Victorious
Orochimaru was half blind, yet still managed to hold his own. There was really something to be said for experience and rage. The false Emperor had both in spades. He wasn't going to die today. Not like this.
"You should have killed us when you had the chance. Perhaps deep down you felt guilty for what you did to your own blood. Did you want to be punished?" Itachi snarls at him as he slams his sword against his uncle's blade.
Itachi Uchiha was not a hateful person by nature. Even while he was a slave and leered at by various patrons or ordered about by slave masters, he had never really hated them. Hatred was a poison. The eldest prince tried not to let himself be consumed by it.
When it came to Orochimaru though, well he just couldn't help it. The man had taken everything from him and Sasuke. He had even taken their freedom. Now he was about to ruin Rome with his blind ambitions. His uncle had to be stopped. The world would have been a much better place if he had never slithered out of his grandmother's womb, but Itachi would settle for sending the man straight into the afterlife.
"No. I wanted to make my brother suffer as much as possible. What better way to do that than to send his precious spawn off to be slaves?" Orochimaru says with a cold smirk.
Naruto holds Sasuke back. He knew that his Nymph was eager to make his uncle pay for that remark. It was hard to believe that the three men shared any blood. The blonde supposes that there was one black sheep in every family though.
"Jealous to the last, Uncle?" Itachi rages and comes flying at Orochimaru once more, slicing him on the leg.
He smirks when he saw the blood well up from the wound. It wasn't a fatal hit. It might not even slow him down much. It would be painful though. Itachi didn't plan on allowing his uncle the courtesy of a quick death. No, he deserved far worse.
"YOU INSOLENT WHELP!" The dark haired Roman rages as he swings his sword blindly at his nephew, lost to his own madness.
The movements were too erratic. They were too unpredictable. Itachi hisses when the blade strikes his shoulder. His clothing began to turn red as blood seeped out of the fresh wound.
"Traitorous scum." Itachi seethes and clutches his shoulder as he slams into his uncle, knocking him onto the ground.
The two men grapple with each other. Itachi was younger and stronger. But Orochimaru was nothing short of an animal at the moment.
The pure fury in his eyes was the stuff of nightmares. The Emperor was reduced to biting like a common beast. He bite Itachi's ear hard enough to draw blood and to cause Itachi to cry out, jumping off of him.
"Such a disgrace. An Emperor of Rome acting like an animal." The eldest prince taunts him.
"Are those really going to be your last words?" Orochimaru growls at him and lunges once again at his nephew, slamming him against the wall.
Itachi coughs up blood from the force of the impact. He spits it in Orochimaru's face and knees him hard in the groin. He smirks when his uncle releases him and doubles over in pain.
"I was about to ask you the same thing." He hisses.
Kakashi watches the scene below from the top of the stairs. The eldest son was challenging his uncle. He winced as he saw the Emperor get kneed in the balls. That had to hurt.
No man liked to be kicked there. Though he had to admit that if anyone deserved it, it was Orochimaru. The Emperor had even been reduced to biting. Interesting. Was Itachi playing with him? He chuckles as he realizes that it was very possible.
Kakashi was a member of the Royal Guard. Thanks to his father's impressive military career and his mother's prestigious family, he was easily able to secure this relatively cushy position. Mostly, he just got paid to stand around quite honestly. Very few people were foolish enough to attack the current Royal Family or had the desire to do so.
Emperor Fugaku was too well respected and feared for his military prowess. His wife was too well loved for her beauty and kindness. The princes were still just children and adored by the public in general. In them, Rome finally had the perfect Royal Family. Well almost perfect, there was still one viper in the castle…Orochimaru.
"He's playing with them." Fugaku observed.
"What makes you say that?" Kakashi asked his Emperor, not sure how he had reached that conclusion.
The eldest prince was ten summers. He was being taught some of the basics of swordplay, along with some other noble boys who were roughly the same age. Though he was the youngest by at least 3 summers. All the other boys were significantly bigger and stronger.
"His eyes are dancing. I know my boy. He's plotting something." He noted with an amused chuckle.
Kakashi knew better than to correct his Emperor. He simply nodded his head. Though the silver haired man had not believed it for one moment.
He soon found out what Itachi was planning. When the other boys rushed at him, he jumped up and they ran into each other. Itachi whacks them both on the head and stuns them.
"Well…not exactly a conventional fighter, but one can't argue with the results." Kakashi laughed.
"I suppose not. I do think the boy gets some sort of thrill off of playing with his prey." The Emperor mused.
"It looks like some things never change." Kakashi observes back in the present and watches as the battle continued unfolding before his very eyes.
"I don't like those that have to hire others to do their dirty work. If you wanted me dead, you should have been man enough to try to take my life yourself. Instead you hired an assassin, like a coward." Sai says as he races off after Kabuto.
Kabuto kept running. He knew that if he responded, that would delay his movements. It took everything he had just to stay a few steps ahead of the gladiator. Sai had spent most of his existence, fighting for his life. His body was a lethal weapon, all on its own. The same was not true for the silver haired advisor.
The wealthy Roman growls in frustration. He should not be running for his life right now. None of this should be happening. A year ago everything had been so perfect. How had it all gone so horribly wrong?
"BY THE GODS AND GODDESSES, IT CAN'T BE!" He suddenly yells when he reaches the exit to the palace grounds and sees a man standing in front of him.
That wasn't what was so unusual. What was unusual was the fact that the man was completely transparent to his eyes. His magnificent clothing was drenched in blood. He looked to be about forty summers. This was the late Emperor.
Was he a ghost, a hallucination, or an image sent to him by the Gods and Goddesses to punish Kabuto for his sins against the Emperor's sons? He didn't know. Kabuto was too stunned to move.
"I don't like you. This is for what you did to my sons. My wife will make quick work of my brother." The dead Emperor whispers ominously.
Before Kabuto could come up with at retort, he felt a sharp pain in his back. He looked down and saw that a sword was now sticking out of his chest. His eyes widen when he realizes what had happened, Sai had caught up with him and stabbed him.
"I think it's appropriate that you will die from an attack that came from behind. That is what you were hoping the assassin would do to me after all, was it naught?" He whispers and twists the sword before removing it.
Kabuto's body falls to the ground. Sai watches in a detached fashion as the man's final moments played out before his eyes. The other Roman had a strong desire to live, but it was clear he was choking on his own blood.
"Don't worry, your Lord will join you soon." Sai says with a far too cheerful smile as he jumps back into the fray.
"Time for you to die and make the world a far better place." Itachi hisses on the ground floor of the castle as he goes in for the kill.
"ATTACK!" Orochimaru hisses and his guards leap into action, blocking Itachi's strike.
"I should have known that he would never keep his word." Sasuke hisses as he charges at one of the guards, sword drawn.
"I think that's our cue." Naruto says and runs towards Orochimaru's bodyguards, his sword practically singing with every thrust he made towards his enemies.
Jugo watches stunned at first. It was hard to process this was really happening. This was it. Today could very well be the day that Orohcimaru would fall and his lover could finally be avenged. With that in mind, he joyfully joins the fray.
It didn't matter that they were hopelessly outnumbered. He was going to take down as many of them as he could. It would increase Sasuke's odds of survival. He expected that he would be back in Kimimaro's loving embrace before the sundial made another turn.
"DIE!" He cries out as he slams his powerful fist into one of the men who was attempting to attack Sasuke.
The man crumples to the ground. The force of the blow was just simply too much to remain upright. Jugo had promised to protect Sasuke and that was exactly what he was going to do!
"Sasuke, remember what I taught you." Naruto whispers to his lover as they fight back to back.
"I remember. You should worry about saving your own arse." Sasuke mutters and slams a dagger into the heart of one of the guards.
It was strange. He was there. Yet he wasn't. Sasuke saw the man's lifeblood pouring out of the injury and yet, he felt nothing. No thrill of victory. No remorse over killing another Roman. Just nothing. He was numb.
"This is worse than the lions." Sai says as he rejoins the fight.
"Where did you go?!" Naruto demands as he delivers a killing blow to yet another opponent.
"Killed my the man who paid for my assassination attempt. If he was going to go after me because I was chosen as successor, he would have targeted the princes eventually." Sai reasons and slashes at a man's face.
Naruto couldn't argue with the logic. Still he was definitely going to have to ask the other man about the successor thing. He wasn't entirely certain they could trust Sai to fight by their side. But for now they badly needed the extra pair of hands, so he wasn't going to argue.
"If we survive this, we'll talk later." Naruto says and Sai nods as they continue fighting.
There was just so many guards though and most of their party was already injured. The odds were not in their favor. Sasuke slams his elbow into the face of one of their attackers and pants. He wasn't sure how much longer they could last.
While Kakashi was watching the carnage, he felt like he was being watched himself. He turns around and was startled when he saw a beautiful woman standing behind him. She had a kind smile and long black hair. The woman was wearing a regal gown and a crown.
Her beauty was somewhat marred by the fact the dress was soaked in blood. There was far too much blood on that dress for her to be alive. The fact that he could see right through her, only lent further evidence to that theory.
"Let your arrow fly true and begin anew, my old friend." She whispers, placing her hand on top of his and helping him stretch the quiver of his arrow.
Kakashi had come to the castle armed to the teeth. His sword, his daggers, and even his arrows. The man hadn't been sure if he would intervene or not, but his position was perfect if he decided to.
It was the oddest sensation. He knew her hand was on top of his, yet he felt nothing. Kakashi wasn't certain if she was actually a ghost, a hallucination, or the result of a guilty conscience. The Queen had shown him kindness as a child when he was teased for his father's humble background. He supposed for Mikoto's sake, he'd take the shot.
"Thank you." She whispers and disappears as the arrow goes flying.
The arrow struck true. It slammed into Orochimaru's shoulder, pinning him to the wall. Sasuke and Itachi are both stunned at this luck. It was as if the Gods and Goddesses had sent the arrow down themselves. But neither were going to argue with this good fortune.
"Together, brother?" Itachi asks and Sasuke nods.
Sasuke slashes his sword across Orochimaru's stomach. Blood gushed faster from the wound than the Nile's waters did, during a flood. He hears his uncle howl in pain and smirks.
He would have been content to watch him bleed to death. His brother decided it was time to end it though. With one swing of his sword, he separates Orochimaru's head from his body.
"Remind me never to anger them." Sai muses as Jugo nods his head dumbly in agreement.
Suddenly the castle went eerie quiet. It was as if a spell had been cast. Men stopped swinging their swords, in the middle of their strikes. No one seemed to know what to say or do. The Emperor was dead.
Well everyone except for Sasuke. He looked up and saw an arrow and a head of silver hair. He suddenly knew that it wasn't the Gods and Goddesses, but a mortal man who had helped them. He races up the stairs.
"Damn it." Kakashi mutters as he darts towards the window, just as Sasuke had successfully scaled the stairs.
It was a gamble. It was a long way down. He rips off the drapes and jumps, hoping that the fabric would slow his fall enough that he wouldn't break his neck. Sasuke watches in horror as the man jumps out the window.
The prince thought he had committed suicide, but the silver haired man lands with a thud on the ground. Sasuke thought him dead, until the man got up and ran off towards the city. Sasuke knew that it was unlikely he'd be able to catch him at this point and sighs.
"Sasuke!" Naruto calls out and Sasuke quickly rejoins the group.
"Why did you run off like that?" The blonde asks and takes the other man into his arms.
"I saw the man who shot the arrow. He jumped out the window. He lived though and ran into the city. I don't know if we'll ever see him again." Sasuke says.
Naruto blinks. That was weird. If you helped to save the life of two princes, usually you stuck around to get something in exchange for your help. Why would he run off like that?
"That's very strange." The blue eyed Roman murmurs.
"Come, we have to find Gaara and the others. Then we will go to the Colosseum and show the public what has happened." Itachi commands.
Sasuke looks at Jugo. He was probably the only one who might know where Karin, Suigetsu, and Gaara were. He leans up and whispers something into the other man's ear.
"I think I know where they went. There is a secret passage. They'd probably think it was safe to stop there long enough to treat the Senator's injuries. Follow me. I'll show you which one." The large man says and they all follow him.
Itachi sighs in relief a few minutes later when they saw Karin tending to Gaara's injuries in one of the many secret passage ways in the castle. He rushes over to his lover.
"Is it over? Is he dead?" Gaara asks and Itachi nods, quickly kissing his red head.
Gaara smiles and returns the kiss. Finally, Itachi would be Emperor as he should be and Sasuke would be the High Prince. (At least until Itachi had an heir.) In that moment, all was right with the world.
"Do I naught deserve a kiss as well?" Naruto asks Sasuke and the younger Uchiha shakes his head, smirking.
"No. You and Jugo were arguing over who should protect me. I can protect myself now. You can slake your lust tonight with your own hand. You need to learn your lesson." Sasuke states.
Itachi breaks the kiss with Gaara. He chuckles when he hears Sasuke's words. His little brother was being foolish again. Did he actually think the blonde Roman wasn't going to seduce him right back into his bed, despite his words?
"Thirty pieces of silver says that your brother is on his back in the royal bedchambers later tonight." Gaara whispers to Itachi.
"Do I look as foolish as Sasuke? I'm not taking a losing bet like that. We both know that is precisely what will happen." Itachi replies with a smile and his eyes dance with laughter.
"You know that we can hear you, right?!" Sasuke growls and the other pair of lovers tries their best to look innocent.
Itachi frowns, not sure if Gaara was stable enough to move. He kisses Gaara's forehead and tells him that he was going to find an official physician to finish treating his wounds. He orders Suigetsu and Karin to stay with the red head, while the others begin heading to the Colosseum.
The high prince finds a physician and instructs them to bring all of their finest medicines to the secret passage. Then he promptly gives him instructions to it and swiftly races off towards the Colosseum to make the announcement.
"If there is one thing you can always count on, it is that a fight will be occurring in the Arena." Sai observes.
"This had better be the last time that I have to expose my back to a crowd." Sasuke mutters as he and Itachi walk into the stadium.
The fact that Itachi was carrying a head, definitely got people's attention. Sasuke sighs and pulls off his shirt. He exposes his back to the entire crowd by doing a 360 degree turn. He really hated having to do this. Itachi was so damn lucky that his mark was on his wrist and not on his back.
"PEOPLE OF ROME! ON THIS DAY, YOU MAY REJOICE! THE URSUPRER IS DEAD AND WE HAVE RECLAIMED OUR BIRTHRIGHT! AS YOU CAN SEE SASUKE BARES THE ROYAL MARK! I do as well though mine is on my hand." Itachi explains and holds up his hand.
The elder brother knew this was more of a ceremonial gesture than anything else. No one in the crowd could see the Mark. Sasuke's Mark though, they definitely saw.
The crowd is stunned into silence. Well Jugo was there to save the day. He was the one to break the spell of silence.
"LONG LIVE THE EMPEROR ITACHI AND HIGH PRINCE SASUKE!" He shouts.
Sasuke shakes his head. If there was one thing that was obvious, it was the public couldn't resist a good cheer. Soon a chorus of the ancient chant rang out throughout the Colosseum. It was almost deafening.
"Thank you, for your well wishes. Rest assured that Orochimaru's reign of terror is at an end." Sasuke says.
He did not feel the need to raise his voice as Itachi was done. It was clear the crowd was hanging on their every word at this point. It was not everyday that a new Emperor was announced, especially one who had apparently killed the previous one.
Soon a flood of questions was issued from the crowd of Romans. There had to be thousands of them. It was hard to distinguish one from the next. But Itachi and Sasuke both knew what at least one question was. "Where have you been and how are you alive?"
"All will be explained at the Coronation. Everyone may attend. Your station as a freeman or a slave matters naught." Itachi says.
Sai tugs on Itachi's sleeve. Itachi blinks. He leans down to hear what the former gladiator had to say.
"And freewoman or female slave." He whispers.
"Oh right. Right." The eldest Uchiha says and turns his attention back to the crowd, who were wondering what Sai had said to their new Emperor.
"That includes all the women in the Empire as well. Their station also matters naught in this instance." Itachi adds with a smile and a lot of feminine cheers ring up.
Sasuke gives the thumbs up gesture at the gladiators in the Arena. Their fight had been interrupted at all. The thumbs up gesture meant that the loser got to live. With that, the group departed.
"You know there are still two problems that we haven't resolved." Sai says as they head back to the castle.
"Which are?" Itachi asks.
"I don't know where my almost assassin went or Danzo. He did save my life by removing me from my parents 'care,' but the man is a viper. He may try to cozy up to the both of you. But I wouldn't trust him." The skinny youth advises the princes.
Itachi and Sasuke merely nod at this. They would decide what to do with Danzo if he was found. As for the assassin, well neither of them cared that much.
It was unlikely he would try again, now that the man who hired him was dead. It wasn't like he was going to get paid. (Neither of them knew that Kakashi had received half of the sum in advance, but that was besides the point.)
Back at the castle, Ino cautiously walks around the castle. The floor was still littered with blood and bodies. The fighting had stopped though. She knew that Danzo had to be around here somewhere.
"I won't let it happen again." She mutters.
Danzo had always been cruel with the servants. He was also power hungry. After she had seen the princes kill Orochimaru, she knew that the elderly Roman would try to cozy up to the princes. There was no way she would allow that to happen.
She found him in one of the secret passages. The blonde plasters a smile on her face. Ino wasn't an idiot. She knew that most men found women less intimidating. He likely wouldn't see her as a threat.
"Danzo, it's over. The fighting has stopped. Orochimaru is dead and the princes were victorious." She says in a soft whisper.
"That is excellent news. May the Gods and Goddesses grant them both a long, happy life. Tell me, where are they now?" He asks happily.
"Oh that doesn't matter. You aren't going to get to see them." She says as she slams a kitchen knife straight through his heart.
"Why?!" He falls over, choking to death on his own blood.
"Because you are a cruel, power hungry cobra. I will not allow you to live long enough to spray your venom at the princes or hurt anyone else, ever again. You can join the Emperor in whatever punishment, the Gods and Goddesses see fit to bestow upon you." She mutters.
Ino had never killed anyone before. Immediately after the light left his eyes, she fell to her knees. She promptly emptied the contents of her stomach. She took no joy in the kill, but she knew she had likely just saved far more lives than she took by ending Danzo. The princes could rule in peace now.