Summary: It is not enough for a man to know how to ride; he must know how to fall.
Authors: Disgruntled Minion and Imperial Mint.
Word Count: 8358
Un-betaed.
Know How to Fall.
Chapter 9
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The sight of a long running white fence had Naruto bouncing happily in his seat. It was early morning, close to nine o' clock and Naruto knew that Sasuke would be waiting for them. The trip had taken a little longer since they had to stop a few times to stretch out the horses. And then of course, Itachi wasn't happy to wake up in Naruto's lap and demanded that he drive for a bit so Naruto could sleep.
A few hours later, Naruto woke up in Itachi's lap and they switched once again. They paused to watch the sunrise, as cliché as it seemed. But it still led to more kissing and a little bit of groping before they were on the road again.
Now though, they were so close that Naruto could practically taste breakfast. "Look 'Tachi," he said excitedly. "We're almost there."
Itachi looked out to a stereotypical white fence and surrounding fields. He could see a herd of cattle grazing lazily in one of the fields and unwound his window, looking out and enjoying the crisp breeze on his face. He couldn't wait to see Naruto's home.
In the back, the horses neighed, obviously sensing they were close to what would be home. Itachi smiled as he looked at Naruto, noticing the longing in his eyes. It was clear that Naruto was happy to be home.
They pulled round to a large car parking space, close enough to the house and adjacent barns, but far away that it could hold a few horseboxes and have enough space to load the boxes up.
Butterflies floated round Itachi's stomach as he knew the roommate would be showing up soon. For some reason Itachi needed to have their approval, otherwise he would feel as if he was taking advantage of Naruto and they wouldn't be able to have a full relationship while here, not with an angry roommate looking over his shoulder.
The truck came to a stop in front of the barn, kicking up dust in the process. Inside the trailer, Wichita whinnied loudly, wanting to be let out. Naruto laughed and jumped out of the truck, hurrying to the trailer door.
"I know, you impatient horse," he said with a grin. No doubt the loud cry had already alerted Sasuke that they were home. He was surprised the male wasn't sitting on the porch waiting for them.
He let Itachi lead Susanoo out first and then backed Wichita out. The bay looked around the land with his head held high and snorted happily.
Itachi got a good look around as he stroked Susanoo's neck absent-mindedly. It really was a beautiful area, land stretching for what seemed like miles around them.
Itachi frowned as Susanoo threw her head up, neighing loudly and wheeling round to look at the main house. She was never usually like this, even after long flights, and Itachi was worried.
"Susanoo?" he questioned lightly, trying to soothe her. Instead of calming down, though, she pricked her ears straight forwards and bunched her muscles, snorting and pulling away from Itachi.
The grey mare pranced on the spot, drawing Naruto's attention to her as well. Itachi once again brought his hands up to try and calm her when the leadrope was ripped from his hands, Susanoo pulling forwards with all of her might. Against such an opponent, Itachi stood no chance and could only watch as his horse made a beeline towards the person exiting the main house, hopelessly praying that she would calm down before she barreled into the man.
She did, halting and flipping her lip up, bobbing her head in greeting. Itachi stilled, frowning and wondering why she had taken off in such a manner, all for Naruto's roommate.
Naruto heaved a sigh of relief as Susanoo stopped in front of Sasuke. He was glad that she hadn't hurt herself and he jogged forward to grab her lead line before it became tangled in her hooves.
"Hey Sasuke," Naruto greeted and grabbed the lead line. "Isn't it great to have me back home again."
Sasuke looked up at Naruto, his shoulders tense. "What's this horse's name?"
Naruto ran a hand over Susanoo's neck. "She didn't mean any harm Sasuke. She's usually fairly calm, or at least from what I've seen of her so far." His eyes lit up and he grabbed Sasuke's hand, tugging him off the porch. "Come on, you still need to meet this pretty lady's owner. Remember, he's the whole reason you're out here right now?"
Slowly, Sasuke trailed after Naruto, a tightening feeling growing in his stomach with each step closer to the trailer.
As Susanoo returned with Naruto, Itachi found he couldn't move. He had heard Naruto call out his roommate's name, but had denied it for a hearing fault. There was no way that the ranch Sasuke had left home for was Naruto's. It was impossible.
Then again, all the signs were there. Sasuke looked almost the same as he had so long ago, yet he also looked older, more grown into himself. He was more muscular now and more comfortable in his own skin. There was also the fact Susanoo had taken off - which she had never done ever before - and there was good reason for this. Sasuke had been the one to name her when she was still a foal, on narrow legs and dark brown hair.
"Thank you," Itachi said softly, not meeting his brother's eyes as he took Susanoo back. He could feel the tension between them and Naruto's questions building up against it. How could he tell Naruto that his friend and roommate was his own brother?
Naruto cleared his throat, trying to clear out the tension. Seeing them together like this really did remind Naruto how he first thought Itachi looked like Sasuke in a way. "Um, 'Tachi, this is my roommate, Sasuke and Sasuke, this is-"
"Itachi, I know." Sasuke finished for him. He turned to Itachi with carefully guarded eyes. "I never thought I'd see you again, Itachi."
Itachi looked at Sasuke, pride welling up at how his little brother had coped so well in the wide world. "Fate is strange in some respects," he said quietly, loosening his grip on the leadrope. "I expect she's grown a bit, but she's the same creature that tried to follow you inside."
Itachi thought back to the time when Susanoo had been an adventurous foal, intent on following Sasuke around whenever Itachi couldn't be with her. She'd tried to follow him inside of the house and almost succeeded, only to be foiled by Madara.
Naruto blinked for a second before his eyes widened. He groaned and covered his face with his hand, not believing that he hadn't realized it before. "I didn't even pick up on that," he moaned. "I even read the name on the chart." He stated as he grabbed Wichita's leadrope and led him way so the two brothers could have a chance to talk.
Shifting a bit uncomfortably once Naruto left, Sasuke looked to Itachi again. "Yes, fate is strange at times, and sometimes cruel in her ways."
"Sasuke," Itachi began, unsure what to do. He wasn't sure why Sasuke was being so stiff and cold with him. All Itachi knew was that one day Sasuke had decided not to stay at home, to run off and dive off the English riding scale, converting to Western as he'd always threatened. Their parents just assumed it was a phase and he'd be back... years later and none of them had heard from Sasuke. Most people just assumed him dead.
Instead, Itachi settle for a more Naruto approach. "We've all missed you." Anger suddenly swelled up, not for Sasuke at leaving or lumping him with Madara's expectations, but for not even bothering to keep in touch. It had been almost a decade.
"What the hell did you think you could do? To just up and leave like that?" Itachi managed to keep his voice somewhat calm, yet Susanoo still picked up on the mood, ears flicking back as she swung her body round, aligning with Itachi and glaring at Sasuke. She whickered deeply in the back of her throat, challenging the younger Uchiha.
"People think you are dead Sasuke. Our parents read the obituaries every morning just in case your name turns up, finally, and they get some closure. No one ever talks about you and you..." Itachi swallowed deeply, taking a deep breath. "You may want to know that your first pony died shortly after you left. She was old, yes, but she never stopped looking for you in the mornings." Itachi wanted to be cruel. He wanted to tell Sasuke how much leaving had hurt him, but he couldn't say it outright.
Sasuke's fists curled. "I don't know what you're talking about, you're the one who sent the letter to me all those years back. You told me that I had disgraced the family name by even thinking about changing to Western and that you never wanted to hear from me again."
He sucked in a deep breath and could feel the tears starting to prickle at the back of his eyes. "And I did call home, or at least I tried to. But every time, it tells me that the number has been blocked. My letters come back marked un-sent or just never get returned at all.
"All this time, I've been trying to get a hold of my family; to tell them that I'm okay but I can't even get that. The most I can do is watch you compete on TV or on the damn computer." By now the tears had started to flow down his cheeks. Years of pent up anger was finally being released at seeing his brother.
Sasuke's knees threatened to give out and he just wanted to scream that everything had been denied to him, but the words wouldn't come out of his mouth. "No one cared anymore, Itachi. So don't you dare turn your fucking anger on me."
Itachi's eyes widened as Sasuke shuddered, the image of his brother as a small child returning full force. There was no way that he had ever been aware Sasuke was in contact with them, which meant either his parents had cut all ties with Sasuke or someone else had.
And considering his mother always looked at Sasuke's empty chair at the breakfast table with sadness clouding her eyes and Fugaku kept Sasuke's stick-horse drawing pinned up on his office wall, he couldn't imagine them wanting Sasuke out of their lives.
Which left one last person. One who would be opposed to someone they thought bound to greatness in English riding moving to Western. Someone who didn't understand the fun and joy or riding anymore, someone who would do what it supposedly took to create a 'perfect' rider.
Madara.
Itachi pulled Susanoo over with him as he wrapped his arms around Sasuke, holding him tightly as he cried.
"I'm sorry. We didn't know... Madara..." It didn't matter. Sasuke didn't need to know about that at the moment. "I love you, Sasuke. No matter what anyone says, no matter what anyone does, I always will love you. Remember all the times we looked at the stars and I told you about the Star Ponies? And remember when you rode with me for the first time? And how about your first race against me? You can't fake moments like that. No matter what happens, always remember them and know without a doubt that you're stuck being my little brother."
Itachi closed his eyes, holding Sasuke and wishing they could have done this years ago. "And little brothers are cursed by being loved by their big brothers."
Stubborn to a fault, Sasuke shook his head. He wanted to believe Itachi's words and some part of him already did. But it was still too early to really believe him. Given time, he knew that he would, but right now, Sasuke just wanted to spend some time alone so he could think.
Pushing back a bit, Sasuke rubbed at his eyes. "You should go see Naruto and take care of Susanoo. I need, I need a little time to think." He grabbed Susanoo's leadline and paused before leaving once more. "I- I'm glad to see you again Itachi, I really did miss you."
He walked away without another word and headed towards the fields where he knew Naruto would be. Sure enough, Naruto was perched on a railing, stroking a horse's neck while humming to himself.
The blond looked up as he approached but didn't say a word, knowing that Sasuke would want to be alone now.
"I'll empty out the trailer and store all the equipment," Sasuke said softly. "Go to him Naruto, he needs someone right now."
Naruto frowned. "What about you Sasuke? You're hurting too."
With a small smile, Sasuke shook his head. "Later. Right now I just want to be alone and think. Then you can try to cheer me up."
Huffing, Naruto jumped off the rail. "I don't try to, I do cheer you up." He hesitated before jogging away from Sasuke.
He could see Itachi still standing up by the trailer, looking a little uncertain as he approached. His arms circled around his back, hugging him tightly as he pressed his face into Itachi's back.
Itachi couldn't muster a smile and instead dropped the line connecting him to Susanoo, burrowing his head into Naruto's shoulder. He didn't care that he was crying at the moment - more like hopelessly sobbing - and even Susanoo wanted to join in the cuddle. She poked her nose between them, whiskers scratching against Itachi's face.
"Thank you girl," Itachi whispered, clinging to Naruto and turning slightly so he could see his horse. She snorted before turning round a little, wandering off to graze on some grass a little way off, keeping her vision on the pair with their arms wrapped around each other.
"I never thought I'd see him again," Itachi mumbled a few seconds later, enjoying the comfort he could seek from Naruto. "He just left and..." Itachi choked on a sob, sniffling rather pathetically. Madara would be ashamed of him, but Itachi no longer held the same opinions of his uncle anymore.
"He'll come around," Naruto said softly and tugged on Itachi's wrist. They were both tired; more so Itachi than himself right now and sleep would be the best thing. Sasuke would take care of Susanoo and the rest of their equipment while Naruto made sure that Itachi was taken care of.
Making sure that Susanoo was tied to the trailer, Naruto coaxed Itachi inside the house. The man's posture was tired and Naruto wondered what happened between the two while he was gone. He didn't even bother showing Itachi anything in the house, wanting to get him clean and in bed.
Finally, they reached his room and Naruto shut the door behind them. "Come on, a hot shower will make you feel better and then some sleep." He ran his fingers through Itachi's hair, combing out the knots and the small tie that held the hair back. Dark eyes glanced at him without response and Naruto leaned forward to cup his cheeks. "Please Itachi," he muttered softly.
Itachi desperately wanted to reassure Naruto everything was okay, but found he couldn't. It was anything but okay at the moment and seeing Sasuke for the first time in years brought back all the pain he had tried to push away. He'd missed Sasuke, wanted just to spend one more day with his brother if he could. He'd even sat on his bed once saying he'd never ride again - his favourite thing - if he could just see Sasuke again, know that he was safe.
And here he was. Safe on a ranch in the middle of Texas, thousands of miles away from their home in West Grinstead.
Barely noticing where Naruto was leading them, Itachi soon found himself in a bathroom, Naruto looking slightly hesitant about what to do next. Forcing a weak smile, Itachi made the decision.
"If you like I can call you when I'm dry. My clothes are with Deidara," he realised, wondering what he'd do.
Naruto frowned, that was a problem. His clothes probably wouldn't fit Itachi and he didn't think Itachi would like walking around in a wet towel all day. Finally reaching a decision, Naruto nodded and pulled out a towel from his linen closet.
"Shampoo and soap is in the shower, here's a towel and if you need another one, the rest are in here. Once you're done showering, get some sleep. My bed is much softer than the truck seats and has clean sheets; you'll be asleep before you know it."
Itachi's mouth opened to argue, but Naruto cut him off with a stern voice. "You need sleep Itachi. I'll come in and wake you up around noon-ish so you'll sleep again tonight." He glared, calling on the many glares Sasuke had given him to make his more effective.
Itachi didn't see the point in arguing and, as soon as Naruto left, climbed into the shower and rinsed the grime and sweat that had accumulated since the showjumping. As disgusting as it sounded, he hadn't showered since at least a day ago and the water on his body felt heavenly, washing away all the dirt easily. If only real life problems were that easy.
Itachi had to think now. It was clearly Madara's doing, but did he go back and call the man on it? Sasuke seemed happy here. Did he want to raise his family's hopes before turning round and saying that Sasuke didn't want to come back anyway? Itachi could imagine the look on his mother's face, terrible and haunting. He couldn't do that to her.
With a sigh, Itachi looked up into the spray of water, closing his eyes and opening his mouth like a fish. He needed to talk to Sasuke.
Turning the water off, Itachi stepped out of the shower and onto a waiting towel. He dried himself slowly, eyes heavy with sleep.
When he was done, he wrapped the towel around his body. Naruto had given him a massive towel, large enough to be hooked around his shoulders snugly and fall down to mid-thigh. Of course he wouldn't risk bending over in case anything happened to go on show, but with careful steps it would be a very comfortable journey to Naruto's bed.
"Naruto?" Itachi called, hoping the blond would hear him soon. As nice as the towel was, it was a little damp and the water had started to chill slightly.
Naruto poked his head into the bedroom and leaned out of the closet that he had been looking through. So far he hadn't found anything that could fit Itachi. He had sweats for winter, but it was the dead of summer and he wasn't going to think about pulling those out now.
"Well, I have extra boxers if you want to wear those," Naruto trailed off. "Or the other option would be to sleep commando. By the time you wake up, Deidara should be here and I'll have started laundry so you'll have something to wear."
He rubbed the back of his head, knowing that the suggestion seemed a little out there but it was the only other option. And Naruto had planned on running to the store to pick up something for dinner, so Itachi wouldn't have to worry about him wanting to sleep as well.
Itachi stepped into the bedroom, following Naruto's voice. He wiggled the top of the towel a little, testing the temperature and noting how hot it was, even this early in the morning. He gave a little smile, "I'll be fine as I am, thank you Naruto."
Itachi was directed to the bed and waited for Naruto to leave before dropping the towel. A nice sleep was just what he needed and Naruto's bed looked extremely comfortable, even with the bright orange and yellow colourings on the sheets. In fact, Naruto's whole room was very welcoming, a bright room but very homey.
For a moment, Itachi was sure he could hear the rumble of his horsebox, but he couldn't be sure. He smiled fully at Naruto and slipped slightly under the covers, covering his lap before flinging the towel away. It wasn't that he cared about Naruto seeing him naked, but more the fact that if he did see him naked, Itachi would want to do more than just sleep. And doing more... well, he was in no condition to really.
Once he was sure Itachi was settled, Naruto moved closer to the bed. He knew that it was getting warm already and he made sure that Itachi wouldn't need a floor fan or something else to keep the room cool. He paused once everything was taken care of and pressed a quick kiss to Itachi's cheek, wishing him pleasant dreams before slipping out of the room.
He padded down the hallway and into the living room. For a second, he stared out the window where he could see Sasuke unloading the trailer. He'd tackle that hurdle soon enough, but for now he'd respect Sasuke's request to think things over for a bit.
Grabbing his keys, Naruto jogged outside where his truck waited for him. It was still hooked to the trailer and Naruto flagged Sasuke down. "I'm gonna run to HEB for some dinner, anything you want?"
"What's on your mind?" Sasuke asked curiously as he balanced a saddle on his hip.
"I was thinking grilling out some ribs. We could do some brisket later on, but that's an all day affair."
Sasuke seemed to think it over. "Get some brisket for tomorrow then and something light for tonight." He dug through his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper that had his handwriting scrawled across the surface. "Stop by this store and ask for these leaves too."
Blue eyes glanced down at the page and they read over one of the words. "Darjeeling?" he asked. "What are you having me pick up? Some new type of horse healing balm that I've never heard of?"
Snorting, Sasuke shooed him away and vanished into the barn with the saddle. Naruto huffed at him and quickly unhooked the trailer and climbed into the truck. The sooner he left, the sooner he could come back and just relax.
With a roar, the truck took off down the dirt road, country music blaring through the open windows. Sasuke shook his head from inside the barn and lifted the saddle onto the rack, wondering what other surprises would come from living with Naruto.
As the truck passed them, Kisame lifted a hand from the steering wheel, greeting Naruto as he passed. Deidara waved a hand enthusiastically, smiling heartily at Naruto's returning wave.
"We're here Kisame! Finally at a ranch!" Deidara inhaled deeply. "Can't you smell that country air? Isn't it glorious?"
Kisame rolled his eyes, glad when he'd finally be able to be rid of Deidara. A long journey with the blond was enough for now and he desperately needed to get rid of the man for a while.
They pulled round to where Naruto's trailer was, parking neatly and coming to a full stop. They both climbed out, stretching their legs, and Deidara wobbled over to Kisame, running slightly.
"Look at the fields! And did you see those bulls when we came in!" Deidara smiled, slightly scaring Kisame. "I'm going to stay here forever!"
"Naruto will kick you out in a day, don't plan on staying here forever."
Deidara huffed, turning around. His mouth fell open as he saw someone exiting the nearby barn, looking in the opposite direction but very recognisable.
"Kisame!" Deidara hissed, pulling his friend down so that they were hiding behind the horsebox. "Do you see what I see?"
The taller man frowned in confusion. Deidara was off again. "You mean the glorious grass? The wonderful fields? The magnificent barn? Get over it Deidara, it's getting annoying now."
The blond narrowed his eyes. "You idiot, of course not! I'm so over those things." Kisame doubted that a lot. "I mean look over there! It's my little lightning boy!"
Kisame's head jerked to the side as Deidara pulled his arm, forcing him to look in the direction of the dark haired man walking to Naruto's trailer.
"No," Kisame said, sounding slightly scandalised.
"Oh yeah," Deidara said, glee seeping into his voice. "It's like the soaps I watch at home!" He gasped suddenly, hands clutching Kisame's arm. "Do you think Itachi knows about this! And where is he anyway... you don't think-"
Deidara cut himself off, causing Kisame to jump as a hand tightened on his arm. "They've killed him! They've killed Itachi and that's why Naruto was leaving! To bury the body... oh Kisame! What have we done!"
Kisame closed his eyes slowly, taking a deep breath in and counting to ten. "I hardly think they've killed him. Why don't you just go and talk to Sasuke - if it really is him - and ask."
Deidara caught his bottom lip in his teeth for a moment before nodding. "Fine. But if they murder me too, I'm coming back to haunt you."
With that, Deidara took off across the ground, sneaking slightly. Sasuke was out of sight at the moment, unloading the trailer, and it would be the perfect time to sneak up on his adversary. He would also take this chance to find out why Sasuke had left.
Sasuke hummed as he draped the halters on his arm, pulling them up to rest on his shoulder. Orange and black patterned leadropes dangled from them and he looped them up into his hand so he wouldn't trip. He exited the trailer and headed back to the barn, sorting out everything that still needed to be done.
He grunted as he was tackled from behind and he went down in a cloud of dust. His hands clawed at the ground, trying to get away from whatever it was that was holding him down. He knew it couldn't be Itachi, and Naruto was already gone.
His only other thought was that it might be Sakura, but she had learned by now that he didn't like being greeted like this. His body wiggled enough to get one hand free and he brought it to his mouth.
A loud whistle echoed across the fields and for a moment, the person holding him down froze. A few seconds later, the running feet sounded on the dirt path and Sasuke watched as a black goat ran towards him.
Deidara had acted, once again, before he thought. But the leadropes could have been deadly weapons, about to strangle them and he had to tackle Sasuke to the ground. His plan had been working perfectly, all he needed to do was wrench the orange and black ropes from Sasuke and tie his killer hands up and then they could talk. No matter what Kisame said, he couldn't trust Sasuke, at least not while Itachi was AWOL and possibly missing.
He hadn't, however, factored a goat into the equation. A stocky black creature came darting from god knows where, head low and small horns at perfect Deidara-stabbing height. The blonde's eyes widened as the goat charged, taking a few steps forwards before assessing the situation.
And then the goat moved, pushing forwards and headbutting Deidara in the chest. Winded, the man scuttled away from the goat, finally realising how they had killed Itachi. Very clever, getting the goat to do the dirty work.
The goat moved forwards again, attacking Deidara's leg with headbutts. They were rather painful for such a small animal and Deidara could hear Kisame's laughter. How was this fair? Here he was, defending Itachi's honour and avenging his death and all his 'friend' could do was laugh!
With a determined bleat, the goat stomped its legs, eyeing Deidara up in a way that made him uncomfortable. Did goats have a hitman society? Or a mafia? Because this goat was surely a killer goat.
"KISAME!" Deidara shouted as the little animal moved again, charging will intent to kill - or so Deidara thought.
Sasuke stood up and brushed the dirt off his body as Lulu chased after the blond haired male. Once the dirt and dust was gone, he turned around and watched as Deidara tried to climb onto the roof of the trailer
Lulu paced below him, waiting for Deidara to slip and fall before pouncing once more. He glanced to side as Kisame walked up to him and watched the scene with amused eyes.
"Should I even bother to ask why you're here?" Sasuke asked. "Or should I just assume that you're here because Naruto invited you as well."
With a tired sigh, Sasuke walked up to the trailer where Deidara was clinging to the top and watching the goat pace below with wide eyes. As he came closer, Deidara looked at him and pointed a finger.
"You!" He exclaimed.
"Me," Sasuke answered.
Deidara slipped a little, biting back a retort. Sasuke had the evil goat on his side. "Fine, I'll surrender if you call your evil minion off." He glared at the goat, who bleated happily.
"But don't think we'll let you get away with what you've done, Uchiha! We know what you did to Itachi! Do you really think we wouldn't be able to sense a murder crime scene when we came across one?"
Deidara was adamant. If Itachi was alive then he would have come to help him by now.
"Give it a rest Deidara," Kisame said, approaching the group and greeting the goat with a smile. "Hello there little thing," he said, scratching behind floppy ears.
"K-Kisame! You traitor!"
"Crime scene?" Sasuke asked, drawing Deidara's attention back to the Uchiha. "This isn't a crime scene. Itachi is inside the house, asleep. Although probably with all the yelling you've done, he'd be awake by now."
He snorted and picked up the halters once more from the dirt. He brushed off the dust and set them on his shoulder once more, focusing on his task so he didn't have to see his brother's teammates.
Turning around to look at the goat, he smiled. Evil minion indeed. He couldn't see any part of the goat that even looked evil. And besides that, it wasn't really his goat to call off; it was Naruto's. The blond had trained the goat to be a good watch goat ever since she was given to him.
Now Naruto's dog on the other hand, was evil. The little shit knew how to open doors and would often pounce on him in the mornings while he was still asleep. Funny how Naruto never saw the Koolie do any of these things.
"Naruto will be back from the store soon," Sasuke said. "You're free to look around until then."
Deidara managed to clamber down, hiding behind Kisame the first chance he had, putting his new bodyguard inbetween the goat and himself.
"You know, you do owe me a full Western shoot out," Deidara commented lightly to Sasuke, remembering years ago a promise that had never been fulfilled. It took Sasuke a moment but he seemed to place it in his mind a few moments later.
"And after all we've been through, I do think I deserve a proper game. Water pistols perhaps?" Deidara sniffed, putting on a haughty air. "Maybe we should have teams. Cowboys and Indians and the like."
Internally, Deidara was cheering. He'd always had a dream to have a mock battle and where better than on a ranch? He could see it now, the five - maybe six if Naruto's other team mate joined in - of them battling each other, water pistols loaded and horses ready.
Kisame ignored Deidara as he drifted off into his own world, a little smile on his face.
"Thank you, kid, we'll go take a look around the house, take Naruto and Itachi's stuff in."
Sasuke paused in his steps and finally turned back around to look at Deidara and Kisame. "Did you ever happen to get any letters in the mails from the States?"
They looked confused at his question, but Kisame shook his head. "Not that I remember seeing. Then again, we were usually out training with Itachi when the mail came in. Most times a stablehand would pick up the mail and sort it out."
Frowning, Sasuke moved closer to them again. "Itachi never wrote a letter to me?"
This time, Kisame frowned. "We never had an address to send a letter to. If he did, Itachi wouldn't have sent a letter; he would've been on the first plane out to see you. Along with your mum and dad."
The sentence made Sasuke's eyes close briefly, relief spreading through him. Itachi hadn't been lying when they had talked earlier. While the news still didn't patch all the pains in his heart that had grown during his years away from home, it was a start.
Feeling a bit lighter, Sasuke headed back to the barn with a wave of his hand. When Naruto came back, he'd have to take up the offer to talk. Then maybe he could face Itachi.
Deidara was the first to enter the house, looking round the building with a smile. Pictures of cattle and horses lined the walls, memorabilia of past guests to the ranch. They moved through to the kitchen, Deidara making himself a drink of water and sipping it happily, looking around once more.
"You know, it's very clean," he commented, looking around with a nod. "You'd expect it to be all dusty and straw everywhere, but it's very nice."
Kisame snorted, "Probably because Sasuke's a clean freak. Remember how he used to organise all his toys when we were teenagers? Doubt it grew out of him."
Deidara nodded thoughtfully. "I don't want to pry... but do you think they'll be okay? I don't know what happened but Sasuke seemed sad."
Kisame was about to answer when he noticed something trotting past the kitchen door. There was a dog toy on the floor so he just assumed it was the dog that had passed by, but why wasn't it greeting them? Not a very good guard dog.
"I'm sure they'll work through it. Naruto seems to be good and working with Uchiha's. First Sasuke and now Itachi. Bet you anything if you introduced him to Mikoto, she'd love him in heartbeat." Kisame said as he glanced down the hallway.
He watched as the dark colored dog trotted up the steps and sniffed the floor. It let out a huff and turned around a corner vanishing from view. Odd, but he'd seen odder things from animals before. The guard goat was a good example. So long as Naruto didn't have any geese nearby, they'd be good; nasty little things.
Upstairs, a wet black nose trailed along the wooden floor and rugs. There was a new smell that was present in the house, one that ran alongside his master's. Pausing outside the closed door, the dog sat down on the rug.
Outside, he could hear the blonde's truck pulling up the driveway. The unmistakable sound of the powerful engine running mixed with music. He ignored it for the time being and stood up on his haunches, resting front paws on the door handle.
He pushed down on it and the door swung open, allowing him free access to pad inside. The smell of his blond owner was strong, and he knew that the male had come back recently. With a low yelp, he bounded over to the bed and pounced onto the top, ready to greet his master when he came up.
Itachi bolted upright as something landed on his stomach, four pressure points digging in. He groaned as he opened his eyes, coming face-to-face with a patchy white face and light blue eyes.
"What-"
A yowl escaped the dog's mouth and he tilted his head, pushing Itachi back onto the bed as he climbed up the man's chest. While the dog was cute, it was slightly crushing him and, well, it hurt.
"Get off me," Itachi managed out, ignoring the panting creature and trying to push it off. The dog gave a whine, snuffling its nose near Itachi's face. Itachi pulled back, not wanting the dog to lick him. He knew where dogs licked and where they liked to sniff. He also knew that, as a ranch dog, this one had access to all you can eat poo, which he probably indulged in happily.
The dog whined again, settling down and curling up, slipping halfway off of Itachi and lessening the pressure. Now that the dog wasn't crushing him, Itachi had to admit he was very cute.
"Well I suppose you are rather cute aren't you." The dog leant into Itachi's hand as he scratched behind one ear, smiling at the way he closed his eyes.
His tail thumped against the bed happily. This new human was nice and he smelled like his blond owner.
Downstairs, the front door opened and his head shot up, ears perked forward. Voices drifted up to him, and he picked out one that he knew well. Jumping to his feet, he barked loudly and then turned around to nose the other human. Barking happily, he looked towards the door as footsteps sounded on the floor.
He spun around to whine his excitement to the other male before turning around again to face the door. The door opened and his name left his owners lips.
"Axel, leave him alone," Naruto scolded gently. He turned to Itachi as the Koolie trotted over to his side. "Sorry Itachi, I guess I didn't close the door enough. "
Itachi smiled, "It's okay. I'm used to cats crawling all over me. The mousers don't quite understand they're supposed to live in the barn and even if it's not them it's the dogs. He's not so bad once he stops crushing you."
Naruto chuckled, warming Itachi in ways the sun never could. He had woken up in a good mood, the little nap clearing his feelings and tiredness for the moment. He wondered how long he'd been asleep and what the others had done in that time.
"Are Deidara and Kisame here yet?" Itachi asked, wondering if he'd have to fashion a toga from some sheets or if he had proper clothes coming.
"Yes," Naruto answered and flopped down on the bed. "I was going to the grocery store when I passed them. It was such a long trip to get food too! Remembered that we needed some leather cleaner so had to swing by the tack store before I went to the grocery store. Was dragged into a conversation with the owner and finally escaped to pick up food."
Naruto paused, realizing that he still hadn't given Itachi anything to wear. He leaned over to dig through the duffle bag that Deidara had given him and handed Itachi some clothes. He stood up and crossed the room to look at the clock that rested on the dresser. Itachi had slept for a few hours, and was probably hungry considering it was close to one.
"I'm gonna head downstairs and make something to eat. Come on down when you're dressed and I can show you around after we eat."
Itachi ruffled through the bag when Naruto left, ignoring the staring dog Naruto had left behind. "Stop it," he said, not wanting to change when the dog was in the room. Axel whined once before clawing the door open and padding away. Itachi sighed and strode over to the door, finally able to just be naked and change.
The clothes in the bag were casual ones, good for slobbing around and general outside work. He pulled out a pair of sweatpants and a fading t-shirt, dressing quickly and not bothering about boxers.
Itachi left the bedroom a moment later, retying his hair as he walked. He followed the sound of voices and entered the kitchen, smiling to the people there.
Naruto looked up as Itachi came into the kitchen, hand paused over a chicken breast. He smiled at the Uchiha and moved the pieces into a pot. Axel lifted his head in greeting before flopping it back down on Kisame's feet.
"I'm making chicken and dumplings, is that okay? If not, we have lots of food in here," Naruto kicked the pantry door open. "Mac and cheese, bread if you want a sandwich and pasta. Oh and I was told to pick up some leaves, can't pronounce them, but I was told you'd like them. They're sitting on the table if you want to look."
Itachi walked over to the table in curiosity, wondering what leaves Naruto meant. Salad maybe? He took one look at the package and his jaw dropped a little, staring at the package in silence.
"Itachi?" someone asked, but Itachi waved them off, reaching for the box of tea.
"Oh god, who gave him the Darjeeling?" Kisame asked, shaking his head. Deidara snorted, leaning back in his chair and stretching his arms.
Itachi moved to the side, where a kettle had been set up. Not as good as a teapot, but close enough. He rooted around in the cutlery drawer for something he could use as a strainer and brought out a spoon, waiting for the kettle expectantly.
"Hint to Naruto, Itachi will be out for a while. Darjeeling's his favourite tea. I'm impressed you knew though," Deidara commented, not having heard what Naruto had said about being told.
"Dar-what?" Naruto asked, looking up from the pot. He noticed the box in Itachi's hand. "Oh, that's how you pronounce it. Tea huh." A chuckle left his mouth as he stirred the chicken and dumplings.
He was wondering what Sasuke had given him such a specific task, but now it all made sense. At least now Itachi would be able to enjoy the tea that he seemed to love so much. As for Naruto, he was fine with a glass of ice tea every now and then.
Still, he didn't need to say who had told him about the tea leaves. Itachi probably knew anyway.
With a small smile, he pulled the pot off the stove and set it on the table. Bowls were already set out for everyone, along with some glasses. "Well, we're kinda informal here, so just dig in and have as much as you want."
Itachi broke away from the tea and could smell the wonderful scent of cooked chicken. He sat down in a free chair and placed the tea next to him, prepared to glare at anyone who tried to move it. They all began to dig in when the door opened slightly and Sasuke came in.
For a moment, everyone froze, looking between the two brothers. Deidara had stuffed his mouth already and paused in chewing while Kisame greeted the scene with an even stare.
"Thank you for the tea," Itachi said, shifting his chair slightly so that there would be enough room if Sasuke chose to sit next to him. They had a million things to sort out between them, but they could call a temporary truce.
Sasuke moved closer to the table and picked up Itachi's tea, taking a small sip. He set it down, shaking his head. "Too hot for this weather, but still as good as I remember it." He turned towards Naruto. "You didn't put a lot of pepper in did you; last time it was all you could taste.
Naruto stuck his tongue out. "Says you, you're just jealous that yours blew up in your face. See that spot on the ceiling, that's where I had to scrape off the soup part after it hardened to the roof."
Grunting, Sasuke took a seat next to Itachi, reaching for the pot and scooping some into a bowl. "And you see that milk you're about to drink, it's expired. You still haven't learned to check the milk expiration dates; you do everything else though."
Milk bubbled out of Naruto's mouth and back into the glass as his jaw fell slack. He slammed the glass down on the table. "Why didn't you throw it out then you bastard?"
Sasuke smirked. "Welcome home Naruto."
Stomping into the kitchen, Naruto grumbled. "You're lucky Sakura still thinks it was some random drunk teens who drove through her garden that night."
Sasuke stiffened at the unspoken threat and rubbed his forehead. "There's some new milk at the back of the fridge." He rolled his eyes at Naruto as the blond shuffled through the refrigerator before realizing that everyone was staring at them. "It's normal," he said with a shrug, although a small smile had settled on his face.
They ate in comfortable companionship, talking about safe, general things, such as the weather and what there was around the ranch. They stayed away from riding itself, as it was evidently a sore spot between Sasuke and Itachi, but for the most part it was a pleasant meal.
All of a sudden, Deidara gasped, causing most occupants of the table to look at him in shock. Axel bolted upright, barking at an assumed intruder. Naruto calmed the dog down with a smile that told everyone it was common for him to bark at silly things.
"Naruto, please, Naruto!" Deidara looked much like a child, rather than the grown man he (debatably) was. "How many horses do you have here?"
Naruto set his spoon down and looked at Sasuke as they silently thought about it. "Well, not all of them are ours, since a few are from boarders. But we have eight total, nine if you now count Susanoo. I'm sure if we had a few more people around the ranch we could have more, but for now, eight is enough."
He shoved the last bit of dumpling into his mouth and chewed carefully. He wanted more of course. To be able to start his own stud, but for now it seemed as though breeding cattle was the next best thing. Eventually, he assumed that he could get enough hired hands and create a stud, but that was still far away. He was still learning and didn't want to run head first into an operation like that without any idea on what was going on.
Deidara turned to Kisame, who shook his head. "No Deidara. Absolutely not."
With a frown, the blond then turned to his team captain, eyes wide and pleading. Itachi took a sip of his tea and raised an eyebrow. "What?" There was a silence and it suddenly struck Itachi as to what Deidara wanted to do. With a sigh, he set the mug of tea down and turned to his friend.
"Dei, they're not our horses. Just because we're on a ranch doesn't make it acceptable to use other people's horses in your dream. They're working horses here, and besides, running a ranch is similar to running a stud and is a full time job. They can't be expected to just drop their jobs."
Itachi returned to his tea, smiling slightly as the floral taste invaded his senses.
Sasuke nodded. "While that is true, we are in a bit of a down time right now and could probably squeeze in Deidara's childish dream in one day. I'm sure the horses wouldn't mind getting sprayed down with some water."
"However," Naruto spoke up. "All our horses are trained Western; we'd have to ride bareback to make things fair. Sasuke and I each have two horses, and Itachi has Susanoo."
Snorting, Sasuke turned to Naruto. "No one is going to be able to ride Kyuubi though; that stallion only likes to listen to you."
Naruto shrugged. "So I'll ride either him or Rena. That mare can use the down time to just relax. She's been training hard." He turned to Itachi. "Would you be okay riding Susanoo in something like that?"
Itachi looked up, nodding. "We could all do with a bit of fun as a downtime. Plus I doubt Deidara's the only one who's had fantasies like this. I know certain people, after watching Lord of the Rings, wanted to join in the battles." Itachi sneaked a glance at Kisame, who was pointedly looking the other way.
Deidara looked ridiculously happy. "You're not just being kind are you? You actually mean this? Like... really mean it?"
Deidara didn't wait for a reply before flinging his arms around Naruto, launching up from his seat. "Thank you, thank you, thank you! I can tell Sasori that it finally happened!"
No one really knew what to do with Deidara in this mood and simply smiled at him, chuckling somewhat nervously. In all truthfulness, Itachi was looking forward to it. Not only would he get to see Naruto and his other horses, but he'd be able to watch Sasuke ride.
Naruto stood up and carried his bowl to the sink. He needed to make some rounds around the ranch before he could figure out what they could do in the next few days. Some of the cattle had to be branded and others were going to be looked at by the local FFA students.
He couldn't wait to ride Kyuubi again when they cut the herd for the jobs. It had been a while since he had ridden Kyuubi for the purpose of cutting, but it would be nice to get back in the saddle.
"Sasuke, when are the students stopping by?" He asked.
"Tomorrow afternoon after school." Sasuke answered, adding more chicken into his bowl.
Naruto nodded. "I think I'll separate them tonight so they'll be ready later. I can look over them once more in the morning. Branding will take a while tomorrow and I don't want to run out of time."
Itachi watched in interest, not really understanding the actual things they'd be doing but knowing it was important ranch stuff. Maybe he could find a book to read or something while Naruto was doing this stuff, to keep out of the way and avoid bothering him. Or maybe he could go with Deidara and Kisame somewhere, make up for the time they had let him have with Naruto.
After putting the dishes in the dishwasher, Naruto looked at Itachi. "Would you like to come watch or would you rather stay inside where it's cool?" He asked with a wide grin. He didn't blame Itachi if he wanted to stay inside, and watching him work around the ranch probably wasn't all that fun either.
Itachi blinked. Had Naruto really just offered? he risked a glance to Deidara and Kisame, noticing the slight smirk on Deidara's lips.
"Sure... that would be lovely. If it's not too much trouble," Itachi said, wondering how nice one person could be. Or maybe Naruto just wanted to spend time with him? Hopefully. That was the much better of the two options.
Naruto waved a hand. "Nah, its not trouble at all. I just don't want you to force yourself to sit out in the sun if you don't want to. Just need to change real quick." He muttered and vanished up the steps.
.
Notes:
YOU GUYS! Keep being amazing okay? THANK YOU so much for all the support so far, we've broken 100 reviews and really… it's amazing. It means so much to Disgruntled Minion and myself and we can't thank you enough.
(Now, I have a quick personal request… if at least one of you could help me by cheering on DM to carry on/finish her Naruto/Kuroshitsuji – and I'm sorry if I spelt that wrong, not in the fandom so I know nooothing about it – by leaving her a kind message, then I would be SO GRATEFUL.)
Again, thank you for reading and reviews are always, always appreciated!
Last thing... PLEASE READ.
I am participating in help_japan on livejournal. This means that I will write a 5000-word minimum fic (preferably for fandoms listed, but up for anything) for the highest bidder. Information can be seen through a link on my profile, I'd appreciate if you could pass on information about the community and take a look around. Art is offered too and the money you 'bid' goes to help Japan. If you can help, please do. You might get an extra special gift alongside knowing you've helped changed someone's life.
