A Very Long Night
Naruto holds his Nymph tightly. He didn't want to let him go. The blonde understood that he had to, but that didn't make it any easier.
"Naruto, you know that I would much rather spend the night in your arms. I will be back as soon as I can. It's my Honeymoon. I'm expected to be with her for awhile. It's purely about heirs. I don't love her. I could never love anyone, like I love you." Sasuke assures him.
The blue eyed Roman sighs and nods. He knew that Sasuke was right. It still scared him though. Sasuke had never been with a woman.
What if he decided he preferred women to men? What if Sasuke decided it was just easier to be with his wife. That way he wouldn't have to divide his time between his family obligations and Naruto?
"I know. Come back to me, alright? I couldn't bare to lose you." Naruto says and caresses his cheek.
"I always do. Besides, you like children. The child might not be of your blood, but he or she will be just as much yours as mine and hers. I promise. I'm sure that our son or daughter will grow to adore you, just as I have. You already act like a child anyway. They'll enjoy having a playmate." Sasuke says with a smirk.
Naruto rolls his eyes at Sasuke's comment. Trust his Nymph to come up with something like that. Though he supposed, the Prince had a point. It would be nice to see a mini Sasuke running around. The blonde just prayed to the Gods and Goddesses the child looked more like Sasuke than his mother.
He mentally sighs. Sasuke had chosen well for his wife. Her name was Hinata. He knew her in passing. She was Neji's cousin. The woman had been promised to a man that Neji didn't approve of.
Naruto could tell that Neji was concerned for Hinata's well-being, if she married the man. Of course previous engagements didn't tend to last very long, when the High Prince of Rome expressed an interest. Lord Hiashi had quickly broken off the engagement and promised Hinata to Sasuke, after that.
"You can really be such arse sometimes!" The General grumbles.
"Perhaps, but you love me anyway. I'll be back soon. Don't worry." Sasuke says and kisses his lover's forehead before heading off towards the courtyard.
She was everything that a noblewoman was supposed to be. Hinata was beautiful, kind, and well educated in what was considered proper behavior for a lady of her station.
Sasuke had been rather honest with her when he proposed. Hinata knew that this was a marriage of convenience. Sasuke needed an heir. The bluenette needed to get out of a disastrous match. So it seemed rather practical really. Sasuke's wife knew about Naruto as well.
"Please return him to me." He sends up his prayer.
Hinata's feelings on Sasuke's and Naruto's relationship. No woman wanted to be second in their husband's heart, but Naruto had caught her blushing once when she walked in on Sauske giving him a farewell kiss. Honestly, Naruto thought that Hinata might find their relationship erotic on some level. So it was good that Sasuke's wife didn't completely hate him.
He couldn't find it in him to hate her. This wasn't her fault. She just wanted to get out of what would likely be a horrible marriage. The Roman woman was doing Sasuke a favor by marrying him and agreeing to give him an heir. Still the thought of Sasuke in another's bed sent his blood boiling. He couldn't help it.
"Of course, I will." Sasuke calls out, just as he strolled out of Naruto's line of sight.
Meanwhile, Gaara sighs as he watches Itachi greet Karin. Karin's belly was already becoming round with Itachi's child. The two of them had married about three months after Itachi became Emperor.
Karin had conceived only a few months after that. Thus any concerns that Itachi might be sterile like his uncle, were quickly put to rest. Still couldn't help but remember that day. The day that Itachi told him of his plans to wed the other red head would forever be burned into his memory.
"Gaara, I need an heir. I'm the Emperor now. If I had my way, I would not be marrying any woman. But I must. So I have decided who it will be." He said.
The Senator simply nodded. He didn't trust himself to speak at the moment. Itachi was right. He did need an heir and the wealthy Roman wasn't going to make things anymore difficult than they had to be.
"Who is she?" He forced himself to ask after a few awkward moments of silence.
"Karin. She saved your life, Gaara. That is why I feel she deserves to be Empress. I do not love her. I will never love her as anything other than the mother of my children. You are the one that I adore. I don't want you to forget that for a single moment." Itachi said and kissed his lover.
Gaara remembered kissing back desperately. He supposed in a way that he should be flattered. The only woman that Itachi could bare taking for his wife, was the one who had tended to his injuries. That did help soothe a little of the bitterness he felt.
"She is fortunate to have a husband as wonderful as you are. I love you with all my heart. I understand. I don't like it, but I understand. An Emperor needs an heir and I can't give you that." He stated and fought with all his might to keep his voice from revealing how he felt.
He wouldn't do it. Gaara wouldn't make Itachi feel anymore guilty than he already did. The red head had no doubts that if given the option, his lover would have never taken another to their bed. He just simply didn't have the option.
"You look beautiful. How have you been feeling?" Itachi asks.
"The sickness in the mornings has passed. I am grateful for that. The physician says that everything seems to be progressing well." She replies.
Karin couldn't help but feel a little jealous of Gaara. Itachi claimed her only as often as was needed until it became obvious that they had conceived. Itachi might prefer men, but he was a very gifted lover.
She couldn't hate Gaara though. It was only natural to fall for the handsome Emperor. Karin did wish she had seen him first, but she supposed there was no point in pondering such things.
"That is good. You should get some rest." He tells her and places a chaste kiss on her forehead before returning to Gaara.
Karin sighs. She supposed that she couldn't have everything. She was carrying Itachi's child and Empress. As much as she wished that Itachi loved her or for him just to simply lust after her, she knew it wasn't the case.
He would check on her well being. Itachi was kind to her. He'd compliment her and ask if there was anything she needed. He'd caress her growing stomach and then almost immediately seek out Gaara. It was more than a little maddening actually.
"Good morning, my love." Itachi whispers and kisses Gaara.
Gaara knew it was a little petty, but he didn't care. He kisses back. His kiss was far less chaste than Itachi. He wanted to remind Karin of who the Emperor really loved. He tries not to smirk when she shoots him a dirty look.
"Good morning, Your Majesty." He says after breaking the kiss and Kairn makes a tactful exit.
"Would you care to go for a stroll with me around the gardens?" Itachi asks and offers the other man his arm.
Gaara nods. He takes the arm offered to him and allows the Emperor to lead him off. He knew that he was probably going to get an earful for the heated kiss, but he didn't care.
"You really shouldn't taunt her in such a fashion. She knows that my heart belongs to you, but there really is no reason to throw it in her face so blatantly. Gaara, she's pregnant. It's not good to upset her." Itachi pleads with him.
"I know that I shouldn't. I can't help it though." He admits.
"I would prefer it, if our child didn't grow to hate us because his or her mother was jealous." The Emperor chides him.
Gaara shakes his head. He couldn't imagine Itachi's child hating him. He couldn't imagine anyone hating the handsome Emperor actually. (Well other than Orochimaru, but he had been mad to begin with.)
"Your child will never hate you. That would be impossible. Speaking of impossible, I still can't believe you gave that man a ship." Gaara muses.
Itachi chuckles. Well Manda had been pretty convincing at the time. He also raised some valid points.
"Good morning, Your Highness. I did not mean to startle you. I am just here to collect on the debt that I am owed. You see, I was the one who shot the arrow that allowed you to defeat Orochimaru." Manda had said.
It wasn't every day that you woke up to the most famous assassin in Rome in your bedchambers. This was particularly true after you had just spent the night lost in carnal bliss with your lover. So yeah, Itachi had been more than a little startled.
"You should really learn to knock first. Sasuke did mention that he saw a man with silver hair fire off an arrow. He said he gave chase, but that the archer jumped out of the window and landed on his feet like a cat. As your hair is silver, I assume you speak truly." Itachi replied and watched the other man warily.
"I suppose so. Now about my reward. I would like a ship. A warship. I've been an assassin for many years. I should think that I would like to explore the world and become a pirate. I can attack our enemies and weaken them." He explained.
Gaara raised an eyebrow. This man certainly had a lot of nerve. First, he snuck into the Emperor's private bedchambers. Now he was demanding a ship. The red head looked at his lover to gauge Itachi's reaction.
"That does seem like a small price to pay, considering everything. Very well. I shall have a warship given to you. Do not make me regret this decision. Now if you will excuse us, I should like to enjoy the rest of my morning with my lover. I should especially like to do this, without an audience." Itachi hissed at him.
"Of course. A pleasure doing business with you, Your Highness. I shall await on the Royal Docks. You may fay a red flag on the ship that is to be mine." He informed the Emperor before he darted off.
"That man is rather full of himself." Gaara muttered.
"I suppose so. Though at the moment, I would rather ensure that you are full of me." Itachi said with a smirk and spent the rest of the day ravishing his beloved red head.
Itachi had kept his word. Manda was giving one of the finest warships to ever sail the seven seas. Gaara didn't even want to know what he was doing with it.
"Well I was honor bound to do so. He did after all, help us defeat Orochimaru. Come my love, I have a surprise for you." He says with a sly smile as he leads the red head off to the Royal Throne Room.
Two weeks later and Naruto was conversing with Ino. She was funny and he needed to do something to pass the time. There wasn't a military campaign going on for him to dash off to and occupy his attention while he waited for Sasuke's return. So he figured talking to Ino was as good as any other way to keep him from going stir crazy.
"How is your marriage to Sai going?" He asks.
"Quite well. He's a bit strange, but I imagine all gladiators are to a certain extent. Still he has never raised his hand to me or his voice. He does give me gifts, even if they are a little odd." She informs him.
Naruto tilts his head. He wondered what the skinny Roman had given his wife to earn that label. He decides to ask.
"Like what?" The blue eyed man inquires curiously.
"A jeweled dagger." Ino says and shows Naruto.
The General blinks. Yes, that was a very unusual gift for a woman. Honestly, it was a superiorly crafted blade and the gems were beautiful though. Naruto knew in his own way that Sai was trying to make Ino favor him. Giving a woman a weapon as a symbol of your romantic love, was still strange though.
"Well it is quite a nice dagger." The blonde man offers and Ino nods in agreement.
"Yes, it is. He is also very attentive in our bedchambers. I can not find a reason to complain when it comes to his…passions." She admits with a slight blush.
"That's always good. Yeah, Sasuke is very passionate as well. Gods and Goddesses, I miss him." Naruto grumbles.
Ino nods sympathetically. It was no secret that the Prince and General were deeply in love. They didn't even bother to hide it within the castle walls. Still she wondered how their relationship would change when Sasuke returned.
"I'm certain that he will be back soon. He wouldn't want to risk traveling during winter." She muses.
"Yeah. You're right. So how did you and Sai get together anyway?" The Roman continues making conversation.
Ino wondered that herself sometimes. It seemed that Sai had randomly decided he was attracted to her and he needed a wife. That was that.
"After he became a Senator, he realized he would need to marry. He asked me and that was all there was to it." The blonde woman says with a slight shrug.
Naruto rubs the back of his head sheepishly. Sheesh. Sai had never struck him as a sappy romantic, but he had expected something a little less transactional.
"Well I am glad that you are both happy." He says with a grin.
"Thank you. I feel the same way about you and the High Prince." Ino informs him.
Meanwhile Kakashi and Rin were sailing on the Mediterranean Sea. They had quite the impressive crew now. Suigetsu had decided to join them. After Karin had married Itachi and Jugo had decided to become Sasuke's puppy, the white haired man had gotten a little antsy. There just wasn't anything exciting going on in Rome anymore.
So he had jumped at the chance to explore the world at sea. He smiles. Suigetsu now had an impressive collection of swords. Manda was nice enough to let him keep whatever swords he found, that intrigued him.
"So have you ever actually seen him without the mask?" Suigetsu asks Rin one day.
"No. I haven't. He keeps it on at all times." Rin informs the other pirate.
Suigetsu raises an eyebrow. That struck him as very strange. Yes, he understood Manda wanting to keep his identity a secret. But he was clearly lovers with Rin. He didn't even take the mask off when they had sex?
"He keeps it on even when you two are together?" The white haired man asks in disbelief.
"Yes. He's very consistent about it. I don't mind though. I didn't fall in love with him because of a pretty face." Rin replies.
The violet eyed pirate just shakes his head. It was hard for him to fathom. How could you make love to someone without even seeing their face. That was just bizarre. Oh well. It wasn't really his business. He mostly was just curious to see what Manda looked like without his mask.
"Did he ever tell you his real name?" He continues.
"Yes, he did. I'm not going to tell you that." She informs him and giggles at Suigetsu's dismayed expression.
It was fun to tease him. Kakashi was busy at the moment plotting their next heist. So she had to pass the time somehow. Teasing the sword lover was a good way to do that.
Kakashi looks over the maps. Hmm they should be coming up along the northern coast of Africa soon. Maybe they could ambush a ship that was heading to a port. Yes, that sounded like a good plan.
"I'll tell the others." He mutters to himself as he heads out of the cabin.
He raises an eyebrow when he saw Rin with Suigetsu. Oh he wasn't jealous. The look on Suigetsu's face assured him that he had nothing to be jealous of. (Which was good thing for the white haired man because Kakashi could be a rather jealous lover and you didn't want to provoke him.)
"What are you teasing that poor boy about now?" He asks in amusement.
"Oh he just wanted to know if I had ever seen you without your mask." Rin says with a smile as she walks over to Kakashi.
She places a quick kiss against his lips. Rin smiles when he kisses back. She knew that she had chosen well. If she had stayed in Rome, she would either be dead or have killed her second husband. She was much happier on the open sea with Kakashi and their crew.
"You know you are never going to see me without my mask. I don't know why you bother to try." Kakashi says, after breaks the kiss.
"Eh. You can't blame a man for trying. So did you decide where we are going to strike next?" He asks happily.
Kakashi nods. He tells them about his plans to ambush a ship that was on its way to port. It would all work out nicely. They should get quite the impressive haul out of this one. This was the time of year that the Egyptians sent out their trading vessels.
Meanwhile back at the castle, Jugo blinks. There was a beautiful woman who was being harassed by the palace guards. He was going to offer assistance, but it seemed she didn't need it.
"If you try to touch me again, you will all be sleeping with Neptune." The woman says.
Neptune was the God of the Seas. She had threatened to drown them. The 'woman' in question turned out to be a beautiful man. The man was quite skilled with needles. He threw some at the guards and they fell over, unable to move. Jugo suspected the needles were coated in some substance that caused temporary paralysis.
"I was going to ask if you needed any help, but I see you have managed just fine, all on your own." Jugo says with a smile as he walks over.
"I appreciate your concern. It's rare to see someone who will step in for a stranger. I'm Haku." He says with a sweet smile.
"I'm Jugo. What brings you to the castle?" He asks.
"I'm going to be the Royal Physician." The other man informs him and Jugo nods.
He had a hard time imagining the beautiful, petite man in such a role. But Jugo wasn't actually going to say so. Besides, Haku apparently was quite lethal when it came to throwing those needles around. The Roman was not eager to get on his bad side.
"Welcome. In that case, would you like me to escort you to the medical wing?" Jugo asks.
"That would be wonderful. Thank you." Haku says and walks off with Jugo.
At this time, Sasuke came down the hall. He was seeing Hinata to her room. He blinks when he saw that Jugo was walking a woman somewhere. He didn't know that Jugo favored both sexes. Huh, you learned something new everyday.
"That's our Prince Sasuke. Your Majesty, I was just taking Haku to the medical ward. I think he is going to make an excellent physician." Jugo says with a smile.
Sasuke blinks. That was a MAN?! Was Jugo playing some sort of practical joke on him? The young prince looks Haku up and down. Damn, he really was a man. Wow.
"Welcome. We are so glad to have you here. The Empress will be requiring your services shortly. She is with child." Sasuke explains and Hinata nods in agreement.
"I am aware, Your Majesty. I will not let your family down. Gods and Goddesses willing, it will be a safe delivery." Haku says.
"Yes, Gods and Goddesses be willing. Well I must be off. I have to inform Itachi that I have arrived home, safe and sound." Sasuke says as he wanders down the Hall.
Jugo tries to hide his smirk. Yes, Sasuke was going to inform "Itachi." If Itachi had magically transformed into a blonde General, that was. He bids good day to Hinata and heads off with Haku.
Sasuke goes to find Naruto. He smiles when he saw him in the gardens with Ino. Gods and Goddesses, he had missed Naruto more than he would ever be able to express. He strides over to him.
"I shall see you later, Naruto. Good day to you, Your Majesty." Ino says with a knowing smile and scurries off.
"SASUKE!" Naruto says and dashes over to him.
Naruto scooped the other man off the ground. He swung him around and around. Sasuke was actually beginning to get rather dizzy.
"I missed you as well. I'm so happy to be home." He says and they both knew what Sasuke really meant to say, "I'm so happy to be home, with you."
"You have returned to me, My Nymph. Come on, let's go bath together." Naruto says happily and practically drags the other man off.
Sasuke blinks. He didn't really understand why Naruto to bath right now. But he went along with it. Once he was in the water, the blonde explains why.
"I don't want her scent on you. I know you had to, but I wouldn't be able to control myself. Not if I smelled her on you." Naruto says.
"Naruto, you are being ridiculous. You know that I need heirs. That's the only reason why I was with her. You know damn well that you are the only person I love and there is no reason for you to be jeal-" Sasuke is silenced by a hot kiss.
Deep down, the General knew that what the Prince told him was the truth. It didn't matter at the moment though. What matter most was getting Hinata's scent off of him and reminding Sasuke who exactly he belonged to.
He was going to ravish Sasuke until the other man passed out in a delirious state of carnal bliss. Naruto would probably still keep going even afterwards. Gods and Goddesses, he had missed his Nymph so much.
Sasuke returns the kiss. He understood why Naruto was acting this way. If positions were reversed, he would likely do the same. For tonight, he would indulge his blonde in this childish display of possessiveness.
"I think I should remind who you belong to, My Nymph." Naruto says, breaking the kiss.
"I think you should as well." Sasuke says with a smile and sighs in contentment when he felt the blonde place a trail of kisses along his neck.
"I hope you don't have any plans for the next few days. I'm going to make you scream my name so loudly that the Gods and Goddesses will hear you." Naruto purrs darkly into his ear and strokes his lover.
"Promises. Promises." Sasuke pants and bucks into Naruto's hand.
How did he do it? How did the blonde drive him mad with desire with just a simple touch of his hand. The High Prince of Rome swore that it must have been magic.
"I love you." He whispers into his General's ear.
"I love you too and I'm going to prove it." Naruto promises him and Sasuke smiles, knowing he was in for a very long night.