Stray leaves crunched under Naruto's feet as he made his way along the dirt path leading to the Slave Complex. The sun was just beginning to hide itself behind the horizon sending a purplish haze over the land. A warm smile lay lazily across hi lips as he thought back over the bright day. The light-hearted beginning to their horse-taming session had set the pace and mood for the rest of the day, making it their most enjoyable session yet. Naruto, in all his couple months here, had never seen the Uchihas relax, Sasuke especially. He was always stiff and controlled; always the prick ass Kiba so acclaimed he was. But today he'd loosened up. He'd allowed himself freedom and, personally, Naruto liked the free Sasuke better than the controlled one.

Sasuke's laugh ringed in his mind, forever engraved there. It's low baritone had beed a surprise to the both of them; a welcome one to the blonde however unwelcome to the Uchiha judging by his reaction to its slip. Naruto's lazy grin widened as he thought also to the few times Sasuke hadn't thought he was looking. It was either when the blonde would turn to the horse but look out of the corner of his eye or when the Uchiha would look at the sky and sapphire glances were stolen. But either way, a pale cheek would raise only slightly as the smallest of smallest smiles would wiggle onto Sasuke's face. Small or not, it was there and it would a light a fire in Naruto's chest. He felt accomplished that he had softened the hardened beast, if only a little bit.

Reaching his shack, he opened the door feeling full despite his empty stomach. Kiba was kneeling on the floor, crouched over a hidden objet. The Inuzaka looked up at his entrance, eyes red and puffy, cheeks stained with tears. Having never seen him cry, Naruto's worry instantly rose. When he saw what was hidden underneath his hunched housemate, his smile faltered before falling completely and an empty ache filled him. Akamaru was spread across the floor; red stained parts of his curly white fur could be seen along with bruises that could be seen through his fur. All traces of his happier mood vanished as he ran and dropped beside Kiba. "What the hell happened?" As his friend turned back to his dog, the blonde could see a bloody welt on the back of his head. "To both of you."

"We went for guard training," Kiba started, sniffling. "And he was great; he mastered everything the threw at him. But there was this one course they put him through that had a tunnel in it and you know how he is with tunnels. He's terrified of them so he wouldn't go. The instructor guy became furious and he just started to hit him over and over. I tried to intervene but he hit me with the butt of his whip real hard and knocked me out. When I came to, he was just lying there like this. Everyone had left so I brought him back here." He hastily wiped away an escaping tear.

A whimper escaped from Akamaru and Kiba began to stroke him, avoiding the splashes of red. Naruto's voice was gentle when he said, "Why didn't you bandage him?"

"I tried," he gestured to the pile of crumpled cloth on the floor. "But I don't know how."

"Shino knows, doesn't he?"

Kiba's face grew hard. "He wouldn't help."

"What?"

"I informed him that I would not clean up after his messes." Naruto turned toward the voice as Shino entered the room. His anger rose and before he knew what he was doing, he was up across the room and punching him in the jaw. "You bastard!"

Shino stumbled back, surprised by the sudden strike. Emotion hidden behind glasses, he raised his fist to hit back when a small hand clasp around his arm. "Please don't," Konohamaru whimpered. Turning to Naruto, he said, "Just fix Akamaru."

Though he was still furious, the blonde calmed a little in front of the kid. With a small nod, he turned back to Kiba and Akamaru. Kneeling again, he grabbed the crumbled cloth and began to clean and bandage his wounds. Kiba moved to his head so he could soothe and comfort the dog. When he had finished, he turned to his friend. The Inuzaka cringed but stayed in somber silence as his welt was cleaned and wrapped. After the cloth was cut and tied, Kiba stood. His somber mood vanished as he punched the wall with an overwhelming fury. "Fuck!"

Naruto, worried about the stability of the shaky shack walls, says, "Kiba, calm down. Take a deep breath."

Following his friends directions, he inhaled through his nose and exhaled slowly through his mouth. Quietly, he asked, "Why do they . . . Why do they always abuse the innocent ones? Why, Naruto?"

"Fear."

"Fuck fear! Leave them alone! Me . . ." Sliding his back along the wall, he buried his face in his hands. "Hit me. I deserve it."

"No you don't." Naruto's heart was pounding, his fear rising. Kiba was taking this hard; yes, it was his beloved dog, but he was close to hysterics. Fearing for his friend, he reached out, grabbing hold of his arm.

Kiba ripped his arm away, sending the blonde a ferocious glare. "Damn it, Naruto, yes I do! If you knew anything about me, you'd know that."

The Uzamaki paused, letting them lap into silence. Finally, he whispered, "Then tell me. Tell me your past."

"I . . . can't."

With a sigh, Naruto reached out again, grabbing hold of his arm and pulling him up off the floor. "Come on, let's go eat dinner."

Dinner was eaten in an awkward silence. Kiba sat miserably, altering between sulkingly feeding Akamaru scraps and glaring pure death at Shino. Shino pointedly avoided Kiba's gaze. Naruto let his mind drift back to Sasuke and Kokoroiki in hopes of lightening his own mood. It worked until he glanced back around his housemates.

"This sure is delicious," Konohamaru said cheerfully, in what might have been his hundredth attempt to brighten the mood. Kiba just grunted in response. The kid tried again. "I heard from one of the maids that we might have another set of slaves coming in."

"Great," Kiba growled. "More people to share this hell."

When their feeble scrapes had been devoured, they all slipped into bed – everyone except Kiba. He slipped onto the floor. He had carefully lifted the dog that was part of his heart onto his own bed and curled up with a blanket onto the hard, wooden floor full of nails and splinters. Naruto flipped back and forth in his bed, not tired in the least. Checking to make sure all of his tension-filled housemates were asleep, he grabbed a lantern and slipped outside.

Sasuke nodded farewell to Naruto as he parted onto the dirt path leading to the Slave Complex. This had been the first time that he had stayed and helped settle Kokoroiki in her stall, clean her equipment, and put it away. At first, Sasuke thought his urge to help was so he could spend more time with his slave, but he quickly discarded that idea as completely senseless. He settled on the idea that he just wanted to help.

Reaching his house, he rounded the corner and entered through the back door. He favored the back door because it allowed him some peace and subtlety as slaves weren't instantly surrounding him, offering him their help. The kitchen was empty save for Choza who was busy cleaning a large mixing bowl.

"You know, we have people to do that."

Choza jumped, not hearing his silent entrance. "I prefer to assure its cleanliness." He studied his boss's face. "You're in a good mood."

Sasuke was surprised to find that he actually was in an incredibly good mood. "Is it such a surprise that I might enjoy myself at times?"

A chubby smile sprang onto the chef's face as he set the bowl down and turned fully to him. "Found yourself a girl, have ya?"

The Uchiha froze, completely startled. "Wh-what?"

"That's the way I looked when I first met my wife."

"I-I . . . that's absurd!"

"If you say so, Mr. Sasuke." A smirk stayed on his face as he returned to the bowl. "You weren't at dinner today. I assume you're hungry?"

In response, Sasuke grabbed an apple from a bowl of fruit from the table and crunched into it.

"No, no, no." Choza scolded. "Let me get you some leftovers from the meal."

Sasuke slid the bitten-out-of apple into his pocket. "Why don't we just a have a cooking lesson? We haven't had one in a while."

"You're not tired?"

The Uchiha grabbed a box of recipes, flipping through in search of something he wanted. "Surprisingly not."

Choza snatched the box away. "We don't need those rubbish recipes. I'm going to teach you Spice Soup, an Akimichi family recipe passed down to me from my grandmother."

And so, the next hour was spent dashing to collect all the spices needed, waiting for the water to boil, mixing the broth together, scolding when too much of a single spice was added, trying his hand at it himself, and experimentation with various ingredients. Choza praised him on his promisingly growing chef skills, stating that he should switch to cooking instead of the rice industry. The delicious smell of the spices that surrounded them only brightened Sasuke's already good mood. He hadn't felt this alive, this happy in a long time. His days were normally spent with scowls and brooding but this day was actually enjoyable. A voice in the back of his mind whispered Naruto's part in it, but he ignored it. The increasing success with Kokoroiki was obviously the root to it all.

"That is the best soup I've ever tasted," Sasuke complimented as he rinsed his bowl out in the sink.

"Akimichis were made for cooking and inventing," Choza smiled.

"Thanks for teaching me all this."

The chef sent Sasuke an incredulous glance. He'd never thanked him before; he'd never thanked anyone before, as far as he knew. "You're welcome," he said hesitantly, pleased.

Tossing a 'sleep well' over his shoulder, Sasuke exited the kitchen and maneuvered through the dark mansion. Turning a corner, he collided with a body. Stumbling back in surprise, he caught sight of the other person in the dim light provided by the moon. "Kakashi?"

"Sasuke?" Kakashi asked as fixed his twisted shirt.

"What are you doing here?"

"I was helping your father and brother fill out some legal papers."

"The papers that state Itachi gets the estate?"

Kakashi looked startled. "How do y-"

"It doesn't matter how I know, I just do," Sasuke snapped. "Why are you here so late? Wasn't that done hours ago?"

The Hatake scratched the back of his head as his viewable eye closed when he smiled. "Oh ya know, just kinda hanging out."

Sasuke looked behind Kakashi, where a door was slightly ajar. He knew that door. That's where his private tutor was roomed. "What were you doing in Iruka-sensei's room?"

"I-I wasn't in there."

"He likes his door closed and would never leave it cracked like that, but you, on the other hand, never close any doors when you exit a room."

Kakashi, scared smiling face falling, scratched his head again. "We were just . . . catching up. We haven't talked in a while. Now if you'll excuse me, Mr. Sasuke, I've got to go home and rest." Sasuke didn't think he'd ever seen the lazy man run so fast.

Shrugging off the weird encounter, he continued his way through the house and up the stairs. Halfway up the steps, something caught his attention. Glancing out the window toward it, a small smile unknowingly slipped onto his face.

Naruto sat in the corner of Kokoroiki's stall, knees drawn to his chest and arms wrapped around his knees. His head was leaned back against the side and a sigh escaped his mouth. The filly was standing over him, her head hung down so that it was level with his. Her eyes were focused on his face and her ears were angled toward him as she gave him her full attention as she always did.

"It was just . . . insane. Akamaru'll pull through – he's a tough mutt just like his owner – but Kiba was just crushed. It's understandable, but it was like his heart had been ripped out completely, a piece torn off, and then his heart returned. That's probably what it felt like to him. Akamaru's everything to him. It's like what you are to me times Kiba's whole life. I'm worried about him." He paused to let out an angry huff. "And I can't believe Shino was such a dick. You may not approve of what someone does, but when an innocent animal is beaten on the floor, you gotta fucking do something!" He shook his head frustratingly. Kokoroiki nudged his face affectionately, trying to calm him. "Well, on a happier note, today was . . . incredible – besides the whole Akamaru portion, of course. I mean, I've never seen Master Sasuke loosen up like that. And his laugh was seemingly unearthly. I don't know if you saw it, but I even saw him smile. It was weird but . . . interestingly bizarre."

"I'm glad you find my amusement so intriguing."

Naruto jumped up from the floor, startled. Even Kokoroiki looked shaken. Heat rushed through his body, bringing a bright red blush to his face. "M-Master Sasuke, I-"

Sasuke waved it off. "Many people wish to see the 'loosened up' me, as you say. Consider it a reward for your hard work."

"Of course, sir." He paused thoughtfully. "Why are you here?"

"Saw the light of the lantern from my house." Sasuke opened the door and entered the stall.

"How come you came?"

Sasuke paused. Why did he come? He didn't honestly know. "Just wanted to see what you were doing."

"Oh, well I was just seeing how Kokoroiki was doing."

The Uchiha gave him a deadpan look. "You saw her an hour ago." Naruto simply looked embarrassingly at his feet. "Shouldn't you be sleeping?"

Naruto kept his eyes on his toes, away from his visitor. "Not tired."

"Me neither." Sasuke moved to the opposite wall and slid down it, settling into the hay. He gestured for Naruto to do the same. "Shall we entertain each other?"

The Uzamaki slid back down into his earlier position, only he gripped his knees more tightly. "Sure." He felt absolute delight ripple through his body. He tried to deny it as joy that he didn't get into trouble, but the reason part of his brain fought that notion until it crumbled. He was forced to accept that he was happy because Sasuke was here, his presence wrapping around Naruto like a blanket. He was forced to accept that he enjoyed the Uchiha's company.

Damn his mind.

For the next couple hours, they slipped easily into conversation, finding it as natural as eating. The banter wasn't that of slave and master, but as person and person, two young men who enjoyed each other's company, but denied that fact. They relaxed as they conversed. The topic switched immensely, going from weather, future slave purchases, the oncoming harvest, their progress with Kokoroiki (she really paid attention to that part), to the Uchiha's horses, and the races.

Naruto scratched an itch on his arm, looking curiously across at Sasuke. "Are you planning on racing her?" He gestured to the filly beside him.

"I was going more towards obstacle but racing is an option I'm not going to overlook if the opportunity arises."

They drifted back into endless ramblings of conversations. Naruto even managed a few more smiles out of Sasuke, a reward he immensely delighted in. After about another hour, Kokoroiki rose from where she had settled in the hay beside the blonde. Naruto glanced curiously at her, but didn't think much of it as the conversation, now about which was better: chicken or turkey, continued. Both young men stopped talking as they watched wide eyed as she approached Sasuke and nudged his arm. Frozen from shock, neither moved a muscle. She repeated the action, this time nudging his pocket. Finally, Sasuke moved. He removed his forgotten bitten-out-of apple from his pocket and held it up for her. He expected her to take it and return to Naruto, but she was one full of surprises. Both boys gawked as she ate the apple right out of the raven's hand. When she had finished, she returned to Naruto so she could chew his spikes.

Neither moved, the shock still freezing their bodies. Finally, however, Naruto laughed. "We should of tried a relaxed you to begin with! She apparently likes it better, Mr. Scowl."

Sasuke threw the apple core at Naruto, who dodged it, still laughing. Though he placed a scowl on his pale face, humor lit his eyes and he couldn't hold himself for long. Soon, his laugh joins Naruto's, something the Uzamaki delights even more in. They carried on in a more childish manner. The sun was beginning to rise when Sasuke rose, wiping hay off his pants. He offered Naruto his hand and helped him up. "I guess we should be returning before the others wake and realize we're missing." Naruto swore he heard a hint of remorse in his voice.

"I guess," the blonde replied, unable to hide his disappointment.

They walked together, side by side, along the path, admiring the rising sun. "It's beautiful," Naruto commented to which Sasuke responded with a grunt. They stopped when they came to the fork in the path.

"I guess I'll see you in a little while," Naruto said.

Sasuke nodded. "Indeed you will. See you then, Naruto." With that they parted ways, but not before Sasuke could glance over his shoulder, already missing the slave's company, though he wouldn't admit it and he made up an excuse to his brain to cover it.

A/N: Hello! Tis me and I am back! I know, I know, you all missed me so much ;D It's okay, I missed you too. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter because it literally took me a week to do it and it still isn't as long as I wished it would be :/

Reviews are lovely(: