Adult-FanFiction.org : Naruto

Bloodlines
By : Usha
Category: Naruto > Yaoi - Male/Male
Views: 1022 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, nor do I make money off this
Chapter List
- 4
- 5
- 6
A/N: So I found out that I messed my months up, starting them too close to May. Because of this, the first two chapters will take place in early March, and these next two races will be the first two weeks in April. Sorry. I hadn’t planned out the full line of races when I started and now I realized that they needed to be moved back. I’ll fix the other chapters later but for now just pretend they said March.
Disclaimer: I get tired of saying this, but I must – I don’t own Naruto, nor do I make money off this writing.
Warnings: The usual; language, future yaoi, etc
“Ladies and Gentlemen, please put your chairs in the upright position as we prepare for landing.” A too cheerful voice said over the intercom. “We will be on the ground shortly.”
Naruto bit back the groan as he tried to stretch in the cramped space but found it hard to do as his legs bumped into the chair in front of him. Instead, he settled back against the chair and looked out the window as they passed through a large, white cloud. A second later, the ground was visible and Naruto could see the ocean on the horizon where people were out playing on the beach in the warm sun.
He had talked to Iruka before he left that morning and had been assured that Kyuubi had made the trip without any problem. To make things better, the weather wasn’t having any effect on his performance when they let him outside that morning. The blond sighed as he willed the plane to hurry and land so he could see his horse again; he didn’t like to have Kyuubi train under other jockeys since the chestnut could be temperamental with new jockeys and then it seemed the horse would stay mad at him.
He swore that horse was just like a human.
The soft bump jarred the jockey from his thoughts, causing him to look out the window again and he realized that they had landed. He fidgeted while they taxied to the gate and when it came time for his row to exit the plane, he had never been happier. As he made his way to the baggage claim, he called Gaara to let him know that he landed and would meet him out front then threatened him not to be late.
Moments later, he found his language and made his way out front where Gaara was waiting with a rental car. Naruto flashed him a smile as he tossed the bags in the trunk and then climbed in.
“How’s Kyuubi?”
“I’m fine thank you.” Gaara answered, making Naruto chuckle slightly, “He’s okay. I led him around the backside for a while and he seemed to handle everything just fine. Shukaku seems to be handling the track fine as well.”
Naruto nodded as they merged out onto the highway that was packed with cars and a comfortable silence fell over the car. After they cleared the traffic, Gaara glanced at him, “I’m surprised you didn’t ask who was at the track.”
“Why, who’s racing tonight?”
“Well Shukaku is racing tonight, and you’ll be riding a mare in a distaff (1) and Speeding Violation tomorrow.” Gaara hesitated, “The Uchiha is racing against you and Speeding Violation.”
A quiet curse slipped out of Naruto’s lips, “Why does he have to be every where I go?”
“Why does it bother you so much?” Gaara asked, throwing the question back at him.
Naruto shrugged and was silent for a while, “He just, he pisses me off. Acting so ‘I’m better than you’ and it’s really annoying.”
Gaara arched an invisible eyebrow but said nothing as they pulled up to the track and showed the guard his pass before they moved to the backside. As soon as the car stopped, Naruto jumped out and headed for the stalls where he let out a whistle and a head poked out over the stall door.
He let out a whinny of excitement and started to prance in his stall as the blond came closer. When the human was close enough, he thrust his nose into his chest, before allowing his head to drop down and be held. The jockey talked quietly to him and the ears flickered back and forth, taking in the sound that he knew all too well. The voice that encouraged him when he was younger, the tone that he always tried to please when he ran, the one voice that he could pick out over all the others that he heard everyday, and the voice that was the one he trusted above all others. He sniffed at his shirt smelling unfamiliar smells coming from it, but the scent of wheat filled his nostrils soon along with the faint aroma of an apple that he always hid in his left pants pocket.
“That is the happiest I have seen that horse ever. You’d think that he hadn’t seen you in over a month.” A voice said, making Naruto turn.
“Hey Iruka.” He said as he fished out the apple slices from his pocket and began feeding them to Kyuubi, “How long until I need to ride that mare?”
Iruka looked at his watch, “About an hour and a half before you need to weigh in. You’ll have to drop your bags off tonight since traffic is heavy at the moment. Also, Mr. Uchiha asked to see you when you arrived.”
“Which one?”
“The older one.” Iruka answered, “And be nice to the younger one as well.”
Naruto snorted, “Fine, I’ll go hunt them down. Wish me luck.”
The older man laughed as the jockey walked away, dragging his feet through the dust as he tried to stall for time before he vanished from sight.
“What horses are being raced tonight?”
“Kiba’s riding Mobile Sin tonight and Neji will ride Repetition Streak tomorrow and Glory on Saturday. You will be riding Tex-Star tomorrow and Madara in the Derby on Saturday.”
“We brought more horses than we have jockeys, have you already booked a rider?”
“Sasuke, your job is to ride; it’s my job to get people to ride.” Itachi said, holding back a sigh, “And yes, I am working on getting a jockey for Overload tonight. He’s going to race against Kiba and Mobile Sin so we’ll get a chance to see whether or not Overload can run distance or if he’s a sprinter. Now, does that satisfy your worried little mind?”
Sasuke nodded his head and turned to go find Neji so they could go find something to eat. He found the pale-eyed jockey talking to a female with short hair and cleared his throat slightly as he approached. They stopped talking and Neji looked at Sasuke, “Hey, this is my cousin, Hinata. She works as an assistant to Tsunade and is working on her internship. Hinata, this is Sasuke, I race for his family.”
Hinata held out her hand, “It’s nice to meet you, Sasuke.” (2)
He shook her hand then looked at Neji, “Itachi assigned you to Repetition Streak and Glory for the races tomorrow and Saturday. Kiba is racing tonight, speaking of which, where is Kiba?”
“I haven’t seen him since noon.” Neji answered, “But we should probably go find him.”
Neji told his cousin goodbye and the two walked through the barn’s looking for the soon to be jockey, but instead ran into another rider. Sasuke stopped in his tracks when he saw the blond hair and quickly prayed that it was another blond jockey, but luck wasn’t on his side. Said blond walked over with a slight scowl on his face, giving Neji a quick nod before turning to Sasuke.
"Hey, where's your brother?"
Sasuke continued to stare at him as Itachi’s words came back and he found that he couldn’t answer. Naruto felt anger rush through him at being ignored, however, instead of fighting; he did something he always wanted to do.
He poked him.
Neji arched an eyebrow in surprise as Sasuke took the poking calmly, although he did see an eye twitch slightly. After what seemed an eternity of being poked in the arm, the blond moved up to the cheek and started to prod at the pale skin. That was when the raven snapped.
“What the hell do you want?” He shouted.
“He speaks!” Naruto gasped to the paled eyed jockey, “You seemed dead just standing there, so I was making sure you were still alive.”
Sasuke shot him a glare and Neji coughed slightly, “I wasn't aware you had a boyfriend, Sasuke.”
The two broke their glaring contest to look at the other jockey, “He's not my boyfriend!” They both stated.
Naruto held out his hand towards Neji, “I’m Naruto Uzumaki, I ride for Eclipse Estates.”
“Neji Hyuuga, I ride for Uchiha Estates.” He said and shook Naruto’s hand, “I believe that the person you are looking for is down the aisle way, he should be looking over some horses.”
A bright smile graced over Naruto's face, “Thanks, it’s nice to see that not all the jockeys here have a stick up their ass.”
He walked off before Sasuke had the chance to tackle him to the ground, giving only a slight wave goodbye as he went.
“He's cute.” Neji said and Sasuke sputtered. “Not to mention, he has a nice butt.”
Sasuke turned, “If you don’t stop, I'm going to kill you. He's the one that beat me in Arkansas and the one that Itachi wants to ride Overload tonight.”
Neji smirked, “I sense some jealousy.”
“I’m not jealous.”
“Then you must like him. Those are the only emotions that can cause the way you’re acting.”
A growl escaped from Sasuke's throat, “It’s not love or jealousy, its hate. Pure hate.”
Sasuke stomped off to go find Kiba and Neji’s smirk grew slightly larger, “Whatever you say Sasuke; I can play this game of yours.”
Naruto found Itachi right were the paled eyed jockey said he would be, and it scared him slightly. How did people always appear right where they were supposed to be? He could never find Gaara or Iruka when someone told him where they went. Must be an Uchiha thing.
He cleared his throat slightly and Itachi looked around the horse he was working with, “Iruka said you wanted to talk to me.” He stated, still not trusting the older Uchiha.
Itachi moved away from the horse, “Yes, I trust you remember our conversation last week?” Naruto nodded and he continued, “I need a jockey to ride a horse tonight. I know that you’re riding a mare in a distaff early, but Overload’s race isn't until later, giving you plenty of time to change.”
The blond haired jockey hesitated, the offer to ride an Uchiha horse wasn’t that big of a surprise, seeing as they had brought a lot of horses and after the talk last week, he had guessed that eventually he would be cornered. However, the thought of riding against Eclipse in a race made the offer seem bittersweet.
Sensing the hesitation, Itachi quickly reassured him, “Overload won’t be racing in any races against your other jockey, and if you place top three, some of the winnings will be yours.”
Naruto nodded, knowing that any extra money to the farm would help, especially if he couldn’t win the Derby on Saturday. “I’m free.” he said, “When is the race?”
“About forty-five minutes after your race. You’ll be racing against another of our horses; Mobile Sin, ridden by Kiba. That won't be a problem, will it?”
He shook his head, “No, I always look for a way to beat Kiba.”
“Good, I’ll see you after your race. Good luck.”
Naruto nodded his thanks and left to go find Iruka.
Bright lines shown down on the track as mares pranced across the track field and the crowd moved closer to see the horses as they made their way to the gate. Naruto ignored the crowd, having his hands full with the horse beneath him. She chomped at the bit and swished her tail, upset at being pulled from her stall.
“Sprints.” he warned and pushed her forward onto the green turf (3). She snorted, tossing her head in annoyance but settled into a choppy canter. “Stupid mares in their stupid heats.” he muttered under his breath. As if she heard him, she ducked her head and gave a small buck, making Naruto yank her head up as he kicked her forward.
In the stands Sasuke watched, trying to hold back his laughter as the blond tried to get the mare to cooperate. “Are you sure he can handle Overload if he can’t even handle a simple mare?”
Itachi gave him a look before turning back to look over the track, “He’ll calm her down.”
Sasuke snorted but continued to watch.
Naruto gritted his teeth together as the mare tried another buck, fighting against the tight rein. Her coat was covered in sweat, and she was foaming at the mouth already, using her energy to fight him instead of the race. He looked over at the pony rider and gestured him to go ahead. Once they were alone, he stopped the mare, and leaned onto her neck so he was closer to her ears.
“Hey Sprints.” he said softly and her ears flickered back to him, “I know you don’t feel well right now but if you do well in this race, you’re done.” He felt the mare begin to relax under him and he ran a hand over her neck, “Just relax, you've done this plenty of times to know what its like, don’t be nervous. You know when you finish you'll have dinner ready for you.”
At the mentioning of dinner, her ears perked up and she moved forward at a smooth trot, as though the previous fight had never happened. She eyed the track and the other mares as she loaded into the gate and excitement settled over the field. Muscles tensed up and on her back, she could feel the man shifting slightly to give her the least amount of weight on the saddle so she could take off, and there was less pressure on the mouth.
The gates swung open and the mare shot out, powerful legs digging into the turf, ready to run the quick race. Just for Sprints, aka Sprints, was a sprinter; and there was nothing she loved to do more. He let her have her head as she moved out to the front of the pack, knowing that was where she wanted to be; otherwise, she would never bother to gain on the leader. A quick glance under his arm showed that another horse was coming up quickly next to him on the inside of the rail, and he felt a flash of fear as the horse came closer, knowing that the rider had the horse too close to Sprints.
He pushed her away further from the rail to avoid being bumped, but the quick action around the turn caused her to stumble slightly, allowing two horses to pass her. Naruto gritted his teeth and urged her on, hoping that she would continue to run, despite being in the back. Sprints hesitated slightly, before digging in again, surging forward to keep the rest of the pack at bay, but the stumble had put her back far between the leaders, and she crossed the wire third.
Naruto slowed her down and gave her a pat on the neck, happy that she at least continued to run even though she wasn’t in the lead. He dismounted and handed the reins to Sakura who took the mare to the backside to cool her down, then went to the jockey's room to change. The Florida weather was too hot for his liking and he was sweating through his silks, much to his dismay.
Iruka met him at the entrance to the stables and they quickly talked about the race before the older man sent him off to go find Itachi so he could change into the Uchiha’s silks. Naruto let out a sigh as he moved into another barn where the older Uchiha would be, he was glad that Iruka understood why he agreed to Itachi’s request, but still felt a twinge of guilt.
He noticed Sasuke standing outside on of the stalls, his back towards him as he talked to someone inside the stall. The thought to poke him in the back of the head popped in Naruto’s mind, but he pushed it aside and decided to be civil instead.
“What’cha doing?” he asked, standing right behind the raven's back.
To Naruto's disappointment, he didn’t jump or scream, but instead turned around and glared at him before turning back to the horse inside the stall. “Are you sure that you can handle Overload, when you can't handle a simple mare?”
Naruto snorted, “Just for Sprint’s is not just a ‘simple mare’, she has an attitude. You two would get along great, should I set up a date for you?”
“Hn.”
“You calmed her down nicely though,” a voice said from inside the stall, “What did you do to her?”
The blond poked his head around Sasuke's head to find Neji standing in the stall with a lightly colored bay horse. “Not much, just talked to her.” he answered, wrinkling his nose slightly as Sasuke's hair tickled his nose and the smell of spice teased his senses, threatening to intoxicate him.
“Idiot, do you think you could get any closer?”
“Yep.” Naruto answered and pressed his body against Sasuke’s, and brought his head closer to the raven’s head so his breath ghosted across the shell of Sasuke’s ear when he spoke. “How’s that?”
Sasuke shivered slightly as the heat from Naruto’s body connected with his cooler skin. He shook himself out of his trance and elbowed the other jockey in the stomach. “Go find Itachi so you can get ready to race.”
Naruto flashed him a bright smile and walked off to find the older Uchiha again, leaving the younger one feeling a little cold.
“Fox face, you ready to lose?” Kiba asked as Naruto appeared in the saddling area. He was standing next to a large, steel gray stallion called Mobile Sin, and next to him, Ino was holding Overload, a slightly shorter Thoroughbred stallion that was a dark brown color.
“In your dreams, dog breath.” Naruto answered as he adjusted his helmet.
They grinned at each other before turning to Itachi as he came up to give them their last minute prep. “Kiba, you already know how Mobile Sin runs, so run him like we train. Naruto, Overload is typically a sprinter and this is his first distance race, so try to rate him for the first part of the race, otherwise he might burn out.”
Naruto nodded and accepted the leg up from Ino, then glanced down at Itachi once he was settled, “Anything else?”
“You might want a whip.” Sasuke said and held it out to him, “Overload might not make it all the way through and will need some encouraging.”
The blond shook his head, “I won't need it.”
He tapped Overload's sides and sent him out onto the track before Sasuke could say anything. Once on the track, he allowed Overload to stretch out into an easy trot and spoke softly to him. “So Overload,” the horse's ears flickered back to him, “I think you can run distance just as well as you do sprints. What do you think?”
The horse bobbed its head, and broke into an eager canter, before Naruto slowed him down as they approached the gate. He entered calmly, and the jockey ran a soothing hand over his coat, feeling the muscles ripple under the skin as they prepared to spring into action. Across the rest of the track, silence had fallen except for the distant murmur from the stands.
When the gates swung open, eight powerful Thoroughbreds sprung for the lead, and ahead of the pack, Naruto could see Kiba with the lead spot and the rail. He allowed Overload to move closer to the pack as they settled into their spots and held the reins lightly, not letting the horse try to sprint away. Overload however, seemed to understand that it was a longer race and allowed himself to be rated until they were almost down the backstretch before asking for more rein.
Naruto glanced up and maneuvered the stallion into an opening, settling him the fourth position, before sending him forward again as another position presented itself. He could tell that Overload still had more to give, and pushed him closer to the front until they drew close to Kiba and Mobile Sin as they rounded the corner. Now that they were out front, the horse didn't want to slow down and Naruto let him have his head, pushing his hands up on the neck.
Overload shot forward, switching leads as they moved down the homestretch, but Kiba was still ahead by half a length. As the wire approached, Naruto let the reins slip through his fingers a bit more and the horse took the extra rein and began to stretch out before the wire flashed over them. As they moved past the homestretch and into the turn, Naruto ran a hand over Overload's neck and he slowed him down and caught up with Kiba.
“I have never seen that horse stretch out like that.” Kiba said, “We almost didn’t keep you off our tail, it’s a good thing Mobile Sin is a closer.”
Naruto laughed as he led Overload back to railing where Ino was waiting to take the horse and cool him out. “He runs nicely,” He told Itachi when he dismounted, “I should have let him out sooner though.”
“Despite that, you showed that he can run the distance when needed, and without the need for the whip. I’ll remember that.” Itachi said.
The blond grinned and thanked Itachi for letting him ride before heading back to the jockey's room to change. He couldn’t wait to shower and go to the hotel so they could eat; he was starving, and ramen sounded good right now.
XXXXXXX Friday XXXXXXXXX
Naruto eyed the horse in front of him; it eyed him back and for a second, neither moved nor blinked. “Naruto, stop trying to win a staring contest with Shukaku, you know you’ll never win.” Gaara said, breaking his concentration and making him blink
He let out a sigh and looked away from the horse, knowing that Gaara was right. Shukaku was the most stubborn animal he had ever met, and that was saying something since he had met many animals in his lifetime. The horse was scheduled to race in an half an hour and was receiving one last look over before Gaara went to go get ready. About fifteen minutes after Gaara raced, he was scheduled to race Speeding Violation against Sasuke.
After scanning the listing, Naruto believed that someone must have been working to pit the two stables against each other when he noticed that Neji was scheduled to race against Gaara with a horse named Repetition Streak. Shukaku however seemed ready to race today. He was calm and collected as Gaara talked softly to him, one ear cocked to listen to him while the other swiveled around, listening to his surroundings.
“I think he’s going to well today.” Gaara said after a few moments of silence and Naruto nodded.
He wished him good luck before turning to head out onto the track, giving Gaara some alone time before the race to calm his nerves. He found Kyuubi grazing in a small pen that they had brought along for the trip. Kyuubi took a few more chomps at the patch of grass before coming closer to the fence to sniff at Naruto, asking for some slices of carrot, only to find none in his pants pocket. He snorted in disappointment and turned back to the grass, his tail facing Naruto.
“Aw, Kyuubi, don’t act like that.” He whined, but Kyuubi just swished his tail. “Spoiled brat.”
Kyuubi didn’t answer so Naruto let him graze and continued out towards the track where some claiming races were finishing up on the track. Iruka was looking for a new mare to buy but so far, none had caught his eye, and he didn’t like to purchase new stock without consulting Jiraiya or the other trainer first. Jiraiya was nowhere to be found and was probably off flirting with someone.
After looking around the track for a while and finding nothing of interest, he headed back to the stabling area where Shukaku was getting ready to be led out to the saddling area. Gaara was no where to be found so Naruto figured that the redhead was changing into his silks and decided that he needed to get ready as well; slightly upset that he wouldn’t get to watch the race in person. He made his way to the jockey’s room where several other jockeys were playing pool and foosball.
Neji was already changed and making his way to be weighed when Naruto entered the room and he briefly wished him luck before finding Gaara.
“Have a good race out there.” He said, “I won’t be able to watch, but I expect a win.”
Gaara gave him a look that made Naruto smile at him, before the redhead left to go weigh in as well; leaving Naruto alone and bored. However, fate has a funny way of fixing things when Sasuke walked into the room a few minutes after Gaara had left.
Sasuke glared at him briefly before turning to go change into his silks, not wanting to be in the same room with the other jockey, but as he changed, his mind flashed back to the previous day when the blond had invaded his personal space and he shivered slightly trying to push the thought away. When it wouldn’t leave, he turned to the blond jockey angrily, “Why the hell did you go and hug me yesterday?”
“What?”
“Yesterday right before your race, you hugged me.”
Naruto starred at him, “No, that was just something to annoy you.” He cocked his head, “Do you want a hug?”
“No!”
“That’s a relief; it would probably be like hugging a tree, and I bet you suck at giving hugs as well, no upper body strength. It’s a surprise that you can handle horses at all.”
The raven shot him a look but Naruto had turned his back to him as he lined up the pool balls and took a shot. He found his eyes tracing the features of the blond jockey until said jockey bent over, lining up the balls on the table. ‘Damn Neji.’ He thought as his glaze drifted down towards the butt in front of him and a small blush crept up onto his cheeks.
Before he could do anything, the door opened and an official announced that the next race was fifteen minutes away and jockeys needed to get ready. Sasuke slung his bag into a locker before making his way towards the door to be weighed; glad to finally clear his mind and focus on the race ahead. After weighing in, he moved outside and found his brother waiting for him as Shikamaru held his horses head in the saddling area. Next to him, he noticed Sakura holding a horse with an orange saddlecloth and inwardly, he groaned.
“Tex-Star was tender this morning on his mouth, so don’t yank too much out of the starting gate.” Kakashi told him, giving him a leg up, “Don’t let the blond get to you.”
“Why would he?” Sasuke asked.
Kakashi just smiled, his eyes curving up into a small upside down ‘U’ and patted Tex-Star’s shoulder. “Good luck.”
He pushed Tex-Star onto the track and looked down at the horses’ neck, “Okay, T-Star.” He said to the horse, “Let’s see what you can do.”
Iruka looked at Naruto after the raven left, “Okay, Speeding Violation likes to be a front runner, but this is a longer race than he’s used to and you know he doesn’t like to be rated.”
The jockey nodded as he adjusted his seat, “I’ll make him pay attention this time, but if he can’t focus then I think we should stick to sprints for him.”
He nodded and patted Naruto’s leg, allowing the horse and rider to make their way out onto the track. They had drawn a good gate position but the race was four furlongs longer than what Speeding Violation was used to and tended to get bored when he was rated during the long races. Naruto had his work cut out for him today.
They made their way to the starting gate and loaded quietly with the rest of the horses; a few seconds later the gates swung open and the pack shot out. T-Star broke slowly and ended up being boxed into the sixth position, but Sasuke could see the gap he needed on the outside and quickly maneuvered him to the far side of the pack, giving him a clear shot to move into fourth as they moved down the backstretch.
Ahead of them, the lead horse was holding three lengths off the rest of the pack, with the next two horses fighting for second. As they made their way into the turn, the pack stretched out, and Sasuke gave T-Star his head, allowing him to move forward past the third place horse and closer to the second ranked horse. Beneath him, T-Star was running smoothly and he released the reins some more, allowing the horse to move ahead the second rate horse.
The lead horse was beginning to tire, allowing T-Star to catch up with the lead horse that was slowly dropping back as they made their way out of the curve and into the homestretch. Sasuke could tell that the horse was ready to change into one more gear and allowed him to have his head as they finished coming out of the turn.
Soon, he had pulled even as they made their way down the homestretch, and with a quick flick of the whip, they nosed past the jockey as they swept under the wire, a little less than half a length ahead of the horse with an orange saddlecloth under his saddle.
Sasuke allowed himself a small smile, but inside he was cheering and dancing, glad to have beaten the blond jockey, even if it was a small race.
XXXXXXXX Saturday XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Hot, dry air blew across the track, kicking up the loose dirt, stinging people’s eyes. Inside the stables, the horses shifted uneasily as the winds continued to blow outside. There was a storm kicking up for late in the afternoon, and already, the dark clouds could be seen off in the distance. The meteorologist predicted that the storm would not hit until later that day when the races were finished, but they were not always accurate.
Naruto stared out the window from Kyuubi’s stall, watching the clouds move in, covering the sun in patches of gray. He was worried that it would pour before the last race, making the track muddy and wet. Kyuubi could run in the mud, but he never ran well enough to place in the top three where the money would be distributed. And this was a race they needed to win.
He heard the stall door open behind him and knew Kyuubi was back from his walk with Sakura in an attempt to calm him down. After the door was shut, he waited for his horse to come over and nip at his hair, allowing his warm breath to calm his own nerves.
It wasn’t Kyuubi’s breath though that breathed down his neck.
“Scared of a little storm?” a quiet voice asked behind him, arms trapping him against the stall wall.
“Bastard, what are you doing?”
“I believe it was you who said that my hugs probably sucked, I just want to prove you wrong.”
Naruto snorted, “I think you enjoyed it yesterday, if you ask me.”
“I didn’t, I was just slightly cold.”
“Hm.” Naruto didn’t bother to answer, finding Sasuke’s presence calming his high-strung nerves.
Sasuke leaned in closer, enjoying Naruto’s unique smell, and his breath moved down the jockey’s neck, “Now you’re the one that’s not saying anything, and if I didn’t think any better, I would say that you enjoy this as well.”
There was a snort behind them, causing them both to turn around. Kyuubi’s head was poked through the stall door, dark, intelligent eyes studying the two humans in his stall, and outside the enclosure, Sakura’s voice was heard. Naruto moved forward and grabbed the horse’s lead rope from Sakura’s hand, flashing her a smile, “How’s he doing?”
“Much better, you have a little under an hour until your race, you should probably get ready to change and weigh in.”
He nodded, “Thanks Sakura.”
She smiled back at him and left to go get something to eat. After she left, Naruto opened the door and gestured for Sasuke to leave, “I didn’t tell her you were here; consider yourself lucky. Now, if you would be kind enough to leave.”
Sasuke moved past Naruto and Kyuubi, “Thank you.” He said tightly before leaving to the other stable.
Once he was gone, Naruto led the horse back into the deeply bedded stall so they could relax before they needed to get ready for the race. He dropped against the corner and Kyuubi came over to sniff at him. The human had a different smell to him that almost blocked out the scent that he knew so well, but it was still there underneath the new smell. He huffed contently into the blonds’ hair and Naruto raised his hand so he could run it over Kyuubi’s soft nose, enjoying the peace and calm that his horse brought to him. Outside on the track, the crowd was cheering as a winner was announced from the most recent race, but Naruto ignored them, as he closed his eyes and focused on the chestnuts soft breathing, bringing the jockey peace of mind while the outside world was anything but calm.
“Good Afternoon ladies and gentlemen and welcome to Gulfstream Park, here in Hallandale Beach, Florida; where we will be running the 57th Florida Derby!” a loud voice over the PA system called out. “The horses are getting ready to make their way into the saddling area where the jockey’s will be meeting their mounts in a few moments. Remember that winners of this Derby usual go on to contend in the Kentucky Derby. We will have a large field today with fourteen horses competing for the one million dollar prize money and we have several contenders who are primed and ready for this race. And the horses are entering the saddling area.”
Naruto squinted as he walked out of the weigh in station and onto the track. Dirt was still being tossed around and was getting in his eyes; today’s race was going to be a dirty one, and he hoped it would not affect Kyuubi. The horse however seemed fine, tossing his head around and facing the wind, allowing his mane to be tossed about. Naruto laughed as he approached the stallion and ran a calming hand over the horses’ neck.
“Okay Naruto, its nine furlongs, just like the Arkansas Derby. He’s more rested than he was in Arkansas, but still rate him so he doesn’t burn out for next week.”
The jockey nodded and accepted the leg up from Jiraiya, then grabbed the reins, before leading the stallion out onto the track.
Sasuke looked at the horse in front of him and felt a frown tug at his lips. Madara was wound up from the tension in the air and by the coming of the storm; sweat covered his coat, making it look darker than normal and the whites of his eyes were showing as he looked around the saddling area. Ino was doing her best to calm the horse, but he was ready to get out onto the track and run.
“Take it easy on the way to the gate; don’t let him break free of the rein.” Kakashi told Sasuke once he was settled on top of the horse, “He’s ready to go, but the storm is affecting his mood; hopefully, when he starts to race, he’ll calm down some.”
The jockey nodded and let the horse trot out onto the track, where the wind was blocked from the large grandstand and Madara settled down slightly. Ahead of him, he could see the blond jockey letting his horse drop down from a canter to a trot as they neared the gate. His horse looked calm and alert, ears perked eagerly as he pranced across the track, and Sasuke felt a twinge of envy at how the horse responded so well to him.
Naruto looked over at him as they circled nearby and flashed him a friendly smile before leaning forward to talk to Kyuubi making Sasuke shake his head. ‘Who talks to their horse like that?’ he questioned, ‘They’re just animals that run for us.’
He led Madara into the starting gate and quiet had settled down over the track once again as the remaining horses were being led in. Behind him, he heard a loud whistle, along with the yelling of the gate operators as a horse refused to load. Inside the gate, the horses started to shift around nervously, anxious to get out of the small confining space and onto the open track. Finally, the horse was loaded, and after a moment or two of waiting; the gates sprung open.
Madara broke well compared to T-Star’s break yesterday and they surged forward onto the track, easily taking second in the pack. Behind him, the pack was crunched together as the other horses fought for a spot on the rail and tried to get into a better position. To the other side of Sasuke, another horse had broken free of the pack and was moving up on his right as they made their way around the first turn, leaving the grand stand behind.
In the middle of the pack, Naruto searched for a position as they moved around the turn and the pack started to spread out more. Kyuubi was running well underneath him and was asking for a little more rein, and ahead of him, a spot had finally opened. He angled the horse to the position and gave him a little rein so he could pick up speed. He was now positioned close to the outside but still close enough to the inside so Kyuubi did not have to run more than needed around the wide turns. As they moved down the backstretch, more horses began to drop back as Kyuubi passed them, slowly gaining on the three horses in the lead.
Ahead of him, the number four horse was fading quickly despite the urging from his jockey and the whip as they began to move into the final turn. Naruto felt everything slow down for the briefest of moments, wondering if he asked Kyuubi to stretch out now, if he could hold for the rest of the race. He leaned forward, “Kyuubi, will you run for me on this one?”
Kyuubi’s ears flickered back to him, taking in the calm words, though underneath them he could detect the concern for him. He could feel the cool hands on his neck urging him forward still, knowing that he would not let him out too soon if he did not think he could pull out the win. The voice called his name one more time, and Kyuubi never hesitated.
Naruto felt the horse switch leads as they move around the turn, and he released the reins more to give Kyuubi his head. The chestnut took the extra rein and dug into the ground, his stride quickly eating up the track as they caught up with the leaders. The jockey laced his fingers into the mane as they picked up more speed, and he feel his heart pick up as underneath him, Kyuubi began to stretch out into a ground eating stride.
Sasuke peaked under his arm as turned into the homestretch. He was holding second at the moment but Madara was slowing down, having used most of his energy earlier during the day; freaking out over the upcoming storm. The sight of a chestnut colt coming up fast made his heart sink; there was no way his horse could keep pace with the upcoming colt, but he could still try. Madara was an Uchiha horse, and they did not quit without a fight. Sasuke flicked the whip and beneath him, Madara picked up speed, but only slightly; his breath coming fast and flecks of foam covered his chest and mouth.
It didn’t take long for Kyuubi to catch the dark bay colt and pass them, but now his sights were set on the black horse in front of him. He could tell that the jockey was trying to hold him back but he fought against the rein, asking to be let out more, and a heartbeat later, he had the rein that he asked for. The quarter pole was coming up quickly, which meant he had less than two furlongs to catch the lead horse, but Kyuubi wasn’t slowing down. The chestnut had found another gear and was moving forward, catching the lead horse as the quarter pole flashed by; one furlong to go.
The stadium was going crazy as the chestnut colt started to pull away from the black horse as they continued to the wire, gaining a half a length lead before sweeping under the wire. He held his head up as they continued around the track and they jockey began to slow him down, making sure that he was all right. Calm hands ran along his neck and he could feel some weight on his neck as the jockey leaned over to embrace him.
“Thank you Kyuubi.” The voice said softly, “You’re the best horse a jockey could ask for.”
Kyuubi nickered quietly, enjoying the calming voice that spoke to him as they made their way back to the winners circle where, even though it would be chaotic around him for a few moments, his human would be with him to keep him safe; always and forever.
(1) A distaff is a female horse
(2) Okay, I have absolutely no patience to have her stuttering every time she talks. Therefore, she is going to be a little more confident around people.
(3) The turf is the grass that's on the inside of the dirt track, thus, it's a shorter distance.
A/N: My friend Akiru was the one, who asked for the fluff, and I was laughing the whole time Sasuke and Naruto were talking about hugs; I cannot see Sasuke talking about hugs to someone, but that’s what makes it funny.
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Bloodlines	By : Usha Category: Naruto > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 1022 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, nor do I make money off this

Bloodlines