Summary: It is not enough for a man to know how to ride; he must know how to fall.
Pairing: Itachi x Naruto.
Authors: Disgruntled Minion and Imperial Mint.
Word Count: 6537
Un-betaed.

Know How to Fall.

Chapter Four

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Itachi waited for Naruto to leave before acknowledging Deidara and Kisame. Deidara was smiling widely and Kisame simply stood there with his arms crossed.

"Don't say whatever you want to say," Itachi muttered, nudging Susanoo gently so that she could carry on walking and wouldn't seize up. He pointedly ignored his teammates, moving his leg forward on the saddle and looping the reins into the crook of his elbow to run his stirrups up. His legs hung down, swinging as Susanoo walked and Itachi leant back on his grey horse, letting the reins free and resting both hands behind himself, on Susanoo's rump.

Susanoo's ears pricked up suddenly and Itachi focused his attention on the bay horse approaching. From the slightly stocky shoulders, Itachi guessed that this could be the love of Naruto's life and wasn't disappointed when he saw the blond nestled between Wichita's shoulder blades, hands burrowed in the dark mane of his horse.

"Bareback?" Itachi commented, glancing around for Kisame. Naruto grinned in return, nodding.

In a smooth movement, Itachi had dismounted and unbuckled the girth, Kisame moving from where he'd been standing to take the saddle as Itachi took it off of Susanoo's back. She shorted, torn between looking at what was going on and the new horse, before Itachi gathered the reins again, placing two hands on her back.

Gently seating himself after receiving a leg-up from Deidara, Itachi thanked his two friends and explained he was going to cool Susanoo in Naruto's company. Of course, he ignored the pointed looks they gave each other and gently guided Susanoo to leave the training area fully, waiting for Wichita and Naruto to join them.

With a small grin, Naruto sent Wichita after Susanoo at a slow trot until they caught up. He made sure to keep a good distance between them in case either horse didn't like each other. But after a few sniffs of the air, Wichita relaxed next to Susanoo and lowered his head.

"I think he likes her," Naruto exclaimed happily and patted Wichita's neck. He was worried that the gelding wouldn't like the mare after his reaction in the stall. He glanced towards Itachi again and grinned. "You looked really good out in the ring earlier, when you were jumping with Susanoo."

His face grew hot in the cooling evening as he thought about his words and realized how they could sound. Wichita snorted as his legs tightened and Naruto relaxed quickly. Horses could always pick up on how nervous humans were.

Itachi hid a smile. "Thank you," he said, sitting deep on Susanoo's back, fingers tangling in her mane as they walked along leisurely. Bareback could be unsettling at first, especially when you hadn't had the chance in a while, but Itachi found his seat adjusting well.

"It wasn't too much of a form exercise, just a bit of fun really. The real form business will come in at the show jumping." Itachi looked over to Naruto and his horse. "Your horse is beautiful," Itachi said.

Both horses flickered their ears at Itachi's words, Susanoo pinning hers back for a moment. A soothing hand calmed her, reassuring her that she was the only horse for him. Wichita whickered softly, causing Itachi to laugh.

Naruto shook his head at the horses' actions, finding himself still amazed at how smart they were. He turned to Itachi and grinned. "You know what I think about Susanoo, but I'll keep my thoughts to myself when he's around." He patted Wichita's neck and ran his hand through the thick mane.

"Thanks for letting us stay with you too, we both appreciate it." Naruto said after a brief moment of silence. Wichita snorted his thanks as well and Naruto laughed. "What time is your event tomorrow?"

Itachi nodded his head to accept the thanks, "It's odd. I never would have thought I'd be so open with a stranger, but I find your company exceedingly pleasant, so thank you. Tomorrow we start off at around eleven in the morning, but we'll be running the course a little later. Eleven onwards is to walk round the course again and warm the horses up, plus prepare them."

Tomorrow would be grueling, but Naruto would have no idea until he saw it. Cross-country was something you couldn't quite believe properly until you'd seen it. Itachi was supposed to cover the grounds set out in under twenty-two minutes (and that was the very maximum) so the course would need to be taken at full gallop. It took a very highly trained horse to compete at the cross-country stage, especially at such a high level.

"I can arrange for Kisame and Deidara to sort out an extra team pass for you. Many others have larger teams than we do and it would be an honour for you to join us really. If you're here, you might as well enjoy all the benefits of being on a team and having an all access pass around."

Naruto's eyes lit up and he nodded. "That would be awesome. I can't wait to see you ride tomorrow for real, the course we walked earlier was neat and all, but to see someone actually compete is better," he paused. "Especially when you know them and can cheer for them."

Although Naruto knew that he'd probably be holding his breath each time Itachi and Susanoo took a jump. Some of the ones he had seen earlier today seemed almost impossible to jump to his untrained eye. Still, he'd mentally be cheering, so long as he didn't pass out from holding his breath too long.

Wichita pranced underneath him and Naruto ran a hand along his neck to calm him down. Just thinking about watching Itachi tomorrow was getting him excited and Wichita was picking up on his energy. With a loud snort, he tossed his head, asking to go faster.

With an apologetic smile, Naruto turned to Itachi. "Sorry, but it seems like he's in the mood to run for a bit." He glanced at Susanoo, knowing that she had to compete tomorrow and didn't want to wear her down.

Itachi considered it for a moment. Susanoo was most likely tired from the day's work and a hard canter right now had the potential to do a little damage. She would be working hard tomorrow too. He looked around them, in particular down at the ground they were walking on. It was a dirt track, with thick grass around them. It didn't look to hard and Itachi nudged Susanoo gently, causing her to tuck her head in and pick her feet up a little more, allowing Itachi to get a feel for the ground.

"I see no problem in letting off steam. He's been boxed up for a while and Susanoo loves the opportunity to run with friends." Itachi smiled, "I'll be holding her back though, she's a full thoroughbred and that includes the racing genes. Even though she's an eventer, they never quite lose the will to race."

Itachi settled deeper onto Susanoo's back, preparing himself for the bunchy trot that would occur. Because the two horses were together and could sense the anticipation of a good canter coming up from their riders, they would be more highly strung than usual in their trot. It meant, for riding bareback, that grabbing the mane to help stay on was advisable, even if it was 'just to be safe'.

Naruto nodded and eased Wichita into a trot. The gait was smooth, as Western riding asked the horse to move as slow and smoothly as possible but they weren't riding for show today. Just because they trained in the Western events, didn't mean that either of them liked to go slow all the time.

Wichita bounced slightly as his trot sped up and he lengthened his body to match Susanoo's long strides. He pulled at the reins, asking to go faster and Naruto shifted his body to sit deeper on his back. His hands grabbed a handful of mane to be on the safe side and glanced at Itachi, asking if they were ready.

Itachi nodded, settling into the seat and feeling Susanoo respond to the hint of what was to come in the air. She shorted, raising her head in a way she never could in competing circles. In a moment her muscles had tensed, bunching together as if she was trying to make her shoulders and hindquarters meet... and then they were off.

Next to them, Itachi could see Wichita stretching out his legs, catching up to the sudden change in Susanoo's gait. As the horses relaxed into the canter, Itachi allowed his hand to leave the grey mane he had clutched, leaning forwards a little over Susanoo's neck. While it was much easier to fold over with stirrups, Itachi didn't do too badly without them and Susanoo skipped a beat in her canter, vaulting forwards suddenly with enthusiasm.

Wind roared in Itachi's ears as he moved his hands forward, allowing Susanoo's head to move as she wanted in their gallop. For a moment, he allowed himself to close his eyes, forgetting the fact that they were in the middle of a competition, forgetting Naruto was close to him and forgetting they were on the ground. For these few moments, they were flying, much like Pegasus. The gallop was a truly remarkable experience, but Itachi knew he couldn't over do it.

With a quick glance behind himself, gripping Susanoo's mane for balance, Itachi saw Wichita doing an amazing job of keeping up with a highly trained thoroughbred. The quarter horse was happily galloping along, behind Susanoo yes, but not disturbed by the fact. By sitting a little more upright in his seat and gently adjusting the pressure on Susanoo's back, Itachi asked her to slow, so that they were next to Wichita.

Wind whipped at Naruto's face and Wichita's mane, making the coarse hair fly back into his eyes, but it didn't make Naruto slow the horse down any. It had been a while since they were able to gallop like this, especially with such a strong horse and rider. Sasuke didn't really count since they competed against each other and everything was a challenge.

But this was wonderful. Even though Itachi was holding Susanoo back so they could ride together, there wasn't any pressure. Just two riders enjoying their horses and the simple pleasures that riding could bring.

For a moment, it was easy to forget that they were at a competition and not back home but the sound of Susanoo's hooves met his ears and Naruto drew Wichita down from the gallop. He had forgotten that the mare had to compete tomorrow and he didn't want her tired. If she injured herself because of his horses desire to gallop, he'd never forgive himself.

Their canter broke a little while later, the two men bouncing uncomfortably as the horses settled down, transitioning from bouncy trot to a smoother one and then, finally, into a walk. Itachi was smiling, facing Naruto as he stroked Susanoo's neck.

"Thank you," he said, truly meaning it. He hadn't had a gallop like this for ages. They had been over in Kentucky for a few months, getting Susanoo used to the heat here and training her up in it. In that time, there had been no one with a horse willing to go for a gallop and it was such a lovely experience, one Itachi never wanted to forget.

They would have to start making their way back, at a walk to cool their horses down. While conversations on hacks could sometimes become a little strained, both of their horses were relaxed and happy to walk side by side, as well as their riders. Itachi lengthened his reins and let them drop onto Susanoo's withers as he stretched back, resting both hands on her rump again and bobbing in time to her walk.

Naruto smiled softly at Itachi, understanding what it was like to want a good riding partner. A comfortable silence stretched between them and Naruto ran a hand over Wichita's shoulder, feeling it shift with the steps he took.

His eyes glanced at the trail ahead where the sun was starting to set. "It looks nice," he said quietly, nodding at the sun when Itachi glanced at him. "There are times when it seems like you're too busy to watch the simplest of things, like the sun setting. But then you get nights like this and you want more of them."

A blush spread across his face as Naruto realized what he had said and he scratched the back of his head. He knew he should've kept his mouth shut earlier.

Itachi could see Naruto's embarrassment and pushed up off of his horse a little, causing her to raise her head and snort slightly. Carefully, so as not to startle Wichita or Naruto, Itachi shifted Susanoo to walk right beside the pair, his leg brushing against Naruto's and making the blond jump.

"I completely agree. It helps when the company is good too, and I hope that we can share this experience again." Itachi managed to act calmly on the outside, but internally he was laughing at himself. How more sappy and idiotic could he sound? If not for the stoic Uchiha genes in him, Itachi would be bright red by now.

Naruto hummed in agreement. He didn't trust himself to voice what was on his mind, knowing that it would just make him sound like something from a movie. But honestly, a kiss in the sunset would be a nice way to wrap up the day, even though he wasn't sure what was going to happen after this, outside of dinner and bed.

Maybe he could find some time to slip away and call Sasuke back. Try to convince him to clean out the guest room at their ranch so Itachi could stay a while longer. It was an interesting thought, but the chances of it happening were so far stretched right now that Naruto wouldn't even mention it until Itachi had finished competing.

His leg brushed against Itachi's again and he glanced up towards the other male. "Should we start heading back?"

"Probably a good idea. I dread to think how hard Susanoo will be to wake up in the morning." Naruto snorted, but Itachi just responded with a raised eyebrow. "You don't think it could be true? She's the laziest mare ever."

They walked back, enjoying the cooling rays of the sun and approaching darkness. A few stars dotted about the sky and Itachi looked up, enjoying the cloudless night. Susanoo snorted in contentment, snatching a few leaves off of a passing bush. Itachi slapped her gently on the neck, chiding her for her lapse in obedience. Normally she'd behave during competing seasons, but horses would be horses after all.

A moment later, both riders watched as their horses bent their heads together. Itachi braced himself for the ear-piercing squeal that would almost certainly escape the horses and was instead soothed by the sound of air blowing, the two making fast and solid friends.

Breathing out a sigh of relief at Wichita's actions to Susanoo, Naruto patted the bay's neck and ruffled the thick mane. There were times when Wichita had Sasuke's personality, refusing to play nice with others unless he knew them after a while. But he had seemed to take a good liking to the mare and it pleased him.

They reached the stables and Naruto slid off with a slight groan, stretching out his leg muscles and brushing off the dust from the trail. He ran a hand over Wichita's cheek and murmured softly to him, giving him praise for behaving on the ride.

When he finished with his horse, he looked over to Itachi who was working with Susanoo. He didn't want to sound rude, since Itachi was giving him so much, but he still wasn't sure where he was staying for the night. It wouldn't bother him to camp out in his truck for the night; he had done so before plenty of times before. But if that were the case, he wondered if Itachi would let him use the shower at least before he went to bed.

He shuffled around in the stall, fusing over Wichita until finally there was nothing left to do. Letting himself out of the box, he moved over to Susanoo and stroked her head. "What are your plans for the rest of the night?" he asked softly.

Itachi kicked the kick-bolt shut and made sure the stable was secure. He could hear Susanoo eating from her haynet and assumed that Wichita would soon, knowing Deidara would have set one up for the bay.

"Planning to take a bath for one," Itachi said, yawning as he stretched his back out, arching his spine. "Deidara and Kisame are probably waiting at the hotel for us so would you mind if I rode with you?" Itachi turned to Naruto, realizing perhaps he hadn't explained himself.

"Sorry," he began, "We assumed you didn't have anywhere to stay and so booked another room at the hotel. We were in luck; your room is on the same floor as ours, directly opposite Deidara's and next to mine. We'll have to share a bathroom, so I hope that won't be a problem, but they're pretty decent rooms."

Itachi suddenly wondered if his actions had been a little too bold and so rude. "I'm sorry if this is a bit forward of us, but we thought it would be better to book the room fully anyway. We had booked it the days before, but Deidara and Kisame tried to talk me out of keeping it, as it was empty. I didn't enjoy the thought of sharing a bathing space with a complete stranger, but they said it was stupid to keep the room." Itachi rolled his eyes, "Don't worry about money either. My sponsors are taking care of it."

Naruto blinked, surprised at what was being offered to him. He hadn't been expecting his own room. At most, maybe just a small little spot on the ground but this had blown everything away. He found that he couldn't say anything as the shock was still setting in and it took a while before he could finally utter his thanks.

"Itachi," he muttered softly. "I don't even know how repay you for everything. I was ready to sleep out in my truck tonight but this..." Naruto paused and glanced up. Every nerve in his body wanted to give the man a hug, but he wasn't sure how Itachi would react to something so intimate.

Instead, he inclined his head slightly forward. "Thank you," he said honestly, hoping to get his point across as to how much it meant to him. "I really appreciate everything."

Itachi smiled, "Come on now, it's not all for you. I get to keep my bathroom away from crazy people now. So technically you're the one doing me the great service."

Itachi could sense Naruto was uncomfortable with the things he had done, not that he wasn't grateful. Itachi understood, after all, yesterday they had been strangers and now Itachi (or rather his sponsors, but then again Uchiha was his sponsors) was paying for all of these things.

"If it really bothers you," Itachi said, "Then you're more than welcome to think up something that I have to agree to. It's only fair as I pushed all of this to you without asking."

With that, Itachi made sure his little room was locked up and walked towards the exit of the barn. Security personnel were patrolling the grounds, one guard standing at the entrance. The nodded to him, flashing their passes, and were waved through with a slight smile.

The car park was close and the evening air carried a hint of a breeze, blowing a strand of Itachi's hair in his eyes. Naruto unlocked his truck and they got in, the engine rumbling to life. They set off, Itachi giving out clear instructions, until they reached a simple yet much needed hotel. It was hardly a five star affair, but was a modest place, affordable and included breakfast buffet. Dinner, regrettably, did not come with the room fee, but the restaurant downstairs looked nice enough.

Collecting their keys at the welcome desk, Itachi led Naruto up to their rooms. He banged on the doors opposite, drawing out the occupants.

"Welcome back, finally," Deidara muttered, hair completely tied up out of his face and toothbrush in mouth. "We were wondering if we'd have to send a search party. Our dinner reservations are in an hour I'll have you know."

Kisame's welcome was a little less chilly. "Deidara's been bitching about you not being here all day. Thanks for coming back."

The pair had then turned their attention to Naruto, and the bag he had gathered out of the car. Inside was all of his clothes, the rest of his gear (such as tack and other horse essentials) had either been taken back with his friends or were waiting in his trailer.

With a wide grin, Naruto waved at Itachi's teammates. "Thanks for letting me steal your rider away for the day; I brought him back safe and sound. Not a scratch on him." He paused and poked Itachi in the side. "Well, except maybe here, when I didn't let him pay for lunch, but you can buff that out."

For a second, the hallway was quiet until Kisame started to snort with laughter and patted Naruto on the shoulder. "I still like you," he said with a smile. "You're okay with me."

Naruto laughed and turned to Deidara. "But it is my fault that we stayed out so late, Wichita wanted to gallop so it took a little longer to cool them down."

Deidara narrowed his eyes, scanning Naruto quickly and then turning to Itachi. With a once-over of the dark haired man, Deidara returned to Naruto again.

"Congratulations, you managed to conquer Mount Uchiha. He never lets anyone pay, you're in the club as far as I'm concerned." Deidara stopped speaking, looking to the side for a moment. "If we're a club, can I make T-shirts?"

Itachi raised an eyebrow and Deidara shrugged. "Why not? Fine then. I expect you at the dinner table in an hour by the way. Both of you. And you, Kisame," Deidara said to the man who had started to slink away. It had become a tradition that they'd all eat together in the evening and it now included Naruto.

Itachi bid a brief farewell at the doors to their rooms and they entered. Itachi's was already showing signs of being lived in, particularly because they had been at this hotel for a few weeks already. They had moved due to the arena saying they had permission to train in the grounds before the event, which Itachi had been very grateful for.

Each room was a basic hotel layout, large bed in the centre, a desk to the side and a television set opposite. A mini-bar sat tucked away under the TV set and a tray containing instant coffee granules, an ancient kettle and various utensils one needed to make coffee sat next to the screen. Itachi's only regret was that there was no tea to offer, even though it would have been pretty disgusting. Still, tea was tea...

A wardrobe sat at one end of the room and another door the other end. Itachi walked to the door with the intent to clear some of his toiletries into neater positions, allowing Naruto space for his own if he needed.

He entered to find Naruto already poking about, bathroom door open and blond hair darting between the shared room and his own. A few creaks informed Itachi that he was bouncing on the bed and the Uchiha smiled. He had done exactly the same when he had arrived.

Toothbrush and shaving equipment was pushed to one side by Itachi as he made space for his new friend. His old toothbrush holder - an oddly shaped sausage with legs and a hole in its back for the toothbrush to rest - was gently placed in the centre of the counter.

It was supposed to be a weasel, a pun that Sasuke had found hilarious at that age, and so his brother had decided to make a toothbrush holder for him from a plastic-clay substance in his art class, back when he was seven. Itachi always took it with him, remembering when Sasuke had actually been happy to acknowledge his love for his brother.

In the other room, Naruto was tossing his clothes out of his travel bag, looking for his towel that he used when he was on the road. Sure the hotels gave them towels, but he didn't trust them and he liked the feel of his own anyway.

Once his clothes were a mess on his bed, he sighed at himself and started to refold them and place them away. He didn't need Itachi to think he was a slob. Once the room was a bit cleaner than it had been earlier, Naruto picked up the towel from his bag and set it on the bed.

He glanced at the door leading to the bathroom and made sure that it was shut before stripping out of his dusty clothes. He wanted to look a little nicer for dinner tonight and figured a shower before putting on clean clothes would be wise.

Toeing his dirty clothes into the corner of his room, he grabbed his shower bag and padded to the bathroom door. With his towel wrapped loosely around his hips, he knocked lightly on the door and listened for any movement inside the bathroom.

When silence met his knock, he deemed the room empty and opened the door cautiously. He would never forget the time he burst into the bathroom last time he shared a room with Sasuke and had a roll of toilet paper thrown at his face by an upset Uchiha.

Seeing that the bathroom was indeed empty, he set his shampoo and soap inside the shower. He was about to turn the water on when he remembered that he wanted to brush his teeth after the shower and ran back to get his toothbrush and toothpaste. He bounded back into the bathroom, freezing as Itachi walked in at the same time.

Itachi couldn't move as he saw Naruto opposite him, clad in nothing but a towel. He had planned to let Naruto know that he could shower first, but it seemed that the blond had beat him to it. Instead of doing the reasonable thing and leaving, however, Itachi remained where he was, bent over slightly as he had opened the door and with one hand outstretched.

He knew he must look ridiculous, but it wasn't as if Naruto was moving either. There was some sort of equilibrium balance between them in this stand off and neither man moved.

At least, not until Naruto's towel started to slip. He caught it before Itachi was graced with a look at the rest of his body (and what a rather nice body it was, even though it was expected due to the nature of Naruto's work and his skill. But still it was nice than your average rider's), but it broke the odd connection between them and that was when the awkwardness set in.

"I should go," mumbled Itachi, rubbing his nose with his hand in embarrassment. Even having said that he hovered a few moments, wondering if Naruto would say anything. With one look round the bathroom, Itachi made a noise as if he had been successful at finding something.

It was a feeble excuse, but Itachi snatched up the complementary packet of soap. "Just what I wanted!" he said, waving the wrapped packed in Naruto's direction before darting out of the bathroom and locking the door.

With the soap in his hand, Itachi winced, clutching his head. The image of a semi-naked Naruto was forever burnt into his mind and it was unlikely to go away any time soon. The soap fell to the floor as Itachi dragged his feet over to his bed, sitting down and trying to wrap his head around the idiotic display he had just put on.

For several moments, Naruto stared at the closed door before slowly blinking. His cheeks started to heat up and he let out a soft groan, his hand coming up to cover his eyes. This was not how he expected to let Itachi see him tonight and now he had to sit through dinner with him.

He banged his head against the wall before stumbling away with a curse. He fumbled for the facet in the shower and quickly stepped inside. Apologies started to form inside his mind but as soon as they entered his mind, he dismissed them.

There really wasn't any good way to apologize for letting Itachi see him almost naked. Although honestly, he wouldn't have cared if Itachi had seen him like that if they knew each other a little better, but that was getting ahead of himself.

In the end, he guessed that the best thing to do was suggest that he give Itachi the empty room back and he could camp out in the truck. At least now he was clean and for the remaining days, he could always use the locker rooms that were reserved for the riders staying on the grounds.

With a low sigh, Naruto finished his shower and turned the water off. He quickly dried off and brushed his teeth before leaving the room and locking the door behind him; just in case.

Itachi was lying on the bed, his hands folded on his stomach and eyes staring up at the ceiling. He could ask to switch with Deidara or Kisame so that Naruto would be more comfortable or something. They could sort it out, it wasn't a big deal. Itachi had seen plenty of male friends naked in non-sexual circumstances... it shouldn't be odd, but for some reason it was with Naruto.

It was undeniable now. Itachi knew he had liked Naruto a lot, but this confirmed that he liked him in more than a friendship manner.

Screw that, in fact Itachi was pretty sure he was about to fall head over heels with Naruto. If given the chance, the blond would hook into him deeply, and Itachi would let him. One day and he was already considering the blond as a potential, well, partner really. Boyfriend sounded too fleeting, lover not quite deep enough and life partner a little too sappy. He may be admitting that he was crazy by liking Naruto this much, but he drew the line at sappy.

"Great," Itachi muttered, rolling over onto his stomach and burrowing his head into his pillow. It smelt of horses and a knot twisted in his stomach as that made him think of Susanoo and Wichita... which brought him back to Naruto. "I'm going crazy and talking to myself."

The silence in his room had Naruto pacing back and forth. His eyes glanced at the clock, then back at the door before he started to pace once more. He nearly ran to the door when a knock sounded on the other side but calmed himself down before opening it.

Deidara and Kisame were standing on the other side of the door, and Naruto let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding. Kisame raised an eyebrow at his actions but Deidara pulled him out of the room with a large smile on his face.

"Hungry?" Naruto asked, trying to cover up his nervousness. He didn't know how Itachi was feeling but he knew that he had to fix things up before tomorrow. Itachi had to compete and he didn't want anything to mess him up.

"Starving," Deidara answered while Kisame pounded on Itachi's door. They waited for a few moments before Deidara sighed dramatically, tapping his foot.

"Get out here now Uchiha or I swear to god I'll call your uncle up and tell him you've injured your horse. And don't think I wouldn't do it, I have his number on speed dial and I'm a brilliant actor so it would be perfect. And if that's not a threat enough, I'll call your parents. See how you'd like that! I'll tell your mother you're not sleeping properly and your father that you're running around dishonouring the family, then I'd call your brother and tell him you've-"

"I get it Deidara," Itachi interrupted, opening the door to his room and pointedly ignoring Naruto. He had managed to change into normal clothes, retying his hair in a higher ponytail than usual.

"Well," Kisame said, looking at the group of people he had to sit through dinner with. Sometimes he felt as though he were an adult looking after unruly children. "Let's go then."

They moved down the hallway and Naruto cast a careful look at Itachi from the corner of his eyes. The man didn't show anything about being bothered from the bathroom episode earlier, but Itachi's silence spoke wonders.

He had been talking most of the day and now the sudden silence was hard on Naruto. Even Kisame glanced back at them, noticing the silence between them. Coming to a decision, Naruto decided that he'd talk to Itachi tonight before they went to bed. He wasn't sure what he'd say yet, but something had to give.

Itachi glanced at Naruto from the corner of his eye as he felt him staring. He was sure they'd talk later about it, but for now they had to stave off Deidara's houndish questioning. If Deidara picked up a scent, he'd never let it go.

The restaurant was fairly homey, with a selection of food traditional to the area. As they were seated, menus were passed out and everyone was able to look through the different offers, considering what they could eat. No one wanted anything too heavy, but too light and you'd be raiding the (expensive) mini-bar in the middle of the night.

"So, Naruto," Deidara broke the silence. "Tell us about yourself."

Naruto glanced up after he passed off his menu to the waitress. "Well, I'm from Texas. I have a ranch back home where I breed cattle and horses, and let people board their horses on my land as well. Y'all already know my horse, Wichita of course."

He paused to take a sip of water. "I have a friend who helps me take care of the ranch, but he can be a real bastard at time." Naruto chuckled at the thought of Sasuke fuming at home when he didn't check into the hotel. "But that's about it."

Deidara nodded enthusiastically, bending his head in Naruto's direction. He sat opposite Naruto, with Kisame next to him and Itachi next to Naruto.

"Well oddly enough all of us come from Japanese families somewhere down the line, but we've all been in England for a few generations. Down in the south actually. Itachi's family runs a major stud business, specializing in thoroughbreds, eventing horses, and polo types. Kisame came from a racing background and he joined us after realizing he preferred horses to the sport, while I was local and wanting a temporary job."

Deidara chuckled. "Ended up staying and haven't regretted it since." He sighed. "Of course bastard here decided that breeding on the stud farm wasn't enough and had to tackle eventing himself. So we tagged along, going through trials at Badminton as if they were air."

Naruto grinned at Deidara's enthusiasm and leaned back in his chair, as a plate of pasta was set before him. The smells of dinner made his stomach growl and for a moment, he forgot about the incident in the bathroom as everyone tucked into dinner.

Polite conversation was made while they ate, each person enjoying their meal until one by one they finished their meals. They stayed a little longer, talking and enjoying the company until Deidara looked at his watch and shooed Itachi away.

"It's getting late and you need sleep for tomorrow."

As Itachi nodded and stood up, Naruto followed suit and did the same, thanking Deidara and Kisame for the meal. He quickly trotted after Itachi, determined not to let him get away before they had a chance to talk.

Once they had moved down the hallway in silence, Naruto reached out and grabbed Itachi's arm before the older male could unlock his room. Dark eyes settled on him and it was then that Naruto realized he hadn't planned out anything to say.

"I'm sorry about earlier," he blurted out, figuring that it was best to get everything out in the open. "I should've told you that I was going to shower and I really hope that I didn't make you upset or uncomfortable. If you want, I can go camp out in my truck for the rest of the time so you can have the bathroom to yourself again."

Itachi shook his head, smiling. "I'm sorry too. I should have knocked before." Tension seemed to deflate between them and the relaxed air returned. "And don't be silly, it's just a bathroom. As long as we knock and make sure the doors are locked when we are using the shower or toilet, I think we'll be fine. It was just a shock is all."

Naruto seemed uncertain for a moment, but Itachi was sure he had won him over. "Don't turn down a nice comfy bed for your truck. Remember you're part of my team now and I need you in top shape."

Itachi watched as the blond seemed to reach a decision and nodded, a smile back on his lips. They bid each other goodnight, Itachi letting Naruto use the bathroom first, and entered their separate rooms. Itachi kicked off his shoes and fell back onto the bed, waiting for the tell-tale signs of someone using the bathroom to kick in, and he wasn't disappointed.

Of course, this was the moment that the image of Naruto in a towel returned and Itachi knew he had to think about something else so that he could get a good sleep for tomorrow.

He could think about the course. Think about the next two days; think about how he could do better in this competition. If he had an optimum time and no faults here, he could well place higher in the scoreboards. If he jumped a quick, clear round, there was every possibility he could come in the top ten. A first place was idyllic, but most likely unreachable. Not that he wouldn't try, after all, anything could happen in the next couple of days.

Naruto moved around quietly in the bathroom, even though he knew Itachi was awake next door. He was glad that they had been able to work things out without anything becoming too awkward; it had gone off much easier than he thought.

He grinned as he brushed his teeth. Itachi had even said he was part of his team. The thought made the smile grow bigger and he leaned against the counter happily. He already had ideas of what he could do to cash in on Itachi's promise he made earlier.

He was thinking somewhere along the lines of asking Itachi to come stay with him and Sasuke. Sasuke would get over it eventually and would probably enjoy the quiet that Itachi brought with him. Sure he would rant that Naruto shouldn't have stayed but that would pass as well.

With the thought in mind, he rinsed out his mouth and placed his toothbrush back in its holder. He shut the light off and closed his door behind him. He'd call Sasuke tomorrow after he slept and had the chance to watch Itachi compete.

.

Notes:

Thank you, as always, for all your support! It really means a lot to the both of us. As always, it would make me very happy if you'd also drop a note to Disgruntled Minion as she's been ever so wonderful through the whole project and I really enjoyed working with her.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter, feedback is always appreciated, thank you!