi were climbing on Kisame, occasionally moving onto Itachi but carefully avoiding Haku. Keizo had chosen Ibiki.
Hoshi was holding court with Hamaki, Terai and Fu in attendance.
"It's starting," Asuma announced and a scatter of latecomers came through doors and shut them carefully behind them.
Instrumental music laced with romantic themes from well-known spacer love songs. Images of deep space, Tarrasade, the Uchiha crest and short extracts from the famous Sasuke/Naruto interview as well as images of Naruto alone from two standards before. Zooming in on an image of Tarrasade and the scene changes to Sasuke and Naruto sitting on a leather couch, as they did during the first interview. They look older, more mature, but their clothes are more refined versions of what they wore before. Naruto is not wearing his tags but is wearing his plaque in his usual position around his neck.
The shot changes to one of Yukie Fujikaze. She, too, looks more poised and refined. She begins by addressing the camera.
"We are coming to you from the Uchiha compound on Tarrasade. My name is Yukie Fujikaze and I am here with Sasuke Uchiha and his partner Naruto.
The camera pulls back so that all three are shown.
"This is an unusual and special privilege, Uchiha-san, Naruto-san," she begins. "Everyone knows how carefully you protect your privacy."
The camera homes in on Sasuke and Naruto.
"Yes, privacy is very important to us," Sasuke replies. "It allows us to lead a quiet life with our family. However, occasionally even privacy must give way."
He looks towards Naruto. Naruto smiles at him before turning and looking directly into the camera.
"I am asking you, each person watching this, to give me the next ten minutes of your time," he requests.
The camera zooms in on Naruto.
"I am incredibly lucky. I am in love with someone who loves me back. We live together, comfortably, with our children, as part of a larger family. I have joy in the present and great hope for the future."
Naruto gives a small smile and twitches his whiskers.
"This is rare. I am lucky. What makes it rarer, and me even luckier, is that I am a hybrid. Very few hybrids can even dream of leading the life I lead."
He turns towards Sasuke and the camera pulls back to show them both.
"Sasuke is very special. He sees me first as a person. He accepts my foxiness, celebrates it even, and he does not think it makes me any less a person than a purebred."
He turns back to the camera.
"Could you be like Sasuke? Could you see hybrids as people? That is what I am asking you to try to do for the next ten minutes."
Image of Naruto and Sasuke fades away to be replaced by a succession of images of healthy, functional hybrids, including Yugito, Roshi, Gaara, Kiba and Kisame as well as others. Naruto's voice continues.
"What's a hybrid? A hybrid is a human whose chromosomes have been changed to include a small amount of genetic material from another vertebrate. Once the hybrid engineer has changed the chromosomes, embryos are started and the babies gestated just like purebred babies. Hybrid babies grow into children, adolescents and then adults."
Video of Yugito and Roshi dancing.
"When the hybrids work it can be wonderful. Some hybrids can do amazing things. We can enrich other people's lives. We can bring people pleasure."
The video of the dancers fades into another; a back view of the boy with no legs on his trolley, pushing himself along with his hands.
"But it doesn't always work. The hybrid engineers we have today don't really know what they are doing. The introduction of the non-human chromosomes often affects the development of the embryo into a baby. Developmental abnormalities, rare in purebred humans, are common in hybrids."
The video of boy with the trolley fades away to be replaced by a series of images of deformed hybrids. Each is shown only for a few seconds.
"You would think the hybrid engineers would give up, but they don't. They just start with more embryos."
The last image of a deformed hybrid fades away to be replaced with a video of Gaara and Kiba walking through one of Tarrasade's markets.
"These are Kiba, who is a member of my family, and Gaara, who is a friend of mine. They were both created by a hybrid engineer called Amachi, who is dead now. Amachi kept very good records. We know that, in one experiment, he started three hundred embryos and only one developed normally, that one embryo became Kiba. In another experiment, he started five hundred embryos. Only one developed normally; Gaara.
"At least Amachi terminated the embryos that were developing wrongly. At least he was only interested in creating healthy, functional hybrids."
The video of Kiba and Gaara fades into that of the boy pushing himself along on his trolley and then into brief images of hybrids with greater and greater deformities and, finally to the video of Naruto playing with the children in the nursery on Farrellez.
"I wish all genetic engineers were as responsible. As sad as it is to think of all those tiny lives being extinguished, it is heart-breaking to see children who, through no fault of their own, are condemned to the hardest of lives. Hybrids are not born into a family. They have no parents. There is no one to protect them. Many are used, abused and discarded. Those who are deformed are objects of ridicule. They suffer and, finally, they die."
A close-up of Naruto's face as he played with the children in the nursery faded to be replaced by one of him talking.
"Perhaps they welcome death. I know that there were times when I was little, long before I met Sasuke, when I wanted to die. When it was too cold and I was too hungry and I had been kicked too often."
The camera draws back to show them both. Sasuke is looking at Naruto with sympathetic eyes. There is a pause and the camera pulls back to show Yukie as well as Naruto and Sasuke.
"Why now, Naruto-san?" she asks. "Why have you decided to say something now?"
The camera zooms in again to show just Sasuke and Naruto.
"Two things have happened," Naruto answers. "Firstly, we trusted someone we shouldn't. We thought he was a genuine scientist and, secretly, he was a hybrid engineer. He stole a sample of my stem cells. All I could think of was that he would have started hundreds of embryos and that many of them would be growing into babies that did not work.
"When we caught up with him it was not as terrible as I had feared. There were only six babies in gestators and they were all healthy. What had started as a crime ended up as a blessing, because we now have six beautiful hybrid sons to raise alongside the three little full-blood Uchihas that we were already gestating."
"Do they look exactly like you and each other, Naruto-san?" Yukie asked.
Naruto and Sasuke both smile.
"Not really," Naruto replies. "What we look like does not only depend on our genes but also on which of those genes are used. Whether purebred or hybrid we all have far more genes than we need. In hybrids, which genes are used varies more than in purebreds. So even though all six babies and I have the same genes we look different. We have different number of whiskers and different coloured fur. One has no fangs or whiskers. One has a tail and a fine pair of foxy ears."
"But they all have the same gorgeous blue eyes," adds Sasuke. "And each one is beautiful."
"As are our purebred babies," Naruto insists.
"Isn't raising nine children at the same time a little much?" Yukie's voice asks from off camera.
"Ten now," Sasuke replies. "When Naruto went to the hybrid sanctuary, the visit you saw, he came back with another child almost exactly the same age as ours. He is a wolf-human hybrid and we think he was discarded by the engineer who created him because he has wolf ears and a tail. We decided that he would fit in just perfectly."
"We are very lucky," adds Naruto. "Uchiha has deep pockets and we have a large and supportive family." He smiled. "Sometimes it is a little tiring, but there is so much joy that it more than makes up for it."
The camera pulls out again to show interviewer as well as interviewees.
"You said there was a second thing that made you decide to speak out, Naruto-san," Yukie prompts.
"Yes," Naruto replies. "I learned about the work of the HDL, that's the Hybrid Defence League. It is a charity that tries to help hybrids. It runs sanctuaries like the one you saw, the one where I found Ryuu." He straightens a little. "The HDL asked me to be its patron. It was a great honour to be asked. I discussed it with Sasuke and we decided that I should accept the invitation."
"So, as patron of the HDL, what would you like to ask people to do, Naruto-san?" Yukie asks.
The camera zooms in on Naruto, who looks directly into it.
"Please try to think of hybrids as people. I know that is hard. It's difficult to think differently when you have always thought of hybrids as non-humans but I am asking you to try.
"Maybe some of you could manage more than that. Maybe you could not do something. Maybe you could not visit a freak show. Maybe you could not give a hybrid a look that cuts into his or her soul. Maybe you could not make a comment or not laugh when someone makes a cruel joke. Maybe you could not object when the HDL wants to have an office that is close to your home or place of work.
"And, maybe, a few of you would be willing to do something. Maybe you could say excuse me rather than being offended when a hybrid is not quick enough to jump out of your way. Maybe you could stop your children poking fun at us. Maybe you could speak out in support of the HDL. Maybe you could suggest to a hybrid you meet that he or she should contact the HDL for help.
"Possibly a very small number of you might want to contribute more actively. You could contact your local HDL office and ask them how you can help. You could give your local branch of the HDL a few credits. You could send a few credits to the HDL's main office. Details of how to do that will be given during this programme."
The camera zooms in closer.
"You could even become a member of the HDL and openly support our cause. That would be awesome."
The camera angle changes to show all three again.
"Before we bring this interview to a close, what do you see yourselves doing over the next few standards? Uchiha-sama?"
"My top priority is caring for Naruto, our children and the rest of our family," Sasuke answers, "but, obviously, I am very busy building a new Uchiha that looks to the future rather than the past and that builds on all people's potential, whether they are purebred or hybrid."
"And you, Naruto-san?"
"Again, protecting and caring for Sasuke, our children and our family," Naruto replies, "but I am hoping that I can find time from that and my duty to Uchiha to support and promote the HDL and its work."
"You both have mentioned your extended family." Yukie observes. "Many viewers know your backgrounds and I can imagine them wondering what you mean by it."
The camera zooms in on Sasuke and Naruto.
"You are probably correct, Yukie-san," Sasuke agrees. "It is widely known that I am an orphan and Naruto, as a hybrid, had no parents. Our extended family began when the crew of the Silver Leaf joined with the survivors of the old Uchiha. We live together and work together and care for each other. We are the core of the new Uchiha."
"I hope that people consider following our example," Naruto adds.
The camera zooms in further until Naruto's face fills the shot.
"You may be alone, like Sasuke and I were alone. We found each other but, perhaps even more importantly, we and others formed a family. You do not have to be alone. If you are strong, find others to protect. If you care for others, they will care for you. If you cannot have a child, think of giving a lonely child a home. Make a family or extend the one you have." He smiles. "I hope that wasn't too preachy, Yukie-san."
The camera angle changes to a close-up of Yukie.
"No, Naruto-san, it was beautiful," she says. "And that is all we have time for today so from me, Yukie Fujikaze, at the Uchiha compound in Tarrasade, it is goodbye and please continue listening while Naruto-san reminds you of how you can support the work of the HDL."
The camera angle alters again to show Naruto and Sasuke on the couch. Naruto's description of how people can support the work of the HDL is repeated as a voice over. Details of how credit can be sent to the HDL are displayed. Then the image fades and is replace by the close-up of Naruto speaking the last line.
"You could even become a member of the HDL and openly support our cause. That would be awesome."
The image fades and is replaced by one of Naruto and Sasuke on the couch, followed by one of Tarrasade disappearing into the distance and being replaced by ones of deep space. The sound track is a duet from a spacer ballad that slowly fades away.
"Was it too mushy?" Naruto asked into the silence.
There was the odd sniff.
"No, Naru-kun, it was perfect," Iruka assured him.
Shikamaru was late to the midday meal the next day. He apologised to Iruka and to Choza and then took his seat.
"Apology accepted, Shika-kun," Iruka acknowledged. "I am guessing from your face that you have something to tell us."
Shikamaru gave Naruto a huge grin. "You needn't worry about funding the HDL for the foreseeable future. The credit is pouring in. The bank we are using has had to increase the number of input streams ten-fold just this morning, and that is just the start of it. The data streams are full of it. People started suggested wearing a ribbon in 'Naruto blue' if you support the HDL almost as soon as the broadcast finished. The media are already carrying the story and showing pictures of people wearing ribbons."
"Naruto blue?" Naruto queried.
Sasuke squeezed his hand. "The colour of your eyes, dobe," he told him.
Naruto flushed.
Kakashi raised his cup. "Job well done, Naru-kun. Congratulations. We all know how much this means to you."
The others raised their cups. "Congratulations," they echoed.
Naruto raised his cup in acknowledgement. "My thanks to everyone who helped, particularly Neji and Shi-chan."
Shikamaru grinned at him. "Only you could have made millions of people listen and respond, Na-chan. It was, as you yourself would say, awesome."
The End
...
The complete series
This is the order of the stories in this series
In the cold of space you find the heat of suns chapters 1-16
Can his spacer crew keep Sasuke alive and his identity secret so he survives to lead a new Uchiha? Will the fox-boy they acquire affect Kakashi's carefully laid plans?
Silver Leaf Tales: Tying the knot
Naruto and Sasuke were friends & rivals but now they are lovers. What does it mean to each of them? Will their differences stand between them?
In the cold of space you find the heat of suns chapters 17-91
Tales in Tarrasade 1 – The Cook and the Nursemaid
Can Choza break the bad habit of a lifetime and find someone who appreciates him?
Tales in Tarrasade 2 - Knives
Can Lee make himself extraordinary enough to counter Gaara's obsession with beautiful blonds?
Tales in Tarrasade 3 - Vacation
Shikamaru decides that Naruto needs cheering up.
Tales in Tarrasade 4 – Pas de Trois - Chapter 1 Partners in the dance
Can Haku circumvent all their problems and achieve his aim of melding him, Kisame and Itachi into a threesome?
Tales in Tarrasade 5 - Kiba's day off
Iruka persuades Kiba to have a day off while Sasuke and Naruto are away. Surely they can cope looking after Naruto's litter for a single day?
Tales in Tarrasade 6 - Friendship
Sometimes being friends is more important than being lovers. That's what Inari thinks but will Konohamaru agree?
Tales in Tarrasade 4 - Pas de Trois - Chapter 2 Kisame's miracle
Tales in Tarrasade 7 - Honour your parents
Shikamaru receives a message that sends him into a funk. Can the crew help him out?
Tales in Tarrasade 8 – Patron [2 chapters]
His relationship with The Last Uchiha has made Naruto the most famous hybrid in known space. Can he use his fame to help other hybrid?
Tales in Tarrasade 9 - Homeward bound
Gaara has decided to return to Kaze and Lee, of course, will go with him.
Tales in Tarrasade 10 - Opening the cage
Kakashi realises Iruka is depressed, but why?
Iteration Chapters 1-13
Continuing the space saga about Sasuke, Naruto, their children and their family. Enemies emerge as Uchiha thrives & Naruto champions other hybrids - a testing time for New Uchiha.
Tales in Tarrasade 4 – Pas de Trois - Chapter 3 First steps
Iteration Chapters 14-16
Tales in Tarrasade 11 - Medico
Rin through someone else's eyes.
Iteration Chapters 17-43
Tales in Tarrasade 4 – Pas de Trois – Chapter 4 Needing
Iteration Chapters 44-104
Tales in Tarrasade 4 – Pas de Trois - Chapter 5 Princess
Iteration Chapters 105 – 119
Real [11 chapters]
Set in Sasuke & Naruto's extended family. What makes someone real? Haru struggles with this and other issues as he begins to grow up.
Leader [107 chapters]
Follow Sasuke & Naruto's extended family. With Uchiha expanding, will opposition come from outside or within?
...