Adult-FanFiction.org : Naruto

Sailing the Solar Tides	By : Xiophelia Category: Naruto AU/AR > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 1403 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, I make no profit from this fic.

Chapter List
- 1-Sailing the Solar Tides
- 2-Endless
- 1
- 2
This is the first part to this story. It will be two parts unless my muse runs away with me. This was written for a contest winner over on y! I respond to reviews here: http://xiophelia.livejournal.com
~~~

Naruto Uzumaki, the captain of the pirate space ship Gamabunta, stared at the wrecked ship floating freely in space. He wouldn’t be able to salvage the ship to repair and sell, but at least he would be able to sell any parts that would still be in working condition. He had ordered his men to go ahead and scout it to make sure that there weren’t any bounty hunters lurking about. He hadn’t lived to be twenty four by being careless. He was the number one wanted man in space and the orders were to kill on sight. He chuckled at that, he wasn’t that dangerous that he needed to be killed, but the law had a way of blowing things out of proportion.
“Captain, the area is clear. Do you want us to start extracting or ransack the ship first?” His crew member, Kiba Inuzuka’s voice came over the communication the blond held in his hand.
“I want you to search for survivor’s first. If there are any, they’ll be running out of air soon. That is your first priority.” Naruto commanded as he ended the transmission. He would rescue any survivor and drop them off at the next station. They would be more equipped to deal with any injury the survivors would have.
He wasn’t one to kill people. It was a code among his merry band of pirates. And if anyone broke that code, they were marooned on the nearest moon with one charge to their laser gun. It was a tradition that was passed down from earth to space. And Naruto was glad for it. The threat of being marooned kept his men in check when it came to the code of no killing.
He stared at the moving lights on the ship. Whoever had attacked it had meant business. And that meant that there was something very valuable on that ship. The blond was curious as to what was so valuable on that ship. And the fact that whoever had ransacked didn’t leave any trace of who they were was very interesting as well. Space pirates and outlaws were well known for leaving a flag or some sort of calling card taking credit for whatever misdeed they had done.
When someone entered the bridge, the blond turned slightly. He was the only one on the bridge right now since he had most of the crew searching the wrecked ship. He smiled when he saw it was his first mate and younger twin brother, Kyuubi. The long haired redhead returned his smile.
Even though they were twins, they looked nothing alike. Where Naruto was blond, blue eyed, and tanned, Kyuubi was redheaded, green eyed, and pale. But they were both the same height. Naruto was more brash and hot headed while his brother was calmer, more calculating. But one thing was sure, they hated anyone who killed innocent people while on their crew.
“I thought you would be out there with the crew?” Naruto asked as he turned around fully to face his brother.
Kyuubi shook his shoulders. “I figured since you sent out over half the crew with Shikamaru as lead, I would stay here. I did a reading on the ship and that’s some serious shit it’s made of.”
“What do you mean?”
“It’s made of the strongest stuff in this galaxy, adamantium.”
“Shit, then that means that they weren’t carrying jewels, but someone important.”
“Yeah, the question is though, who? There aren’t any monarchy based governments in this particular quadrant. But in the next quadrant over, there’s two planets who are raging war right now, Sharingan and Oto.”
“You believe that someone from the royal family of Sharingan is on that ship?” Naruto asked in disbelief.
“It’s a possibility.”
The blond sighed as he looked back to the wrecked ship. If that was the case then he couldn’t dump whoever it was on that ship at a space station. He would have to keep them safe until he could find someone safe enough to drop them off with them. Normally he didn’t care about warring planets, but Sharingan was a planet where pirates were welcomed. If he rescued a member of the royal family, then he could keep the planet safe. Naruto had made his mind up. He was glad that Sakura was a member of his crew. She was the best doctor he had. It hadn’t taken a lot of sweet talking to get her to join his crew six years ago.
Naruto went to the communication board that was located in front of his captain’s chair. He pressed the button to sick bay. “Sakura, I want you prepared in case we find any survivor’s on this ship. I want him or her examined thoroughly and a list of supplies you will need to get them healthy again. Understood?”
“Aye aye captain!” Sakura’s cheery voice came through.
Naruto smiled as he removed his finger. Maybe this would get him off the bounty list for good. He hated that list since it targeted mostly him and not one of the other pirates who had no regard to the value of life. It was a good idea to stow away for later. If returning this person back to the royal family would pardon him, then he would be more than happy to take care of them.
“Captain, we found a survivor, but we had to tranquilize him. He was hysterical sir.” Shikamaru’s voice broke Naruto out of his thoughts.
“Bring him aboard and take him to the sick bay. Sakura will take care of him.” Naruto commanded.
“Understood, but captain, I think you should take a look at him. He definitely has the features of the Uchiha royal family.”
Naruto answered that he would meet them there shortly. He turned to Kyuubi who had the same expression on his face. They both knew what this meant. Things were going to get a lot more complicated from now on. They would have to find a way to conceal the boy’s identity from anyone outside of their crew. But they would get to that when it was necessary.
The twins left the bridge and made their way down to sick bay. Naruto would like to see the Uchiha royal for himself. They were rarely seen outside of their home city and for one of them to be outside their planet, even their quadrant, it was rare. They never left their planet and therefore dignitaries or other leaders would visit their planet. They were a well respected family.
When Naruto entered the sick bay his blue eyes widened at the young, pale boy that lay on the bed. He was expecting an old geezer, not a handsome young man who couldn’t be any older than fifteen at the most. He searched out Sakura and sent her a questioning look.
Knowing what her captain wanted, Sakura answered. “He’s severely malnourished, Captain. He’s more than likely been in that ship for at least a week and a half. It doesn’t seem that he had anything to eat, so his body started on itself. You can also add severe dehydration as well. The fact that he survived is a miracle. He’s only fourteen, so this will definitely have some effect on his growth. I suggest that only I be here when he wakes. That way I can calm him enough to tell him that he’s safe.”
“That’s a good plan, but Sakura, take very good care of him. He’s of the Uchiha royal family and if we do our job right, then I think you can imagine the reward we’ll receive. I want to be notified the moment he awakes. And remember, the Uchiha family is famous for the power of their eyes. Nothing can counter act their power.”
“I understand, I’ll be careful.” Sakura said as she turned away from the captain and his twin and began to work on the young Uchiha boy.
Naruto approached the bed and looked down at the sleeping face. But the expression was not a restful one, it was one of twisted agony. It was as if he were reliving what had happened to him. Naruto felt sad for the boy. Here he was stranded in space at fourteen with strangers who were pirates. Of course Naruto and Kyuubi were ten when they became pirates. But then, they were orphans and had no family to miss. The blond would make sure he would everything in his power to return this young man to his family.
`~`
Naruto groaned at the sound of yelling over the communicator in his quarters. His crew knew not to interrupt his sleep unless it was a dire emergency and they were all going to die. He and Kyuubi took different sleep schedules so that someone would always be running the ship. But it seemed that this wasn’t something that his twin could handle.
His hand slammed on the communicator, “what?”
“Captain, the young man we rescued has woken, but he’s very hostile. I’m not sure if he’s mentally stable.” Sakura’s voice was frantic.
“I’ll be there in a minute.” Naruto said as he closed the communication between them. He rolled out of bed and found a pair of black pants to pull on. He didn’t care about such trivial things as underwear. He found a loose, billowing white shirt and threw it on as well. The blond ran a hand through his hair and left his quarters.
He didn’t waste any time as he made his to the sick bay. This situation had to be defused and quickly. It wouldn’t do if his crew harmed the young, scared boy. The blond captain was sure that it was scary enough being off planet for the first time, but he was sure that being picked up by pirates wasn’t helping either.
Naruto took a deep breath before he opened the doors to sick bay. He stopped in his tracks at the sight before him. Three of his crew were out and down for the count while four others kept their distance from the kid. At least he could use the kid to keep up appearances, that was a plus in his eyes.
“What the hell is going on here?” Naruto asked in a somewhat calm tone. Anger wouldn’t help this situation, it would only spiral out of control.
The kid blinked at him with enlarged, wild black eyes. And Naruto was grateful he hadn’t activated his races power. Sharingan’s people were famous for their legendary power that stemmed from their eyes. But the royal families power had no equal. That’s what made this boy very dangerous. His whole crew and himself would have been screwed if he had activated his eyes..
“Easy there kid, we’re not going to hurt you. We rescued you from that wreck and only want to help.” Naruto stated clearly as he approached the kid.
But either the kid was deaf or he was so scared that he wouldn’t listen to reason. Naruto racked his brain as to what to do in this situation. It was rare when they rescued people from a wrecked ship like this. The blond turned his to his crew and ordered everyone to leave. It probably didn’t help that there were several tall men surrounding the kid. His crew did as ordered and left the room, dragging the unconscious bodies with them.
Naruto turned to the scared boy and smiled gently. “See, I got rid of them. I want to explain things to you before you decide to kill my whole crew or die trying at least.”
The boy only nodded quickly in response. Naruto knew he only had one chance at this and he couldn’t screw it up. He thought over his words carefully before talking. “We found your ship early yesterday morning and I immediately ordered my crew to find any survivors and rescue them. It seemed that you were the only one. We won’t harm you here and to be truthful, I could use someone like you in my crew. You took down three of my best men.”
The boy only glared at him, showing no sign of wanting to respond. Naruto felt frustrated at his failed attempt to get the boy to talk. At this rate, he wouldn’t get the boy to feel safe enough to relax. “Listen, I know you went through a traumatic experience. And I may be a space pirate, but I do not kill people. I can give you a job in the kitchen if that’s what you would like. I just want to know your name.”
The boy narrowed his eyes as he studied Naruto. The blond pirate knew that he was using one of the lesser known powers of his people. He was determining if the captain was lying or not. When he saw the kid relax some, Naruto knew that the boy believed him.
“My name is Sasuke. I have no last name since I’ve been an orphan since birth. I stowed away on that ship.” The answer was short and the tone emotionless. Naruto felt sorry for the kid. He would play the part of the ignorant captain and he had already ordered the crew to follow his lead. This kid wouldn’t leave the ship unless it was absolutely necessary.
“That’s a strong name. My name is Naruto Uzumaki, I’m the captain of this fine vessel. If you don’t mind I’ll have the cook bring you some soup. I’m sure it’s been awhile since you’ve had solid food yes?” Naruto said, his voice still gentle.
Sasuke only nodded his head. Naruto smiled and pulled the communicator on his wrist to his mouth. He told the cook, Chouji, to prepare soup for their guest and to have it to sick bay as soon as possible. The cook answered that it would only take a few minutes since he had made some the previous night. Naruto smiled as he turned his attention back to the Uchiha.
The boy had pressed his back against the wall behind him and had made himself as small as possible. He was still acting as though he were a caged animal. That thought depressed Naruto, he had hoped their little talk would have at least opened the kid up to him. The blond guessed that he would have to give it time. The kid was like a scared and abused animal and it wouldn’t do to scare him further. If he showed compassion and support, then Sasuke would come out of his shell.
Naruto took a seat on one of the medical beds and laid down. He stared up at the ceiling, bored out of his mind. It would no good to chat with the kid, even if it were idle chatter. Sasuke wouldn’t listen to him anyways and the sound of his own voice didn’t appeal to Naruto all that much. Naruto felt his eyes droop with sleep, he had only been asleep for two hours when Sakura had woken him. And sleep sounded good right about now.
When he was about to drift off, he felt on a weight on his body and Naruto immediately sprung into action. He grabbed the aggressor’s arms and used his legs to destabilize the other person and flip them over, crashing them both to the floor. Naruto wasn’t surprised when was staring into dark eyes. He sighed as he moved from his position and went to a chair.
Naruto knew that if he retaliated against Sasuke that he would never trust him. So the blond sat in the chair and watched him warily. It wouldn’t do to drop his guard his again. One thing was for certain, this kid was trained well. Of course he would know self defense in the case of a kidnapping.
Sasuke didn’t show any signs of becoming hostile again. Naruto was relieved at that. He didn’t want to accidentally hurt the kid. He would have to bribe Kyuubi into giving him sleep. The blond didn’t want to do that, but it had to be done. He couldn’t operate his ship on little to no sleep. He refused to make bad decisions due to something like little sleep. His crew depended on him to keep them safe and he would make sure of that.
Naruto caught the sight of Chouji outside of the doors holding a tray. The blond rose and approached the door, opening it quickly and taking the tray from his cook. He thanked the other and told him to return to his duties. Naruto turned around and decided the best way to give Sasuke his food was to leave near the kid. So he placed the try near him and backed away slowly.
But Sasuke didn’t touch the food. The blond was confused as to why. Then it hit him, the kid would believe that the food was poisoned. Naruto refused the urge to roll his eyes as he crouched and took a sip of the spoon, making sure that Sasuke could see him actually putting the soup in his mouth. He ate the soup and then gently placed the spoon back onto the tray. He scooted it closer to Sasuke and stood up. Naruto sat back down in the chair and watched as Sasuke tried to inhale the food.
“Slow down, if you eat that fast you’ll do more harm than good. You want to eat it slowly.” He advised.
Sasuke hesitated for moment before doing what the older man had said. Naruto smiled, at least he was listening to common sense. He knew that Sakura would release him out of the sick bay in a few days. The only question that plagued Naruto’s mind was where he was going to sleep. While he trusted his crew, Sasuke was way too important to leave with them. And some of crew didn’t know how to deal with traumatized survivors.
He came to the conclusion to insure the young royal’s safety during the checkpoints, he would have to stay in his captains’ quarters. He knew that Sakura would protest the idea since she would want the kid to have his own quarters. He was always picking up new recruits though, and until they passed his test, they were not trusted. Naruto would use that weak argument against Sakura.
He remembered the old saying ‘speak of the devil and he shall appear’ as Sakura entered the sick bay. She took in the empty bowl and gave Naruto an approving look. Naruto was glad that he had pleased her, it would make his proposal easier to pitch to her.
She was able to coax the young man to the examination table. She quickly took his vitals and did a general health analysis. She looked to Naruto. “It’s going to take him weeks to recover. He’ll have to stay on the soup diet for at least a week and a half. If we give him solid food, it’ll do more harm than good. I’ll released him from sick bay within the next three days. Have you made arrangements for him?”
“Yeah, he’ll stay in my quarters. I know what you’re going to say, but it’s the best option. We have new recruits aboard and I don’t know if we can trust them yet. If he stays with me he’ll be safe. And I’ll give him a bodyguard while he’s not in my room.” Naruto explained as he rose from the chair.
He was surprised when the woman agreed with him. Sakura normally argued against almost every one of his decisions. It was something that he didn’t mind since she always made valid points and often changed his mind or the plans on a raid. He told Sakura to keep up the good work and keep an eye on Sasuke. She was to watch over him until he found a bodyguard suitable enough to handle the kid.
`~`
Naruto wanted to laugh at the expression on Sasuke’s face as he entered the captain’s quarters. The boys’ eyes took in the giant wardrobes that were against the wall. And the trunks filled with countless jewels and gold. Of course this was only a portion of the booty that Naruto had. The rest was spread among his crew. When Sasuke took in the size of his four poster bed, the kid stiffened. And Naruto mentally slapped himself. Of course the kid would think he would be brought here for that.
“Don’t worry. You will have your own bed when we hit the next port. The bed is big enough for the two of us for now. I promise on my honor as captain that I won’t touch you. If I do, then you have the right the kill me.” Naruto explained as he pinned Sasuke with a serious stare.
The boy didn’t say anything, only nodded his head in acceptance. Naruto wished that the boy would talk. It wasn’t healthy for him to be so quiet like this. He had questioned Sakura if the boy had felt safe enough to talk to her, but she answered in the negative. If the boy didn’t talk, then he would lose the use of his vocal cords. That worried Naruto since he didn’t want to return the boy damaged. He made a vow to find a way to get the boy to talk, no matter the cost.
“I hope you won’t mind working in the kitchens. Chouji really needs the help since most of the crew doesn’t like to cook. You won’t be cooking per se, just assisting him in any way that you can. It’s a good start on this ship for someone as young as you. Until you learn the life of a pirate, you won’t be going out and doing the more dangerous stuff until I deem you ready. Understood?” Naruto asked as he sat down on his very comfortable bed.
The boy nodded his head that he understood. Naruto resisted the urge to growl, he was tired of those kind of answers. But he couldn’t order the boy to speak, that would certainly wouldn’t help him. Then an idea struck him. “Sasuke, I know you don’t want to talk but think about this, your vocal cords will become useless if you don’t exercise them. I want you to answer questions two times a day. I have ordered the crew not to ask you of your past or anything like that. But if they ask you simple things like ‘how’s your day’ or ‘can you tell if you’ve seen so and so’ then I want to you answer them verbally.”
The boy studied Naruto, as if he were sizing him up. “Fine but only two responses per day.”
Naruto smiled brightly. This was a good thing since it seemed that Sasuke’s voice was raspy from not being used. He couldn’t help but to mentally pat himself on the back as he found a solution to the problem. He only hoped that Sasuke’s interaction with his crew would get the boy to speak more without being coerced. He knew that this would take time, but he didn’t mind it. He had a feeling that this would be well worth the wait.
“I have some duties to tend to, so you can have this time to yourself. I have books on the shelf you can entertain yourself with if you’d like. Just please don’t leave my quarters. Some of my crew is very rough and won’t hesitate to bully you.” The blond left the room without saying anything further. He hoped that Sasuke heeded his advise. But he made sure to put a guard outside the door. Kakashi was a loyal man and next to Kyuubi, Naruto trusted him the most.
He gave his orders to the man and made his way to the what he liked to call the ‘council room.’ It was a room that he reserved for making the most serious decisions. And the situation they have found themselves in was indeed a serious one. They had to make a plan of action and also plan for anything that might happen. That kid was too valuable for them to lose.
Naruto brought his wrist communicator to his mouth and ordered the crew members who had been with him the longest to the room. When he entered the room, he took his pace at the head of the table. He didn’t have to wait long for everyone to arrive. When everyone was assembled, the blond captain stood.
“I believe you know why I have assembled you. We have recovered a very special person from the wrecked space ship a few weeks ago. He is an Uchiha, part of the royal family of Sharingan. We have to do everything in our power to keep him safe until the war between Sharingan and Oto is over. He will be working in the kitchens with Chouji. That should keep him mostly out of harms way. He is not to enter the port cities or the stations that we stop at. That will reduced the risk of him being recognized. Any other ideas on how to keep him safe?” Naruto searched his crew for answers.
No one had stepped forward, silence reigned over the room. This unsettled Naruto a bit. His crew knew the danger that Sasuke presented staying on their ship. And they would have rather have pitched the kid out than deal with him. But Naruto wasn’t that kind of space pirate and they knew it. He raised an eyebrow, indicating that he was still waiting.
“I think if we do as you suggested, then we shouldn’t have much problem. The only thing that concerns me if the law catches up with us or other pirates. The pirates wouldn’t hesitate to take him and hold him for ransom.” Shikamaru explained.
“Then we’ll make sure we won’t get caught. I want your spies on extra alert and even if something doesn’t look like anything, I want it reported. We will stock up on a few months worth of supplies at the next port. We will make sure not to dock in hostile territory or any planets. Understood?”
‘Yes Captain’ rang throughout the crew. He was proud of them. They really were the perfect crew and he doubted that he would get rid of any of them. Naruto sat down in his seat. “Is there any other business to be conducted while we’re gathered?”
“Not that we know of captain. We shall be arriving to the first port of Tortuga. I believed it was named by human pirates. Do you want us to get the normal amount of alcohol?” Ino asked.
“No, get triple the amount since we are on strict docking orders. If we need the extra currency, I have some in my quarters that will cover the costs.”
“Aye Captain!”
“Anything else?”
“No.”
“Very well, return to your duties.” Naruto made his out of his room to inspect his ship.
`~`
The blond captain growled in frustration. Even though he had told the kid that they could share the bed, Sasuke refused to sleep in it. He had taken up sleeping on the floor. To put a stop to that, the blond had given his bed up to the Uchiha exclusively. Naruto had found an old mattress down in cargo and placed it in his quarters. He was sure he had seen a smug smile on the kids face. While that had been encouraging, Naruto wanted to wipe it off. But Sakura had explained that it would be better for the kid to sleep on the bed than the floor or an old mattress.
Naruto was sure he was losing his dignity. He would make sure to pay the kid back when he was well enough. It didn’t take Sasuke long to win the hearts of the females on his ship. And the blond found that very annoying. He was forming a plan in his head and he only hoped that he could execute it in the near future.
The blond let his thoughts to another subject. It had been speculated in the last few days that the war between Oto and Sharingan would be over. But Shikamaru had shot down that rumor. The leader of Oto, Orochimaru, was eager to get his hands on the missing Uchiha prince. And was sending out every bounty hunter he could to retrieve the kid. Naruto knew what would happen if that slimy bastard got his hands on Sasuke. It would mean the end of Sharingan.
He would die first before he let the kid be taken. Even though Sasuke still hadn’t spoken plainly to the crew in the four weeks he had been here, he still had something about him that drew a person to him. The blond thought that maybe it was because he was missing his family. That would certainly get the ladies on your side.
Naruto didn’t want to think on what would if he and his twin were separated. It was something they had avoided since their race never had twins in it’s existence. They were exiled from their planet when the Elders had found out. It was painful that their parents had just let them be taken. At least that’s how Naruto saw it. Kyuubi was sure that they were forcibly taken and their parents were executed. The blond didn’t believe that and it had hurt his brother. So they never discussed that matter, it was taboo between them.
The blond didn’t acknowledge Sasuke as he entered the room. The kid still thought that the crew didn’t know his identity. They were playing their part well and Naruto was glad of that. He was sure that Sasuke wasn’t the kind who liked to be coddled. His actions had spoken clearly about his personality lately. He was hard working and always finished the task. Naruto only wished that Sasuke would answer him. The kid had no problem answering the other crew members.
A comfortable silence blanketed the room. And while the blond did enjoy silence sometimes, he would rather have some sort of background noise. He quickly ordered his computer to play his music list. Classical music filled the air and the blond smiled contently. He could finally go over which ships he could sack this week. He carefully perused the list he had in his hands. Every single ship that was on the list, they couldn’t hand them because of Sasuke. Some of them were Imperial Forces and Naruto certainly didn’t want to tangle with them, not with the Uchiha onboard.
“Why don’t you sack the other pirates?” The question weighed heavily in the air.
“Because right now I want to lay low. We have been associated with the planet Sharingan and if we placed ourselves in danger, then we do the same to that planet.” Naruto explained as best he could without lying.
“Why do you care about Sharingan?”
Naruto smiled. “Because it’s a planet that doesn’t discriminate against pirates. Me and have my crew have been secretly running supplies to it. It’s in our best interest to help the last free planet in that quadrant. And besides, I owe Orochimaru payback for these.” Naruto pointed to the whisker scars on his face. He didn’t mind talking about them since it meant that Sasuke was actually having a conversation. His patience had certainly paid off.
“Why did he give them to you?”
“My family lived on Oto. And as you know, there has never been record of twins being born. My brother and I were the first. My parents guarded that secret carefully until they were ratted out. We were exiled and given these scars as proof of that. That slimy bastard gave us the scars himself.” Bitterness took over Naruto’s tone as he clenched his fist. He didn’t want to tell Sasuke what he really thought about his parents, that they just gave him up for no reason. He would lie to the kid about that.
“You don’t believe that.” Sasuke called him out on his lie. And Naruto for once didn’t know what to say. “You don’t have to lie to me to protect me. I won’t break.”
“I believe they let us go so they wouldn’t have to suffer the death penalty. And we have suffered greatly because of that decision.”
Sasuke raised an eyebrow. “But you’re doing well for yourself aren’t you? I mean you may be a pirate, but it seems like you have some morals.”
Naruto laughed. “It’s because of my parents I have such morals. I know I pick up the strangest crew members and people that other captains won’t touch. But we have created a family here and it’s a strong one. We will never betray one another and there are no secrets.”
Sasuke fell quiet again at the mention of secrets. Naruto cursed himself. He knew he shouldn’t have mentioned secrets around the kid since he would have gotten suspicious. This whole thing ran the kid being ignorant that he and his crew knew his true identity. With his big mouth, Sasuke would never open up to him. And he thought he had finally made progress. He was sure that was the most the kid had talked since he had been on board.
He just hoped that they weren’t back to square one. He had quite enjoyed the rather short conversation. And even though it was about his past, he didn’t feel unnerved. It was rare that he felt comfortable enough to talk about what he felt was the truth about his parents. There had to be more to this kid than met the eye. And in that moment, he knew he would have Shikamaru dig up more information and send it to his tablet.
Naruto then went back to what he was doing. If they were going to dock in three days, then they needed to raid another ship for more loot. They needed wares to trade and sell to supply the ship. The blond had wished they didn’t need to be careful. Some of the ships on the list had priceless crown jewels on them and he would hate to see them fall into another pirates hand.
Naruto growled as he threw the tablet down on the desk. There wasn’t anything to raid! All the ships they would have attacked would have tight ass security and not only that, but Imperial Forces. Orochimaru would be sure to get his hands on Sasuke then! Naruto then punched their position into the computer and a hologram of the quadrant they were in came up. He quickly glanced at the rotating planets and knew instantly that they had already been sacked.
He then plugged the ships into the hologram and it was able to trace their movements. And Naruto’s hunch was right. They were staying near the stations that were dispersed through the quadrant. He slumped his shoulders in defeat. This meant that he would have to dig into his personal and emergency stashes. He had been saving those for quite a long time and he guessed there wasn’t a better time to use them. He closed the hologram down and slumped in his chair, grumbling.
The blond pirate almost wished he had left Sasuke in that rubble. It certainly would have been less trouble if he had. But his moral code wouldn’t allow and neither would Kyuubi. His brother would have beat him bloody if he had suggested such a thing.
“Who is your brother? I haven’t seen anyone on board who looks like you.” The question broke the silence and Naruto almost jumped out of his chair. He was sure that the kid was done talking.
“Kyuubi, he has long red hair and green eyes. I don’t think you’ve met him.” Naruto answered as he put his tablet into sleep mode.
“No…if you’re twins, how come you don’t look alike?”
Naruto shrugged. “Genetics or whatever. We never really looked into it. We’re content just knowing that we’re twins.”
“What’s your brother like?”
“He’s hardheaded, but he thinks before acting. Kyuubi enjoys a good joke and loves to read. Other than that, you’ll have to hang out with him.” Naruto answered, smiling softly as he thought of his brother.
“You’re the older twin aren’t you?” Sasuke whispered almost reverently.
“Yeah, I try to protect him as best as I can. But he ends up protecting me instead. I don’t like it, but if it keeps him happy...”
“I had an older brother…once. He tried to do everything in his power to protect me. But it just wasn’t enough. I took him for granted.” Sasuke said sadly as he picked at the threads on the blanket, trying to hold back tears.
Naruto didn’t say as he got out of the chair. He quietly moved to the bed and settled next to Sasuke and took the kid into his arms. Words couldn’t come to mind as Naruto held him. The space pirate was cautious as he held Sasuke. He made sure to leave his arms limp enough so that the kid could move if he wanted. Naruto wanted Sasuke to know he could make his own decisions and that he always had a choice.
�@
`~`
“He’s opening up more. Whatever you’re doing Naruto, it’s working.” Sakura said as she placed a tea cup in front of her captain.
“I’m not doing much really. I’m listening to him mostly. I know he’s weary of the bigger crew members. But I’m hoping that he comes to trust everyone on this ship. He still hasn’t said anything about who he really is. But that doesn’t bother me, I think I’d do the same thing in his situation.” Naruto answered as he looked out of the tall window to his left. The stars were shining brightly and the galaxies were amazing swirls of colors.
“That’s good though. He’ll open up more if more people keep listening. And I doubt he’ll ever tell us who he is until he’s ready to go home.” The pink haired female took a sip of her tea.
“We can only hope that this war ends soon. I hear that Oto is getting help from Amegakure. If that’s the case then this war might not last long. Suna has been looking for a reason to attack them as has Konoha.” Naruto turned his blue eyes to the female.
Sakura nodded her head. “Yeah. I look for Oto to back out of it once Konoha decides to interfere. Orochimaru is afraid of Tsunade. Her strength is unparalleled.”
“Heh, the old hag is scary,” was the snorted answer.
Sakura sighed. “Well at least she isn’t anywhere near to hear you say that.”
The blond laughed. “Yeah. She probably would have sent me flying into something. And if I didn’t break anything, she would break something just to have it heal.”
“If it wasn’t for that ability, then you’d be dead.”
“Heh, but you know what, I wouldn’t have Tsunade any other way.” Naruto smiled fondly out the window.
“And I’m sure she shares the same opinion.” Sakura said sarcastically.
Both of them turned as someone entered the sick bay. Kyuubi was laughing as Sasuke only glared at him. Naruto was glad to see his brother happy. But he had a feeling that the Uchiha wasn’t enjoying his brother’s company. Kyuubi was an acquired taste.
“Hey there guys!” Kyuubi said happily as he waved at them. “Little Sasuke here got into a tumble with Kabuto and needs some of Sakura’s tender loving care.”
Naruto wanted to laugh, but the expression on the kids face kept him from doing so. He took this as a sign of growing up. Because if that had been anyone else, he would have laughed. Sasuke’s lips were pursed and his eyes narrowed as if he could kill with that look. Of course he could have, if had used his power.
“He got into a fight with Kabuto? Are you sure? Normally Kabuto doesn’t look for a fight.” Sakura mumbled as she started to dig for what she needed.
Naruto didn’t miss the flash of anger that passed through the dark eyes, but what caught him off guard was the red that accompanied that anger. “Say Sasuke, why did you get into a fight with Kabuto?”
“He works for Orochimaru.” Sasuke said through gritted teeth.
Naruto’s mood changed from happiness to anger. “Are you positive? I need absolute proof.”
“Yes, he was trying to smuggle me off the ship.” The kid said as Sakura forced him onto the examination table.
“I see. Kyuubi, get Kisame. I want him to deal with the rat. We’re gonna have to book it to get out of this quadrant. If Kabuto does work for Orochimaru, then we need to move.”
“Understood,” was the curt reply as the redhead left the room in a flourish.
“Sasuke, after Sakura heals you, I want you to stay in my quarters. Do not open it for anyone. It‘s turned into my DNA so you won‘t have to open it. But if you have to, I have a secret room that you can hide in. It’s under my bed. You’re new to the crew and I don’t want your blood on my hands if things get ugly.” Naruto barked out more orders.
The blond captain didn’t give Sasuke time to reply as he too left the room. He wanted to alert his crew that they were on lock down and that there was a possible traitor amongst them. He only wondered how far Kabuto had planted himself in his crews lives. Naruto shook those thoughts from his head as he approached the bridge. He stopped and took a deep breath as the doors opened for him and he stepped confidently into the room.
Immediately, the crew members on duty snapped to attention. They gave him reports on everything that was happening at that moment. And Naruto had his answer on Kabuto. There were Oto forces closing in on them. The ETA was a few hours. That meant that they at least had some time to lose them. Naruto asked for the nearest asteroid field and the answer was a few kilometers away.
Naruto grinned as he set the alarm to red alert. “Alright ladies and gents, here’s the deal. Our new pal Kabuto is a spy for Orochimaru.”
The blond captain smiled as he heard his crew boo in the bridge and knew that everyone else aboard had the same reaction. “Here’s the plan, you know what we do with traitors. After we deal with this pest, we’re hitting the nearest asteroid field. So you know the drill and what your jobs are. I don’t want a scratch on our ship!”
Naruto finished the announcement and found his captain’s hat on his chair. He pulled it on and ran his hand over the large orange feather that was stuck in the brim. His blue eyes shone with determination as he looked forward into space. This is what he lived for, the thrill of being chased and outwitting his enemies. It was time that he paid Orochimaru back for what he had done.
“Captain, we’ve prepared Kabuto for his fate.” Kisame’s gruff voice filled the bridge.

Naruto didn’t answer as he made his way down to what he liked to call the prison. He was glad that he had the prison added a few short years ago. Before that, he didn’t have a place to keep traitors and it bugged him. So when he had enough saved up, he added it. It was the best decision he ever made.
Kisame was waiting on him outside of the room. The blue alien grinned widely, showing off sharp white teeth. “He was hard to break boss, but I did it. He told me everything. It’s not pretty. He was sent here to assassinate you. It was a bonus when we picked up the brat.”
“Figures,” Naruto muttered. “Stay here and no one is to enter. If Sasuke wanders, send him to my quarters. I don’t want him to get wind of this. You are to keep your mouth shut as well. I don‘t want the crew members to get wind of this. I‘m breaking my code Kisame, He‘s too dangerous to keep alive.”
“You’re really going to do it? You‘re going to break your code.” Kisame asked with awe and disbelief in his voice.
“Yea. I’m going to give the bastard the most dishonorable death there is. With his body in parts, he will never move to the afterlife.” With resolve and determination in his eyes and face, Naruto opened the door and entered the prison room.
`~`
When Naruto emerged from the room forty minutes later, he was covered in blood and chunks of flesh. He had enacted his first part of his revenge. Kabuto had not gone down easily, he spouted poison barbs to the end. But the blond had ignored them and finished his job. It was his duty as captain to enact all punishments. He would never ask a member of his crew to do this, though many had volunteered.
“It’s done. You know what to do from here. Keep it quiet. I’ll pay you extra once we hit a port or station. If you want to use Zetsu you can. I’m sure that he wouldn’t leave a trace as to what happened. And then I want that room cleaned.”
“I’ll handle it personally Captain.”
Naruto nodded and walked away. He would have to shower before doing anything else. And that meant Sasuke would see him like this. He wouldn’t be able to avoid the questions. But the blond refused to use the crew showers when he had his own to use.
When the blond approached his quarters he didn’t hesitate to move through the doors that identified him by his DNA. Naruto ignored the Uchiha’s confused look as he walked past the bed and straight into the shower. He didn’t want to explain to the kid that he had just killed someone because they laid hands on what he considered his crew.
Naruto locked the doors to his shower and stripped his bloody clothes off. He threw them into the waste basket and ordered the computer to incinerate the clothing. There was nothing that could be done for them. He was happy that he had remembered to take his hat off before enacting his punishment. He ordered a hot shower and stepped under the flowing water.
He felt his muscles relax as the water turned pink with blood. Tears soon began to fall from his blue eyes at what he had done. He detested killing, hated it with every fiber of his being. But he realized that it wasn’t to protect his crew that he killed Kabuto like he originally thought. No, Naruto had done it to protect Sasuke. If the kid had not been aboard the ship, then Naruto would have marooned the bastard on a moon somewhere with only a laser gun. He was in love with that little bastard, someone that had a higher status than he.
Naruto shook the thoughts from his head. He could deal with that later. The blond needed to be strong and he would break down after all this bullshit was over. He didn’t want his crew nor Sasuke to see him broken like this. He was the captain of this ship and captains were strong.
The blond stepped out of the stall and quickly found the towel that his ship provided him with. He rubbed it over his head and quickly dried off. He wrapped the towel around his waist and stepped into his room. He could immediately feel the tension. Naruto knew that Sasuke could tell he had done something horrible. That was the last thing the blond had wanted, but there was nothing that could be done about it now.
Naruto dropped the towel without saying a word. He could feel Sasuke’s eyes on his naked back, but he ignored it. The kid was royalty and there was no way he was opening that can of worms. He wouldn’t disgrace himself or a member of royalty like that. The blond dug through a dresser drawer until he found a found a pair of underwear and slipped them on.
He turned and Sasuke pinned with a gaze that had demanded answers. Naruto sighed as he made his way to the old mattress on the floor. He lay down on it, turned off the lights, and ignored the Uchiha. The blond captain grabbed the blankets and pulled them up to his chin. He hoped that Sasuke got the message.
“What did you do?” Naruto barely heard the question.
“Nothing to concern yourself with. Go to sleep,” was the mumbled reply.
“No! You obviously did something horrible! Something that shook you!” Sasuke screamed.
“You want to know what I did? Fine! I broke my own code tonight to save your ass!” Naruto hissed as he shot up.
“You killed someone?” Sasuke’s voice was frightened.
Naruto sighed. “Yes I did. For the first time I took someone’s life. I’ll be fine. Get some rest because after we lose the Oto ships, we’re docking.”
Naruto didn’t hear a response so he lay back down on his mattress and tried to get comfortable. When he was almost on the threshold of sleep he heard a quiet ‘I’m sorry’ break the silence. But the blond didn’t answer even though he wanted to. He didn’t want Sasuke to be sorry for what he had done because he already was sorry enough for the both of them.
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Sailing the Solar Tides