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Leader	By : mannahpierce Category: Naruto > Yaoi - Male/Male > Naruto/Sasuke Views: 2163 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
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.

Chapter List
- 61
- 62
- 63
Thank you to my beta and muse, Small Fox. This story grew from a plot idea he gave me.
Also thanks to satterb, sadie237, melissen, disembodiedvoiceofthedying and Slynx for reviewing after chapter 61 was posted and to v for her email.
Readers’ reviews, feedback, support and comments mean a great deal to me. Feedback keeps me writing.

Leader
Part 7: Vendetta
62: Links

Haru ate his breakfast and pretended not to be studying Akemi, who was sat a little way along on the other side of the table.
Ran was sitting next to him. Haru had told Ran that he was fine with it.
Only he wasn’t.

Akemi didn’t look that different than he had before. He was a bit thinner and a lot quieter. Not that he had ever been loud but now he said almost nothing and when he did speak it seemed like it was always to Ran.
The Orochimaru print had tortured him. What was worse, it had been for Orochimaru’s own sick enjoyment; not even to extract information.
Mending the physical damage had been easy. Unfortunately there wasn’t the equivalent of a tank for unbearable memories and shattered self-image.

Haru understood the situation. Akemi was emotionally unstable. He could hurt himself; perhaps even others. There were two ways of dealing with it. The first was that they could drug him, stopping him feeling any emotions. The problem with that approach was that it didn’t allow Akemi to improve.
The other way was to allow him to feel but to intervene before the emotions spiralled out of control. Rin-san had embedded sensors in various places around Akemi’s body. They collected physiological data, including brainwaves.
The trouble was that the physiological monitoring didn’t work very well. Each time the medicos had realised something was wrong it had been too late; Akemi was pretty far gone and they had to drug him anyway.

Ran was much more effective. He could tell as soon as Akemi began slipping. He would warn Akemi and, if necessary, tell one of the people involved in Akemi’s treatment: Asuma-san, Kono-san, Neji-san or Dan-san.
Not Rin-san; Rin-san’s baby was almost ready to come out.
The problem was that Ran had to be with Akemi to feel his emotions and Haru didn’t like that one little bit.

He kept imagining Ran getting closer and closer to Akemi. Akemi was hurt and needy. Ran was kind. It would start with Ran trying to help Akemi and Akemi would be grateful. Then Ran would realise that a young man like Akemi was a lot more attractive than a runt like Haru.
It was like with Five but worse because Ran had to form empathic links with Akemi all the time to monitor him.

Haru finished his breakfast and escaped to his workshop. He was working on Sai, which was tricky but had the advantage of needing all his attention, so he couldn’t think about Ran.

Shi-chan had contacted Garner-san and explained that the smaller of the two arrays Klenn-san had given Haru had been badly damaged. Garner-san had commissioned a replacement but it would be at least two or three divs until it arrived. In the meantime, Haru was connecting a supplementary power cell, a bank of high-capacity processors, new data relay ports and a wireless interface.

A soft ping came through his earpiece; Shi-chan’s way of asking if he was available. Haru stopped what he was doing and opened the door to Shi-chan’s laboratory.
Shi-chan paused briefly at the plant, which waved its fronds in welcome.
“How is it going?” he asked once he had reached the workbench.
Haru considered. “Well. I’ve got the supplementary power supply and two of the data relay ports connected.”
Shi-chan peered at the collection of components on the bench. “I thought you were going to purge your array and so Sai could move into it until the new one arrived.”

Haru knew that was the sensible way forward. His array had a similar architecture to Sai’s and, once he had moved, Sai would not be relying on stressed or even damaged components. However, experience told him that Sai was not always sensible.
“Sai won’t want to move,” he warned.
Shi-chan frowned. “We’ll just have to persuade him. Connect him to an interface.”

By midmorning, Shi-chan had promised to destroy Sai’s original array in the storage cupboard back in Tarrasade and Haru had promised to destroy Sai’s current array if Sai agreed to move into the new one that Garner-san was having made. Sai had agreed to nothing.
Even Shi-chan had given up on the idea of two moves.
“I am going to disconnect you, Sai, so that I can hardwire another data port. Then I’ll connect the processors and the wireless interface,” Haru told him.
“I understand,” Sai replied. “Will it take long? Sumiko will be expecting me.”
“No, we should be done by the midmeal.”

Shi-chan waited until Haru disconnected Sai from the interface.
“By the Lady, he is stubborn. Do you think we’ll get him to move into the new array?”
Haru hoped so. “I’ll tell Su-chan he’s risking his life staying where he is. Sai finds it much easier to say no to me than to her.”
Shi-chan nodded. He gave the wireless interface a tiny push. “Once he’s connected to that he can get into every part of the Uchiha systems.”
“Yes,” Haru admitted cautiously. “He’s very good about not going where he shouldn’t, like me.”

There was no reply and Haru decided to get on with connecting the data port. Shi-chan helped by handing him the right tool at the correct moment.
It felt good to be working together. Once the data port was connected and tested, Haru reached for the bank of processors only for Shi-chan to stop him.
“Haru, we have a problem.”
Haru looked at him, his heart starting to pound.
“It isn’t my vow to Uchiha. With that, I can weigh the positive and negative consequences and decide what is best for Uchiha. When I do that, I agree with you, the fewer people who know about Sai the better. It’s a promise I made to your Papa. I promised that I would never keep any big stuff secret from him.”
“Sai isn’t big, he’s small,” Haru gabbled.
“He’s huge, Ha-chan, and we both know it. If Centre find out about him, they will try to purge known space of his existence. At the absolute minimum that would be Sai, you and me. We can probably add in Sumiko, Ran and Kazuki. Knowing Centre, they would probably eliminate the whole of Uchiha just to make sure.”
“The fewer people who know, the less likely Centre is to find out,” Haru insisted.
Shi-chan passed a hand over his face; a sure sign he was stressed. “Haru, Izuna-sama has told the Central Civil Service that I am a typed-seven.”

Haru froze. He started to imagine Centre coming to get Shi-chan and what would follow. At best they would take Shi-chan away. At worst they would find out about Sai. Between the two, they would test him, confirm he was a typed-five and take him too.
How could Izuna-sama do such a thing? “Why?” he asked.
“Izuna-sama wants to be Uchiha-sama and he knows that he will never command my loyalty.”
Haru registered Shi-chan’s answer but his mind was still considering the possible consequences of Centre’s arrival: To-chan, Ka-chan and the other hybrids euthanized; he and Shi-chan trapped in the Institute of Psychology on Centre I; Papa, Ran and the others mindwiped. He felt sick.
“Haru?” Shi-chan queried.

He pulled himself together. Panicking would get them nowhere. They were spacers. They faced danger every day. “Promise or no promise, telling Papa about Sai makes things worse,” he insisted. “Especially if Centre might turn up for another reason. Are you monitoring what Centre is doing? Have you asked Garner-san for help?”
“Yes to the monitoring. No to asking Garner-san.”
“You should. You would have asked Klenn-san. What is the plan if Centre turns up?”
Shi-chan managed a small smile. “You sound like your Papa. If Centre turns up to take me, I am going to join the Central Civil Service. If I do that, I think they will be distracted from investigating Uchiha.”

Shi-chan would be gone for ten standards. Even so, Haru could see that it was the right thing to do. They knew it would work; it was the way Klenn-san had escaped the Centralite psychologists’ clutches. Haru swallowed. “No doing that unless they are actually on their way. Maybe they won’t believe Izuna-sama. I mean, it’s obvious he’s only doing it to spite Papa.”

Shikamaru hadn’t meant to tell Haru that Izuna had contacted Centre. Belatedly, he realised that his indecision about Sai had led him to be more open than he had intended.
Hearing Haru sound so much like Sasuke was a surprise; that fierce determination to protect those he loved.
Maybe telling him was for the best. If the worst came to the worst, Haru would have to step up; the more prepared he was, the better. Also, he was right about Sai; telling more people was just too dangerous.
Sasuke would forgive him if the secret came out; he always did.

He tapped the processors. “Link these in and then hardwire him to a local interface. I want a chat before we let him loose.”
Haru complied while Shikamaru connected a speaker and a microphone.
“You there Sai-kun?” Shikamaru asked.
“I am always here, Shikamaru-san. When connected I can process what you are saying and you can hear what I am expressing as words.”
“Good. Before, when we worked together, we did things because it was an emergency. Now, you need to go back to behaving like you did before.”
“I understand. My existence is a secret. It must stay that way because if Centre finds out they will try to destroy me and all knowledge of my existence. They will mindwipe Ran and Sumiko. They will kill Kazuki because he is a hybrid. They will probably not mindwipe you, Shikamaru-san, because you are a typed-seven genius. They may mindwipe Haru. That will depend on whether they decide if he is a typed-five genius and whether they consider typed-five geniuses as valuable as typed-seven geniuses.”
Shikamaru swallowed. How did Sai know about mindwiping? He looked toward Haru, who would not make eye contact. How long had Haru been worrying about Centre turning up and mindwiping those he loved?

Sai was continuing. “All Sai-code has to stay inside my array. If I write code for outside the array, it must be code like the code that flesh and blood people write. If devices are being driven by my processers, like the simulators, it must look like they are been driven by other processors elsewhere. I can only write or rewrite code outside my array with Haru’s permission.
“Can you give me permission to write and rewrite code outside my array, Shikamaru-san? Is that a new rule?”
Shikamaru thought about it, but it was a step closer to Sumiko being able to give Sai permission and she would not be ready for responsibility for a long time. “No, only Haru can give permission, Sai-kun. It is safer that way.”
“But we might break the rules in an emergency, like last time.”
“Only if Haru is not available,” Shikamaru insisted. “And only in an emergency where people’s lives are at risk.”
“I understand, Shikamaru-san.”
“Good. Now, about your components. They will have been stressed by what had happened. They may not behave according to their specifications. You must watch for anomalies. You may like to consider building in more redundancy.”

There was the shortest of pauses. “I need the extra power supply and processors to function at full capacity. This means that Haru cannot carry me in his leather wallet and I will not fit in Sumiko’s purse.”
“Yes,” Haru answered swiftly. “You will have to stay here and communicate with us through the wireless interface.”
Shikamaru wondered what he was missing.
“The new array will be identical to this one?”
“As close as possible given manufacturing error,” Haru assured him.
That sounded hopeful.
“You promise to destroy this array once I have moved?”
“I promise, Sai,” Haru assured him.
“If the new array is to specification, I shall move. Then I can be carried by Haru or Sumiko.”
Shikamaru smiled. Sai could be sweet sometimes.
“Is the wireless interface ready?” Sai asked. “I want to surprise Sumiko next time she goes into her room.”

Haru looked to him and Shikamaru nodded. They made the connection.
Immediately the projectors activated and a life-sized, three dimensional image of Sai was sitting on the edge of Haru’s workbench.
He looked different; less perfect yet physically more convincing. Shikamaru realised that he was making more realistic eye contact, even though there were two of them present. He must have worked on the dynamics of the image while he was trapped in his array.
“Looking good, Sai-kun,” Shikamaru acknowledged.
Sai nodded but did not smile; maybe the smile was still unconvincing.
“Is this the Su-chan version?” Haru asked.
The image changed and was replaced by a boy of about nine standards. He was wearing pyjamas like the ones Haru used to wear. “Will you be telling us a story tonight, Shika-san?”
“Of course, Sai-chan. Could you leave us alone for a while? I want to talk to Haru about something before the midday meal.”

Sai winked away and Haru was looking at him with Naruto-coloured eyes. Shikamaru took a moment to recall why he had wanted to speak with Haru. It hadn’t been Sai or Centre.
“Ran,” he began.
Haru looked away.
Shikamaru almost changed the subject. He didn’t even know how it was between Haru and Ran. Were they still just friends or had it developed into something more? Then he remembered what it had been like when Neji had been going through therapy. “It’s tough supporting someone who is struggling to overcome psychological damage.”
There was no response.
Shikamaru decided to keep going. “It will be hard on Ran. It will be particularly difficult for him because he is an empath. Some of Akemi’s emotions will be pretty raw. He’ll need your support.”
Haru had turned pink; Shikamaru began thinking he had it completely wrong.
“Forget I said anything,” he suggested.
Haru’s head jerked up and he made brief eye contact before looking away again. “No, I am glad you did. Thank you. I’ll go find where he is now.”

That suited Shikamaru; he was intending on checking on Neji before the midday meal. He went back into his laboratory and through the opposite door into Neji’s office.
Neji had been with Hinata when they had been taking the decisions about Skyburrow, hence the two separate workrooms rather than one. Shikamaru wasn’t sure what he thought of it. He liked having his laboratory but he didn’t think it was good for Neji to be in his office alone, especially while Sasuke was away.
They had compromised by having the door open unless either of them required privacy.

He leaned on the edge of Neji’s desk. “What are you doing?”
“I have decided to offer the youngsters a course on reading behaviour,” Neji replied. “I am planning a programme.”
Shikamaru was surprised; Neji had always refused to teach the Hyuga techniques for observing and interpreting behaviour.
Neji, of course, had seen his response. “I have decided that I owe them nothing,” he admitted. “Uchiha will have everything I can pass on.”
“Maybe you could work with the hybrid youngsters about using their other senses,” Shikamaru suggested. “You tell them what you see and what it means, but then they tell you what they smell or hear. Maybe, between you, we can get a uniquely Uchiha way of interpreting behaviour.”
Neji nodded; a ‘yes that’s a good idea’ nod rather than an ‘I acknowledge your contribution’ nod.

It was time to say what was on his mind. “I am a bit worried about Ran.” Shikamaru admitted.
Neji stopped using the interface and gave Shikamaru his full attention.
“I mean, none of us know what it is like being an empath. Some of Akemi’s emotions must be pretty intense. Also, Ran’s young and inexperienced. He won’t be good at setting boundaries and we can’t expect Akemi to take responsibility for that.”
Neji was very still. “You raise good points. I will talk with Iruka-san and Dan-san.” He put a hand on Shikamaru’s knee. “Thank you, Shika.”
Shikamaru shrugged. “It was only a thought.”
“Not for that. For the experiences that mean you can appreciate Ran’s situation. For being with me even through the darkest times. For being with me now. I was a fool to turn away from you to some dream that was mostly in my imagination.”
Shikamaru covered Neji’s hand with his own. “She manipulated both of us, Ne-chan. It turned out to be the price we paid to get you back where you belong.”

Until Shi-chan pointed it out, Haru had never spared a thought for what would be like for Ran to experience Akemi’s emotions. Instead his mind had been full of his jealousy and how he had to hide it or Ran would be cross with him.
He was embarrassed and ashamed of himself. Even after Shi-chan left, the knowledge of how selfish he had been kept thrusting itself to the forefront of his thoughts. Each time the squirmy, hot sensations were there afresh.
He wished To-chan was there to help him set things right.
Instead he had to do it on his own.

He thought about where Ran was likely to be and headed for the kitchen. The plan was for Akemi to do everyday tasks that gave him lots of contact with people he knew. Today he was in charge of making lunch with Ran assisting him.
Asuma-san was sitting at the table reading a tablet.
“Haru-kun,” he acknowledged.
“Asuma-san,” Haru replied.

He sat down. He didn’t know what to do. He wasn’t on duty, so it wasn’t his place to start setting the table. For once he hadn’t a tablet with him.
“How’s reclaiming the woods going?” Asuma asked.
Haru startled. He hadn’t anticipated Asuma-san talking to him. He pulled himself together. “Well. We are keeping the acceleration and deceleration down to prevent more damage to the trees. Once it gets here we’re going to link it in by a boarding tube to one of the emergency airlocks, because the main entrance to the level is so large.”
“And what do you think the next project will be?”
It was an interesting question. He had not thought beyond finding Sai. “There’s a lot of work to do on Skyburrow,” he replied but he was thinking that Skyburrow was Hikaru’s project, not his.

At that moment Ran came over. He plonked the cutlery basket on the table in front of Haru. “Might as well help given that you are early.”
The squirmy feeling was back but Haru met Ran’s eyes and smiled.
Ran looked a bit surprised but gave a small smile in return. Then he went back to help Akemi at the stove.
“You two had a tiff?” Asuma-san asked in a low voice.
If they had, Haru had been too busy hiding his jealousy to notice. Unable to answer, he gave the smallest of shrugs, stood up and began setting the table.
Asuma chuckled. “Occasionally, you remind me of your father at your age.”
Haru flushed. He did not know if that was a compliment, a criticism or just a comment.

The midmeal unfolded as usual. The triplets and Sumiko arrived first, followed by the youngsters, most of the adults and then a few stragglers who were either late or looking for a little peace and quiet.
Sumiko had bestowed a smile on him; Haru guessed that she had been talking to Sai.
Akemi seemed to be coping well. Haru noticed that he spaced out a few times but a soft word from Ran was enough to bring him back.

Finally it was over. The only people at the table were Choza-san, who was having a leisurely cup of tea before starting to cook, Kiba-san, who had handed the triplets over to Iruka-sensei, Asuma-san, Ran and Haru.
“What about a short training session?” Asuma-san suggested to Akemi. “Ran-kun can catch up with you later.”
Akemi looked uncertain but nodded.

Once Asuma-san and Akemi had left, Ran took out small tablet and began making notes.
It was probably about Akemi, so Haru stopped himself saying anything.
“I thought you would be in your workshop,” Ran commented.
“I wanted to be with you for a bit.” Haru replied.
Choza-san and Kiba-san exchanged looks. Choza-san stood up and carried his teacup over to the counter. “I was going to check whether any of the fungi were ready for harvesting,” he stated,
Kiba-san stood up and walked over to where the baskets hung on hooks. “I’ll come with you.”

They sat in silence; the only sound was Ran’s stylus tapping the tablet. Haru slowly realised that Ran wasn’t going to speak first and that if he didn’t say something soon Akemi would be back from the gym.
“I’m sorry,” he began.
Ran looked at him. He didn’t look very forgiving. The squirmy feelings were back, along with a creeping certainty that Ran was cross with him.
It looked like trying to hide his jealousy hadn’t worked very well.
“I should have been thinking about you having to share Akemi’s emotions, not about me,” Haru explained.
Ran’s eyebrows went up. “I’ll settle for you not being jealous every time I spend time with anyone young, male and unattached. It’s...”
“Ugly,” Haru supplied. “I know. I thought that by keeping my distance you wouldn’t see it.”
“That, Haru Uchiha, is downright stupid.”
Haru felt squirmy all over again. “I guess so,” he admitted. “I never realised that being jealous is the same as being selfish. I never thought I was selfish.”

Ran put the stylus down and sighed. “They aren’t the same. You’re only selfish when something has completely passed you by. It’s never intentional. The jealousy, well, I hope that stops once we start fucking.”
Haru felt his skin heat up; he knew he must be as red as a tomato. They never talked about such things. Haru didn’t even think about it much. For him, it was all about being together. Ran would be his. He would be Ran’s.
“Because if it doesn’t, it’ll be over between us, Haru,” Ran warned.
Haru could see that. The jealousy would pollute their whole relationship. For Ran, it would be like bathing in filthy water.
“I mean it,” Ran emphasised.
“I know,” Haru replied.
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