The Epoch of Eros

Hi loves. As you know, I haven't been having the best month. All Quiet are the Roses of Thorns was taken down due to the song lyrics of Johnny Get Your Gun and it sucked. If they had told me to remove the song lyrics from the first chapter, I would have. But they waited until eight chapters in to remove. But I think I'm okay now. It's still taking some time. But, I'm not done. I have more stories and I'm not stopping until I run out ideas. And until you guys are satisfied. So how about this new story in which both Naru and Sasu are slaves in an old age empire?

I wanted to do something cool with the title. An Epoch is a period of time marked by notable events. Eros is an ancient greek word that translates to sexual passion. However, it was one of the first words that meant 'love.' The title literally translates to "The Era of Love"

ONE MAJOR POINT IN THIS STORY: IT'S TITLE IS THE EPOCH OF EROS FOR A REASON. BEFORE NARUTO AND SASUKE MEET, THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS LOVE. WHETHER IT BE LOVE FOR THE FAMILY OR SEXUAL, LOVE IS A NEW THING. AND IN AN ERA LIKE THIS, ANYTHING NEW IS CONFUSING AND FRIGHTENING TO THE PEOPLE. AND THIS IS A UTOPIA. IT SHALL BE EXPLAINED HERE IN THE FIRST CHAPTER.

This story is a fantasy story. So it's going to have lots of fantasy in it. However, it will also have humans. So no guys, Naruto isn't going to be some kind of vampire. Haha. Anyway, on with the story. Tout de suite.

Paths of No Hope

Southern Konoha

The wooden spoon was clutched tightly in his hand so it wouldn't be dropped, but his interests didn't lie in eating his miso soup.

He often enjoyed looking into the transparent substance, making silly faces when his caretakers weren't watching.

His blue eyes, what his mother often called the sky, roamed to said woman. Her eyes as dull as the rest of the world as they bore into his father's equally dulls eyes.

Everyone's eyes were dull to him, often seen staring at a painting and not at the pretty colors.

His mother told him that it was wrong. That looking at the colors and not assessing the painting was forbidden. And she often encouraged him to look more bored so that he wouldn't create trouble.

"They've been sending the letters again, Minato." She muttered.

Said man sighed, rubbing his temples with his calloused fingertips. "What do they expect from us? We can't control it."

"They're threatening to pull him out if he continues to be of distraction to the other children." Kushina continued, her voice never wavering from it's uncreative tone.

Another sigh escaped his forever thinned lips. "We can fix it. All we need to focus…."

The boy drowned out the rest of the conversation, choosing instead to make rather odd faces in the reflection of his soup. They delighted him, making his stomach twist and tickle in vibrations.

"Naruto!"

The sound of his name was harsh and filled with bitter embarrassment and soft disappointment.

He stopped smiling, his head yanking upward fast enough to crack his neck.

Although the stares were not new, they still made him want to shrink within his chair. Rage and embarrassment from his father. Fear and shock from his mother.

"Yes?" the six year old asked, composing himself. When he did, his face grew tight, his eyes stared at the table, and he sat up.

The trick seemed to work, as his parents did calm down a little. Minato eyed him some more before speaking.

"Are you ready to have your companion chosen tomorrow?"

He shrugged to appear even duller. "I don't want it to be Sakura-chan. She's mean."

Kushina gasped. "What's gotten into you?"

"It's only my opi-"

"We don't have opinions, young man." His father spoke sternly. "Not in this home, not in this village, not in this country. Your soulmate will be chosen by random, and you will have no choice but to marry her or him."

Defiantly, the stubborn child crossed his arms. "But I don't like any of the other kids."

"It's not about that. Soulmates only get married to reproduce the most highly valuable children this empire can afford."

The conversation ended as fast as it had come, and the family continued to eat their soup. Naruto, now angry, glared bitterly at the table.

"Why don't you go and collect some water while I speak to your father, musuko?"

The suggestion was happily taken by the boy and he stood with a wide grin, again making his parents uncomfortable.

"Okay, kaasan. I'm going." He ran to the corner grabbing the tin bucket and making his way to the door.

"Oi, Naruto." His father's call stopped him and he turned. The man was shaking his head in disapproval. "Stop doing what you do. It is rebellious and will get us in lots of trouble. Dame desu. It's no good."

Apologetically, the boy nodded, not fully grasping what was wrong with him. "Gomen nasai, tousan."

When no additional words came, Naruto quickly left the home. He enjoyed following the trodden path to their meadow and well. It took him some time, but he liked looking at the sky when no one was there to scold him.

He liked smelling the flowers that grew by themselves. He liked running around, splashing in puddles made from rain, smiling, laughing, giggling when it was wrong to.

A burst of movement attracted his eyes to the orange tip of nine tails just peeking out from the sea of tall grass that made up the meadow. The boy took a tentative step towards the creature, careful not to make a sound as to startle it.

It didn't work for long. The hostile creature turned its head and Naruto stood frozen as it watched him, sizing him up with honey coloured eyes. Slowly, he reached out, and in a flash of copper, he was on his butt.

The tin bucket ended up over his small head and he laughed loudly in the newfound darkness. Lifting the bucket just enough to see, he smiled at the sight.

"Kurama!" He called, watching the small fox bite playfully at his ankles. Leaning against his pants, the fox bit on his orange kimono.

Naruto laughed, and then covered his mouth. "We can't play tug the cloth today, boy. I have to collect the water. And tousan says I can get into trouble."

The fox continued to play, however, and both boy and creature failed to notice the small army being led toward their home.

Naruto giggled when Kurama licked his face. "Okay, we can j-"

The scream that rented the air was as good as a siren. Nobody screamed like that unless it was terror beyond endurance. It was unmistakably a woman's.

Naruto got upon his knees and looked with confusion toward his home. He could see nothing but the calmness of the day. And as quick as the scream had silenced the world, it silenced itself just as fast.

Kurama let out a menacing growl as he watched the home, but still inched closer to the boy.

"What do you think it is, boy?"

Not a moment later, the wooden door was slammed open, and thrown out onto the ground was his father, his kimono ruined by a deep red stain.

Five men with swords followed, one leading. He was frightening to Naruto. With his arms wrapped in bandages and his eye covered.

He looked to Kurama with confusion. "Lord Danzo?" He whispered in confusion, as if the fox would shrug in confusion too.

His father raised one hand in a pleading motion, moving backward with the other.

"Please, Danzo-sama. I can fi-"

Naruto fell back in shock as he watched his father's head roll from his body, stopping just by the meadow.

It seemed many things were being silenced today. He was silenced by his mother's scream. His mother was silenced by her death. His father was silenced by his head being severed from his body.

Grabbing Kurama, who had been growling, the boy stood, running as fast as he could away from the home.

His steps were loud and so was his breathing. His vision grew cloudy from tears and he wiped them, not understanding the rawness in his throat. The itchiness in his eyes. The pain in his chest.

One of the shinobi moved forward, drawing their sword, only to be stopped by and wrapped hand.

"Do not pursue the boy. This was the plan."

His subordinate nodded, bowing. "Hai, Lord Danzo."

Ten Minutes Before

Northern Konoha

He smiled into his soup, sticking out his tongue and clutching his spoon in the process. A soft laugh escaped his cherry lips and he held his spoon even tighter.

"That is forbidden!"

Looking up, the boy stared around the table in shame and confusion. His father stared harshly, his mother in disapproval, and his brother in disappointment.

With a blush, he leaned back. "I didn't know." But he did know, and his father knew that. The man was almost never direct in his replies.

Mikoto shook her head. "Mo ikutsu? What is your age now?"

"Well it is. And I tell you all the time, Sasuke. We don't use those emotions. Not in this home, not in this village, not in this country."

"They're threatening to pull him out of school if he keeps being of distraction to the other children." His mother noted without an ounce of emotion in her voice.

Fugaku sighed, finally taking his eyes off of Sasuke to rub them.

His brother leaned forward, staring at Sasuke with scrutiny. "We can fix it."

The family grew silent then, continuing to eat their dinner. Sasuke had always been confused with them.

It was always a command with him. He couldn't smile, couldn't laugh, couldn't enjoy things. It was forbidden to point out something pretty and it was wrong to play.

And even so, it wasn't his choice to have so many odd emotions. He didn't mean to smile at the sky and say the colors of the sunset were pretty. And besides, what was so wrong with it?

"Sasuke, what's gotten into you?" His mother asked in fear. Lost in thought, the boy had somehow manifested a smile, somehow dreaming of a meadow full of flowers, a sky full of orange, a picture full of joy.

"Gomen." He whispered.

"Sasuke. You're putting yourself in dan-"

The sword that had sprouted from the back of his brother's throat like a flower was shiny.

The six year old didn't gasp until the shiny object kissed his father's chest. He didn't fall out of his chair with a strangled gasp until it kissed his mother's forehead.

The wielder of the sword stopped to stare at Sasuke. A frightening man he was, mask and all. He scratched his silver head, pulling down his mask and giving Sasuke a menacing scowl with his single eye.

"Lord Danzo has given me orders to let you run. And although I want to kill you slowly, watch the blood trickle from your body, I'm going to turn around."

Sasuke ran from the dining area, grabbing hold of the door.

"Hey!"

He looked back in fear at the shinobi. He seems to be a menacing man, the way he stood perfectly still. Sasuke was sure he followed orders as any prominent soldier would.

However, there was something else in the man's single eye. Being a wielder of forbidden emotions, Sasuke nearly understand. There was sadness and there was regret.

"Never stop running." The man muttered softly.

Too afraid to nod, the boy opened the door, springing away from his home and never looking back.

His vision grew cloudy from tears and he wiped them, not understanding the rawness in his throat. The itchiness in his eyes. The pain in his chest.

He didn't know how long he'd been running, but soon, he'd come to a road.

In the distance, he could make out a shadow; the scrawny form of a child being outlined by the mist of the world. As it drew near, Sasuke could only make out the fox in the boy's arm and blond hair.

After passing one another, both children looked back, fear and panic in their eyes. They didn't stop to greet one another. They didn't warn the other of the danger lying in their chosen direction. Blue eyes bore into black ones and somehow, that was enough to understand. Enough for both boys to not understand the danger, but enough to understand that running was the only way to get from the horrors.

Enough for both boys to understand that any day after this would be no easy feat. Their journeys that lay before them would be peril on peril. There were no safe ways through the badlands and even if they made it through life, they would have to run around the pain and through the hurt.

They were lost together in our silences. Their wordlessness was their mutual destruction.

Having gotten their knowledge, both boys turned away at once, continuing their flee.

After that they went on again; and now the road struck westwards and left the river, and the great shoulder of the pain drew ever nearer. At length, they would reach the their path, scrambled steeply up, and plodded slowly. And at last in the late afternoon, they would come to the top of the ridge and see the wintry sun going downwards to the north.

Thirteen Years Later

He scowled in slight disgust as the auctioneer grabbed hold of his pale arm, dirty fingernails scratching his beautiful, yet tainted skin.

What use was he to society if the embodiment of beauty was lost? Since childhood, his only way of being saved from harm was to become seductive. To lay naked, flat on his back, his faces turned to the sky.

"Sasuke Uchiha; 19; pure virgin slave." A few heads in the crowd lifted and Sasuke scowled even deeper. "A little of challenge, but nothing a few beatings can't fix. 30,000 ryo."

Five men and two women by the bar lifted their hands eagerly and Sasuke put his head down in fear.

"40,000 ryo!" A hoarse voice spoke from the back. Sasuke looked up then. The man- no thing- that eyed his form was at least one thousand years old. At least to him. His skin like that of a forbidden snake, his eyes like those of fragmented gold, burned through the core. The thing licked his lips and once more, Sasuke looked away.

The auctioneer grimaced slightly as no one else upped the price. "40,000 ryo for the taking?"

No one said a thing. Sasuke trembled. Please, he begged.

"40,000 for the taking?"

Help me.

"40,000 f-"

"I will have him. No charge." The voice, although commanding ceased all movement and sound, if there was any. A few onlookers gasped.

Sasuke looked up himself, staring into the soft craters of Hinata Hyuuga, the most prominent Warrior Hyuuga in Konoha.

The royal woman looked around the bar in silent agony. She grimaced and her nose rose an inch. sasuke wondered what is it she smelled. What foreign odor sent its message down into her body, alerting her limbs?

Somehow, Sasuke wanted to banish all that offended the woman's strong sensibilities. Especially the strong smell of must and rum and shoyu. Especially all the dust that the owners and he are too short to see.

She glanced at the auctioneer in condescension. Or was it solicitude? They were dogs, she and Sasuke, sniffing for clues, their throats quivering with subliminal growls.

The woman climbed the platform herself and Sasuke inched slightly closer to her.

Given a yard full of enemies, his closest enemy was a friend.

"Hyuuga-sama." The auctioneer unnecessarily announced in shock.

The woman gave a poised bow. "The clan will accommodate you with a good living. But...Uchiha Sasuke is very vital to our collection."

Breaking his stupor, the man nodded clumsily and bowed. "Ugh...yes...yes. Thank you. And good luck with him. He is indeed an odd one."

If he was waiting for the woman to question the statement, it never came. Gently, the warrior grabbed hold of Sasuke's arm and on instinct, the man grabbed back.

"Don't touch me." He hissed, his voice silent and frightening.

A series of gasps broke out and not a moment later, Sasuke was on his knees, his back taking a heavy blow from the auctioneer.

He looked up, tears in his eyes as the man lifted his meaty hand for another strike. "Do not use that tone with lady Hyuuga."

"And you…" her calm voice was gone and Sasuke looked toward the woman, only to cower back as she pointed her sword in the auctioneer's face. "Do not touch him. He doesn't belong to you anymore."

The man nodded hastily, his arms to his sides. Hinata closed her eyes, inhaling and exhaling deeply. When they opened, she was staring at Sasuke. "Follow me."

He traveled by carriage as Hinata rode her own horse individually. When they arrived to the slave quarters of the Hyuuga compound, Hinata asked him if he was properly cleaned before the auction.

He told her yes, not wanting to endure whatever steaming water the royal family would torture his skin with.

She asked if he had gotten a decent meal as well.

He lied and told her no. It wouldn't matter if he did or not. Decent should never be in the same sentence when regarding a slave.

The woman duly nodded. "Sasuke. I am deeply sorry for touching your arm today. Knowing that you are a pleasure slave, I should have been more cautious."

The apology seemed sincere and before he knew it, the corner of his lips curved upward and his dirty teeth peeked from his cracked lips.

The mere gesture made her eyes narrow in confusion and her head turn. "Where did you learn that? That's been strictly forbidden for thousands of years."

The smile disappeared as quick as it had appeared, if not quicker. "I don't know. It's always been in me."

"Hm. Try not to do it in public. Your quarters are the second one. My cousin will be here in a half hour to serve dinner. I suggest you get a good night's sleep, Sasuke. Our slaves' uses are one of the things that make us famous."

Sasuke watched her leave to the large mansion before turning to the small quarters about a mile away. With a heavy sigh, he began his long trek, watching a few royals secure the fencing.

He'd reached the front passage of the quarters with little time to breathe. For a second in time, he stood in the doorway, blocking the light from the pretty pretty pretty sun.

And the slaves sitting and speaking in dull tones and monotonous murmurs had looked up at him. At his little clothing. At his pale face.

He could feel every dull eye on him.

The sharp eyes of an old man with long hair. The mischievous eyes of a tanned slave, his face painting faded and his hair shaggy.

The bored green eyes of a very scrawny redhead. The pale green eyes of an odd haired girl.

There were a few other eyes. Everyone stared and Sasuke felt like a child being scolded.

Every pair of eyes except one.

Focused on sharpening a knife instead, the owner of the hidden eyes kept his head of blond locks. With his form, he resembled a perfect statue. At least he would have if not for the rubber scars over his body.

The man wore almost the same amount of clothing as Sasuke, if not less. His hair was blond and dirty, filled with grime and small touches of blood. His head was down and although Sasuke couldn't see his eyes, thin scratches beheld his cheeks.

Beside him, lay a large fox asleep, nine odd tails swishing in the air, occasionally kissing the blond man's arm. It was no doubt used for battle.

A fighter slave, he wondered. From before, he'd only blended with pleasure slaves and working slaves. But fighter slaves were soldiers. They could almost never be met directly.

"Ne Ne." The raven turned, his wide eyes meeting the dull ones of the old man sitting against the wall. "New slave?" He asked.

Nodding, Sasuke remained frozen in his spot.

The man motioned him over. "Yattekiru. Yattekiru. Come sit."

And he did, not wanting those boring eyes on him.

"New slave?" The man once again questioned once he sat. Sasuke shook his head. "How long then?"

The image of the masked soldier appeared and he closed his eyes. "Thirteen years."

"Ah. You're like him then." And the old man's head pointed to Naruto, who seemed to be sharpening the sword harder.

He was never interested in anything, so the raven's next words surprised him. "Who is that?"

"Naruto."

And as his name was said, the man finally looked up, his eyes finding Sasuke's.

The pale teen moved back, his stomach getting a feeling strong enough to make his eyes roll back and his head hurt.

Naruto's eyes were a vibrant blue. The color of a clear blue sky through a broken prison wall; the color of a perfect raindrop on a blue aster; the color of a river hurrying to join the great ocean.

The blond fighter grunted, and the sound came out animalistic. Enough to make Sasuke's face grow very hot.

I must be sick, he concluded looking away as Naruto did.

Just as it happened, the old man nodded. "Jiraiya." He finally introduced.

"Sasuke." He murmured. "Sasuke Uchiha."

"Eh. So you've been a slave for thirteen years. I've only been one for ten."

"How did that happen?"

"My companion had a very strange obsession with gambling, placing our family into debt."

Sasuke gasped. "But gambling is forbidden."

Jiraiya shrugged. "I know. She'd been doing so out of the country. She was hanged and I was sent here." Although the statement was heartbreaking to the Uchiha, Jiraiya's words came out monotonous.

"I am sorry."

Once more, the man shrugged. "At least it isn't me."

The statement was spoken seriously, but Sasuke's lips opened. He'd never tell anyone because it wouldn't matter, but he hated his laugh.

He giggled, clapping his bony hands. His laugh sounded like birdsong, awash in the same wonder a sparrow, realizing the sun had risen, sang to the golden world.

It tittered around the silent room and when he opened his eyes, most eyes stared at him. Confused, shocked, afraid. Thinning his lips, Sasuke looked down, failing to notice the frightening blue eyes that skimmed his face every so often.

Naruto smiled softly at the now silent teen, wondering how a simple sound had the power to bring peace to his heart.

The Uchiha looked up, feeling a stare, and his mouth opened slightly at the curve of Naruto's own lips.

Later in the evening, Hinata-sama's cousin did arrive with food.

Twenty trays of soup, salmon, and steaming rice for the slaves, which surprised Sasuke even further.

When they were ordered to rest, he didn't however. He stayed up on his own cot, wondering about the teen with the blue eyes. He'd seen it.

He wasn't crazy.

He'd swear he'd seen the faintest of smiles on Naruto's face.

"I can imagine you're thinking about me?"

Feeling his eyes roll back once more, Sasuke scowled, turning to the blond slave leaning up on his own cot, the sleepy fox tucked on his pillow.

"Self absorption will get you nowhere."

They stared at each other for some time before Naruto shrugged, moving forward. "I'm a captive man. Where am I going but these slave tables?"

He didn't reply, his stomach doing all sorts of flips as Naruto's lip curved on a single side.

"I haven't introduced myself."

"I know who you are." Sasuke scowled, wanting him to go away.

"Naruto." He murmured, not bothered by the raven's cold demeanor. He held out his hand for Sasuke to take.

He complied, but instead of shaking hands like everyone else, Naruto brought the pale hand to his lips and placed a gentle kiss upon it.

A bizarre sensation came through, but it wasn't unpleasant. He stared at Naruto, his face red and hot.

Sasuke Uchiha, for once in his life, had his breath taken away by a stranger's eyes.

Looking away, but not grabbing his hand from Naruto's mouth, the Uchiha stared into the abyss.

And as he looked away, Sasuke was unaware of Naruto's fascination with his own dark eyes.

The blond stared at him in their silence the entire time.

It wasn't the color of Sasuke's eyes that were so breathtaking, as it was what was inside them. Heavy eyelids. And bright. Oh, how bright they were, shining with the tears that had yet to fall in trickling lines, streaking through the caked dirt on his face. The darkness of stormy skies that drowned one in the rain to come.

Sasuke turned to him. "Why are you looking at me like that?" he inquired, a slight crack in his voice.

Naruto smiled slightly. "Because you are the most beautiful thing I know."

And instead of inching away, Sasuke smiled too, caught up in doing so without receiving an odd glare. "I don't understand what that means."

Naruto bit his lip, straining his brain to put a name on the rapid feelings in his chest, stomach, throat, and cheeks. "Me neither." He whispered.

And that my friends, is the reuniting of strangers. So if anyone has any questions, feel free to ask...in review form. ;)

Just to mark something up.

Known Emotions: Sadness, Anger, monotonous, bored, shocked, surprised.

Forbidden: Happiness.

Unknown: Love. Hell, even Sasuke and Naruto don't understand what they feel around each other.

Big questions: why is happiness forbidden? How do Sasuke and Naruto feel happiness if it's been outlawed for a thousand years? What was the point of Danzo killing their parents? Why not just kill Sasuke and Naruto since they have the emotions of happiness?

CHARACTERS TO BE EXPLAINED IN NEXT CHAPTER.

I AM BACK, BABY! :)