A/N- So I was home all day today, and I had a notebook… and a lot of time on my hands. So I wrote this whole chapter down BY HAND! I know! Gasp! I'm one of those people who detests writing by hand at any time. Bleh. So yeah, thanks to all of my amazing reviewers!!

Warnings: Blood, not treating children nicely, flogging (some call it 'whipping' but I think that sounds too pleasant.)

Disclaimer: I still don't own anything.

Thanks again to all of my reviewers! Generally I try to reply to everyones, though I cant for anonymous reviews. But still, I love all of you guys.

Also, on a side-note, Naruto has no "amazing powers" with horses. He is just a naturally gentle and calm person, and he has a knack with them. Plus, working with horses everyday makes me laugh at the idea of someone working with horses and having no problems. Which also answers another question I got a lot of—no Naruto is not going to just hop on Satan and have an amazing horse. (hahahaha) I wish that happened in the real world… but then I would be poor, cause I wouldn't have anything to train…

Allright, enough with the a/n ness! On with the chapter!

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Chapter 3

A hoof to the stomach was not a pleasant way to be woken up. Actually, it was most likely one of the worst alarms that Naruto had ever encountered.

Satan spun and twisted in his large stall, anger in his wide, dark eyes. The blond stood up quickly ,not wanting to be on the receiving end of one of those kicks again. He limped to the stall door as fast as he could; the pain in his torso where he'd been kicked almost making him double over. Satan charged him, lashing out with both hoof and teeth, ripping a gaping hole in Naruto's shirts sleeve and leaving a painful bruise.

The blond quickly escaped the stall, bolting the door firmly behind him. He jumped out of the way just barely in time to avoid Satan's teeth coming at him from over the stall door.

He sank to the ground in front of the stall, resting his back on the door that was shaking from the horses' frantic pawing.

A dark shadow passed over him, and for the first time Naruto noticed the black-haired boy smirking at him.

"That was intelligent, idiot. May I ask why you are sleeping in the stall with the most dangerous horse in the kingdom?"

Naruto looked at the other boy angrily. Who was this kid, anyway! And where did he get off insulting his VAST intelligence! He went to stand up and yell at the other boy when Satan let out an ear-shattering scream and lashed out towards the boy.

The dark-haired boy immediately backhanded the horse on the jaw, and Satan backed off, gnashing his teeth angrily.

"How dare you hit that horse!" Naruto screamed angrily at the boy, even more pissed than before. "Are you such a fucked up, brain dead, self centered bastard that you can't see that the horse is terrified of you! And obviously he has a reason to be, you fucktard!!"

The other boy was speechless, and his face reddened from anger.

"How dare you talk to me like that!" The usually stoic boy yelled back.

"Ill talk to you however I fucking want, you're a nobody if you hit animals just because you're too lazy and stupid to solve the problem in a nice way!"

"Why you little…"

"Prince Sasuke, King Itachi wanted to know if you wished to dine with him this morning." A servant addressed the black-haired boy.

Naruto paled considerably. Prince? If his new employer heard about this, Naruto was as good as dead.

Sasuke looked back to the blond when the servant left, frowning at the sudden look of fear on the blonde's face. He had been exhilarated yelling at someone and having them yell back at him. People were usually too afraid of his brother's anger to show him anything other than the utmost obedience.

"I assume you are Itachi's new stable boy then, correct?" Sasuke stated, knowing that is was useless to do anything other than get straight to the point now that the boy knew who he was.

"I have two horses of my own that I want you to add to your work. They are my future warhorses through, and if an idiot like you makes them soft I will make sure you are punished."

Naruto shook with anger. This boy was probably twelve or so—not older than Naruto by much—and he was bossing him around and trying to threaten him! Screw him being a prince; Naruto would not stand for such treatment!

"You bastard! I don't care who you are! I know more about how to treat other creatures than you ever will, and if you think that having a happy animal makes them 'soft' than you are even more messed up and spoiled than I thought before!"

To say Sasuke was surprised was an understatement. The kid was still standing up to him, even after he knew whom he was?

And yet Sasuke could not bring himself to say anything more than a whispered "idiot" as he signaled the two horses he wanted the blond to look after.

Naruto almost peed his pants with internal laughter. Both of the Prince's horses were…. Black.

Black!!!

He started to wonder if perhaps the entire royal family was so vain that they couldn't even ride a horse that would clash with their hair color.

"This is star, and that is indigo." Sasuke introduced the two horses.

"Why do you all him indigo?" Naruto asked curiously, while Sasuke wondered if the boy even remembered that he was angry a moment ago.

"I call him that because he is black."

"…? But… indigo is blue… not black."

"Exactly."

"That makes no sense!"

"Maybe because its not supposed to."

"… You're a bastard, you know that right?"

"Hn. Idiot"

And so Sasuke left to get his breakfast, and the sun rose to light the world around sparkling silver.

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Naruto walked next to Satan slowly, laughing as the horse ripped the grass off and chewed frantically.

"Jeez horse, you would think you hadn't eaten in a month, and… Hey! Don't give me that look! I feed you three times a day—I know that you eat. I'm actually quite surprised that you are not grotesquely fat."

The horse had the dignity to look offended, but went right back on eating grass.

Naruto couldn't believe he had been here for only a month. He had so many horses to take care of that time all had started to blend, and he felt as though he had always rested here.

This was his favorite part of the day, though. He would take Satan out and just walk around the castle grounds. The horse would find a good place to graze and Naruto could just sit and observe the castle's inhabitants. Whether the servants, or knights, or nobles, they would always have something interesting to do.

His favorite time to come out was on Thursdays, when he and Satan would go and watch Sasuke's combat training on indigo and star.

The blond also took special enjoyment in watching the prince fall off once or twice every lesson, but that was a secret just between him and Satan.

It was the first Thursday of his second month there that Naruto did something he would come to regret for a long time after.

He had been walking Satan (whom was slowly warming up to the blond) towards where they would always go for grass to watch Sasuke ride. He cane to the place only to se Sasuke on foot, covered in dust, and swearing at star. He had obviously had another unpleasant run-in with the ground.

It was when Sasuke lifted his crop that Naruto went over to him, dragging Satan away from the grass he was inhaling.

The crop met with a resounding "thwack!" right on the mare's sensitive nose. Sasuke's hand rose again and again, following the horse as she shied away from him, cursing at her for his inability as a rider.

"You cursed, stupid beast! How dare you try to throw me!!"

"Stop it you bastard!" a clear voice rang across the courtyard, and the crop froze in mid-air. "What the hell are you doing, beating her like that! You're the one that needs to be smacked, you little ass!"

The people in the courtyard were deathly still as Naruto yanked the crop from Sasuke's grasp, throwing it to the side. Star immediately pulled her reins away, running to hide behind Satan and Naruto, seeking the protection of her herd.

Naruto huffed, suddenly wondering why Sasuke's eyes went wide.

That is, until a hand grabbed the back of his shirt and lifted him up effortlessly to meet angry, blood red eyes.

"You dare disrespect my brother, you mangy gutter rat?" Naruto cringed as the King looked straight at him, shaking him by his neck.

"Will you not even apologize? Not even beg for your pitiful life?"

The blond shook, but he couldn't bring himself to say anything. He wasn't sorry; he couldn't let something like that happen to an innocent creature.

Satan went crazy behind him when the servants came to take him away; he smelled the fear coming from his human. He struggled until six men took him forcefully away.

"It is a pity then," Itachi barely whispered while watching the ordeal with Satan. "You are the best stable hand that I have had, an your death will be upsetting for my plans."

"Um… brother… perhaps you shouldn't kill him then." Sasuke piped in, and Naruto was amazed. Sasuke was sticking up for him. "He's just an idiot and he is too stupid to understand what he does. Perhaps simply discipline him?"

Never mind. Naruto thought. He hated that bastard!

"I am not an idiot!" He yelled, gasping as his own shirt cut off his air.

"Fine then," Itachi smiled evilly at Naruto, putting him down on the ground. "I wont kill you, as you are still useful."

Naruto practically melted with relief.

"Follow me though, you must be punished still for such behavior, and I will make sure nothing like this will ever happen again." Itachi gave him a terrifying look, and Naruto followed along obediently.

They went into the castle, leaving the chaos behind them. Naruto looked at the king's back nervously as they entered a dark room.

His hands were secured to chains hanging from the way (though they were large on him, most likely not meant to us on children). His shirt was pulled up to expose his back.

"Naruto" The blond shivered from fear at the King's voice. "I will not tolerate any disobedience in my household."

With that a long whip came soaring onto Naruto's exposed back. He tried to hold back his screams, but after a few more lashes he couldn't contain them.

"Apologize, Naruto, apologize for your disobedience."

Naruto cried and screamed, trying to form words as pain seared sown his back with every lash.

"I…I… I'm sorry! Please forgive me! I'll be good; I swear I will be good. It hurts! Please stop, I'll be good!"

Itachi stopped his hand, looking down at the twelve year old back. It looked gruesome, like ground meat. It was sure to leave scars for the rest of the child's life.

He called in some servants to get the boy bandaged up and sent back to his cot in Satan's stall.

Itachi definitely noticed the guilty look on his brother's face as the blond was carried out unconscious.

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A/N- Ahh… poor Naruto. He was just sticking up for the poor horsie.

so what do you all think is going to happen now? I love when I get reader's predictions. They make me happy.

Review, review, review!!