Chapter Text
"I am sorry to have to report that the horse escaped," Kakashi spoke calmly.
Iruka stared at the heavy office door. His guilt building with each word he overheard.
"It escaped?"
He could smell his adoptive father’s pipe smoke.
At first, he tried everything not to eavesdrop. Instead, he stared at the family photos he had long since memorized. Tried to find shapes in the hardwood floor. He even went so far as to try to read the story woven into the Native American tapestry that hung in the hallway. But his eyes kept drifting back to the door. And with each sentence spoken, his resolve weakened.
"Yes. It managed to slip its ropes during the night."
I should open the door, right?
"It's not like you, Kakashi, to fail at an expedition such as this."
It's all my fault. It's all my fault. Don't blame him. It was me.
"I did my best, sir. Some things just aren't meant to be tamed."
Iruka burst through the office door as best he could with a crutch in one hand and his other arm in a sling. "It's my fault." He blurted out.
Both men turned to look at him. The look of amusement on his adoptive father's face said he had guessed what had happened already, but still, he asked,
"Why don't you tell me what happened then."
Day 1
Iruka huffed as he tossed his bag down. The dust kicked up in a small cloud as his horse, Ghost, pawed at the ground impatient for dinner. Iruka rolled his eyes at her before patting her neck. “Don’t give me that. You’ll get food when I am done setting up camp.”
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Asuma come over. When his brother moved to put a hand on his shoulder, Iruka moved away.
“I’m still not talking to you.”
“Aw, come on, little brother.”
“That’s not gonna work this time. Forget it.”
The dun mare pawed her front foot against the ground again, upset about being interrupted. Iruka sighed and gestured to some grass a little bit away. “Go on then. If you’re so impatient.”
She snorted but moved over to pick at the grass, merely insisting on tearing it up instead of eating it. As if to show Iruka how upset she was.
Asuma sighed as he bent down and grabbed the tent from the pile of gear Iruka had brought. “If he’s going to be teaching Naruto, and he is, you need to learn to get along with him.”
“I will be civil, and that is all. This whole expedition to get some Infamed horse for some stupid present for some stupid politician’s birthday! It’s barbaric! You know how I feel about horse wranglers. And you know how I feel about Hatake in particular.”
Asuma sighed, “Just give him a chance? Please? He’s not- Well fuck. I don’t know. He’s rough around the edges, but he’s not what you think he is. There’s a reason my dad wants him to take over managing our ranch in the future.”
“That’s another thing. In what way is he qualified to manage not one but two estates?” Iruka pulled a worn grey undershirt, a hairbrush, and his sleeping bag from his gear.
“Three,” Asuma muttered.
“That’s my point!” Iruka hissed. He tossed everything he had picked up back down in his aggravation. Then as if unsure what to do with his hands, he pulled his hat off his head and viciously pulled the tie off his braid, running his hands through it and redoing it with an aggression that made Asuma wince. “If he’s going to manage Naruto’s estate until Naruto is old enough to take it for himself, I want to know what qualifies him! How do we know he isn’t just going to sell it out from under him? His father certainly has that type of reputation.”
“His father is a saint.” Iruka started as Hatake’s companion, Yamato, came up beside the two of them, “He has never raised a hand against anyone or anything. He took me in and does not deserve the reputation he has gathered. And Kakashi definitely doesn’t deserve his reputation being ruined by poorly worded rumors either.” Iruka cringed as his frustration dissipated some. He cursed how loud he had been and knew Hatake had inevitably heard him.
Yamato had his bedroll in his hands and a serious look on his face that he leveled at Iruka. “We were thinking we could set up camp over there.” He gestured with his head.
“Sounds good.” Asuma nodded as the other man shook his head but headed off a little way. Iruka watched in fascination as Asuma watched him leave, his gaze clearly looking below the belt.
“So, what’s his name?”
“Who?” Asuma began to set up their tent. Not making eye contact with Iruka, who came over to help.
“Don’t play dumb with me. You liiike him.” Iruka did his best to mimic their nephew when he talked about playmates and their crushes.
“I,” Asuma looked up and started to deny it before shrugging and looking back down at the canvas he was tying. “He’s interesting. I saw him at an auction.”
“He’s cute.”
Asuma nodded and handed Iruka the other end of the rope. “What about you and Mizuki?”
Iruka groaned, “What about him?”
“I thought you two were a thing.”
“Nope.” Iruka popped the P in the word. “He’s too serious for a relationship. Wants to focus on his future.” He handed a nail to tack the tent down to Asuma.
“Sounds like you dodged a bullet,” Asuma said as he drove the hammer down, burying the nail in one hit.
“That I did.”
They finished their work in silence.
When Asuma stood, he and Iruka looked over to see that their other companions had gone ahead and started a fire, feeding their horses.
“You know Hatake is single too,” Asuma smirked before pulling out some tobacco and starting to roll a cigarette.
“Don’t you even start. They didn’t even bring a tent.” Iruka gestured with his arm.
Asuma shrugged as he lit the paper, “Maybe they like the stars.”
Iruka watched as Ghost crept up on the other horse’s feed and started trying to steal it.
“I have to go feed her before she overeats.”
Iruka left Asuma to finish his Cigarette in peace.
As the night darkened, Asuma, Iruka, and Yamato (or was it Tenzou?) talked around the campfire, sharing stories of misadventures. Unsurprisingly, many of Yamato’s incorporated the young Hatake.
“There’s no way you two survived that.”
“Honest! We ate rattlesnakes and Lizards for weeks. Until we finally found some help.”
“I made a point of learning several recipes for rattlesnake when we got back to civilization, just in case.” Kakashi monotoned from his seat as he turned a page in the book he was reading. He was on the opposite side of the fire, where three horses were tied up. Iruka could hear Ghost rolling around in the dust behind him. He never liked tying her up in case something happened. Besides, she never strayed far.
Iruka felt very vulnerable in the open plains. Everything just felt so flat. He much preferred the mountain terrain further west where they were heading. That was where he was raised. It was where his parents taught him about the horses and watched over the wild herds. He knew all about sustainable takes and how to control the population. This was not a venture to do anything but harm. Taking one horse, especially a healthy, reproductive male that would assist with the health of future generations, was detrimental at best. Infamed beast or not. Real or not. That horse deserved to be free.
Iruka’s gaze drifted across the fire. Iruka was wondering if the man was actually reading in the dark, or if he was merely pretending to in order to avoid conversation.
Without his hat to shadow him, the firelight danced on Kakashi’s face. It reflected off his hair and made him look like something from one of the stories Iruka’s father had told him before he passed away. One of the spirits that lived out in the plains and visited travelers for stories and hospitality. Kakashi’s eyes flickered up from the book he was reading and met Iruka’s. Iruka scowled at himself for getting caught staring.
“I know why Asuma came along. And I know why I brought Tenzou,”
“Yamato.”
“But why did we bring your brat brother, Asuma?” Kakashi broke eye contact with Iruka. Iruka felt his pulse start racing as his blood pressure rose. They weren’t that different age-wise.
“I’m sorry?” He started but Asuma cut him off, well aware of where this was heading.
“Iruka is the best rider around. He’s even better than you are.”
“Is he now?” Kakashi raised an eyebrow, “I guess he’d have to be, to ride three days straight… bareback.”
“I don’t like saddles. You lose the connection to the horse and it puts all of the pressure on them to trust you. That’s not fair. It’s all about communicating. Give and take.”
“I couldn’t agree more. But for long journeys, a saddle does make things easier.”
“And so does a tent.” Yamato pipped in, sensing this was heading nowhere fast.
“Maa, tents make you weak.”
“Not having to wake up to spiders does not make me weak. It makes me sane.”
“Well, you’re welcome to share my tent. Besides, Iruka loves to sleep under the stars.” Asuma smoothly said. Iruka sat up straight and narrowed his eyes at his brother.
Asuma met Iruka’s eyes and they held a clear message, “Don’t ruin this for me.” Iruka clicked his mouth shut audibly.
He’d get Asuma back for this. For all of this.
The following morning, Iruka made Asuma carry the tent.