Summary: Sometimes, desire can last for millennia. (Naruto x Sasuke)

Sasuke = Death, Naruto = War/chaos, Sakura = Famine, Sai = Pestilence

Warnings for this chapter: deaths of unnamed characters, implied HyuugaCest, implied NaruNejiHina

Author's note: I updated this chapter, changing the tone of the language to have more of the heavy imagery feel that I want for this story, but everything else is really pretty much the same so you don't need to reread it unless you feel like it. Full image from cover (which includes a kick-ass Sakura and Sai, but it didn't fit here!) is avail at /art/Naruto-The-Four-Horsemen-565211045 - or just search Lobstirrchwan on DA and search her gallery)

Chapter 1 - An Encounter with Death

Naruto stepped into the club. The moist, hot air from all the sweat-soaked bodies writhing on the dance floor swirled around him. The lighting was low, focused only dimly on the dance floor, leaving the corners conveniently dark. He glanced over towards the bar on his left, his electric blue eyes easily penetrating the smoky haze that hung over it.

The heavy base of the music pulsed through him, and he could feel the reverberations of the beat echoed in the motions of the dancers crowded together on the packed dance floor. He took a slow breath, feeling the heat, lust and adrenaline of the dancing crowd seep into his blood. It was amazing how similar the feel of lust for battle and lust for sex were. Though it had been many years since he'd drawn in the scent of a battle. But he didn't miss it. Especially not when he could just go to a club and feel the same heady rush.

Of course, there were others who enjoyed the club scene as well. Some for similar reasons, others different. He let his senses flare briefly over the crowd. He wasn't concerned about what he might find. Just curious. Clubs like these attracted all kinds. It was always good to know who was here with him.

He pulled his senses back almost instantly, closing himself off before anyone would be able to detect that he was anything other than the young, mortal human that he appeared to be.

Of course, he was none of those things: young, mortal, or human. There had been so many changes in the calendars of humans and the way they counted time that Naruto honestly had no idea how old he was, but he knew he was amongst the oldest living creatures in existence. His life predated even the oldest vampire, succubus or lycanthrope. Which didn't mean they couldn't hang, but they had to learn his ground rules.

There was only one other being he had met who was older than himself. But Naruto wouldn't think about Him. He hadn't see that man for over a thousand years. And the last time he had seen him…

An arrow of pain and longing shot through Naruto, never dulling even through so many centuries. He wondered why the memories had been plaguing him so much, recently. He'd gotten pretty good at repressing them as the centuries had passed. But somehow, over the past two weeks the memories that should have been buried in dust had resurfaced. Emotions he had long hoped dead were once again haunting his dreams, causing him to wake gasping, sheened with sweat in his bed.

Naruto walked over to the bar, ordering a Jack Daniels, neat. He had to be careful how much he drank. His powers required control. But he could drink enough to take the edge of memories that oceans of time had evidently done nothing to wash away. His gaze caught the light of the nearly full moon through one of the gritty club windows. The sight made him grimace, as it had for millennia. No, his memories had not been washed away.

After all, how can the ocean wash away the moon? Eons of push and pull between them, yet they never even touched. He smiled bitterly at the analogy.

For the first few centuries after Naruto had left, he had been careful, never spending too much time in a village. The years had been black, and desolate. Loneliness had almost consumed him. He roamed the continents, keeping his presence concealed as much as possible. He didn't have the control then that he had now, however, and occasionally chaos would erupt. But in those days, it would take years for news of a war in one part of the world to reach another. And by the time his three erstwhile companions would have heard about it, Naruto would be long gone. Not that he really thought they had been looking for him. The days of the Four Horsemen had been drawing to an end when he had left their group anyway. They might be called again someday, but for now, they had stepped back into the annals of history, falling into the legends that various civilizations had for them.

He didn't know if his companions were searching for him. If He was searching for him. Probably not. But if they were, Naruto didn't want to be found. They always said that people couldn't hide from Death forever. Naruto figured that a thousand years probably counted as close enough to 'forever' that he could claim victory there.

Naruto had answered to many names in his past. He had been called Ares, Indra, Onuris… countless names in countless legends throughout the course of history. Chaos. War. Just as his three original companions had had many names as well. Some called him a god, but he knew he wasn't. The legend of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse suited him best. They hadn't been gods. But they hadn't been mortals. He didn't really know what he was. Only that there were three other beings that were similar to him, but with different powers. And they had ridden under the direction of the one known as Death.

But that was long ago, from ages past. He finished his drink, setting it down with a sharp click on the smooth bar surface.

He would not think of them again tonight. Would not think about him.

He had spent the last millennium building new bonds, trying to find a place that felt like home. It was hard, though since the only place that had ever been home was… Naruto didn't let himself complete the useless, self-indulgent thought.

He was here to have a good time and relax. He turned toward his two companions, sensing their slight concern over his unusual mood. He gave a half-hearted smile to the beautiful woman with pale, silvery eyes as she slid her hand gently, sensually over his arm to rest on his shoulder, and signaled the bartender for another drink. He never discussed what it was that haunted him, and Hinata never asked.

"There are a couple of vampires," Naruto said casually to them.

Neji smirked. An incubus of over a thousand years, he had no fear of vampires. He and his sister were two of the oldest of their kind, though their bodies remained as perfect, young, and flawless as they day they were spawned. Neji's eyes rested appreciatively over the sight of Hinata and Naruto leaning together at the bar.

Like his sister, Neji fed off the lust and sexual arousal of others. But he also enjoyed the act itself, with certain partners. He and Hinata had brought Naruto to their bed centuries ago. What had begun as a simple one-night stand with what they had mistakenly identified as a helpless, though very attractive, mortal had turned into nearly three days of sex so intense that neither Neji nor Hinata had needed to feed again for a month. Of course, they had known by that time that Naruto was not mortal. It had been many years before he disclosed any of his past, but even then, there were large portions that Naruto never discussed.

Naruto's relationship with the Hyuugas had begun as purely physical. Naruto had inhuman stamina, as well as being more than pleasing of form with his tightly sculpted body, smooth, tan skin and golden hair. After their initial encounter, Naruto had left, assuming that the affair was over. When the siblings had found him next, it was at a festival in the village they had been staying in. It was then they realized that the blond had powers beyond what they had observed when they had met with him in private. He brought out an aggressive, almost animalistic lust in humans. Often directed at him, but many times just creating a general sense of lust and aggressiveness that was undirected. Fights would often break out, but the siblings paid less attention to that.

When Naruto controlled his powers completely, the fights didn't occur. But the lust seemed to be innate to his being, his wild, earthy nature somehow drawing on that element within humans. Centuries of human contact had only seemed to grow and deepen his pull on those around him. He had little interest in it, however. The lifespan of a human was so short, and he had quickly learned that to invest emotionally in one so fragile was to suffer heartbreak when they died so easily.

Neji's eyes met Hinata's. It was nights like this when they most feared that Naruto would leave them. The restless, unhappy look that dulled the usually bright, blue eyes. They knew it wouldn't be forever, as much as they would like it to be. Naruto had become more than just a casual lover to them. They both held deep affection for the being. He was the only one they had ever allowed to stay with them for more than a few nights.

They had an open relationship, though. There had been times when Naruto went home with others, and many more times where the Hyuugas brought back a different plaything, though Naruto never participated in those couplings. Neji had once as Naruto if he wanted a more exclusive relationship with them, something that was nearly unheard of for one of their kind, but Naruto had just smiled and declined. His soul, ancient and damaged as it was, already belonged to another. As he waded through oceans of time, that was one fact he had realized would never change. It was held by a man with a face like an angel, and eyes black as nightmares.

Hinata waited for Naruto to finish his third drink before pulling him out on the dance floor. The club was packed with young, attractive people looking to cut loose late on a Friday night. Neji watched as his sister led Naruto out into the sea of writhing bodies, her tight, black dress drawing eyes almost as much as her partner in his black jeans and black tank top. Neji ordered a drink himself, enjoying the sight as much as he enjoyed feeding from the admirers that the pair had already drawn. Eyes followed them hungrily as they moved sensually together, their perfect bodies pressed close, moving fluidly and powerfully in a way mere mortals could not.

Naruto smiled at Hinata. He enjoyed her company, as well as her brother's. They had kept him sane through the years, keeping him from crumbling in the aching abyss of loneliness that he had suffered when he had first set off on his own. He had never been a solitary creature. In a way, that had been his problem. He wanted bonds. He wanted...

Naruto felt a brush of consciousness against his mind... a slight pull, a soft calling.

He smirked. Stupid vampires. They never bothered to fully check before trying to compel someone they were attracted to. It was foolish and risky. Naruto sighed, feeling Neji step up behind him. He turned, allowing Hinata to move off and seek her prey for the evening. He ignored the vampire's call, hoping the creature would take the hint and re-evaluate its choice of food for the evening.

The next attempt was much more forceful, images of himself writhing in bed with a beautiful, redheaded vampire were pushed into his mind. He had to admit that the clarity and specificity of the images were very well done, indicating that the vampire was probably quite powerful. However, he wasn't interested. The coldness of vampires reminded him too much of the one he was trying to forget. He severed the connection, closing his mind completely. The vampire would feel the severance of the connection. That should send the signal that Naruto wasn't the helpless human prey she obviously had mistaken him for. If she had any sense of self-preservation, she would accept his rejection and move on.

Neji smirked, reading the slight flicker in Naruto's concentration. "Someone bothering you?"

It wasn't the first time that a vampire had tried to compel him into being their victim. Vampires might feed off blood, but they liked sex more than your average mortal. Of course, compared to an incubus, they were still sexual innocents. Naruto snorted. "Yeah. She isn't taking the hint."

"Let's give her a clear signal then, shall we?" Neji asked, grabbing Naruto's ass and grinding their pelvises together. Naruto laughed huskily as he saw Neji draw in a deep breath, feeding on the lustful gazes that were latched onto them.

"If you want her, you can take her," Naruto said, knowing that Neji did enjoy the flavor of vampire lust occasionally.

Neji opened his eyes, raising an eyebrow at Naruto. "You know I don't take your cast-offs," he said, his beautiful, silver eyes wide in mock-offense.

Naruto opened his mouth to make some sort of comment on that when a voice slammed into his mind. "Come."

Now Naruto was annoyed. He had let the vampire know in clear terms that he was not interested, and he was not human. And she still tried to use compulsion on him? He closed his eyes, opening his mind and briefly sending the sights, sounds, and scents of over a thousand years' worth of war streaming back to the being that was trying to force herself on him.

He heard a choked scream, and the sound of a body hitting the floor. Regardless of how old she was, no vampire could withstand the sheer volume of terror and violence that was contained in the depths of his mind. Neji raised an eyebrow at the look of annoyance on Naruto's face, and looked up to the mezzanine where the shriek had come from. Naruto didn't bother looking, but Neji saw a man with lavender hair staring at them with wide eyes. He could immediately tell that the man was also a vampire. The pale-haired man turned and seemed to be talking to someone else before looking down at the floor by his feet and laughing, presumably at the female vampire who had foolishly tried to compel Naruto.

Naruto closed off his mind again and walked over to the bar to order another drink. The evening was quickly becoming more trouble than it was worth. A fight broke out in the back of the club, and Naruto knew he had to tamp down on his anger or the club would erupt into total chaos. He grimaced at the thought, but he had more control now than he did in his younger years. He wouldn't let it escalate.

Neji was about to turn away when the vampire's companion appeared. The vampire was still laughing, pointing down at the floor where the female vampire presumably was still unconscious. Neji stilled as he looked at the second man. His skin was pale enough to be a vampire's but Neji could tell that he wasn't. He wasn't human either, though. Neji watched as the two men spoke briefly, one laughing, the other still and serious. The vampire pointed over to where Naruto was standing at the bar. A man had evidently decided to try his luck on the annoyed-looking blond, leaning in to Naruto and running his hand suggestively over the small of Naruto's back. Normally, this would have drawn Neji's interest, but there was something about the companion of the vampire that made Neji nervous, a feeling he didn't often get.

The man's eyes locked on Naruto, and for the first time emotion appeared on the pale, perfect face. The lights in the club flickered. All over the club, people started to collapse onto the floor. Neji turned, looking to find Hinata and was relieved to see that she was already making her way towards him, her eyes also fixed on the two men on the mezzanine.

The man who had been standing next to Naruto with his hand resting on the small of the blond man's back hit the ground hard and didn't move a muscle. Not even his heart. Naruto stared at the man for a moment before slowly turning and looking up.

To a face he hadn't seen in over a thousand years. A face like an angel. With eyes black as nightmares.

Death had found him.

-xXx-

to be continued...

Note: Next chapter will be posted from Sasuke's perspective