Ranch Country

I've had this idea wandering around my head for a few days. Decided to get it down before I went insane and started writing it out with my own blood. ^-^

Enjoy...AND DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW!!!

I don't own Naruto.

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A large hay bale flew through the air, the black and white Australian sheepdogs that followed their master around the farm leapt out of the way just before it hit before gather in position again, treating the experience as if it were a game.

Cobalt blue eyes narrowed as tan hands picked up another hay bale, hurling it with precision to join it's mate on the barn floor. There was a heavy snort of half amusement, half anger as a mouth normally built for smiling curled up into a snarl one would normally see on a near rabid dog.

So the bastard was back was he? Four years after he'd traipsed off to Yale to make something of himself, ignoring all the letters, ignoring all the phone calls and messages. Ignoring everything about his 'old' life. The stupid prat hadn't even come home for the funeral of his best friends father a year and a half earlier.

Twenty years of friendship and the man had turned his back on everything he held dear to him as if he'd never even met his friends in Ranch country. One might think that Montana was Ranch Country, but Naruto Uzumaki had been born and raised in Alberta, Canada. Home to some of the best cattle and wheat growing conditions in the world. The Uzumaki Ranch was a cattle ranch, seventy thousand acres of prime grassland, a herd of 300 Sussex cattle. The only Sussex herd in North America.

Suigetsu had wandered down from the bunkhouse at Uchiha Farms to let him know that 'The Boss' was back. He'd tipped his hat and wandered up to the big red farm house every ranch seemed to have. Naruto's friend and housekeeper Sakura always had a bowl of chili or a cup of coffee for any ranch hand who needed one, as well as an open ear.

The blond ground his teeth together, growling out a four letter word that was seldom used in polite conversations. Muscles bunched under sun kissed skin as another hay bale was hurled from the hay loft to the barn floor where they'd be picked up by various ranch hands before being taken out to the barn where the horses were stabled.

It manual labor helped take his mind off of current events. The burning of his muscles eased away angry thoughts of how long it would take the Bastard to wander down to see his forgotten friend, and if he would try to pick up where they had left off before the pale young man had left to 'find himself' in the wonders of American University.

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“Hey man, are you alright?” Kiba, Naruto's friend and right hand assistant since his father had died bumped his shoulder as the two wandered out of the horse barn.

“I'm fine.”

“This have anything to do with boy wonder being back?”

“No, yes. Fuck I don't know.” Blond hair stood on end as tan hands raked threw it in frustration. “I would have been perfectly fine believing that the Bastard was staying in America.”

“We all would have.” Kiba said with a wry grin, linking his fingers behind his head in an easy pose, thumbs reaching up to scratch the itch just under his hat.

“It's just-” The blond trailed off, unsure of how to put his feelings into words as he let out an angry growl, grabbing the dark tan cowboy hat from one of the dogs wandering beside him and plunking it on his head. He fingered the garish orange feather sticking out of the equally orange side band, the action proving he was lost in thoughts.

“You don't have to tell me, I know he's an ass.” Kiba took a deep appreciative sniff as they entered the house, both pulling off their boots and hanging up their hats before wandering into the kitchen where lunch was being served.

“H-hey Naruto.” Sakura grinned widely, her normal smacking of his head and telling him to go wash his hands being a tell all.

“He's here isn't he?” Sakura nodded and a low growl rumbled through Naruto's chest as he turned and headed back out the door. “I'm going to Gaara's, I'll be back when I'm back.”

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“Stupid Bastard was waiting in my kitchen, trying to ambush me. Fucker.” The blond slurred, his eyes nearly crossed as he stared into mint green ones.

“So you come to drink all my whiskey?”

“You buy the best stuff, no cheap ass whiskey for Gaara Subaku.” There was a pause and suddenly a heavy muscled arm dropped over relatively thin shoulders. “I love you man.”

“You say this every time you imbibe too much. It looses it's effect after the first dozen times.” Was the staid reply. Whiskered cheeks curved into a sly grin moments before the blond sighed, rubbing a hand over his face.

“I'm too tired to deal with this shit.” The young man sounded ages older then he seemed at the moment and Gaara nodded, not knowing what else to do. “I'm gonna crash in the guest room.”

“I will see you in the morning.” Green eyes narrowed as the blond man walked up the stairs before the redhead twisted the cap back onto his whiskey bottle and set it back into the cabinet with efficiency.

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“Where is he?” Naruto groaned, pulling the pillow over his head as voices drifted up the air duct into the guest room.

“Why should I tell you Uchiha?” Kankuro's smug voice always grated on Naruto when he was hung over, but this time his voice was welcome as the synapses fired. His semi alcohol soaked brain taking in the fact that his one time best friend was in the house and looking for him.

“I need to talk to him.”

“Yeah, you had four years to contact him and you pick now?” That was Temari and the blond looked up as his door opened, Gaara stood there with a clean shirt and jeans. The blond stood, letting the sheets slide down his chest as Gaara walked into the room and set the clean clothes on the bed. His lips quirked into what could loosely be called a smile, the pale mans version of a grin as he watched his friend weigh the choices. He could do this here and now or he could take off through the back door and spend the next few weeks avoiding the baby Uchiha. Blue eyes met green and the smirk on that pale face grew.

“Your towel is in the bathroom.”

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“Might as well get this over with.” Naruto muttered as he trudged down the stairs as if to his death instead of Saskatoon berry pancakes courtesy of Temari.

“Moron.” There was a smirk on the pale face Naruto knew as well as his own, all the planes and sharp edges. How soft those lips really were, what that scathing tongue tasted like when it rubbed against his own. Cornflower blue, the color of heartache passed over Sasuke's face only once before he sat at the breakfast bar, picking up the cup of coffee Kankuro had set out for him. It was sweet and light, just the way he liked it. The blond grunted a thanks to Temari as she set a plate heaped with steaming pancakes in front of him.

“Moron.” The voice that had caressed Naruto's ears numerous times in his youth was gaining an edge of annoyance.

“Moron.” Ah, the sound of anger, and he the only one to coax that single emotion from a spark into a flame in the Uchiha.

“I have a name, though it wouldn't surprise me that you forgot that as well in your time down south.” Was the scathing reply, Sasuke blinking in thought. Naruto never talked back to him and once upon a time the title he had bestowed upon the blond moron had been only for him to use, something of a pet name to show his affection.

The pancakes had been smothered in butter and drenched in home made maple syrup before the blond would even touch them, but once his requirements had been met he virtually inhaled the plate in a way that would have made lesser men choke and die.

“Thanks for breakfast Temari, I've gotta get going now.” Nodding to his blond hostess Naruto stood, ignoring the way the once familiar dark eyes roamed his lanky frame. He'd always been short for his age, even up to twenty years of age. But once Sasuke had left he'd gone through the growth spurt his Father had always foreseen, sprouting up from his measly 5'5 to his now 6'3. His frame had filled out, from being that ninety pound weakling that got sand kicked in his face to the 200 pounds of solid muscle he used to keep his horses and cattle in check and take care of the normal chores every rancher has in a day to day basis.

“Dammit, why won't he listen to me.” Sasuke spoke allowed without realizing it until Temari spoke.

“The boy you knew four years ago is gone Sasuke. He grew up without anyone to help him, and after his father did and his mother left after remarrying he learned very quickly that the only person he could depend on was himself.”

“No one offered to help?” Sasuke asked, turning to stare down the pigtailed blond who was regreasing her skillet for more pancakes.

“Do you really think he would have accepted out charity any more then he would have our pity?” There was a scathing tone in that husky voice that Sasuke's didn't enjoy, he was used to both men and women falling on their faces trying to prove them selves to him.

“So his mother left?”

“With Naruto's blessings. Once she met her current beau the brat told her to 'get the hell out of Dodge' as I remember and 'onto better things'. Her new guy's a lawyer and Naruto told her to stay away from Ranchers. They only work themselves into the ground trying to prove something to people who don't care anymore.”

“He really is a moron.” Sasuke muttered through gritted teeth, ignoring the glare sent his way as Gaara stepped quietly into the room.

“Get thee hence.” Was the hissed command and Sasuke stared at the boy for a few seconds before he remembered that this was Gaara, and no matter how strange Gaara seemed he was not to be teased or trifled with.

“Have a nice day.” Picking up his hat from where he'd hung it on the hat rack beside the island bar he set it on his head and tipped it, heading out to try and track down his one time interest in both love and friendship.

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“I need to talk to you.”

“You waited four years, you can wait another few hours.” Was the grunted response, muscles rippling under tanned skin as hay bales were grabbed from a flatbed truck and tossed up to Kiba in the loft who arranged them for easy grabbing when the snow hit.

“Dammit Naruto. I'm sorry.” There he'd said it, now the moron would turn, that odd smile reserved only for him lighting up that beautiful face, he'd throw that hay up to Kiba and-.

“You're absolved, say ten Hail Mary's and go forth to sin no more.” Was the snarky reply, Kiba hooting with laughter in the hay loft. Fuck, he really didn't want to say this in front of anyone, especially not Kiba. That stupid loud mouth would have to conversation spread around not only Naruto's ranch but Gaara's and his before the sun went down.

“Kiba get out.” Sasuke snarled before he stepped back, 200 pounds of raw angry muscle would do that to a person, no matter who they were.

“Who the FUCK do you think you are? Coming back after FOUR GODDAMN YEARS OF NOTHING. And you try to boss around MY RANCHHAND?” Well that had been something, Sasuke stared at the blond who had turned back to his hay bales, trying to calm his anger by deep breathing, something Sakura had suggested years before after his Father had grounded him once again for fighting in the school yard.

“Anything you want to say to me you can say in front of Kiba.”

“He'll tell everyone.” Sasuke snapped his mouth shut as he heard how whiny he sounded and the glare he directed into the hay loft could have started the barn on fire.

“Good, everyone deserves to know what was so important in your God damn life that stopped you from flying down for one day to my father's funeral. Itachi showed up and he lives in Berlin, scaring the fuck out of all the Germans.”

“I don't have a reason.” Sasuke felt like a cockroach at the look he was sent. “I had midterms and my girlfriend was breakin-.” Bighting his tongue he winced as the hay bale Kiba had caught fell to the barn floor. The twenty foot distance making the 'boompf' louder then it should have been.

“Get out.” The snarl from Kiba was unexpected and there was a scramble as Kiba practically flew down the stairs to fist his hands in Sasuke's collar, dragging the pale man to the door. “Don't come near her again or I'll let Kisame know your bothering his adoptive brother.” At Sasuke's startled look Kiba smirked and slammed the heavy barn door in Sasuke's face.

The pale man could do nothing more then stare at the red door as he tried to process the information before turning and walking to his truck. The half hour ride home would give him time to think about what to ask Kisame without being turned into dog food.

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All those who hate Sasuke right now...review. X3