Slaves to Love

"They are quite spirited in their swordplay." Itachi muses as he watches his son practice swinging a wooden sword.

His son was four years old. Fugaku would be turning five in a few months. Itachi had named him after his late father.

Fugaku was thriving. He was a very bright boy with Karin's hair color that he styled similarly to his father. His eyes were smoky gray like Itachi's. He had the typical temper of a red head though. He was very feisty.

"Take that!" Fugaku cries out as he swings his sword at his cousin.

"I won't lose!" Katsu roars back at his elder cousin.

Well the four year old roars back as much as a child his age could. Katsu was Sasuke's son. He had inherited Hinata's midnight blue tresses and Sasuke's ivory skin. His eyes were lavender in color, though shaped like Sasuke's. He might have been younger, but he wouldn't back down from his cousin's challenge easily.

"I didn't like having to share you, but Katsu is truly adorable." Naruto whispers into Sasuke's ear as they watch the battling children.

"Katsu is healthy and strong. I don't need to make another heir. You don't have to share me anymore. I suppose it's my turn to be jealous though." Sasuke replies with a frown.

Naruto had put it off for as long as he could, but you could only stall for so long. He had ended up marrying a woman called Tenten. She was a former gladiatorix. So Sasuke supposed it made sense that Naruto would choose her because he did love watching her fight before he married her.

"Not anymore. That's why I was gone for so long. Tenten had our twins. I named them after my parents. Minato and Kushina. The boy has blonde hair like me and Tenten's eyes. The girl has my eyes and brown hair. They're beautiful Sasuke. I can't wait for you to meet them." Naruto says.

"Twins? Well aren't you the virile one?" Sasuke says in taunting tone.

Naruto smirks. He had every intention of showing Sasuke just how virile he could be. The blonde kisses his cheek and wraps his arms around his beautiful Nymph.

"Yes, I am. I'll prove it to you after the children are in bed." He promises.

It was Sasuke's turn to smirk. That sounded very promising. Gods and Goddesses, he had missed Naruto while he was away. Now he understood why the blonde had been gone so long, he was a father now.

"I'm trembling with…excitement." Sasuke replies.

"As you should be, my Nymph. As you should be." Naruto purrs seductively into Sasuke's ear.

"Are you certain that it's safe for them to be playing with swords?" Karin asks Itachi anxiously.

"They are just wooden swords, Karin. Don't worry. The instructor knows what he is doing. Nothing will happen to our child or to our nephew." Itachi says.

He smiles when he saw Gaara walking down the hall towards him. The elder Uchiha frowns when he saw that the red head had left his pregnant wife behind him. The Senator had married a woman named Mei.

She was a bit of an unusual choice for a wife. The woman was already 30 summers. The wealthy woman had been married before, but her husband had died in one of Orochimaru's wars before she could have a child with him.

"Of course. I suppose I was worried over nothing. You would only hire someone who was fully competent to train our son and nephew in the ways of swordplay. Forgive me for being so anxious." Karin says.

Mercifully, Mei was still fertile and had gotten pregnant shortly after the marriage. She was due within the next month or so. Gaara treated her well, but it was obvious that it was a marriage of convenience and not a love match.

Still Itachi couldn't completely suppress his jealousy, whenever he saw her. She was carrying Gaara's child. That was something that he and Gaara would never be able to do for each other, no matter how many times they made love. It was maddening.

"There is nothing to forgive. You are just being a good mother." Itachi says, gives her a chaste kiss on the forehead, and walks over to his favorite red head.

"How is she doing?" Itachi asks softly.

"She's eight lunar cycles along. Mei is doing as well as can be expected. I hope that the babe is healthy and strong. I don't mind her companionship, but you are the only one that I want to bed." Gaara whispers and caresses Itachi's cheek tenderly.

"I feel the same way about my wife. May your son or daughter bring you as much joy as Fugaku brings me." Itachi says.

Gaara nods and smiles. He might not love Mei, but the red head knew that he would love his child fiercely. After all, Itachi adored Fugaku.

"After you put your son to bed, perhaps you can join me in ours?" The Senator asks hopefully.

"That sounds like a fine idea to me." Itachi says with a smile.

Elsewhere on a port in of the coast of Greece, Kakashi heads into a tavern with Rin, Suigetsu, and the rest of their crew. They had made quite the good haul on their last heist. Everyone was eager to spend it.

He smiles and pulls Rin into his lap. The silver haired man had never expected to find love, but he was glad that he had. The beautiful brunette was the perfect partner in every way for him.

"Give us some your finest rum!" Suigetsu cries out happily.

Rin was beautiful. She was intelligent. Best of all? She was just as twisted as Kakashi was. He had never seen a woman fight like such a demon before. It was strangely erotic to watch her drive her dagger through one of their enemies and how she would seem to almost dance as she fought.

In a strange way, Suigetsu had become almost like a son to them. Strange because he had never had any parental instincts before and Suigetsu really wasn't that much younger than them. It mattered little though. Their family might be unusual, but it was a happy one.

"Try not to drink yourself unconscious, again." Rin chides the white haired sword lover gently.

"That happened ONE time." Suigetsu immediately protests the gentle scolding from the Captain's wife.

That was right. He had married the adventurous woman. The former assassin had never thought he would wed either. Rin constantly made him do things that he never had the inclination to do before. She normally didn't even have to try to do any of this things that would normally be so out of character for him. Half the time, Kakashi swore she was some sort of enchantress.

"Yes, well let us make certain it stays that way." Rin says with a smile as she takes a large gulp of her rum.

Kakashi chuckles. Their banter always amused him. He never knew how much he missed real companionship until he started his own pirate crew. They were feared across the Seven Seas and for good reason. There was no other crew that could do what they could.

He knew that their ship played a large part in that. It was one of Rome's finest warships. That definitely gave them an advantage. But he also knew that there was no better crew than the one he had on his ship.

"Let the boy have his fun." Kakashi says and kisses Rin's cheek.

"Mmm alright. I suppose he's more than earned it. I was impressed by how many other swordsmen he was able to best at that last port." She muses.

Suigetsu was certainly a prodigy in the art of murder. Their entire crew was really, but that boy was something special when it came to kill. It made her almost like a proud mother in twisted way.

"Yeah! Let me have my fun and quite fussin'." Suigetsu grumbles as he downs a glass of rum.

Rin just shakes her head. He was an excellent fighter. But most the time, she would swear he was closer to a boy of ten summers than twenty.

"Perhaps we should stop at the market and see what is available. We made quite the large haul. We might as well spend it." Kakashi says with a big smile.

"Yes, that sounds like a good idea. Then afterwards, we can go off to have our own fun." She tells him with a wink.

Kakashi was very good at two things. Killing and sex. This was especially true about the last part. He could still make her scream in ecstasy even after all these years. She had never particularly enjoyed sex before she became involved with the silver haired pirate, but now she did very much.

"I like the way you think." He whispers seductively into her ear and then downs a cup of some rather strong wine.

Kakashi was a very lucky man. He had a beautiful woman at his side. The former assassin owned one of the finest warships that had ever sailed. And to stop it all off, he had an extremely loyal crew of pirates that proudly fought for him. Yes, life was very good.

Back in Rome, Jugo sat next to Haku. The Sun had just set not long ago. The Full Moon was high in the sky. Both men were in the Royal Gardens and enjoying a moonlit picnic.

"I must admit this is very romantic." Haku muses with a smile.

"I thought that you might like it. " His large lover replies and pours them each a glass of wine.

Haku nods. Jugo was truly a gentle giant. Most were intimidated by the orange haired man's truly massive size, but not Haku. He saw the gentleness that was hidden underneath that powerful frame.

Some days he wondered how he ever managed without the other man's love. Jugo was always there for him. It didn't matter if it was for the big or little things. The Royal Bodyguard would always help him.

"You thought correctly then. The Moon is truly beautiful tonight. I have scarcely ever seen it shine brighter." The petite man observes.

"It is beautiful. Though it isn't nearly as beautiful as you are." Jugo says as he leans in and kisses his lover.

Haku smiles. Jugo was very sweet and romantic. He kisses back happily. Jugo was also a very good kisser.

The orange haired Roman smiles when he breaks the kiss and caresses the other man's cheek affectionately. He never thought that he would find love again, but he had. Kimimaro had been right.

Looking at Haku underneath the moonlight, he knew that he likely would never see another more beautiful sight again in his lifetime. Venus was very kind to him, he muses. She had allowed him to find love again. Not once, but twice had he found someone who made his heart sing with joy. Most people were lucky to have that happen once, let alone twice.

Meanwhile on the city streets of Rome, Sai walks alongside with his wife. Their fingers were laced together as they continue their leisurely stroll. Sai didn't think he would ever understand it, but his wife did seem to enjoy browsing at the market.

"I don't understand. Why does it give you pleasure to look at things, if you have no intention of buying them. If you desire something, I have the money to get it for you." He tells her.

"Oh it's just looking to see what they have. If I see something I want, I'll let you know." She replies and kisses his cheek.

Sai was a contradiction. On one hand, he was highly intelligent. He was excellent at battle strategy. On the other, sometimes the simplest things would confuse him. He sincerely didn't seem to understand the concept of booth shopping. (The Ancient Roman version of window shopping.)

"Alright." Sai says.

He still didn't get it, but he wanted to make her happy. If walking around the market for no apparent reason made her happy, well he would indulge her. The former gladiator loved his wife deeply, after all.

It had taken him awhile to understand that. Love was such a foreign emotion to him. He knew that he desired her and wanted to keep her safe, but not why. Eventually, it dawned on him that he loved her.

"Oh this is quite pretty." She murmurs and holds up a silver necklace.

"Then we shall get it for you." Sai says and Ino smiles at him.

"Such a kind husband I have." She murmurs and kisses his cheek.

"And such a beautiful wife, I have. I am the luckiest man in all of Rome." He states as he buys her the necklace.

Ino giggles. Sai could be quite sweet when he wanted to be. Yes, the man was a walking contradiction. He'd killed hundreds, perhaps even thousands of men. But he could make love so gently when he wanted to. She didn't think she'd ever fully understand him, but it didn't matter. She loved him with all her heart.

Back at the vineyard, Temari and Shikamaru smile as they watch their daughter chase after a butterfly she saw in the fields. They currently had three children. Two boys and one girl. The girl was the youngest and very inquisitive.

"That girl is almost as hyper as Naruto." Shikamaru observes with amusement.

'Oh she's not nearly that energetic, is she?" Temari asks.

She tilts her head as if considering this. Aiko was very smart and playful. She could be a holy terror when she was bored, but as energetic as Naruto? Well that was a stretch.

Shikamaru chuckles. Alright, maybe he had exaggerated slightly. But still, his daughter was very active. His sons took more after him. They'd rather watch clouds or play chess than chase after butterflies.

"I suppose you are right. That might have been exaggerating a bit." He confesses and Temari nods in agreement.

"Gaara seems very happy with Itachi." The blonde Roman woman observes.

Shikamaru nods. There really was no denying that no matter what station Itachi and Gaara were, the red head was deeply in love with Itachi. The same appeared to hold true for the young Emperor.

"He does. The same holds true for Naruto and Sasuke. I can't believe that we had two princes working in our fields as laborers." He muses.

Temari nods. It was still rather shocking. Well she supposed that it didn't matter. The brothers had taken back their crown. They had taken back their birthright and avenged their parents. In addition to all that, somehow they had managed to find love along the way. Truly, it was a miracle. (Actually, it was several miracles).

"Well I couldn't be happier for them or their new families." She says with a smile.

"Nor I, my love. Nor I." Shikamaru says as he kisses her.

Temari smiles and kisses back. She was a very lucky woman. The blonde had three beautiful children and a loving husband. (Oh and it was also nice to have a brother who was currently the Emperor lover).

The next day, the brothers and Senators were utterly exhausted. Mei had gone into labor a lunar cycle early and it took all night for the baby boy to be born. Gaara had stayed with his wife and held his son for hours still after that. Finally, he was shooed out of the delivery room and told that his wife and son needed their rest.

"He's a wonder, Gaara. Truly, he is." Itachi says as he kisses the top of his lover's head.

"Yes, he is." The Senator says proudly and leans into his lover's embrace.

Kenji had Gaara's red hair and Mei's eyes. He was a stunning child. To Gaara, he was perfect in every way. (Which was a good thing because Gaara didn't plan on having anymore children, never again would he share another's bed while Itachi lived.)

"Congratulations, Gaara." Naruto says with a smile as he holds his Nymph tightly in his arms.

"Thank you, my friend. It seems congratulations are in order for you as well. Twins?" He asks.

Naruto nods his head. He loved his son and daughter more than anything. The blonde liked his wife well enough, but he was relieved his duties to have an heir (well heirs) were over now. He would never have to be with anyone else besides Sasuke.

"Yes. A healthy baby boy and baby girl." The blue eyed Roman responds proudly, beaming with fatherly pride.

"That is wondrous news, indeed." His old friend says.

The General couldn't help but agree. Somehow it had all worked out. Orochimaru was dead. Itachi was Emperor and Sasuke was High Prince. Everyone now had their heirs and wives who were at least somewhat sympathetic towards their positions and they were still all with their most precious person. There was just one final mystery to solve.

"I wonder what happened to Danzo." Naruto asks.

"Ino killed him." Sasuke says simply, stunning everyone else into silence.

"Wait. What? What makes you say that?!" His lover demands to know.

Sasuke sighs. He had figured it out a few months ago. Honestly, he didn't see the point in bringing the issue up. Everyone already assumed that the old viper was dead anyway.

"I was out riding a few months ago. My horse stumbled upon something. It turned out to be an unmarked grave. It was so close to the castle that my interest was peaked. So I dug it up. Imagine my surprise when I saw that Danzo's ring was inside the coffin along with his bones." Sasuke explains.

"Well that explains how you knew it was him, but what makes you think that Sai's wife murdered him?" Itachi asks.

That was a good question. Sasuke thought he had a damn good answer for it. The necklace. That was how he knew.

"Her cheap necklace must have fallen into the coffin as she buried him. I recognized it. I know she did it. I don't particularly care though. He was a viper. The woman did us and the world a favor really. Besides, he was so old. Danzo likely wouldn't have lasted another five years anyway. Shame about the necklace, but I imagine Sai will replace it with something far more grand soon." Sasuke says with a shrug.

"That's quite a bit of rather clever detective work, my dear brother." Itachi muses.

"Thank you." Sasuke says simply as he cuddles into Naruto.

Itachi smiles. Well that mystery was finally solved at last. On this day, he was a very happy man. He had a strong, healthy son. A gorgeous lover and an understanding wife. His brother was safe and Itachi was the Emperor of Rome.

Everything was going perfectly in his mind. It was a beautiful day and the harvest had been good this year. They had even beaten back the Barbarians for the time being. Yes, life was good. Life was very good.

"Should we say something about his death?" Gaara asks.

"We'll show the Senate his grave. We can simply say that he must have been killed during the battle against Orochimaru and leave it at that." Itachi says.

He didn't particularly feel the need to get Ino into trouble for it. The man had it coming. Itachi was no fool. He knew that Danzo had been rather cruel to the servants and likely would have betrayed the brothers at some point. She had done them a favor really.

"Alright. That sounds like a good plan. It's certainly believable and might actually be the truth. She could have killed him during the battle. We wouldn't have noticed, if she did." The red head muses.

"Preciously, my love." Itachi agrees.

"It's funny in a way." Sasuke mutters half to himself and half to the other men standing next to him.

Naruto tilts his head to the side. He wondered what could possibly be funny to Sasuke at the moment. They had just been discussing a man's death!

"What's funny, my Nymph?" He asks.

"When you first saw us we were slaves. We had no control over our fate…" Sasuke begins.

Gaara nods at this assessment. It was unfortunately, heartbreakingly accurate. He sighs as he remembers the first time he saw Itachi. He had been so tragically beautiful that his heart had wanted to reach out to the handsome youth.

"And now you are the High Prince and Itachi is Emperor. Yeah, I guess it is kinda funny." Naruto says with a smile.

"That's not what I meant. Well at least that's not entirely what I meant." Sasuke continues.

Itachi raises an eyebrow. Now he was rather curious to see what was on his brother's mind. Sasuke was a genius and his mind did tend to work in rather strange ways on occasion.

"In a way, we are still slaves though. This time it is completely voluntary." The prince says.

"My Nymph, what are you talking about? You aren't making any sense." Naruto asks in confusion.

The young prince frowns. He wasn't entirely certain how to say this. But he knew Naruto. Now that he had brought it up, he would have explain himself. So he would try to do so to the best of his ability.

"We're willing slaves to love. All of us. Me, you, Itachi, and Gaara. We are all each other's Master and slave at the same time. There's nothing that we wouldn't do for each other." He finishes.

"I guess when you put it that way, you're right. Such a beautiful and smart Nymph, I have." Naruto says happily and kisses the top of Sasuke's head.

Sasuke tries to hide his blush. His brother would never let him live it down, if he saw it. He wasn't entirely certain if he managed to do so or not. Part of him didn't care, he was just happy to bask in Naruto's praise.

"You never did give me a very specific pet name." Itachi muses to Gaara.

"You are my Cupid. You struck me with your arrow and never let me go afterwards. I am very grateful for this fact. I love you with all my heart. To the rest of Rome, you are their Emperor. To me, you are my heart and soul." Gaara says as he kisses Itachi.

Naruto blinks. Well how the Hell was he supposed to compete with THAT? Damn Gaara was good with words.

"It's alright, Naruto. I didn't fall in love with you because you were a poet. I fell in love with you because you are honest, brave, and kind. That and you are a fantastic lover." Sasuke informs him.

"Oh good. So I promised you that I would prove that I was very virile. Do you want to go back to the royal chambers, my Nymph?" Naruto asks.

"I thought you would never ask." Sasuke says with a smirk and laces his fingers with Naruto's as they dash off towards their room.

Itachi laughs. He offers Gaara his arm. His red head takes it and they head off to their own chambers. The two couples spent the rest of the day, a slave to their passion for each other. There was a certain freedom in surrendering yourself to your lover, after all.