Hallo all and welcome to the show!
Just a warning, this first chapter has no Sakura in it, but if you stick around I promise lots of Sakuray goodness. Also, this story deals with male on male activities, nothing explicit though, just implied, so watch where you step.
This takes place in ancient Rome, and I know that the names are going to sound weird because they're obviously very Japanese. And although I don't generally write with these pairings, I wanted to write a Roman fic and they were pretty easy choices to work with.
I don't own any of the following characters and have never claimed to.
Two guards, built like bulls and just as savage, shoved the last prisoner into the stumbling crowd of confused and broken villagers with excessive force, causing the blonde man to slam onto the muddy ground with a splash. He clumsily stood after a hard blow to his ribs and multiple shouts to get up, tripping over his own feet as he attempted to catch his breath for just a second. He flipped his golden locks out of his face and blinked furiously, focusing on only the broad back of the man in front of him to prevent from tripping over once again.
The rain pelted tender skin, bruised and burned after the merciless pillaging that occurred just minutes ago. Everything happened so fast, one minute utmost silence and peace and the next a burning inferno that forced everyone out of their homes with only the clothes on their backs for protection. Naruto had been sleeping, as was the entire village, and was shocked to wake to a chorus of shrieks filled with terror and death. Needless to say, his brain was still trying to catch up with his body, which was burned badly on his left while blood stained his soaked white shirt from the painful slash on his cheek, compliments of one of the many ruthless soldiers that now kicked and whipped them to keep walking.
"No halting!" a voice shouted from somewhere to Naruto's right, followed by the stinging kiss of a metal tipped whip that left a gruesome gash across his right shoulder blade. At first he felt only the shock, as if electrocuted, from the thin leather and yelped not out of pain but surprise. Then the burning set in and it was unbearable, like a stream of fire right under the surface of his skin, worsened by the punishment of the angry rain as it lodged icy needles into the open wound. Only his fear of being hit again kept him from falling to his knees and stopping where he stood, instead choosing to push his heavy legs to keep going despite his body's constant complaining for rest.
Just keep going, we'll stop soon enough. Don't stop yet. Can't stop yet…
"Your Majesty, the soldiers sent to gather more slaves have returned and request that you see them for inspection."
The young ruler lifted his pale face from the book that he was so engrossed in, black bangs ominously shielding his onyx eyes from view. He silently stood from his throne and swiftly, but with the grace of a feline and just as sleek, passed the messenger and exited the massive room to go to the lower quarters of the palace without uttering a single word. The guard swallowed hard, worried about the deadly air that surrounded the preserved Caesar that afternoon. He was generally a very fair and kind ruler, but when something disturbed him he was known for lashing out very suddenly and with much blood spilt.
The Caesar, with his threatening presence sensed throughout the entire palace, stormed through the bright marble halls like a shadow, bursting through the slave keep's doors with obvious impatience. He stood in the high doorway, scanning the room slowly with keen eyes. He already began to pick out and group the weak from the strong, the attractive from the ugly, and unconsciously snarled in disgust at the group of sniveling, filthy slaves. He couldn't help but raise an amused brow at one man though, a blonde with a muscular body and sharp features that glared defiantly among the terrified glances that were shot at him.
He immediately knew that he would have fun with this one.
"Take them all to the slave quarters, separate the sick from the strong," he commanded in a soft but stern voice to the guards, lips barely moving and gaze locked on the fascinating blonde. They began to herd them deeper into the quarters when he stopped them with a nearly inaudible halt. "You," he stated simply while pointing to Naruto, "and you, come with me." The second man, with a more disheveled look and wide, daring eyes, stared stupidly at the pale man before hesitantly stepping forward to take his place next to the blonde, who continued to stare at the emperor with a look of utmost disdain. A thin smile crossed the ruler's colorless lips, but was gone as soon as it appeared. "Come," he said quietly, beckoning them to follow him.
They walked a little behind, wary of the mysterious man that seemed to hold a certain power over everyone. Naruto examined his companion more closely now that they were alone, surprised at how young he appeared to be. Well, no older than himself. He had messy chocolate brown hair, giving him a more ragged appearance than he already held, with hard, squinted eyes that had a very animalistic look to them. They were filled with mistrust, and who could blame him, but also a touch of what seemed to be fear, though he tried hard to hide it. He was taller than Naruto by a few inches, and was slightly lankier, but still quite muscular.
"What are your names?" a silky voice interrupted his thoughts, making him start slightly. He looked forward, taking in the raven haired man dressed in deep purple robes that glided on the floor behind him as he leisurely led them through the immense halls. Light flooded in from the high windows, bathing them in warmth and reflecting off the marble floors and walls, blinding the two dirty men a bit as they nervously followed the quiet man who gave all the orders. Then Naruto remembered that he had been asked for his name, and dumbly blurted his out without thinking, "Naruto," then shut his eyes tight and mentally slapped himself for being so easily controlled by this man, whom he immediately swore to never give into simply because he was the authority, the one that tore him from his normal life and dragged him here. So much for rebelling.
The raven glanced back only momentarily, eyebrow raised at the peculiarity of the name, before snapping his gaze to the second man. The scruffy man kept his head down, either purposely refusing to speak or too spaced out to have heard the request. The Caesar stopped abruptly, surprising the two shadows following him from the suddenness of it all. He turned slowly, intrigued by the flinch that he got as he crept close to the unnamed slave. Naruto swallowed and bit his bottom lip out of habit, unsure of what the ghost of a man was planning on doing and not sure whether he should be worried or not.
The Caesar stopped just inches from the silent man, who preferred to keep his gaze locked on the floor than meet the emperor's eyes. A single, slim finger gently touched the man's chin and lifted his face so the raven could get a good look at the filthy face that caught his eye only moments before. He tensed at first, but gave in after a while and allowed the slender finger to detach his stare from his boots to meet the patient, onyx eyes that bored into him. He stared at the Caesar with a pouty look, almost pleading to let him be, and had to stop himself from reeling back when a white thumb brushed dirt from the corner of his mouth, hovering over his cracked lips for a few seconds before dropping back down to his side. "Your name," the Caesar whispered smoothly and sweetly, coaxing the man to open up to him.
He noticed the man's jaw clench tightly in thought and barely caught the name that hastily left his mouth like a sigh of defeat. "Kiba," he breathed then averted his gaze back down, not wanting to be read by those black eyes any longer. The Caesar smiled and gently, always gently, guided Kiba's shy eyes back up to look into his with the slightest help of his slender hand on the man's cheek.
"Is there something more interesting on the ground that I've not been noticing, or are you just refusing to look at me," the Caesar half teased, half demanded in that same sweet voice. He didn't want to leave these precious specimen too frightened to look at him after all, not yet anyways. He had plenty of time for that later, when they become better acquainted. He laughed quietly at his own cleverness, brushed Kiba's hair back affectionately, and turned back to continue walking to wherever he was leading them, this time letting silence reign over the group and smirking deviously to himself for what was to come.
They were led into a massive room, with walls that were decorated in various shades of satin and intricate carvings of lions in the gold trim high on the marble walls. This room was less lit, with only a single ceiling opening to let light filter in and cast a warm glow in the room. There were, however, lanterns lit along the wall, giving the room a faint light that never wavered. There was a large bath, big enough for five, in the center of the room, with steam dancing on the water's surface like erotic figures. Surrounding it were many different sorts of exotic oils and flowers to give the room a wonderfully heady scent. There were also many clean, white robes folded neatly and ready to wear around the edges of the bath. The two slaves examined the room with wide eyes, having never seen anything nearly as extravagant in their respective villages. The Caesar walked to the bath's edge and leisurely swirled his hand in the clear water, smiling invitingly at the two filthy slaves.
"Please, if you are to stay in any part of this palace you must at least be kept decent," the raven said in a voice as smooth as the water his hand caressed.
"You wish us to strip now?" Kiba asked in a tentative voice.
"Well I do not expect you to bath with your garments on, unless you would prefer to stay as filthy as you are," he answered in a distant tone, as if he was wishing to be elsewhere, though that was far from true. He wanted them to be clean, of course, but also wanted to inspect the men that he chose, making sure that they did not disappoint when it came to their physique.
And so they stripped, slowly at first, embarrassed and unwilling to be nude in front of other men, but soon gave up and stripped completely before slipping into the water's warm embrace with content sighs. The Caesar watched them both with hungry eyes, drinking in every curve, every muscle and imperfection that adorned their bodies. He was not disappointed at all, but shivering with excitement at his choices.
Without hesitation, he slipped out of his heavy velvet robes and slid into the water between the two men on the edge, who eyed him wearily and kept their distance, though being discreet about it. The Caesar smirked at this and beckoned Kiba to him with a pale arm. "Come to me," he said sternly, not taking no for an answer and saying so with his hard black eyes. Kiba took in a deep breath but did as he was told, scooting closer to the pale man with a careful look, almost cautious. When he was in arms reach, the gap was closed by the emperor and he ran a tender hand down Kiba's face, rubbing off the dirt and grime as he did so.
"Do you know who I am?" he asked quietly, but loud enough for Naruto to hear, who had been watching the whole scene with a worried expression. True, he didn't realy know Kiba, but he was worried something would happen to him just the same, as with the many people who were killed brutally by the soldiers "escorting" them the entire way here. Besides, if anything bad were to happen to his fellow village man, then he would surely be next to suffer the same fate.
Kiba shook his head, though he had a feeling in the pit of his stomach that this man was of utmost importance. Naruto listened intently to the exchange, aware that these words were also meant for his ears. "I am the Caesar, the ruler and emperor of the land that you call home, if you had yet to put the pieces together yourself," he said in a matter-of-factly tone. Kiba's eyes widened in disbelief but quickly squinted back into their cynical norm.
"It is an honor, great Caesar," Kiba said in a clear voice for the first time, bowing his head to lay a light kiss on the pale hand in front of him.
Sasuke grinned with delight, glad that his slaves were choosing to be compliant. Well, one of them was anyways, but he would find out about the other soon…
"Come here, Naruto," he said, testing the strange name for the first time and loving how it rolled off his tongue. The blond stood, leaving his sculpted torso exposed to the air, and slowly made his way to Sasuke, stopping inches away from him with that daring glint still in his eyes, though it was concealed behind fake adoration.
"My lord?" he said in an innocent voice. Oh yes, he was going to have fun breaking this one in, it was clear from the way he challenged his authority, even if he pretended to be willing and ready to obey. If there was one thing Sasuke loved about being Caesar, it was breaking the rebellious down so they were crawling at his feet, adoring him and accepting that no one could resist his rule, no matter how strong they were.
Sasuke grabbed a cloth from behind him and dipped it into the scented water, never breaking eye-contact with the blond. He slowly reached up to the bronze face in front of him, cloth in hand, and began to scrub away the filth that covered his perfectly tanned skin. Slowly, the film of dirt gave way to reveal Naruto's true face, young and resilient, ready to take on any that challenge him. Sasuke smiled inwardly, for he had indeed chosen the most beautiful men this reaping had to offer. Naruto had just stood there, unmoving as the Caesar scrubbed away his imperfections and keeping an unreadable look plastered on his face the entire time.
"Lean back so I may dunk your head," Sasuke said softly as he began to guide the blond back by his broad shoulders. He complied, allowing him to dunk his head only long enough so that he could scrub the unwanted soot and grime from his luscious golden locks. He swiftly brought his head back up and swept his dripping hair out of those endless ocean-blue eyes, then stared dreamily into them, losing himself in the sea that was held in this man's orbs. "Kiss me," he whispered steamily, earning a look of disgust from the blond.
"I would ne-" he started in protest, but was immediately interrupted when Sasuke grabbed a handful of blond hair and yanked it back, causing his back to arch and his neck to snap backwards with it.
Sasuke moved in closer and lowered his lips to Naruto's throat, smirking against the soft, fragrant skin. "You will learn to do what I say," he muttered against the length of his throat, causing him to shudder uncontrollably, all the way up to his strong jaw, where he stopped and started kissing lightly until he reached the corner of his mouth. "I would hate to see what happens to you if you don't do otherwise," he warned and pulled back, releasing the handful of hair that he previously gripped.
Sasuke tapped his own lip lightly, signifying that he still expected that kiss. Naruto glared at him angrily and growled low in his throat, but moved in to close the gap nonetheless, mouth tightly shut, leaving the kiss chaste and uneventful. Sasuke grinned against his lips and snaked his arm between the two so he could pinch one of Naruto's nipples, causing him to jump and open his mouth in protest. Sasuke took advantage of the opportunity and delved deep into his warm mouth with an eager tongue, tasting him from the inside and breathing in his musky scent. Naruto, against his will and to his utter disbelief, moaned into the kiss and started to respond back with his own fervor. Then just as he started to enjoy the close contact and heated exchange, he was pushed back with a light shove. He blinked stupidly at the ruler, who smirked knowingly with that snotty superior look that nobles gave to the lower class. Naruto instantly went back to hating him, and hating himself for giving in yet again, allowing this man to control him without him even noticing then giving him that I'm better than you are, because you are weak look.
Gods he hated that look.
Naruto continued to fume as he watched the Caesar do the same to Kiba, who had learned from his predecessor to not resist. And even as he requested a kiss from the feral man, smirking against his lips probably, Naruto knew he was still enjoying the fact that he was able to seduce him into doing what he told him. And how right he was, because there was nothing that Sasuke loved more than controlling those who resist.
After the Caesar had showed them to their room, told them that they were guests and that they needn't worry and left with nothing more than a goodnight, they saw no more of him. It was as if he vanished completely from the palace itself because they heard nothing, no news or greetings, and were only visited when they were given food to eat and cleaning materials with fresh clothes. Not even the guards, who stood dutifully by the doors all day and night, said nothing, not even the slightest noise. For all they knew, the guards were nothing more than statues that they only saw when a visitor came in to give them basic supplies to live.
They were put in a massive room, like all the rest, with a high ceiling that had sunlight shining in from above. There were lamps also, of course, and the floor was generously decorated with pillows bigger than one's body and satin sheets, all rich colors that made the floors seem like they were bleeding wine. Then in the middle of the room was a low table that you had to sit down to eat at, and this area was raised slightly from the rest of the room. There wasn't much to do on their free time, which was all the time, but they had been given access to a supply of books, stored in a bookshelf on one of the fair ends of the room. There was also a harp in one corner of the room, but it was never played due to a lack of people able to navigate around its harmonious strings.
Oh, and they were not alone in these quarters. When the two arrived, clean and aware of the Caesar's intentions for them, they were met by many others, whom they assume are used for the same purpose as them. There were three other men, handsome much like themselves with a lazy look in their bored eyes as they briefly glance at the newcomers. There is also one girl, with strange white eyes, that shies away from the others. They had been introduced by the Caesar briefly but were otherwise just dumped in there with the rest and told to get to know each other.
With so much on their hands nowadays, getting to know one another was the first thing they set out to do. When dinner was served that night, and the dinner was actually quite decent compared to what they were expecting, they asked questions about the others and answered those that were shot at them.
"My name is Hidan," the man said as he shoved his hand out to be shaken. Kiba gave him a curious look, tilting his head to one side as he examined the rather strange man. He had bright silver hair, slicked back neatly away from his face. He had a somewhat thin face, pale and handsome. His most notable feature was without a doubt his mouth, never stopping once as he spewed out words a mile a minute, and also permanently held in a crooked grin that gave him a mischievous look, always planning something new.
"Naruto," the blond replied and took his hand in his own tan one. He was surprised at how firm the other's shake was, despite his somewhat fragile appearance.
"Kiba," the other said and also shook his outstretched hand.
Hidan's grin widened, "Well it's always great to have more company! Come on, I'll show you around." He maneuvered behind them and threw an arm around each of their wide shoulders, ushering them deeper into the room towards a man, or boy would be a better term, with shocking red hair that lay on his side while reading a book on one of the many cushions. He didn't look up to see who was approaching them, and only acknowledge them with the slightest tilt of his head.
"This little bugger is Gaara, the youngest out of all of us and will only ever talk to you to tell you to stop talking. Good man though, doesn't bother you when you want time to yourself," Hidan gave Gaara a friendly smile once he finally decided to sit up and address his observers with light, almost translucent eyes with a thick rim of what they could only guess was kohl, though it was strange to see men wearing it in Rome. Obviously he wasn't from around here; it was clear from his face. He was slightly more exotic than the rest, with wide almond shaped eyes that seemed innocent enough, but held a more disapproving glint in them. His features were soft, almost feminine. He certainly did look young, more so than anyone else, and couldn't be a day older than 18.
"New ones," he stated, more to himself than anyone else, in a deep voice that didn't match his boyish body at all.
"Profound of you to notice," Hidan drawled, sarcasm dripping from his voice. Gaara scowled and lay back down to continue reading, deciding that they no longer interested him. Hidan rolled his eyes and pushed them along, away from the slender boy who seemed too engrossed in his book to pay them any mind. "Don't mind him," Hidan urged in a hushed tone, "he just takes some time to warm up to. Plus he doesn't really talk much, even to us, so it is a bit tricky to get to know him, but he's a good kid nonetheless."
"We never did get to tell him our names," Kiba said with brows knit.
Hidan waved it off, "Don't worry, I'm sure he overheard us from before. He pays more attention to what's going around him than he lets off," he explained in a nonchalant tone.
They continued walking across the sea of cushions and silk, stopping a foot or so away from a man with long, silky black hair that fell in waves down his back. His head perked up when he heard their light footsteps and his face tilted upwards towards the faint sunlight that filtered in.
"You're getting worse and worse with your attacks, Hidan," he spoke clearly in a deep baritone.
"Not today Neji, I'm just giving our new mates a tour of the place," Hidan explained with a widening grin. Neji turned around and stared at them with a blank look in his white pupils. Naruto and Kiba were shocked by the beauty held in those knowing eyes. Little did they know that he wasn't staring at them, but past them into a black void that went on endlessly.
Neji smiled faintly and shook his head, "Please do not be disturbed, I am simply blind," he confessed while gesturing to his eyes, knowing all too well that his gaze was unnerving them. Hell, it even creeped the others out at times and they were fully aware of his predicament. The two men relaxed at hearing that, feeling a little silly for not realizing it sooner from his empty, clear orbs. "Hidan here finds it amusing to try and sneak up on me when he suspects that I am preoccupied," he continued with a chuckle, "but little does he know that I have extraordinary senses to compensate for my lack of sight."
"I know damn well what you can sense, which is what makes it the more challenging," Hidan huffed with a pout. "Neji here has sharpened his senses to catch even the minutest of sounds or smells, and is more than capable of maneuvering around without any help. Though he sometimes enjoys using his handicap as an excuse to get people to do things for him, lazy bastard," Hidan snarled playfully, nudging said bastard with an elbow. "It doesn't help that the Caesar gives him special treatment, thinking that he is so fragile that he can't even clothe himself," Hidan went on jealously, "although he can surely take out any of the guards with frightening ease."
Neji turned his head down somewhat shamefully, "You praise me too highly Hidan," he muttered with a smile.
Hidan rolled his eyes and moved back to Kiba's side, "Well this one here is Kiba," he stopped to slap Kiba's shoulder good naturedly, "and the other's Naruto. Better get used to them because from what I hear they're the Caesar's new favorites!"
Neji grabbed a ripe peach from the nearby table, inhaling its sweet scent before taking a timid bite into its furry exterior. "Weren't we all at one time?" he mused quietly and licked the dripping nectar from the corner of his mouth. "Good to meet you, Naruto and Kiba," he said in a cheerful tone and went back to savoring his precious fruit.
"Everyone here seems so… content," Kiba said as they walked away to meet the timid girl that occupied herself with something in the far corner of the room.
"That's because we are!" Hidan exclaimed gleefully. "The food is good, the water fresh, the winters warm and the summers pleasant. What more could man ask for?" He looked dreamily up into the sky for a bit then sighed and continued walking to towards the shy girl.
"Hinata, my dear!" Hidan yelled as he approached, causing the poor girl to start and scratch an ugly line across the paper she had been writing so carefully on. She sighed in defeat and set the crinkly material down along with the feather pan she had been delicately using to stand and greet the obnoxious man with a small smile. Hidan moved towards her with his arms outstretched and embraced her in a friendly hug, turning around to grin to his followers while keeping a long arm draped over the girls small shoulders. "Hinata, meet Naruto and Kiba, our new roommates," he said in his booming voice, which was far too loud for such close encounters.
"H-hello," he stuttered quietly with a blush creeping along her plump cheeks. She had the same eyes as Neji, and Naruto immediately wondered if she, too, was blind, but then remembered that she had been writing before so it was impossible.
"Are you related, you and Neji?" Naruto inquired thoughtfully, noticing the striking resemblance between the two. She also had his silky black hair, but hers seemed to look almost dark blue as the faint sunlight hit it. She looked young, innocent and pure like the plain white robes that draped over her slender body.
"Yes," she replied in the same timid tone," He, well we are-"
"They're cousins, captured and brought together," Hidan interrupted with the same dirty grin splitting his face. "The Caesar picked just Neji originally, but he refused to leave this little kitten alone in the evil hands of those slave drivers, insisting that he needed her to guide him through this labyrinth of a palace, which is of course a total lie. Still, the Caesar doesn't hold it against him, since Hinata has made it up to his majesty quite enough from what I hear." Upon hearing these words, Hinata's blush deepened into a dark crimson color and she refused to meet the eyes of her new companions.
Naruto and Kiba stared at her incredulously, refusing to believe that someone as angelic as her could take part in any form of degrading acts, such as those expected from a harem, which is what the two realized they were part of after a while. The thought had dawned on them when they were forced to strip in front of the Caesar and kiss him, but for some reason it didn't really set in until they arrived at the harem quarters.
"Wait, from what I see the Caesar only really likes are guys," Kiba objected in confusion, "so why did he take you in?" He was addressing Hinata, who gave up on trying to shrink into the floor to avoid any further embarrassment.
Hidan jumped in to answer for her, all too eager to keep the newcomers entertained. "The Caesar prefers men, but has no objections when it comes to women. Though it is not uncommon, from what I've heard, for great rulers. It's not love or anything, only wild and savage sex," he went on with a shrug, oblivious to Hinata's dangerously reddening cheeks, "and you don't need to be so gentle when it comes to men." He crossed his arms proudly over his chest, satisfied with his reasoning behind it all. "But for those days when our lord wants the soft caress of a woman, he has Hinata over here get the job done instead," Hidan pointed a thumb in Hinata's direction with a crooked smile on his face.
Just when Hinata thought she could take no more humiliation, Hidan always managed to find a way to make things even more awkward. And to her greatest relief, dinner was brought in just as he was about to continue with his blatant sex stories about her, saving her from dying of shame. She smiled awkwardly at the three of them and quickly made her way next to Neji, who had already begun to tear off a piece of warm bread for himself.
Hidan gave the two of them a close-lipped smile and placed his hands on his hips. "Well that's all of them," he breathed with finality and walked over to his respective end of the table to sit.
The food was good, though the fruit was bruised and the meat slightly overcooked. It seemed that they got the undesired choices when it came to the meals, the food that was not worthy of being given to his majesty. It was only barely flawed, and still quite delectable, especially compared to what the other slaves were being fed. That was another reason they were given it, to remind them they were indeed still slaves, even if given better privileges that the others. Kiba and Naruto dug into the meat ferociously, having just realized how hungry they were after not being properly fed for some time now. The others watched in amusement, idly nibbling on various pieces of food out of boredom more so than hunger.
"So what did you do before you were taken into slavery?" Neji asked thoughtfully, catching the two men's attention away from their meal for a second. Naruto swallowed his half-chewed piece of meat and grinned, showing off an array of bright teeth aligned neatly in his mouth.
"I was a man of the sea," he stated proudly, running a hand through his sun bleached hair. "I came home from a rather long voyage one day, exhausted, and woke up to find my small village burning down," he sighed and smiled sadly at them. "Even now, I want nothing more than to be back out at sea, where my true home is."
Kiba gave him a sympathetic look and wiped his mouth to tell his story. "I was a hunter, taking down anything from a squirrel to a bear," he said with a puff of his chest. "I was out in the woods one day, tracking down a rather sneaky little wolf that kept eating the local crops, and accidently shot an arrow through a band of soldiers. They immediately snatched me up and started beating on me, lashing at me with their damn whips. Next thing I know, I'm being forced into the crowd and dragged all the way out here for 'assaulting authorities'," he sneered with a wrinkle of his nose. "I just hope they didn't hurt my dogs, because that would be unforgivable."
Gaara raised a nonexistent eyebrow at the two, showing real interest in them for the first time that day. "A hunter and a sailor, what are the odds?" he said in that same low voice that he always did. He absently bit into an orange slice, letting the juices drip down onto his white robe where it stained it slightly. "I was once a bard, entertaining everyone from lords and nobles to those that passed me on the street. I was doing quite well on my own until the Caesar saw me performing at a banquet one evening and took a liking to me," he said in a distant voice, as if his mind was elsewhere. Everyone looked at him in surprise, not expecting him to explain his past since he rarely ever talked about it. Maybe he was just in an exceptionally good mood that evening.
Hidan took the silence as his turn to speak, and did so in his overly cocky voice. "I was a priest," he declared with pride, much to Kiba and Naruto's shock, "and one evening I was told that someone of great importance was coming to our temple, but was never told it was the Caesar himself, so thought little of it." He leaned back against the wall and rested his hands on his stomach, looking to the stars as he told his story. "So the Caesar comes in the middle of my sermon, much to my pleasant surprise, and watches me patiently from one of the back benches. I was nervous, of course, and started to trip over my words, which amused the Caesar greatly, I could tell from his lazy grin," he grimaced at the memory and shook his head. "Anyways, he approached me later that day, requesting that I come back to Rome with him and act as his personal guider, saying that his current one passed away just days ago due to old age. I accepted, of course, and travelled back here with him.
"So one day he calls me to his private quarters, explaining that something was troubling him. I went, expecting nothing more than an in depth conversation, and received much more… physically speaking," he grinned mischievously at just the thought of it, looking straight at the two newest members through hooded eyes. "He made the move on me, and not the other way around, but who am I to refuse his advances?" he pouted at them with mock innocence. "He thoroughly ruined my priestmanship that night, and I don't regret it one bit."
Naruto shifted uncomfortably in his seat, and was glad to have the silver haired man's stare averted to Kiba when he spoke up. "Sp you are a very religious man still, no?"
"Oh yes, of course," Hidan replied quickly while nodding his head in approval. "You don't simply turn your back on religion when it was your sole purpose in life for so long. I simply view it a bit differently nowadays is all, with a more open mind," he waved his hands in the air in emphasis and shot a grin at Neji. "But I'm sure Neji here has much more interesting tale to tell."
Neji sighed and closed his eyes in thought, opening them once again but seeing nothing when he found the words to say. "I was a monk, living high in the mountains and training my body and mind. I was born blind, you see, and taken in by the monks when I was just a baby, found at the foot of the mountains after a rather gruesome massacre of my village. They raised me, taught me their ways and accepted me as one of their own. It was only when I left to venture off, as so many others do, that I met Hinata, shivering and dying in the streets. She recognized me from my eyes, which share a resemblance to hers, and stopped me as I was about to leave the town for good. I found out that she was my blood, separated after the massacre and left lonely and poor after her father died from sickness. Together we travelled, living off of various jobs that were given to us by locals and moving on to the next town. This is how we lived until we were stopped one day, taken into slavery by Roman soldiers and dragged here. And, well, you know the rest."
Naruto listened intently, amazed at the variety of the group, pulled together by a single factor. "But why would you be taken if you had done nothing wrong?" the blond asked with knitted brows.
Neji shrugged, "I suppose we were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time."
At least a week had passed and still no sign of the Caesar, but when Naruto questioned Hidan about this he simply waved a hand and said that it was always like that. Apparently, the Caesar was off on business quite often, and when he came home, worn and stressed, he turned to them to make things better.
Well the Caesar was home again, and he made himself known to his precious harem.
He barged into the doorway, as demanding as ever, and immediately pointed to Naruto and Kiba. "You," he said in his sinister voice, "Come with me. It's about time I test out my new toys."
And so they went, following obediently with their stomachs in knots. They hadn't heard anything bad about the Caesar when it came to his "activities," but they hadn't heard much good about it either. Actually, they can't remember being told much of anything when it came to what he actually did with you behind his bedroom doors.
They passed through many hallways, almost all identical to each other, and stopped in what could only be his private quarters. Their bare feet were freezing against the cool marble and stone that adorned the palace floor, and there was a breeze tearing through their cotton robes, which left half of their chests and a good portion of their legs uncovered and vulnerable to the elements. The pale Caesar told his guards to stand down and leave them undisturbed as he closed the door to his room, which was brightly lit from the open balcony that allowed light to flood in.
The two men, unsure on what to do, stood stiffly by the balcony, watching the Caesar move around his room and collect or move various items as though there was no one there at all but him. He wore a simple beige robe, lined with sparkling gold trim that glittered as he moved and shimmered in the sunlight. It contrasted greatly with his pitch black hair, which was hastily slicked back in a spiky mess with his bangs falling loose over his eyes as they usually did, giving him a much more mysterious presence. There was always some uncertainty towards those whose eyes you couldn't see, especially when they held the power to do whatever they wanted.
The two were snapped out of their thoughts by his harsh voice, "Strip, and wait on the bed while I get something." A simple enough command to follow, but one that made their stomachs flip. Neither had ever slept with a man, or even thought of it, and were worried with what the ruler planned on doing with them. They awkwardly stripped, leaving their clothes in white lumps on the floor as they made their way towards the generous bed. It was big, much too big for one person, but there would be more than just a single person on it today, so it was no problem.
Sasuke came back in with his robe hanging loosely on his hips, leaving his well toned torso exposed. He held oil in one hand and began to pour some in his free hand with hooded eyes, eyes red with lust. He placed the bottle on a bedside table and rubbed it slowly between his hands, sniffing deeply to capture the heavy lavender scent it let off. He looked up at the two fidgeting men with playful eyes, "Lavender."
He rubbed the oil sensually over his chest, moaning softly as it relaxed his overworked muscles and left an intoxicating scent on his skin. He paused only momentarily to look at his audience, who watched with wide eyes, and give another command. "Kiss each other, make a good show," he said in a low voice.
And so they did, with eyes pinched closed and noses wrinkled. They heard Sasuke make a sound of disapproval somewhere to the side and where caught off guard when his cold hands snaked their way between them, pulling them apart. He stood in front of them and pushed back on their chest so they moved farther onto the bed, which he climbed into after they were far enough. He eyes them like a lion does a deer, which hungry eyes and a wicked smile.
"Don't you remember how to do it?" he asked mockingly. "Then I suppose I must teach you again," and grabbed Kiba fiercely to smash his lips to the others, forcing his mouth open with a greedy tongue that explored every inch of his warm cave. Kiba groaned into the kiss and wrapped his hands around Sasuke to grab a handful of messy black hair.
Naruto could only watch with a cringe, unwilling to give himself up so easily. When Sasuke broke the kiss and turned with hazy eyes to study Naruto, who automatically shot back his daring glare, he shuddered in excitement and moved across the bed to meet his blond beauty. He ran a hand over the tanned chest and made his way up to fist a handful of golden hair. "You are truly beautiful," he whispered in a husky voice against Naruto's soft skin and pulled him into a kiss.
Naruto played along at first, allowing the raven's tongue to explore his mouth hungrily before biting down on the slimy appendage, earning a yelp of pain from the Caesar. He jumped away in surprise and touched his bleeding tongue with wide eyes, trying to understand what just happened. Naruto was smirking at him with daring eyes, sending him over the edge in a rage. He lashed out to deliver a crippling blow to the blonds face, causing him to fall backwards. Sasuke quickly pounced, straddling him and yanking Naruto's head back with a tight grip on his hair.
"I can just as easily ruin your pretty looks," he growled inches away from the Naruto's shocked face. Kiba sat up abruptly and tried to register what was going on, blinking wildly in confusion. Sasuke pulled out a small blade from God knows where and sliced a thin line across Naruto's cheek, leaving a flow of crimson blood to drip onto the sheets below and causing him to yell out in pain. The line went from his right temple to his chin and refused to stop bleeding, obscuring his vision where the blood flowed into his eyes.
"Don't test me, because I can assure you that a death by my hand will be much more painful than anything you could imagine," Sasuke seethed angrily. He bent down and slowly dragged his tongue against the gushing wound, keeping Naruto's head still with a hard yank of his hair, surely pulling out more than a few strands. He stopped abruptly and crashed his mouth to Naruto's once again, shoving his tongue deep into the other's mouth. Naruto could taste his own blood, like traces of metal on the man's tongue, and held absolutely still as his mouth was ravaged.
"You will learn to love me," Sasuke whispered in the blond's ear after breaking the kiss, tickling his lobe with the soft caress of his lips. "You will either learn or die, your choice." Naruto could only grit his teeth as he was more or less permanently ruined, and buried his head in the pillow after it all when the Caesar was too exhausted to keep his eyes open a second longer. Hot tears of shame and humiliation soaked the deep red satin pillows, and his stifled sobs were only heard by Kiba, who watched him with pity filled eyes. He laid a calloused hand on the bronze back and soothingly rubbed back and forth until the sobs were nothing more than whimpers, and later silence altogether.
They were ordered away the next morning, led back to their room with nothing but their disheveled robes. The others gave them curious looks, knowing all too well what they spent their day doing while they were away. That morning when breakfast was served, Naruto stayed silent and simply sat there, moving only to take an occasional bite out of a slice of fruit or to sip his sweet wine. Kiba kept glancing over to him with worried eyes, unsure if he should comfort him or just let it be. He quite enjoyed his time with the Caesar, but he was willing to bite down his pride unlike his rebellious counterpart.
Naruto earned many strange looks from the others due to the large slash down his cheek, which had only just started to heal, and the bruises that adorned his face and shoulders. He also had a rather nasty wound in the junction of his next where he was bitten by Sasuke in the heat of their activities, and the skin had more or less been torn off completely, leaving an angry wound in its place. The others know how the Caesar could get, having been there for some time now, and were more than just a little curious about how things went on Naruto's side. They refrained from saying anything, however, since the man had completely shut himself off from the rest of the world. When it came to eating or bathing, he had to be urged by either Hidan or Neji, and the occasional Kiba, to get up and moving. Even then, he only made a minimal effort to perform simple tasks then went back to his corner, left with only his thoughts.
Hinata would watch him with troubled eyes, wanting nothing more than to talk to him but never building up the courage to get up and do it. If there was one thing she hated about herself, it was how weak she was. Never having enough courage to speak up for herself or stand for what she believes in, and a little piece of her dies whenever she finds herself too frightened or shy to do something, which is more often than not.
Naruto glared at the dancing flame on the wall, letting his hatred for the Caesar simmer dangerously deep in his chest. He would never be able to forgive the raven no matter what he did, no matter what the retribution. His body had been permanently soiled by the evil that was embodied in that man's soul. He felt empty, broken, and worthless, like an empty shell compared to what he was before. The days blurred together for him despite the encouragement from the others, which is all he had to keep going really. Without them he probably would just rot away in the corner, never moving from that spot.
How did the others do it? How could they just accept that they were being used without any thought, any feeling at all? And then it dawned on him, hitting him lick a stack of bricks. That was the reason they were able to accept it! Because they thought of his abuse as nothing more than just something on a physical level, just like taking a bath or slicing your hand on a blade; there was no feeling of humiliation or broken pride for them because none of those things were being put on them.
No, he was the only one that the sadistic emperor took pleasure in dominating, and it was all because he was enabling it. The more he struggled, the more the Caesar got off on breaking him down. On the other hand, if he didn't struggle then he would be breaking his most basic morals that he's kept his entire life.
Never give up and never back down on your word, those were the words that he lived his life by. Letting the ruler control him, use him like he's made to do, would be giving up. But fighting back and losing anyways was just as bitter as cheating yourself, so in reality there was no real way for him to come out victorious here. It all made his head pound, thinking about all the ways that his pride has been defiled, but it was all that he could focus on in his silent rage.
He lay down, curled up into himself on the silken bed of pillows and sheets, and closed his eyes to stop his racing thoughts. He slowly but surely drifted off into sleep, with the scornful eyes of the Caesar burned into the back of his eyelids. He would definitely need a plan to figure out how he would deal with all of this, because there was no way he was going to live like this for the indefinite period of time that was his life.
Yes, I'll find a way. There has to be a way, there just has to…
Please tell me what you think so far, because this is really just setting up for the main plot. Also, like I said before, Sakura will come in later in the story, just be patient.
Thank you for reading and I hope you have a pleasant tomorrow.