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

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

Author's note: I will fully admit that the costumes in gladiator heavily influenced this chapter LOL. And The 300. Very sexy men in those films. Thanks to my lovely beta Anon for proofing this for me! I have always wanted to write a masquerade scene. This was so much fun.

Chapter 7 - Masquerade

Naruto walked through the crowd of masked tourists and party-goers in San Marco Square in the heart of Venice. Knowing that there would be many parties and events he'd be turned away from if not in proper garb, he had worn a gladiator costume he'd had made years ago for a costume party the Hyuugas had hosted. His youthful body, unchanged for so many thousands of years, was showcased just as perfectly in the leather-studded attire as it had been the day it had been made for him. His golden skin smoothly stretched over a lean powerful frame, drawing numerous admiring glances though most costumes were significantly more opulent than his.

Despite being in costume like all the others in the dimly lit streets that evening, Naruto stood out. Most of the costumes of Carnevale fully covered both the body and the face due to the cool evening air of the season. The red cloak that Naruto wore was pushed back from his shoulders, revealing the historically accurate bare-chested gladiator costume. The Romans had viewed the bared chest as a symbol of virility, allowing the combatants to wear an armored leather belt, but no breastplate, despite the deadliness of the 'game' they were players in. His attire was traditional: leather sandals below leather greaves that covered his legs to mid-thigh, and leather arm guards with bands of iron across the forearms to block a blade. A thick leather belt covered his stomach, the linen cloth hanging down to just above the greaves. The bronze, winged half-mask covered his eyes and most of his hair, though tufts of blond were visible at his temples and the base of his neck beneath the helmet.

The costume was purchased. But the iron slave shackle on his neck… that was authentic. A reminder he'd kept from a grave error in judgement Naruto had made long ago. He smiled darkly at the memory.

60 B.C.

Naruto stood with his head held high as he allowed the Praetorian guards to rip the finely made tunic from his body, then place the iron shackles around his neck and wrists. He didn't break eye contact from the man who had ordered it. Naruto knew that he could simply kill them all and walk away freely any time he wanted.

But he didn't.

He wanted to see if his lover… ex-lover… would really go through with it. All because Naruto had refused to be his 'consort' officially. Of course, Julius had no idea that Naruto couldn't become a public figure. The fact that Naruto never aged wouldn't be handled well by mortals. He had learned early to never stay in one particular place too long. But even if he could have stayed, Naruto never would have. There was only one person who he belonged to, and it was not this arrogant Roman general.

His affair with Julius Caesar had only been going on for a few weeks, but the man was supremely possessive and had rapidly become obsessed with Naruto. The man's jealousy had spiked when he had been unable to find Naruto the night before, and demanded to know where he had gone. Naruto often returned to the camp of the Four Horsemen, and when he had refused to tell Caesar where he had been or whom he had been with, the man had exploded. He had told Naruto that he would have him declared a slave and made his own personal property. Naruto had no papers proving himself a citizen of Rome, so the claim would be easy to make, especially coming from one so powerful.

Of course, in order to maintain political alliances, Julius himself had every intention of finding a third wife to replace the one he had just divorced, but he had not wanted to give up his newfound lover to do so.

Naruto laughed, "I will never be a slave to any master."

Fury lit Caesar's face. When Naruto turned to go, he found the door blocked by Caesar's personal guards.

"You should have yielded to me, Naruto," Julius watched, his face impassive as the final shackle was placed around Naruto's ankles. "My alliance with Crassus and Pompey will see me eventually seated as Emperor of Rome. You could have been my consort. Now you will be lucky if I allow you to be my slave."

Naruto said nothing, his eyes blazing with scorn as he looked at the man.

"You will beg for me to take you back, Naruto. In front of all of Rome, I will have you on your knees begging for my mercy."

Naruto's smile was mocking, filled with a dark confidence that tempted Julius to order his guards from the room so they could be alone. But something told him that Naruto was not ready yet to bend to his will. The idea both enraged and aroused him like nothing else.

"I will never beg you, Julius. We were lovers, but I will never belong to you."

Fury snapped in the Roman's eyes, a hint of madness in their depths. "You WILL yield to me. You will be mine."

He turned and strode from the chamber, instructing the guards to bring Naruto down to the pits to await his fate in the colosseum.

The days of using slaves as gladiators had faded, with many free Romans, even some from the upper echelons of society, signing up to be trained as gladiators to fight for pay. While the job was still a risky one—with one in five fights resulting in death—it was worth it to many for the money and fame. They were the celebrities and sex symbols of Rome, almost on par with the aristocracy. Fights were usually no longer 'to the death', with the crowd determining which combatant would win the prize money. Matches were scheduled to pit opponents of similar experience and skill against each other, all for the amusement of the citizens of Rome.

Today was different, though, and the energy of the crowd reflected it. The top ten gladiators were called to participate in a match pitting them against a single slave. The objective was simple: whoever killed the slave first would be declared the winner of the match unless the slave was spared by his powerful master, who sat by the side of the Emperor. No one had ever heard of the slave before, but hungry eyes of the crowd ran over the beautiful, golden man shackled in the middle of the arena.

A guard approached Naruto to undo his shackles, but a call from the Emperor's box stopped him.

"Let him fight as he is."

The crowd gasped, the perfectly architected acoustics of the Colosseum allowing them to hear the order. Naruto had been given only a net to fight with. To win, he would need to use it to entangle his opponent's legs, then use their own weapon to kill them. Even the most seasoned of gladiators hesitated before going into battle equipped as such. Shackled, he had no chance at all.

But the crowed was looking forward to a guaranteed death in the arena, and the blood lust was already heavy in the air. The doors to the other pits opened, revealing the ten powerful opponents that would surely slay the boy in minutes if he did not submit. Caesar looked down at the man he had claimed as his slave, expecting to see fear and submission in the blue eyes.

He was met instead with a look of dark, unyielding power that had Caesar's blood heating frantically, his hand clenching into a fist. He MUST possess the boy. He would break him to his will. No one had ever challenged him like this. And Julius Caesar never walked away from a challenge.

A wind seemed to rise from nowhere, a slow swirl that started around the tan, shackled ankles then slowly intensified. The taunting of the crowd faded from Caesar's ears as he saw the eyes that had so captivated him slowly bleed to red. He had faced countless battles, killed legions of enemies. But this was the first time that Julius Caesar ever felt truly afraid.

As the ten gladiators advanced on Naruto, Caesar's eyes only saw Naruto.

Naruto kept his eyes locked on Caesar's for a moment before speaking, his voice heavy with a dark edge that had the bloodthirsty spectators momentarily falling silent.

"You made a bad choice Julius. Next time I come to Rome, I will burn it to the ground."

The crowd erupted into screams and jeers, egging on their favorite gladiators to put the strange blond slave in his place and show him the power of Rome. Naruto's net flashed out, wrapping around the ankles of the nearest gladiator in a move that looked so simple it seemed odd that the man had not been able to avoid it, except for the speed at which it had been executed. Before the man could even draw a breath, Naruto had pulled the net, sending man to his knees and seizing his sword and running him through with it.

The remaining gladiators didn't hesitate more than a moment before attacking, seasoned to the chaos of the arena. But it didn't matter. In a matter of moments, they were all on the ground. Naruto looked slowly around the packed colosseum, his eyes glowing red.

Chaos erupted at the colosseum that afternoon. The jeers and chants turned to screams as the audience turned on each other, lost in a frenzied lust for battle. The emperor, frantic to maintain order, called the guards to try to subdue the crowd. The riots that ensued spilled out into the city streets before they were suppressed by the soldiers stationed nearby.

In the confusion, the blond slave had vanished without a trace. Caesar searched the entire city, but never saw him again. Nor did he notice the dark-eyed man who had watched him from the Senator's box, the promise of Death in his eyes.

It was only the second time Naruto had ever released his power out of anger. He had returned to the camp of the Horsemen unusually subdued, his faith in mortals shaken. Sasuke had looked at the shackle Naruto wore around his neck, but had said nothing, perhaps not knowing its significance.

Of course, Naruto thought ruefully. Why would Sasuke have cared either way? It wasn't like there was any reason to keep tabs on each other, as long as we were always available to answer the call to ride. And by that point, that was all Sasuke really allowed their interactions to be about, anyway.

Naruto momentarily felt a wave of loneliness wash through him at the thought. It was an old, familiar feeling, well-worn and grooved into his mind. He often wondered whether he had felt lonelier when he was with Sasuke or after he had left the Horsemen. It had been hard to be faced with something he wanted but could never have day after day. But being without Sasuke altogether had been worse, being without even the smallest brush against the presence that had meshed completely with his own.

He pushed the useless thoughts aside. Tonight, he was here not to try to reclaim a place in Sasuke's life. He just needed to understand—as a friend—what had happened to cause Sasuke to have such a reaction to seeing him again. Whatever Naruto might have wished he could be to Sasuke, he was his friend and companion first. He owed it to the man to find out why he was so angry about things that he had never seemed to care about before.

Naruto remembered the words Sasuke had hurled at him back at the club.

"I followed you once. To see where you always disappeared to after a battle. I saw you. Fucking that… mortal."

At the time, Naruto had just been too shocked by Sasuke's presence to really process what the man was saying. But now, he found himself wondering. Why had Sasuke watched him have sex? And more importantly, why had it made Sasuke angry? He wondered which of his lovers Sasuke had seen him with. He knew he should feel embarrassed that he had been observed in such a private moment, but he had to admit that the thought of Sasuke following him, watching him, made his blood stir. It made him think of things he knew were dangerous to think about.

Dangerous to want.

But nothing he could come up with explained why Sasuke had waited a thousand years to be angry about it. If it had bothered Sasuke in the past, then why didn't he simply confront Naruto when he returned to camp after visiting his lovers?

Nothing made sense. But he was going to track Sasuke down and make him explain it to him. It had never been his intention to make Sasuke angry, which he clearly somehow had done. This time, he would make sure they were alone. If it came to battle, then he would fight. But he wasn't leaving until he found out what was going on.

Re-centered on his mission, Naruto slowly made his way through the crowd of party-goers in the public square. Eyes followed him as he walked, but it didn't bother him. He needed to be noticed. He had no idea where to look for Sasuke or the vampires he had been with at the club, so he had to make them come to him. Which meant he had to stand out enough to draw their attention.

He kept his power in-check, but made no effort to conceal its presence. Any immortal being in the area would be able to sense him. He'd already had two vampires approach him, but they knew nothing about the ones he sought. Naruto considered going into one of the large parties that were being held in ballrooms across the city, but he wanted to be as accessible as possible to whomever might want to find him. He'd spend some time out in the open first before seeking his quarry in more exclusive locations if this didn't pan out.

A woman dressed in an elaborately jeweled Regency costume approached him, her face fully concealed beneath an exquisitely crafted, full-face Venetian mask. The only thing visible were her eyes, a deep chocolate brown that looked appreciatively at Naruto's bare chest.

"You do not find the evening cold?" she asked him in Italian, her voice warm and slightly husky.

Naruto smiled easily at her, friendly but not overly encouraging. It was a balance he had perfected through the years. "Not as cold as some nights I've spent in the past," he replied in her native tongue. Endless time spent in many places had made languages come easily to him.

She moved closer, tracing a finger along one of his tan pectorals. "Are you sure? I would be more than happy to take you someplace much warmer."

Naruto shifted back just enough to break her touch, his eyes still friendly and a feigned regret in his tone. "Grazie, bella. But I have a prior appointment this evening."

The woman slowly pulled her hand back, nodding in acceptance of his polite rejection as she continued making her way through the crowd.

Naruto turned, his eyes going back to scanning the crowd. He let his senses flare, allowing them to range. It felt strange, after so many years of completely suppressing his presence, to not do so in such a crowded location. His latent energy, forced into dormancy for so long, was bubbling beneath the surface. He closed his eyes for a minute, letting his head fall back as he basked in the odd freedom he felt at not having to fully suppress his essence His body felt warm despite the cool air. It had been a long time since he had felt so alive.

He recognized that not all of the headiness he was feeling was from his power. Anticipation coursed through him. Would Sasuke come for him? Was he looking for him already? Or would Naruto have to hunt for him, going through the vampires?

He couldn't deny that both options sent a rush of adrenaline through his body. He had denied himself Sasuke's presence for so long, not allowing himself to even consider the possibility of seeking him out. The meeting with Sasuke in the club had brought back everything… everything he'd tried so hard to forget and move past over the countless centuries. The feel of being in that overwhelming presence again. Even though they'd battled against each other instead of with each other… the exhilaration had still been there. And like an addict falling back into his addiction, Naruto could think of nothing else since then.

Naruto didn't want to think too hard about how easily he had convinced himself that this was the best course of action despite all the risks associated with it. He pretended that it was because he owed it to Sasuke to find out why the man had been so upset upon seeing him.

But in truth, after a thousand years without him, Naruto had not been able to keep himself from giving chase. He had missed Sasuke. Any idea he'd had that his feelings would fade with time had been proven wrong. And he was tired of fighting it.

Despite what had happened the other night when he'd seen Sasuke in the club, Naruto knew that he'd learned considerable control over the years. He had been able to maintain control until he had thought Sasuke had attacked Hinata and Neji. This time, he would be facing Sasuke alone. As long as he held his temper in check, he should be able to keep it together.

And if he was able to maintain control this time, then maybe… maybe he could finally end his self-imposed exile. The seductive thought wrapped around his mind and didn't let go. But then he reminded himself that he might find out that Sasuke had been together with Sakura all this time. Or someone else.

The old pain he had felt from eons ago flooded through him, but he forced it back. He would deal with that when the time came.

He owed it to Sasuke to find out what had happened. They had both been taken by surprise the last time they met. Hopefully this time, Sasuke would be willing to talk rather than attack. Naruto tried not to think about Neji's observation that the first human Sasuke had killed had been the one touching him. Surely that was accidental. Though Sasuke's own words had seemed to show anger at Naruto's relations with mortals, something Naruto had never even been aware that Sasuke knew about… much less something Naruto would have imagined him caring about. Why such anger after all this time?

It didn't make sense.

Naruto's eyes continued to rove over the figures in the square, but he already knew Sasuke was not amongst them. Not that he expected Sasuke to be here in person. Given how little regard Sasuke had for humans, he knew better than to hope to meet the man in person at a human celebration. He tried to maintain his patience, though that was never one of his strengths.

Another reveler, this time a man in a Domino costume, approached Naruto, his eyes moving suggestively over Naruto's form.

Just as he had with the woman, Naruto turned the man away.

He was only interested in one person tonight. He kept his frustration in check as he made his way to one of the stazio to take a gondola to another area. He would return to San Marco Square later in the evening if he didn't find any leads elsewhere.

He had assumed that the vampires would go for the crowded, public places where victims were plentiful and not likely to be noticed as missing immediately. Since that had yielded only limited results, he decided to go to some of the larger parties that were being held throughout the city. Most required an entrance fee to get in the door, often very significant and definitely purchased in advance.

Fortunately, Naruto had no need to use doors.

Naruto found himself in yet another opulent ballroom. His frustration was mounting, though he kept it concealed from his current dance partner as he moved her gracefully around the room in a waltz. He had already found the vampire he had felt inside this building, and it wasn't one of Sasuke's companions. He wondered if he should return to the square. Now that it was later in the evening, maybe there would be a better chance of finding someone who could lead him to Sasuke.

He didn't have any other leads other than the images of Venice that he'd gotten from the female vampire's mind. But what if Venice was simply a city she'd passed through, and had no other association with? How would he track Sasuke? He felt the muscles in his jaw clench at the thought of how long it would take to find Sasuke if Venice didn't pan out.

He was just about to leave when an odd resonance pulsed through his system. Naruto's head snapped up and he looked around the crowded, but all he could see was an endless sea of masked faces dancing and talking around him. The hairs on his arms stood up as though electrified. A presence so heavy that it seemed to freeze the air invaded his senses. There was no mistaking it.

Sasuke was here.

Naruto couldn't see him. But he could feel him.

The air seemed to spark dangerously, thickening and seeming to spin, disorienting the mortals. The chamber musicians fumbled in their notes and Naruto's dance partner stumbled slightly. She looked around, her hazel eyes nervous behind her mask, clearly sensing the danger but not aware of what it was.

Naruto felt his pulse race at the knowledge that Sasuke had come himself. Naruto wouldn't have to go through some lackey to find him.

"Would you like something to drink?" Naruto asked her, finding an easy way to bring their dancing to a close so he could seek out Sasuke. His eyes continued searching the crowded room to find the source of the power he felt.

"Sì, grazie," she replied gratefully, allowing Naruto to lead her over to the bar, where one of her friends fortunately was waiting and latched onto her. Naruto immediately excused himself, disappearing into the crowd.

Sasuke would have to keep his power more suppressed than Naruto did to avoid killing the humans unintentionally. The fact that Naruto could feel him so clearly meant that Sasuke was not just in Venice… he was in this ballroom.

Masked dancers swirled past Naruto, but he kept moving. Sasuke wouldn't be amongst the dancers. Naruto was quite sure Sasuke had never bothered learning such human trivialities as the waltz or the minuet.

He could feel eyes on him as he slowly made his way through the crowd. The ballroom was huge, easily holding three hundred people, all masked and heavily costumed, disguising almost every element of the individual's identity.

But it wouldn't matter.

There could be a thousand people. A million. But Naruto would recognize the way Sasuke moved, the feel of his presence. Naruto closed his eyes, focusing on the pull of Sasuke's presence. Ahead? No, to the left.

A dancer bumped into him, breaking his concentration. Naruto opened his eyes, suppressing the flash of annoyance at the interruption. He'd denied himself Sasuke's presence for a thousand years. Now that he'd decided to find him again, it was as though he had been holding his breath the whole time, and was now desperate to finally be able to draw a breath.

The music played as the dancers revolved around the room, but Naruto paid no attention to them. The heavy feeling of being watched increased, the sensation almost a physical touch. He knew without a doubt that Sasuke had seen him.

Was watching him.

Naruto turned slowly in a circle, seeking dark eyes in the crowd… eyes that no mask could hide from him. Naruto's body was completely tuned to Sasuke's presence. His eyes dilated and his pulse raced.

Closer.

Sasuke was closer now. Naruto could feel it… the resonance between them slowly building. It was like a humming in his blood, and his whole body pulsed with it. Sasuke was circling him, staying just out of his line of sight, hidden by the crowd.

Naruto couldn't help the smirk that formed on his lips. Sasuke was toying with him.

"Where are you, bastard?" Naruto whispered in his native tongue… one that had not been spoken since ancient times.

Naruto froze as a voice spoke in the same language from right behind him, warm breath ghosting against the back of his neck.

"Looking for me?"

Naruto's breath stilled. He had to steady himself for an instant, clamping down as his power stirred at the sound of Sasuke's voice only inches from him. It was a closeness that Sasuke had only allowed in battle in the past. Naruto hoped that was not his purpose this time.

He turned deliberately slowly, not wanting to give Sasuke a reason to back away. Naruto's eyes took in the black cloak and beautifully grotesque grim reaper mask that Sasuke was wearing. Neither man chose to step back as they faced each other. Their eyes met warily, locked on each other as the dancers moved around them, the humans blithely unaware of the danger in their midst.

Naruto was annoyed that Sasuke's costume concealed so much from his hungry eyes. He wanted to see Sasuke. Frustration bubbled through him, but he knew better than to rush things. Sasuke's eyes gave nothing away. The out-of-control anger that exploded from Sasuke the other night was gone, but Naruto didn't know if that was only because they were not alone.

Naruto and Sasuke slowly circled each other, neither moving closer nor backing away.

"I see you came dressed for the occasion," Naruto smirked despite the heavy tension between them.

Sasuke's eyes drifted over Naruto's attire, settling for a moment on the metal encircling his throat. "Interesting choice."

Naruto felt an odd shifting sensation as Sasuke's eyes slid over his body, the expression in the black depths far from casual. Naruto felt his power surge against his restraint, so close to the familiar energy it had been denied for so long. Only centuries of training kept him from letting loose and allowing his energy to twine with the darkness in Sasuke.

He saw the flash of red in Sasuke's eyes, and knew he felt the same irresistible pull. But there was also anger in Sasuke's eyes, and Naruto didn't want it to escalate into another full-out fight like it had the other night. Naruto drew in a breath, disappointed when he found he was not quite close enough to catch Sasuke's scent. He focused instead on drawing in the traces of power that emanated from the being in front of him.

It was nowhere near enough to satisfy him. His body was almost shaking with the need to be closer. Naruto pulled himself back, ruthlessly suppressing all of his power, forcing it back into dormancy as he had been doing for centuries. The temptation was just too strong, otherwise.

"I didn't expect to find you here," Naruto said, forcing his voice to remain calm.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed slightly, and Naruto wished he could remove the mask and see his face fully. While Sasuke had never been terribly expressive, anything was better than staring at the piece of glass that separated Sasuke's face from him.

"You told your… pets… you were looking for me in Venice." The slight mocking of the word 'pets' made Naruto freeze.

"What did you do to them?" Naruto's voice carried an edge of panic. Sasuke hadn't harmed the Hyuugas back at the club. Would he have done so now?

Sasuke's eyes turned cold, and the dancers circling near them stumbled before looking around fearfully for the source of danger they instinctively felt but could not see.

"You would protect them from me?" Sasuke's words were low, and rang with a tone of betrayal.

"Sasuke -"

"No. I didn't kill your newest lovers." There was more than a little bite to Sasuke's tone, and Naruto could feel the air in the room begin to grow cold.

Relief washed through Naruto, though he wasn't sure why he considered Sasuke a threat to Hinata and Neji… Sasuke had never seemed to have any interest in his affairs in the past. But something about the intensity in Sasuke's eyes made him think there was more going on than he knew.

It was clear that there were things that needed to be discussed. But not in a room full of people.

"Let's go someplace we can talk," Naruto said, glancing around the room, relieved to see that the small flicker of Sasuke's power was not enough to kill anyone. Yet.

"Protecting your mortals again, Naruto?" Sasuke asked. Naruto didn't need to be able to see the sneer to hear it. "But you're right. We have things that need to be discussed."

Sasuke looked at him challengingly, as though expecting Naruto to try to escape at the last second. When Naruto only nodded tersely in agreement, Sasuke reached out a gloved hand and grabbed Naruto's shoulder.

Together, they vanished from the room.

to be continued…

Next chapter will be mostly in Sasuke's POV and will start with him watching Naruto in the masquerade ball... not a full re-hash, just a short scene of his thoughts then will continue with their confrontation. :-)