This is for Our Parents!
"Better get ready. The guards are going to be trying to storm this room. They know we are here." Naruto warns them.
The Uchiha brothers nod. Sasuke grips his dagger, figuring that the guards would expect a sword. The dagger might give him the element of surprise. He also had a sword strapped to his hip.
Itachi unsheathes his sword. He had a feeling that he was going to be using it repeatedly before the day was out. Gaara does the same. All four men were thinking the same thing. Would it be better to try to get out of the balcony or to wait for the guards to rush at them?
"Hallways are too cramped and will be chaotic. It'll be a death trap." Itachi mutters.
The sounds of swords clashing could be heard. It seemed that Naruto's men and Orochimaru's were now locked in combat. The dying screams of men soon followed suit. Sasuke knew that no matter who had just perished, he would carry the sounds of their final moments to his grave and it would haunt his dreams every night until then.
"Best to move further inside. They might try arrows or even catapults. Someone might even be crazy enough to attempt climbing." Gaara warns them and everyone wisely moves further into the room, seeing the wisdom of that logic.
Meanwhile downstairs the battle continued to rage. Neji had seen his fair share of combat over the years, but few things could compare to this. This wasn't Romans fighting some Barbarian Tribe. This was Roman against Roman. Brother against Brother. This was madness.
"Where is Orochimaru?!" Neji demands as he corners one of his guards against the wall.
"That's EMPEROR Orochimaru to you, you filthy traitor!" The other man roars at the Hyuga.
"He stole that crown from the rightful Emperor, Itachi. He doesn't deserve the title. Now I'll ask you again, where is he?!" The lavender eyed man snarls in rage.
"I ain't going to tell you, scum!" The guard sneers at him and spits in Neji's face.
Neji considered himself a rather polite individual. But quite honestly, there were certain things that you didn't do. One of these was spit in another man's face while he was talking to you. That was very rude. Was this man raised in a barn? Oh well, maybe he would learn some manners in the afterlife. Neji decided he would sends him there personally and without delay.
The proud Hyuga slams his sword straight into the man's heart. He swiftly removes it and watches in a detached fashion as the man falls over dead. It was far from his first kill, but it was one of the few that he took some measure of joy in.
He looks around at the scene, trying to figure out where the princes and Senators were. That or Orochimaru. The sooner Orochimaru was dead the better. Once that tyrant was dead, they could all enjoy the ushering in of a new era and celebrate his demise with a grand feast. (Neji had been living off of soldier rations for months and longed to have "real food.")
"It's a bloodbath." He mutters as he witnesses the gruesome battle play out before his eyes.
Bodies littered the floor. There were men who were laying helplessly, trying to call out to their comrades. Some had given up and were clearly just waiting for death's sweet embrace. One could barely take a step without walking over a corpse or someone who was able to become one. Pluto, the God of the Underworld, was going to be busy tonight.
He couldn't tell if they were winning or losing. Most of the fallen men were too drenched in blood to be identifiable as belonging to Orochimaru's Royal Guard or Naruto's Army. The floor was now slick with the red liquid that signified life and death. Some men were actually falling onto the ground because they couldn't find their footing. Once they fell, they never got up.
"NEJI, LOOK OUT!" His fellow soldier at him and Neji narrowly evaded getting stabbed to death by a sword, thanks to the warning.
He really should have known better. Neji scolds himself for allowing himself to get distracted on the battlefield, that was the fastest way to a painful death.
"Thank you, my friend!" He calls out and the man nods as he continues fighting with some other guards.
Back on the balcony, Naruto was getting edgy. Where was Orochimaru? They had made the announcement publicly. He should have heard of it by now. The usurper should be leading his men against the opposing force.
"Do you think he fled?" Sasuke asks, sensing the direction his lover's thoughts were taking.
"It's possible. He is a coward. So it would be like him." The blonde mutters in absolute contempt for the man who had stolen ten years of the princes' lives.
"Looks like we are about to find out." Gaara warns them as the sounds of someone trying to break down the door of their room is heard.
The door shatters. The guards had slammed a book shelf against it over and over again. It eventually gave way and revealed about ten men. They were outnumbered by over two to one.
Naruto had certainly faced worse odds. But he had never done so with the man he was in love with standing at his side. That made him more nervous than he would have been.
Surprisingly, it was Itachi who made the first move. He charged at one of the men, thrusting his sword at him. The guard manages to block but only just. The two warred with each other. Each trying to shove the other's blade away so they could get in a fatal thrust.
Of course, his comrades weren't content to have it be a one on one fight. Another guard shouts that it was the princes and the men soon advance towards Itachi and Sasuke. One tried to stab Itachi in the back. It didn't end well for him as Gaara slams his sword through the other man's heart.
"The punishment for treason has always been death. You should have thought twice before attacking the true Emperor of Rome." Gaara hisses in the man's ear as he passes into the next life.
He was feeling rather vindicated at having protected his lover, when suddenly Gaara felt a sharp pain in his stomach. He looked down and saw it. A dagger had been thrust into his gut.
"GAARA!" Itachi cries out in horror.
"YOU BASTARD!" Naruto snarls as he pounces on the man, raining down a furry of punches to his face, intent on tearing him apart for what he had done to his friend.
"SOMEONE HELP! HELP!" Itachi called out as he cradled Gaara in his arms, trying desperately to stop the bleeding.
The guards saw their chance. They all lunge towards Itachi. Sasuke jumps in front of them, trying valiantly to hold them off. But there were simply too many. It was all Itachi could do to stop his lover from bleeding to death right before his eyes. Naruto's rage slightly cooled when the light left from eyes of Gaara's attacker and he rushes over, intent on helping Sasuke fend them off.
Unbeknownst to them, Taka and Sai had decided the best way to get out of this alive, was to lend assistance to the princes. Even if Orochimaru won the battle somehow, the princes would win in the court of public opinion. That was of course, assuming they lived. So it was in their best interest to ensure that they did and this way they could gain favor with the next rulers.
"SOMEONE HELP! HELP!" They hear the cries of someone screaming coming from the balcony.
It was the same voice that had belonged to Itachi. They made their decision and rushed to the room. If there was one thing that Sai, Jugo, and Suigetsu were good at, it was killing. They proved that as they helped Sasuke and Naruto slay the guards.
Blood and even limbs went flying everywhere. Jugo was in the midst of one of his battle rages. Suigetsu was enjoying slashing his foes to bits. Sai killed with the ruthless efficiency that one would expect from someone of his station.
"Karin, get the Senator to safety and treat his injury. He'll die if he waits for the battle to be over to seek proper treatment." Sai orders calmly.
"I'll go with you." Itachi says.
"Itachi, you can't leave. You are the next Emperor of Rome. People will think you are fleeing." Sasuke warns him.
Karin blinks. The high prince was in love with the Senator. It was written all over his face. She had never expected that. She couldn't help, but feel sorry for the man. His lover was likely dead. The odds of getting him out of the castle were slim. Unless…
"Don't worry, your majesty. We will take good care of him. I'll take Suigetsu with me. He's annoying, but he's really good in a fight. We'll get him to safety. You need to stay and keep fighting!" She says.
Itachi frowns. He didn't want Gaara to be out of his sight when he was injured so gravely. But his doubts were somewhat soothed when the red head spoke.
"Sasuke is right. I'll see you soon." Gaara groans out and is carried off by Suigetsu, with Karin going right after them.
"The woman has knowledge of healing. If anyone can save your friend, it is she. Jugo, you can stop now. Their dead." Sai offers consolingly and tries to inform the large man that the guards were all dead. (Well at least the ten who had attacked the balcony.)
Naruto's eyes widen. He had recognized this condition before. The orange haired man had lost control. The other Roman had let bloodlust overwhelm his senses, he'd try to kill them all if they didn't kill him first.
That's when Jugo lunged at Naruo. The man was lost to the madness. Sasuke jumped in his way and actually tries to stare the giant of a man down. He raises his dagger defensively.
"Stop it. You helped us for a reason, didn't you? You're better than this. You aren't a beast." Sasuke tells him and Jugo freezes almost instantly.
"You don't have to do this. You aren't a monster. They made you act like one, but you aren't. Jugo, let him go." Kimimaro said.
Jugo's eyes widened. He couldn't believe someone dared to actually talk to him while he was in a rage. Well sometimes people talked. Mostly it was to beg for their life or to curse him. No one had actually said something like that to him before. It shocked him enough that he released his grip around the other man's throat.
Kimimaro smiled and walked over to him. It was such a kind smile. Jugo had never seen anything as beautiful as that smile before in his entire miserable life. It was completely without guile. Beautiful in its honesty.
"That's better. Come on. You're hurt. Let's get you to a healer." He whispered softly.
Jugo marveled when the other man's ethereal green eyes actually looked at him with concern. That was a second first. No one had ever been worried about him before. He was just a beast that was deployed strategically on the battlefield, no different than releasing the hounds.
He looked down and noticed that his body was littered in cuts and bruises. Some of his opponents had actually managed to land a few blows before being sent to the afterlife. The thrill of battle had just numbed him to the pain.
"Alright. I'm Jugo." He said as he felt himself calm for the first time in many years, beauty had truly soothed the savage beast.
"Kimimaro. Don't worry. I may have been the first, but I won't be the last to see that you aren't a monster. I think we are going to be good friends." The white haired man replied with a smile and led him off to see a healer.
"Kimimaro was right" Jugo murmurs astonishment and hugged Sasuke tightly to his chest.
Sasuke wasn't sure who Kimimaro was, but he understood loss. Jugo had clearly lost someone precious to him. He didn't know what had triggered the drastic change in demeanor in the man, but he wasn't going to argue.
"He was precious to you." Sasuke observes.
"My lover and my first friend." The man replies and Naruto blinks, not believing what he was seeing.
"Um that's very nice. But we have a battle to win. So if you aren't going to try to kill us, we have to get back to the fight." Naruto says.
Sasuke shoots the blonde a dirty look. Clearly the younger prince was not particularly happy that the blue eyed Roman might break whatever calm had come over the very large man. A very large man who could probably crush Sasuke to death with his bare, massive hands.
"I'll be your shield." Jugo promises.
"That's my job!" Naruto protests and Sasuke shakes his head.( He couldn't believe this was actually happening.)
"Or I could be my own shield while you two convene a session in the Senate to decide who is worthy of the position." Sasuke mutters sarcastically as he darts off in an attempt to find Orochimaru.
Itachi watches the scene. He was torn between amusement and annoyance. They had a battle to win. Sasuke was right on this one.
"This is your fault!" They both snap at each other as they take off after the youngest Uchiha, with Itachi trailing behind them.
Sasuke races down the hall and almost doubles over. The urge to vomit was almost overpowering. He had never seen so much blood and so many dead bodies in his life. He didn't know who had fought for Orochimaru and who had fought on his behalf. But the fight wasn't over.
Sai wonders if that had actually just happened. The Gladiator sighs and quickly follows Sasuke, Jugo, Itachi, and Naruto. He knew that if he was going to survive this, he had to earn the princes' favor and the only way he could hope to do that was by helping them in battle.
"IT'S ONE OF THE PRINCES! GET HIM!" Someone hisses and runs towards Sasuke.
Sasuke grabs the capret on the floor and tugs, causing the other man to fall. Jugo jumps out from behind him and was on the other man in a flash. He bashed his head in with his fist.
"He wasn't jesting about being my shield." Sasuke mutters in disbelief and even Naruto blinks at the savagery.
"I think the world's most dangerous puppy just followed you home." His lover observes and the brothers nod dumbly in agreement.
"One has to admit, he takes his new duty very seriously." Sai observes as he watches Jugo kill the man who had dared to attack Sasuke.
Meanwhile Karin, Suigetsu, and Gaara were racing towards a hidden passageway in the castle, where they hoped to find safety and be able to treat the Senator's wound. That's when they saw him. It was Orochimaru.
Orochimaru and Kabuto had returned to chaos. It was obvious the princes were inside the castle. The Emperor had flown into a rage and charged inside. Kabuto followed in hot pursuit
"IT'S YOU!" Gaara hisses and reaches into his toga to pull out a dagger that he always carried on him in case of emergencies.
He might not be able to kill the scum in this condition, but Gaara decided he could wound him to help his beloved prince. He flings that dagger at Orochimaru and it strikes him in the left eye. Orochimaru howls in agony and collapses to his knees.
"Shit! You just really pissed him off." Suigetsu mutters as he begins racing off with Gaara in his arms. (He had to. There was no way that Gaara would have survived the fight.)
"That wasn't a very wise idea." Karin says as she struggles to keep up with them.
Orochimaru would only be down for so long. Kabuto was now chasing them, wanting to avenge the Emperor. His screams of outrage had attracted attention though.
Naruto, Sasuke, Jugo, Sai, and Itachi heard them. Sai smirks. He recognized that voice. He quickly follows it. It was Kabuto. The gladiator was certain that he had paid the assassination. It was time for some payback.
"He's not really good at this whole staying together thing, is he?" Jugo muses and the others sigh, knowing they couldn't argue with that observation.
"Brother, did you hear that? It sounded like our ;dear uncle,' screaming." Itachi says and Sasuke's eyes narrow.
Soon the brothers take off in the direction of Orochimaru's yells. Naruto and Jugo take a deep breath and follow their princes. They all stare as they saw Orochimaru clutching a profusely bleeding eye. His hand was over the injury, yet blood was sliding freely down his arm and through his fingers.
"Gods and Goddesses, I love that man." Itachi says.
"How do you know it was Gaara? He's injured." Sasuke asks.
"He told me once when in doubt, blind your enemy in one eye. It stops them instantly and allows you to make a tactical retreat." His brother murmurs and Sasuke tilts his head considering this, yeah that made sense.
Orochimaru hears the voices of his nephews and looks up with his good eye. It was amazing how he could express complete hatred with only half of his face visible.
"Ah, it's my dear nephews and one of their whores. Oh and the beast. How quaint." He seethes.
"I'm going to enjoy this." Sasuke mutters readying his sword as Orochimaru raises his to defend himself.
It was not to be though. Some of Orochimaru's guards had heard the sounds of the Emperor in pain and leapt to his defense. Suddenly, their number advantage was gone.
"A coward until your last, uncle? It doesn't surprise me. Why don't you call off your guards? We can settle this just you and me. There is no need for anyone else to die today." Itachi says.
"And if I defeat you, you're friends will acknowledge me as the rightful Emperor?" He asks.
"You aren't going to survive. But I'll humor you, if you win…as long as you spare Sasuke, they will acknowledge you. You can exile him, but he will live." Itachi says.
"Then it seems that we have a deal." Orochimaru says with a smirk.
"ITACHI, NO!" Sasuke calls out.
Itachi sighs and glances at Sasuke. This was the only way he knew to protect his beloved little brother. If it came to a fight, them vs. the guards, there was no way to know the outcome. They were outnumbered.
Naruto was a fearsome warrior and Sasuke was had learned quickly. Itachi was confident in his skills. Jugo was a force to be reckoned with, but they were still outnumbered by a factor of at least five, even six to one. The odds of all of them surviving that fight were slim. He couldn't risk his brother's life.
"Sasuke, this is my decision. Please respect it." Itachi says as he lunges at the Emperor.
Naruto holds Sasuke tightly against his chest. He hated to admit it, but Itachi's strategy was more logical than them trying to take on all the men who had jumped to Orochimaru's aid.
"Calm yourself. He's already half blind. He's an old man. Itachi has every advantage in this fight." Naruto whispers to him.
Logically, Sasuke knew that his lover was right. Still this was Itachi. Itachi had been the only person he could depend on for the better part of the last ten years. He was the person who had protected him during their long servitude and held him as he cried after the death of their parents. He couldn't lose him.
"It's alright, Sasuke. We are still alive. As long as we are alive, there is hope that we will get out of here." Itachi told the crying eight year old.
They had been slaves for a year. Sasuke was having a harder time adjusting than Itachi was. His elder brother knew that the boy remembered a time when he was a prince and beloved by all of Rome. To have people yelling at him, everyday as he struggled to keep up with their demands was…jarring.
"Mother and Father are dead. They aren't coming back. If we tr-y to retake the throne, uncle will kill us. He'll kill us just like he killed them." Sasuke sobbed into his brother's shoulder, trying to muffle the sounds.
Sasuke was vaguely aware of Itachi rubbing circles into his back and kissing the top of his head. He didn't know what he would have done without Itachi. The boy of eight summers would have been completely alone.
He knew that he was lucky. Most slaves had no one. Sasuke had Itachi. He had his brother. As long as he had Itachi, he knew thins would be alright.
"If it looks like he is losing, we can step in." Jugo whispers to Sasuke and he nods as he watches the two men vie for the crown.
Itachi eyes Orochimaru warily. An animal was most dangerous when it was wounded. His uncle looked more animal than man at the moment. He reminded Itachi of a cobra ready to strike.
He sent a silent thank you to Gaara for half blinding him. If he stayed on Orochimaru's blind side, he would have an advantage. He smiles, even while injured his lover had tried to protect him.
"What are you smiling about?!" Orochimaru roared at him.
"Something you will never understand." The high prince replies as he charges at his uncle from his blind side.
Orochimaru may be half blind and old, but he had a powerful weapon. Hatred. Itachi had always known that his uncle coveted the crown.
He had just never thought that the man would actually act on his desires. Privately, he acknowledged that he had been a naïve boy. He should have seen this coming. How had his parents not realized what was going on in that twisted head of his?
"Oh well. I suppose you will take your secret with you, to your grave." Orochimaru smiles coldly at him.
This was his chance. He could avenge his parents. Itachi could protect his brother and they could reclaim their birthright. All he had to do was kill this man. This man who shared his father's blood, but most certainly not his heart.
"THIS IS FOR OUR PARENTS!" Itachi hisses at Orochimaru as he goes flying at him and the sounds of steel meeting steel rang throughout the castle as the battle for Rome truly began.