Fighting For A Red Robe.

Chapter One.

Kisame felt oddly watched while walking through the town, from the looks they were getting you'd think that people never saw a naked man before. After a little while they left the paved road, which was surrounded by yellowish stone buildings, and left town. They stepped off the gravel road and continued down a path that was formed solely by people walking over it every day for many years. Kisame liked it, the dirt felt warm under his feet and the trees that branched over the path were lush and green. The forest smelled like the one at home, just a little less sweet. The path seemed endless. After every twist and turn there would be a rock their guide recognised, or a tree he hadn't seen in a while and those would be greeted, talked to and have the moss thoroughly cleared off them. Eventually they came across a small, furry, rodent-like thing with a tiny tail and long ears, and the young male nearly lost his mind. He let go of the ropes tied around their necks and dove into the bushes to follow the creature that had sped off at the sight of them.

Kisame and his companion just stood there, not sure what to do. "Do we… do we run away now?" he asked, more than a little confused. The other shrugged his shoulders, "I don't know, I've never been left in a forest before." At that moment the raven crawled out of the shrubbery, looking quite giddy. He stood with a big smile and patted the dirt off his clothes, not noticing the twigs that were entangled in his hair. Kisame handed his rope back to him. "Thank you, sorry about that! Gotta enjoy the little things right?" The other slave nodded and with his charges in tow the young man carried on, now with a visible spring in his step. "So what do I call you?" Kisame asked his companion while they were waiting for the raven to finish his talk with a bush that held large red flowers. "Kakuzu's the name, you?" "Kisame. Say, you've been here a while, this guy isn't quite… normal, is he?"

At that moment the young man turned around with a big flower in either hand and gestured for the two of them to bend down. He slid the long stems in either male's hair, just above the right ear. In return Kisame reached up and plucked a few twigs from the other's hair. One had gotten stuck in the golden threads and he had to use both his hands on the other's head to get it out.

0

Itachi was having a wonderful day! First he got to leave the cage, which is what the slaves that belonged to Orochimaru called his training centre, then he got to visit the village alone, and to top it off he still had plenty of time left to escape into the thick, friendly woods of a few hours. This time of year the bears were still sleeping, and the two fighters he was towing along exuded enough confidence and killer instinct to keep the wolves at bay. He enjoyed visiting the town, even though the people there did nothing to hide their contempt for him, the smells, sights and even human contact were things he craved. Of course, the contact he got was never a positive one, but he had gotten used to that. When he'd first got sold into slavery and people treated him as if he was something disgusting simply because of the the robe he wore and what it stood for it was harder. But he didn't mind anymore; the hatred humans held for prostitutes, whether they sold their body voluntarily or were forced to do so, was something he'd come to accept. Even when they who despised him the most were often the ones who asked for his services under the cover of night. Though he still had trouble understanding why people hated him for being forced to do things he himself would rather not even think about, he didn't let their petty feelings hurt him anymore.

When the large man he was considering buying gently grabbed his hair he'd been surprised, but, and that was even more to his surprise, not really scared at all. The man had a vibe about him that wasn't so much frightening, but instead just slightly curious and very, very sad. The dark eyes that stared into his own were filled with hurt; he imagined he himself must look somewhat the same. The man didn't respond to being hit, didn't even seem to feel it, and he said a word Itachi didn't understand, but it sounded beautiful. While they walked the two men spoke to eachother in the same language, and he listened intently. The words they used sounded foreign to him, but felt soft, rounded almost. He couldn't really explain it, but he liked listening to it.

He felt at home in the forest, his family had owned a small farm during his childhood, and he used to be out in the wild for days on end sometimes, much to his father's dismay. One time he'd gotten attacked by a wolf, and the medical bills were so high they'd have to sell the farm in order to be able to pay for them. Not willing to give up the world they'd worked their entire lives to achieve they decided to sell him instead, it was a common occurrence around those parts of the country. At the age of thirteen his skin had been pale as a lily, his hair long and soft and his body completely virginal. Because of the doctor's skill there had been little to no scars, so the price he'd been sold at had not only covered all his expenses; it'd also allowed his parents to purchase a new cow and five chickens. He'd been living in the cage as his master's whore ever since, which was almost seven years now.

They arrived at the edge of a large clearing, in the middle of which it stood: the cage. Surrounded by a massive iron fence there was a low building which held the barracks and kitchen, and a thin high building painted entirely white with large windows next to it. There the master resided, along with his many love slaves, of which Itachi was, and always would be, the favourite. He made sure of that. Being at his master's side every moment, sleeping in his bed, witnessing all his business deals and making the man believe he loved him was his only way of acquiring the knowledge and power he needed to eventually escape. He'd never made any concrete plans, but only a few moments ago, when one large, warm hand gently held his face while the other plucked at his hair he decided the time had come. The one thing he was missing to be able to get out without losing his life or standing not a single chance out there on his own was now resolved. He'd needed a tank, one that would be willing to die for him. He sweetly smiled up at the barbarian warrior, who shyly smiled back and nervously shuffled around in response. He'd finally found one.

After 'accidentally' grazing the other's cheek while adjusting his flower, which suited him quite well, oddly enough, he turned back around and led both slaves into the clearing. They walked towards a small gate, which was heavily guarded, and were immediately let through. Itachi was very well known; who bothered him would have to answer to the master's whip. As soon as they were inside the cage Itachi removed the ropes from the others' shackles and gestured for them to follow him. They passed by the barracks and training grounds and headed straight for the white tower, Itachi opened the heavy wooden door with a golden key he kept on a string around his neck and tried to push it open. It didn't budge. "You." He pointed at Kakuzu "Try to open this door." The man walked to his side and effortlessly swung the door open. "Good!" Itachi said, "The master will be pleased." Kisame was baffled, he'd thought the village to have been beautiful, unlike anything that could ever be found in his own country. But this… this was amazing. The walls were covered in murals that told stories of heroes, battles and romance, all painted with incredible skill. The purple drapes that turned the bright light from outside into a magical glow were stitched with gold thread and the marble floors had their surface carved in enticing patterns.

The room was empty, however, so they followed Itachi up a flight of carpeted stairs into a room unlike any either of them had ever even imagined. The carpet was a deep red colour and felt soft enough to lie down on and never want to get up again. There were almost see-through curtains everywhere, so it was impossible to tell how large the room really was. Itachi lifted one up and passed under it, gesturing to them to stay put. A few minutes later he returned, accompanied by a tall, thin man with hair even longer than Itachi's and a complexion so pale Kisame suspected he hadn't seen the sun in… ever. "Itasssshi, thessse are the new gladiatorsss?" he spoke with a hiss, and Kisame thought he saw that the man had a forked tongue.
"Yes, the biggest, strongest ones I could find. They're African barbarians; they have no fear and are quite obedient, master." Itachi's voice was sickeningly sweet; his eyes were filled with love and admiration while his owner looked at him. "Good. Ssso why are they nude?" The tall man asked him while slipping his hand down the back of Itachi's toga. "That's just how they were-hmm, sold, master." He arched up like he knew the man liked when his ass was grabbed in a steely grip and forced the sickness in his stomach to quiet down.

The man snapped his fingers and out of nowhere a young boy appeared wearing only a tunic, who's entire appearance seemed a bit sloppy. "Haku, take them to Ssssabussssa and tell him to ssstart their training immediately… and put sssome clothesss on them." The boy nodded profusely and ran down the stairs, only to come back up and take the two men by their hands and pull them along. Kisame looked back; Itachi was following the master while looking back at him with a look of repressed fear and desperation on his face. When he saw Kisame looking at him he quickly turned his gaze away and disappeared behind the curtains.

"Follow me please! This way! Let's go!" The boy was practically bouncing down the steps, excited about his important task and the chance to meet his idol for what would only be the fourth time that day. Zabuza was the cage's star fighter, and thusly in charge of training the other gladiators. They were a pricy investment, having them lose, and possibly die, in their first battle would not be tolerated. "Zabu! Zabu Zabu! New gladiators!" The boy ran towards a trident carrying man who quickly slammed the side of his weapon into his sparring partner's knee. The other man fell to the ground and Zabuza smashed the trident down into the ground, trapping the other's neck between the iron spikes. "Haku. You're noisy." He said in a gruff voice while he straightened up. He turned around and quirked an eyebrow of the boy's two giant, black and still very much naked companions. "Why aren't they wearing anything?" he asked while the boy ran up to him and wrapped his arms around the man's hips, which was as high as he could reach. "Haku." He patted the boy on the head, "Get your face out of my crotch and get them some clothes will you?"

"Yessir!"

0

Kisame was so tired he felt about ready to die by the time he finally got the chance to fall down on his bed. The training he'd gone through to be a warrior back home was NOTHING compared to what he'd gone through today, and Kakuzu told him they were even going easy on him for being new… he didn't want to think about what the next morning would hold. The exercises they had him do were difficult, he wasn't used to using swords or nets or even that weird fork thing the trainer used for fighting. The moves he saw these men make, their battle tactics and strength… was unlike anything he'd ever seen before. "It's because they have to. When you're not the best, the fastest and the strongest, you die. Simple as that." Kakuzu explained to him. He was glad to have some kind of translator around, and at the end of the day Kisame knew what most simple commands and words meant already. But compared to them he wasn't strong, or fast, or the best at anything. So he kept getting thrown down, hit with wooden swords and just generally beat up. And as punishment he had to run more and more laps along the fence, until he couldn't take another step. But then that damn trainer, Zabuza it was, kicked him until he got up, and pretty frickin hard too!

And his butt was itchy. The piece of clothing, a… tunic or something, was of such a rough material that it chafed his behind with every step he took, and he was doing a lot of running. So now he was lying on his belly on the weird smelling sheets and rubbed his poor butt with both hands, his behind had had a lot to endure; getting chafed, kicked, hit with swords even punched once… not a happy day.

He'd been glad to see that he wasn't the only one getting beat, though. All the others were fighting eachother in groups of two or more, and no one showed another mercy. At the end of the day everyone was pretty black and blue, and those who were at eachother's throats only moments before seemed to best friends while they sat around outside in an oddly shaped circle eating dinner. "They attack eachother like an enemy would, that's the only way to get it right." Kakuzu explained. "But aside from training there's really no reason to dislike one another, we're all in the same position here."
Haku pushed a large cart with a crockpot full of something indiscernible into the centre of the circle and started handing out bowls of food while the crowd cheered. The boy turned scarlet when Zabuza stared at him incredulously while he handed him a much larger bowl, which was also completely topped off, than the rest. "Haku…" He handed the bowl back to him. "This isn't entirely fair, now is it?" Haku didn't take the bowl, but instead just stared at his feet. "But… but you need to eat well!"
"So does everyone else."

"So what's up with those two?" Kisame asked his new best friend. Kakuzu dipped a piece of bread in his food and chewed loudly with his mouth open. "Fwom wha I'b hearb" he swallowed, "Little thing over there was bought by the master as a sex slave, but Itachi wasn't down with that, so instead he now works the kitchen and does whatever odd jobs there are available. Also he likes to hang around the big guy over there, who doesn't seem to mind. That's all I know." Kisame frowned. "Itachi?" "The guy who bought us."
"But… he's a slave also, right? How can he have such a power over the master?" Kisame found he had surprisingly little trouble adjusting to his new life. The work was tough, but the people were spirited and nice, and the food was pretty good too. Kakuzu shrugged his shoulders and kicked the white-haired man he'd been sparring with earlier in the face when he tried to steal the rest of his bread. He stuck it in his mouth and slowly chewed it before speaking. "Fugg obb Hidan, smy bwead."
"Fuck you and your bread!" He then made a grab for Kisame's instead, who quickly stuffed in in his face. "WELL FUCK ALL-A-YALL!" he then proceeded to crawl off in a huff while grumbling about the wrath of some heathen god and stroking the weird symbol pendant that hung around his neck.
The people here were pretty interesting too, Kisame decided.

0

Itachi stared out the window, hidden behind the curtain, down on the laughing and eating crowd. Haku was fussing around Zabuza as usual, and he couldn't help but feel a little happy for him. He still remembered the day the boy, who was only eight years old at the time, arrived. He'd found him hiding, nude and terrified, behind one of the ovens down in the kitchen that evening. At that time Orochimaru had already had his way with him, and Itachi almost killed him. He'd had a knife at the sleeping man's throat, but changed his mind at the last moment, deciding instead to manipulate the man to do his bidding. Having been around for so long Itachi knew all there was to know about the man, including his deepest, darkest secrets. At that time he'd already become the amazing actor he was now, and managed to trick the master into believing him when he said the boy reminded him too much of his little brother to be able to bear such a thing. Instead he turned the knife on himself, threatening to take his own life unless the man, of whom he knew that he could never function without his trusty whore's help, never put his hands on the child again.

Because no matter what everyone thought, to the master Itachi was much more than just a body used for pleasure. He planned every arena fight, knew every gladiator's strong and weak points, had a nose for business like no other and was practically the driving force behind the entire cage establishment. What he wanted was what happened, and that was the way it was. The boy, who was now about twelve years old, was obviously completely smitten with their star fighter. Itachi smiled, love was still a beautiful thing it seems. His sleeping master snored loudly, and Itachi turned around to look at him. The pale, snake-like person disgusted him in every way possible. He had half a mind to smother him with one of the sickeningly plush pillows right then and there, just for the sake of it. Instead he grabbed his blood red toga from the floor and pulled it around his naked self as a cape, he needed a bath.

He could still hear the cheery people outside while he waited for his master's large white bathtub to fill with hot water and bubbles, when he finally slid into the tub the sounds outside had died out and everyone was leaving for bed. He grabbed the washcloth and started cleaning himself. But by the time the water had turned cold, the bubbles disappeared and his skin was red and raw he still didn't feel clean. It was like this every night he lay with that man. He pulled the rubber plug and stepped on the cold tiles, only to immediately fall down in a heap and feel a pain shoot through him that was nothing physical. He grabbed his towel and pressed his face into it, not letting out a sound while his tears slowly soaked through the fluffy fabric.

The door creaked open and light feet tiptoed to his side. "Itachi? Are you alright?" he tried to nod but instead one wretched sob managed to escaped his throat. Haku picked up another towel, kneeled down beside him and carefully started drying his hair while his saviour's shoulders shook periodically in his suppressed pain. He found the other this way at least a few times every week; no one was ever allowed to know.

And he would never tell a soul.