Disclaimer: The concept nor the characters of Naruto belong to me. Song lyrics are 'Breathing' by Lifehouse.

Warnings: Shounen ai, swearing, angst. The usual really.

A/N: You know, I realized something about this story the other day. When I originally began to write this, I intended for Sasuke to take advantage of Naruto and be a real bastard. Hence the reason for calling it possession, as in, sasuke treating Naruto like a possession rather than a human being. So now that I've fiddled around with the story line, and changed Sasuke into more of a human and a nice person, I've realized that calling this story POSSESSION has no real meaning or relevance anymore. If any of you think I should leave the title as it is, let me know. If you think I should change it, then…let me know that as well. Suggestions would be welcome also!

Now that that's off my chest, on to chapter Nine!

Part Nine: In conversation

Cause I'm hanging on every word you say

Even if you don't wanna speak tonight

That's alright, that's alright with me

Cause I want nothing more than

To sit outside heaven's door

And listen to you breathing

Is where I want to be, yeah.

Weak sunlight woke Naruto the next morning and he squinted as he sat up and stretched carefully.

He swung his legs off the couch, wincing when stiff muscles protested, and looked over to the bed. His heart skipped a beat when he saw that Sasuke was still asleep, lying half curled on the side. The Uchiha looked more beautiful than he had ever seen him before, lying there in the early morning light.

Naruto consciously forced himself not to stare in admiration, and he got up, quietly collecting some clean clothes and slipping out to the bathroom to splash his face and dress.

He'd slept later than he usually did- the sun had only just risen, and normally he'd be up and working by the time its light touched the horizon. Normally, the others would be stirring already, but all was quiet for the time being. None of them would be awake just yet. Not after last night. He'd managed to stay awake long enough to hear them stumble in at around one in the morning, most of them totally drunk. He'd smiled when he heard a drunken Kakashi call out to the younger adults, telling them to get to bed, and he'd listened to Genma laughing at Raidou as the man threw up in the bathroom.

Sasuke had been awake and listening too, with a strange look on his face as he focused in the book he was still reading. Naruto had been too tired to wonder what he'd been thinking, as his eyes were beginning to feel heavy. After half an hour or so, things had quieted down, and he'd fallen into a blissful sleep as silence settled over the quarters.

Naruto left Sasuke's clothes where he'd find them before he pulled on his boots and half stumbled into the living room.

Genma was asleep on the couch, his long limbs sprawled everywhere and his long hair falling over his face.

He smiled affectionately as he grabbed a breakfast bar and downed it as quickly as he could. He wanted to fit in a work out with Ani as soon as he could. He hadn't had time yesterday and he knew he needed to make up for lost time.

On his way out though, he paused and looked back at Genma, who was still oblivious to the world. He grabbed a warm blanket from the back of one of the chairs and carefully covered his friend; it was cool in the mornings, seeing as winter was fast approaching.

Genma stirred as he did so, and opened blurry eyes.

" 'ruto?" he mumbled, his voice rough with sleep. "What time is it?"

"Early," Naruto smiled. "You should go to your room. It's cold out here."

Genma pushed sleep mussed hair from his face and sat up a little, grimacing and raising a hand to his head.

"Mmmmm. I think I'll have a shower then get to work, yeah? No point in delaying the inevitable."

"The others will sleep for awhile longer," he pointed out. "You may as well sleep too."

"Nah. I'm awake now. Although I wish I wasn't."

Naruto gave him a smile as he sat up fully Genma was looking at him carefully now, more alert than he had been a few moments ago. He cleared his throat carefully.

"D'you want to talk later? I thought maybe…"

"How about lunchbreak?" Naruto suggested tentatively. "I'll come and find you."

"You will? I mean, cause if you don't I'll have to hunt you down." Genma told him, looking relieved.

"Yeah. I promise."

"Good. Now get out of here and go do whatever it is you do at this ungodly hour. I'm gunna go and drown myself in the shower." Genma said as he heaved himself to his feet.

Naruto was grinning when he left.

Having checked on Taira and Hoshi first off, Naruto set out mixing the grains for the morning feed (1). Normally, the horses would have been fed before this, but seeing as Naruto was feeding so many horses by himself, it took longer than it normally did. He could hear the restless noises of the horses as they got hungry.

He was hauling the last of the feeds over to the last few horses when Sasuke appeared and took two of the four buckets he was carrying. Naruto, surprised by his intervention faltered for a moment before moving to catch up with his longer strides.

Sasuke looked well enough, although he was walking stiffly. He imagined that the bruising he'd received, along with sore joints, made it difficult for him to move about as freely as he used to.

"Good morning, Sasuke-sama. I hope you're feeling well," he offered shyly.

Sasuke glanced at him, seemingly surprised by his greeting.

"As well as can be expected," he replied after a lingering pause. "Why are out working alone this morning?"

"Ah…" Naruto wasn't sure how to answer the brusque question without getting his friends in trouble.

"Obviously they're not up yet."

"It's okay, really Sasuke-sama. They're getting up now. I don't mind filling in for them for awhile" he protested weakly.

There wasn't much he could say to a Uchiha, and making excuses was unacceptable (or so Kakashi had told him.)

Sasuke frowned as he hefted a bucket up to shoulder height and poured the grain into a chestnuts food bin.

"Would you like me to saddle Taira, Sasuke-sama?" he asked as he copied his action and emptied the last of the bucket into the waiting horses bin.

"Sasuke."

"Pardon?"

"You don't need to call me Sasuke-sama. Just Sasuke is fine."

Naruto stared at him in surprise. Such familiarity between master and servant (or so to speak) was very uncommon, and it shocked him that Sasuke would want him to call him by just his first name. But then, Naruto knew that Sauske was different from most people from a wealthy family.

Sasuke just returned his stare, his expression calculating and shrewd. It saddened Naruto to see the return of Sasuke's shields and defences, but he told himself not to be so disappointed; he shouldn't have expected anything different. The strange companionship they'd shared the previous night was a one off situation.

That didn't stop him from regretting the loss though.

He nodded slowly, accepting the unusual offer of…whatever it was.

"Of course Sasuke-s….Sasuke."

"Good." There was another one of those pauses before Sasuke spoke again. "I don't think I'll be able to ride today. I think I'll put Taira out to grass for today."

Naruto nodded and immediately began to move on the direction of the horses stable,

"I'll do it." Sasuke said abruptly. "You go and do what you need to."

Naruto watched as Sasuke strode off toward the other stable block. Sasuke rarely moved anywhere without purpose; every movement he made was quick and efficient. He found that Sasuke was obviously a natural with horses. He was completely at ease around them, and he knew what he was doing. That much was clear, seeing as he owned such an expensive and highly trained horse as Taira.

Seeing such skill and obvious dedication to horses touched Naruto like nothing else could.

Somehow managing to shake himself from his thoughts, he headed off to Ani's stall with a smile on his face which he couldn't seem to shake.

The grey horse greeted him enthusiastically, nuzzling his hands and searching for treats.

He laughed as the young horse nudged him expectantly.

"You're spoilt, you know that don't you?"

Ani continued to harass him until he handed over the chunk of carrot and he scratched behind his ears with a chuckle as he slipped the head collar over his head and tied him up.

Ani was a pleasure to do anything with. He was willing and inquisitive, with a talent for mischief, and a warm heart. He liked to learn, and was always enthusiastic and trusting enough to try anything Naruto taught him.

All in all he was a sweet and lovable creature without a mean bone in his body, and Naruto knew that the gelding had captured his heart completely.

Ani welcomed his attention, leaning into each brush stroke as he guided it over his silken white coat. The horse wasn't exactly dirty, but stable dust had caught in his coat, and it was always good to remove it from the coat to prevent irritation from occurring.

Naruto used a hoof pick to clean out Ani's hooves, and he combed out his mane and tail and laughed once more as Ani tried to search for more treats.

"What's his name?"

He jumped in surprise and looked up at Sasuke standing outside the stall and watching them quietly. He offered a hand for Ani to sniff curiously and caressed the soft nose.

Naruto swallowed with difficulty and he watched the two interact. Ani was curious about the stranger and was busy investigating Sasuke single-mindedly. Sasuke didn't seem to mind in the slightest as he rubbed the horse's ears.

"Anikhetos," he managed to say. "His name's Anikhetos."

"He's a beautiful horse."

"He is," Naruto agreed, stroking the soft neck with a smile.

And he was beautiful, with a white coat that seemed to glow no matter how bad the lighting. His dark eyes were bright and lively. His body was still developing, but his proportions were evenly balanced- his neck long and arched slightly, with sloping shoulders, a correctly curving back, rounded hindquarters and long, slender, yet powerful legs. His mane and tail flowed like moving water. Ani was a beauty and he was Naruto's artwork. He was moulding and shaping him to become the greatest horse he could possibly be, and he couldn't have been any more proud than he already was.

"He's an Arab?" Sasuke asked.

"I believe so. Your father bought him a few weeks before you arrived."

He watched as Sasuke's face darkened at the mention of his father, but he said nothing about it out of nervousness. It wasn't his place to comment on any family problems that existed within the Uchiha family.

"Is he trained in dressage?" was the next question.

Naruto relaxed at the change of subject, relieved to be on safer ground.

He shook his head. "No, not really. At the moment I'm just conditioning him but in a week of so I may begin him in dressage. I'm not really sure yet."

Sasuke looked surprised at his answer. "You're training him? Kakashi lets you?"

"Yeah. I've helped to retrain horses (2) before, and in the last few years I've trained two other horses, although neither was quite as young as Ani is."

He couldn't bear it if they took Ani from him. Ani was one of the greatest pleasures that had held him together during the last few trying weeks. One day, his training would be finished, and he would have to part ways with him, but he wasn't ready for that yet, and neither was Ani.

"Are you about to take him out?"

"Y-yeah."

"Mind if I watch?"

Feeling that Sasuke was testing him once more, and obviously wanted to judge his ability with horses, Naruto swallowed once more, seeing that there was no way he could possibly refuse him.

"I'll just…go get his tack."

Sasuke watched quietly as he saddled Ani, but Naruto sensed that his attention was focused mainly on the horse and not him, so he managed to relax once more.

Ani's step was light and filled with energy as they walked out to the first indoor arena. He jogged and danced, eager to get started, but Naruto led him steadfastly and calmly, knowing that it would help to settle him down.

Sasuke remained silent, and even seemed to relax slightly in the early morning calm.

It was a beautiful morning. Although clouds still dominated the sky, the sun shone through the gaps, sending brilliant golden rays of light down to earth, cutting through the early morning mist. The air was cool, yet refreshing, and a group of birds chattered noisily off in the distance.

The morning had a sharpness to it which lifted Naruto's spirit. He was surrounded by such a beautiful morning, leading one of his most treasured charges and walking with the object of his fascination who remained an enigma to him.

Everything felt…right. The situation combined the old familiarity and comfort of horses and the exciting newness of Sasuke, and the nervousness dancing in the pit of his stomach.

Ani seemed to pick up on his buzzing emotions, for he began to pull forward and toss his head. Naruto smiled and laid a hand on his sleek neck.

The arena was dark and cool when the entered it. Sasuke turned on the lights of his own accord and Naruto quietly thanked him as he led Ani onto the soft sand of the arena.

By now Ani was familiar with their early morning routines, so he stood still as Naruto clipped on the lunging rein and secured the riding reins around his neck.

Sasuke's footsteps crunched on the sand behind him, so he wasn't surprised when he stopped at his side and handed him the lunging whip.

He started Ani off, first walking out in a large spiral until he was circling them in a 25 metre radius. He gave the whip a small flick, and Ani sprung into a ground eating trot, then broke into a canter unbidden.

Naruto patiently slowed him back down to a trot. He was a young horse, brimming with energy, and sometimes he tended to be a bit over eager.

"He's getting better at lunging. He has his days, of course, but I've started to ride him recently, and he's taken to it well."

Speaking of horses was easy for Naruto, because it was the thing he knew most about- it was natural for him, so he felt no nervousness as he spoke to Sasuke. He knew that Sasuke shared his love of horses, so that made it even easier.

"Was he ridden before he came here?"

"A little, yes. They trained him to take the saddle and a rider, but he wasn't comfortable doing it, so I started from the beginning again."

"And how is he to ride?".

"He's still a little unsure, but once he settles down and gets used to it, he'll be a wonderful ride. His stride is nice and smooth, and he's easy to sit to (3)"

"What's his temperament like?"

Naruto was feeling a little confused at all the questions, but he answered this question readily enough.

"He's very gentle and friendly. Very mild-tempered."

Sasuke nodded, crossed his arms and said nothing more.

Outside voices drifted through the early morning stillness as the other stable hands emerged and began their work.

Sasuke asked no more questions as Naruto finished the lunging, but he did leave the arena to sit in a chair outside the arena as he quickly measured his stirrup lengths and prepared to mount.

He murmured words of praise as he readied Ani, and the horse was relaxed and practically preening when he mounted.

He waited a moment to let Ani adjust before he encouraged the horse forward.

As he worked through his paces, he felt less tension in Ani than the last time he'd ridden him, and gathered that he was quickly adjusting to bearing a rider on his back. He did try several tricks to test him, including dancing sideways at the corners, and speeding up or slowing down at intervals, but Naruto took care to correct these mistakes firmly. Letting something like that slip when training a young horse could help form bad habits in the future, so it was better to correct mistakes before they became problems.

The time flew past, and an hour later, he sensed that Ani was beginning to tire, so he slowed him to a halt and patted his sweaty neck before dismounting.

He looked up at Sasuke as he approached and offered him a shy smile.

"You're doing well with him," Sasuke said, his approval warming his voice.

Naruto flushed, elated at the praise. "He's got a ways to go yet, but he's doing well."

He shifted self-consciously, noticing the small smile on Sasuke's face.

"If you don't mind, I'd like to watch again sometime."

"Sure. That would be…I mean, I wouldn't mind."

Sasuke was looking at him in a more serious manner, another of those odd, smouldering calculative look in his eyes that made Naruto feel hot and flushed and wanting to squirm uncomfortably.

As it was he concentrated on loosening Ani's girth as a distraction.

Warm fingers brushed his cheek and he jerked his head up in surprise.

Sasuke traced a finger along his jaw. Naruto's heart was pounding, and his breathing was caught in his throat.

He was standing closer than he normally would, and he could feel his body heat, he was so close. Even when the fingers dropped slowly from his cheek, Sasuke didn't move back.

"I never thanked you, did I?"

Naruto shivered at the sound of that voice, practically a whisper.

"You didn't have to help me, but you did anyway. Why?"

He swallowed, and begged his brain desperately to form some sort of coherent answer, but Sasuke's nearness had befuddled his senses and thrown him drastically off course.

"I…"

"No matter." Sasuke interrupted him. "You did it anyway, and I owe you a great deal. Whatever favour you may have, all you have to do is ask."

Naruto found that he still couldn't reply, but Sasuke didn't seem to be expecting an answer. He eased back a few steps smoothly, leaving Naruto leaning against Ani and struggling to regain his wits.

"I'd appreciate it if you didn't mention yesterday to anyone. It'd only cause a fuss, and make mother worry if she found out. Not to mention that Itachi would be furious," he said n a normal voice again with that strange, dark shadow crossing his face once more.

Naruto nodded, confused by such rapid changes of emotion of Sasuke's behalf. "Is there…" he began.

"Sasuke?" an unfamiliar female voice called.

Naruto jumped, and Sasuke stiffened, cursing under his breath as the willowy figure of Ino and the taller one of Neji appeared at the entrance of the arena.

"There you are Sasuke!" Ino exclaimed brightly as they crossed the arena to join them. "We were so worried! We couldn't find you anywhere!"

"More importantly, Itachi wants you," Neji said smoothly as he met Sasuke's eyes. "He's pretty pissed."

Sasuke swore again, too quietly for any of them to hear what he actually said. He ran a hand through his loose hair as Naruto shifted uncomfortably beside him. Ani rubbed his head against Sasuke's shoulder, who merely rubbed his cheek.

Naruto's movement drew an irritated scowl from Ino and a curious one from Neji. It was as if they hadn't even seen him there to begin with. He supposed that it was the way they automatically acted around hired help.

"What are you doing out here anyway Sasuke?" Ino asked. "And with him no less?"

There was no mistaking the distain in the blond's voice, and Naruto looked away, determined not to let her words affect him. Nevertheless his good mood faded slightly.

A warm hand touched his arm briefly as Sasuke frowned slightly.

"Leave him alone."

Naruto, was bewildered by Sasuke's defence of him, but it filled him with a warm buzzing feeling that felt good, and he felt better for it.

Ino was glaring hotly at Naruto now, but Neji glanced between him and Sasuke before slowly offering his hand.

"You're Naruto, correct?"

Hesitantly, Naruto shook Neji's hand and nodded.

"C'mon Sasuke-kun!" Ino urged, smiling once more. "Itachi-sama is waiting for you, and we're going out today, remember?"

"Of course I remember. You go on ahead. I'll catch up" he told them shortly.

Once they'd left, with Ino complaining loudly to an impassive Neji, they stood quietly for a moment.

"Sorry about Ino. She's like that with all staff," Sasuke explained, giving Naruto a half smile.

"It's okay. It's not your fault," Naruto replied quietly.

"She's my guest, so I am responsible for they way she acts at my home."

Naruto frowned slightly, not agreeing with him, but he made no move to contradict him further.

"I'd better go. If you could bring Taira in this evening and groom him that would be good. His mane and tail could use a trim too."

"Do you want him saddled tomorrow morning?"

"I won't be able to get here until late afternoon tomorrow. Have him ready at four thirty. He can go out during the day."

Naruto nodded. "I'll see you then."

Sasuke nodded, before giving Ani a last pat and leaving.

The rest of the morning passed in a flurry of work. Most of the horses were out in the fields for the day, so their work was made somewhat easier.

As much as possible, he kept out of the other's way. After their long night out, most had hang overs, leaving them irritable.

Shikamaru was grumbling constantly, grating on everyone's nerves, whilst Kiba and Tenten argued relentlessly over the tiniest of things. In the end, Kakashi sent them to work at opposite ends of the stable complex, effectively ensuring that they had no contact whatsoever with each other.

Sakura was constantly nagging and snapping at anyone who she thought had wronged her in some way. Raidou took himself off to work alone, escaping the whirlwind of arguments to recover his equilibrium alone.

Kakashi and Genma, on the other hand, recovered more quickly than the others, seeing as they were hardened drinkers. Kakashi took great pleasure in goading the others to their work, baiting them with subtle challenges until they snapped at him; his only answer was to laugh and take himself off to annoy some other hapless soul. Genma joined his fun occasionally, laughing at the results and verbally sparring with Kakashi, which only annoyed the others even more.

Naruto did his best to remain inconspicuous, and he tried to avoid annoying anyone. More than once he had to stifle his laughter at something Kakashi and Genma had said or done.

All in all, despite the frayed tempers, it was an enjoyable morning.

The sky had cleared, and the sun was warm, drying up the worst of the puddles and lifting everyone's spirits a fraction.

It was Genma who found him at lunch break. Most of the others were in the quarters, fixing their lunches, but Naruto had managed to sneak in early and make himself a sandwich before the feeding frenzy had begun. There was no way he wanted to get caught in another argument.

"Here."

Genma handed him a cold can of coke as he hoisted himself up on the wooden fence beside Naruto. He was looking out over the fields, just absorbing the rare sunshine and watching the horses.

For once he was feeling relaxed enough to talk to Genma about what had happened.

"Thanks," he smiled at him as he accepted the drink.

"Some morning, huh? I noticed that you managed to make yourself scarce, huh?" Genma grinned. "Probably for the best. That lot can't hold their drink to save a life. Bunch of amateurs."

I don't suppose I'm much better, so I won't criticize."

"No, I can't imagine you as a heavyweight at all, kitten."

They sat in comfortable silence of a little while before Naruto cleared his throat and looked at Genma.

"Genma? I want to apologize."

"I don't want you to apologize, Naruto. What I want is to understand why. That's all."

"I treated you badly, because of my…stupidity. You didn't deserve it. And I am sorry for it."

"So help me to understand."

He sighed, knowing that his explanation would sound foolish and feeble, but he didn't know how else to explain the way he had ignored and avoided Genma. And Genma, the person who had been one of the first to befriend him when he'd arrived, deserved no less than the truth.

"I never used to be like this, you know. I used to be normal, and happy. Like Kiba, I guess. But once that changed, I became ashamed of who I'd become. When Itachi talked to me in the arena, I was terrified. I was afraid that I would lose everything I've found for myself here if I did something to displease him."

"You were afraid he'd hurt you, physically," Genma realized.

Naruto nodded, swallowing the lump in his throat.

"Someone's hurt you before. Who was it? Your parents?"

Naruto shook his head vigorously. "No! No. I never knew my mother in the first place and I never had any family besides my father, and he died…before I came here. I was put in a group home. It wasn't a very nice place."

Talking about it didn't seem as hard as he'd imagined it would be- of course, he wasn't giving specific details, because he knew he couldn't handle talking about them just yet. But at least it was a start, if only a small one.

"Did you ever tell anyone?"

"No. Never. I got myself out as soon as I could. Found this job, packed my things and left. I was fifteen. I'd been there for three years."

Naruto couldn't look at Genma, so he looked at the grass beneath his swinging feet instead. The shame and the grief was still there, clamouring for release of some kind, clogging his throat and tightening his chest, but he vowed not to let it overwhelm him.

"I was ashamed and humiliated that you'd seen me like that. I was afraid you would think less of me, so I avoided you to…"

"Try and protect yourself. It's okay."

Genma didn't say anything for a moment, and Naruto let him sort out his thoughts in silence.

"I came from a stable background. With a large family, both parents and three siblings. I always had a safe home, and someone to talk to. So I don't know what it's like to experience what you have. But I will always listen, and I won't ever judge you, so don't ever assume that I will," Genma said slowly.

Naruto blinked back his tears and smiled at Genma gratefully.

"I'm not sure you'd want to…"he began.

He jumped when Genma flicked his ear in mild annoyance.

"There you go assuming again. Nothing you say will ever make me think any less of you. Are we clear now?"

He nodded, glad that he'd finally gotten at least one of his worries off of his chest.

"Good," Genma pulled him into a tight hug before letting him go and hopping off the fence.

"Now c'mon. I believe there's chocolate cake that Iruka made. And you know Iruka's cake is the best."

"I do," Naruto agreed as he joined him on the ground and began to walk beside him.

For once, Naruto felt like he was beginning to find his feet.

1)Each horse has different dietary needs, and so each horse gets different grains, and different amounts when they get fed. There are many different types of grains and stuff that can be fed, but I won't go into any detail because I couldn't be bothered.

2)Retired racehorses often go through training programs so they can be used for pleasure riding. Older horses sometimes need retraining to break them of bad habits they've formed over the years. Horses from run down or neglected homes often need some kind of retraining in order to prepare them for better homes.

3)This means staying seated in the saddle when he trots. Rising trot involves rising up and down to the rhythm of the horses trotting gait, as opposed to sitting still.

Hookay, that was a bitch to write, but there you have it!

I typed this at four in the morning, so if there are any mistakes I don't really care.

I'm tired!

But anyways, any comments or thoughts you have, I'd love to read them. So do me a huge favour and review?

Suggestions for a new title would be good too.

Have a great day peoples!

Ja Ne!