Author's Note:
So I've decided to write a bunch of one-shots with my guilty pleasure couple. Most of them will be AU and some may seem out of character, but I'm not apologizing for that.
Chapter 1:
Obito was starting to get worried. He had not seen the brown stallion since this afternoon and he was worried that something might happen to the proud horse.
He had been worried for a long time that Iruka would be upset about the transfer, but the last riding lesson that Naruto had, Obito noticed that Iruka's legs had been shaking with the boy's added weight. Naruto wasn't a kid anymore and the teen needed a stronger horse for lessons and the upcoming competition coming in fall.
Obito pulled the reins on the white stallion underneath him. Kakashi was a former race horse and one of the strongest on the Uchiha ranch. He was now Naruto's new horse for training and competition. The white stallion and the brown one did not get along very well in the beginning but over time the two had become reluctant friends.
Kakashi was a strong horse that his uncle had bought him personally for his horse ranch. He was one in an auction, and the ex-race horse had been very wild in the beginning. It took Obito almost a full year to tame him for something other than racing and it had been an interesting time.
Kakashi as Obito and the other workers learned was a very strange horse, in personality and looks. The white horse had a wild mane that would stick up in odd places if it wasn't brushed regularly, and his black muzzle made it seem as if he was wearing a mask. One of his eyes was a steal gray and the other one was a blood red. He had a scar going through his left eye from a previous fight. His personality was almost private, while he enjoyed being ridden he liked to be away from thwarting other horses when they were on the pasture. He was left alone by all the other horses till Iruka came in.
Iruka was a rescue horse from a circus where he had been abused by his old owner, a man named Mizuki. When he had bought the scarred horse he had been underfed and had recently sustained and injury to his back, which had made him useless to the circus. They were going to kill the brown horse till Obito's former teacher, Minato, bought him. Minato had asked Obito to take care of him at the ranch and that he would help pay for any medical expense as well as have his son work there during the summer. Obito had agreed but only if Naruto agreed to take riding lessons.
Iruka was also a strange horse. He loved to be in water almost as much as he loved people and Obito would often find him splashing around in the large pond in the forest of the ranch. While most horses had to be fenced in and chased after if they ran away, Iruka was an exception. No matter how far he went on his own he always came back. One time Rin had found that Iruka followed her all the way to her house on the opposite side of the ranch.
Iruka also loved people, especially children. His favorite person was Naruto and for seven years Iruka had been his companion. Whenever the boy came for lessons or work Iruka would follow him around like a puppy. He was even protective of the boy and had knocked over his cousin Sasuke when he had punched Naruto in front of the horse.
Iruka was also the only horse not afraid of the bigger and stronger horses. He would go up to them and start playing despite the fact if they were hostile. It took months for him, but eventually Kakashi had warmed up to the brown horse and the two had become friends. When they weren't busy with riders the two would always be seen near each other and Obito had seen them on more than one occasion snuggled up against each other.
Because of his abused past Iruka could only handle so much weight despite being slightly smaller than Kakashi. So when one of his younger riders got too heavy for him and had to move on to a stronger horse, the scarred horse would often get depressed and would disappear into the woods for hours. He always came back, till now.
That's how Obito found himself riding Kakashi looking frantically for the other horse in the woods. There was supposed to be a dangerous storm and Obito wanted to find the lost horse before it started.
Obito looked around some more but decided to walkie talkie Rin and Naruto before getting too deep. Naruto was riding Guy and was looking for the horse near the pastures while Rin stayed near the barn.
"Rin has he come home yet?"
"Not yet. I'll keep you updated."
"No luck on this end either. I hope he's alright."
Obito cursed under his breath. He was hoping that Iruka wouldn't go all the way to the pond but if he wouldn't answer to Naruto's calls then he could only be there.
"Let's go to the pond Kakashi, he has to be there." The horse shook his head in response and started galloping down the path towards the pond. Obito put on his riding goggles when he could and held on tighter with his legs. Kakashi was one of the fastest, and the horse seemed as desperate as he did.
When it started to rain Kakashi only went on faster down the path. Obito held on tighter and prayed he wouldn't fall off. In his haste to locate the horse he only put the reins on Kakashi and not the saddle and he was starting to regret it. He almost fell off when Kakashi stopped abruptly.
"What is it boy? Do you hear something?" Kakashi shook his head and detoured off the path and into a heavily wooded area. A little while later he heard the frightened sounds of a horse. Kakashi went faster and Obito held on tight. It had to be Iruka it was the only reason why Kakashi would attempt anything faster than a trot in a non pathed area.
Up ahead he could see a brown horse struggling in some branches. The scar across the muzzle confirmed it was Iruka and Obito felt relieved. The horse must have gotten caught in the roots of the large tree and that was the reason he hadn't returned. Obito quickly got off of Kakashi and walked slowly towards the brown stallion. When Iruka was frightened he was often violent so he made sure that the horse could see him the whole time.
He came to Iruka slowly and touched his muzzle gently. The brown horse calmed down but was still struggling with one of his back legs pulling at it. Obito knelt down and drew out his pocket knife and began to saw through the root carefully. When Iruka was free he practically jumped away from the tree. Obito laughed at the horse's actions, and Iruka nuzzled his head which made the ranch owner fall down in the mud.
"Think your funny don't you?" When both horses made a laughing like sound Obito wondered not for the first time if he was crazy for talking to his horses. "Let's go home you two."
...
When they had gotten back Naruto had practically attacked his favorite horse and Iruka had nuzzled his crazy hair and licked his face. Rin scolded Obito for not letting her know that Iruka was safe, but she had a smile on her face which meant Obito was safe from sleeping on the couch.
He was closing up the barn that held the horses and he smiled at the site in Kakashi's spot in the back.
Iruka was laying down right next to Kakashi in a warm looking embrace. The brown stallion had his head resting on the white stallion back and both were sleeping.
fin
