Shakespeare Challenge Response: Titus Andronicus

I don’t write Het, except when I have to, in my novels. So I do gloss over the rape.
Oh, yeah, there’s rape in this chapter, it’s a gangrape.

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Sasuke felt refreshed the next morning and uncharacteristically slept in with Karin. Several of the revelers were renewing the festivities in the house Suigetsu and Jugo were sharing next to Sasuke’s. Sasuke and Karin joined them. Only Kiba and TenTen showed any signs of a hangover.

“Isn’t it early for new-married ladies to be out of bed?” Suigetsu teased Karin.

She belted him, turning his face to water. For once Sasuke smiled. There was something less malicious in both of them this morning. Shikamaru had to wonder when he saw Sasuke so content. But Sasuke came over to him and kissed him deeply. “Don’t worry. I’m relieved to be home and finally be on the way to reviving my clan. If I could have Itachi’s blood to drink and Lee here with us, I would be truly happy. She won’t supplant your place in my heart, love.” Sasuke gave him another brief kiss.

They all relaxed until just after noon when Izumo and Kotetsu hurriedly went door to door looking for Sasuke.

“Sasuke-sama, the Hokage is summoning all of you. An S-rank criminal has escaped the Konoha prison. The Hokage wants you, Sasuke-sama, Kiba, Neji, Karin, and Kakashi to help search and wishes the rest of you follow.”

Sasuke ran back to his house and got ready; all the others followed his lead. Sasuke led his people to the Hokage mansion.

“Sasuke,” Naruto called him to him. “Chiron Demetr, an S-rank criminal escaped. Your people and Kakashi are our best trackers. We will come with you,” Naruto said gesturing to Itachi and the other former Akatsuki.

“Lord Hokage, you should stay in the village,” Sasuke argued.

“My brother is correct, my lord,” Itachi said with a purr.

“I never realized becoming Hokage meant I couldn’t leave the village.” Sasuke didn’t let this thoughts come to the surface. “Well, then go on, Itachi, in my place.”

Sasuke once again struggled to not let his emotions show. He was dismayed; he did not trust Itachi and his cohorts out in the forest not under guard.

Sasuke took the information on their target and led his men out, staying close to Karin and Shikamaru. Itachi and co followed.

Once outside the gates, Sasuke split them up into teams. “Shikamaru with me. Kiba, Karin. . .” Sasuke couldn’t help but think of protecting his legacy, “go with Suigetsu and Jugo.” Akumaru came up to Karin and seemed to be reassuring her. “Choji, TenTen. Sakura and Neji. Kakashi, you work better with no one to slow you down. Itachi, you might as well stay with your minions.” Itachi smiled and nodded. “Kiba and Karin with Suigetsu and Jugo as guards, you are the sensor vanguard. Shikamaru and I will command. Choji and TenTen, you are our strength. Sakura, our medical-nin, Neji rearguard and her guard. Itachi, you have your genjutsu, your own medical-nin and two strong shinobi, a good compact team. Kakashi you and your hounds are enough a team. We’ll spread out to search more thoroughly; we can’t rely purely on Kiba and Karin. Signal if you find him.”

With a hand single the teams parted. Itachi and his group lagged behind. Itachi used his time-space jutsu to transport them to where Hidan left Demetr bound well beyond Sasuke’s groups. Itachi looked in Demetr’s eye to completely incapacitate him.

“First, let’s deal with Neji and your Sakura.”

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Itachi and Hidan waited for Neji and Sakura along their path. Kabuto and Deidara waited further on, but within sight. Hidan hid a bag of Fire Country money under a lightning struck tree.

Hidan sat down on a log next to Itachi. Hidan pulled the tie from Itachi’s hair and brushed it out with his fingers. For all the violence of their love life, they could be affectionate. With Madara dead, Itachi clung to Hidan next. Hidan was in awe of the Uchiha. Itachi was stately, regal, and majestic. He wasn’t the strongest of the Akatsuki physically, in fact he was one of the weakest when it came to muscle. But he was even more powerful than Madara.

Hidan may have been a replacement for Madara, but Itachi was affectionate, and vicious, by nature.

“My lovely Hidan. You don’t look happy. We can . . . entertain each other for a while.”

“My amours little raven. You should know by now that I’m never truly happy unless inflicting pain, in killing my enemies, or,” Hidan stuck a kunai shallowly into Itachi’s shoulder, “torturing my lover. But we can’t have sex now, my little cocksucker. It’s death today.” Hidan became businesslike.

Itachi leaned into him, scooping up some of his own blood on a finger and feeding it to Hidan. Hidan sucked at that finger and was lulled into sucking and tonguing that finger as if it were another appendage.

Itachi pulled his finger away and pulled back, his Sharingan activated. “We’ve been seen.”

“I told you to stop, slut.”

Neji and Sakura approached.

“A slut indeed.” Neji surprised them both with his knowledge of what Hidan had called Itachi. They realized he hadn’t heard, but read his lips.

“Naruto would be interested in how you’re spending your time, Itachi,” Sakura teased. “Spending your time with an Akatsuki from a defunct village. A foul Jashinist. They say husbands with sluts for wives grow horns. I hope Naruto doesn’t look in the mirror this morning and I’m glad he didn’t come out to the forest today; some hunter might have mistaken him for a stag.”

“I’m sure Naruto will want to know of this. I may not approve his trying to take Sakura as his wife against her will or letting you lot live, but I respect him and he is the Hokage.”

“You should be more thankful to your noble brother and to your lord; they both spared your lives and look where you are now. To betray Naruto like this and abandon your brother to hunt this criminal alone . . .”

“I would say not to let us interrupt your ‘sport,’ but I don’t think any honorable girl of Konoha should witness your foul . . . affections.”

“Why do I have the patience to bear this?” Itachi whispered. Sneering at Neji and Sakura, “Those ‘foul affections’ are the same my brother, your brother too, has for his tramp Shikamaru.”

“At least he doesn’t flout his affections for Shikamaru and run around behind his back.”

“But he’s married to Karin. Isn’t my brother a bad I am?”

“He doesn’t hide anything from Karin or Shikamaru,” Sakura defended her adopted brother.

“But he fucks them both.”

Neji put up a hand to stop Sakura from responding. “By the way,” he said to Itachi, “your trash are hiding in the trees over there, probably looking for a good show.”

Hearing this, Kabuto and Deidara came out and approached. Sakura stepped behind Neji.

“Why do you look so pale, love?” Deidara said as he came up behind Itachi and bent down to kiss him on the cheek.

“You foul adulterer!” Neji accused. “Just how many lovers do you have behind his back?”

“Don’t you think I should look pale?” Itachi said ignoring Neji’s righteous indignation. “I’m tricked to coming to this place by these two to be assassinated by the great Hyuga Neji. They taunt me and tell me how horrid this place will be as the place of my death. They call me adulterer and lascivious Uchiha. They even impugn my valiant little brother. Revenge it, as you love me, or I’ll never come to your beds again.”

“I’ll prove my love for you, love, nh,” Deidara said as he advanced.

“I’ll prove my allegiance and love to you as well,” Kabuto said.

“Sakura, get out of here, go to your brother,” Neji told her.

“She runs, we’ll go after her,” Hidan said, gesturing to he and Itachi.

“I’m not defenseless,” Sakura said. “I’ll fight with you.”

“No! Stay clear.”

Neji avoided Itachi’s eyes and Sakura also kept her eyes from him. They did not see his handsigns. Neji concentrated on the two Akatsuki before him and stayed aware of the two who just sat there watching; otherwise he let his defense fall. He fought well against Deidara and Kabuto, his gentle fist cut through Deidara’s clay like Sasuke’s Chidori, but he was well matched against Kabuto who could use his chakra offensively like Neji, he just lacked the vision to see fine targets.

As they parted to rest for a moment breath before the next exchange, Neji was still and a kunai flew straight into his back through his one blind spot. Neji fell to his knees, blood fell down his chin. Sakura screamed. Two more dug deeper next to the first. Neji looked up, certain all his enemies were in front of him. The Itachi setting next to Hidan turned to ravens flying away.

The real Itachi walked up from behind him and pulled one of the kunai from his back and came round to face the knelling Hyuga.

“The advantage of being married to the Hokage,” Itachi said. “He doesn’t think of hiding anything from me. Not even documents even ANBU should never see. ‘Hyuga Neji, a perfect defense except one spot behind the first thoracic vertebrae.’ With my Sharingan it’s an easy matter to spot the cone of your blind spot and send a dozen kunai through it.”

Itachi tossed the bloodied kunai to Hidan. Hidan had already drawn his Jashin symbol in the dirt and licked the blood from the kunai. His skin turned black with white abstract bones. Neji knew he was beaten.

Sakura rushed Hidan with her chakra concentrated in her fist. Hidan dodged, stepping out of the circle. Kabuto caught her and stood her to watch her husband’s death. Hidan took his spear and was about to impaled himself.

“Stop, Hidan!” Itachi held out a hand to enforce the command.

Sakura sagged in relief, hoping that Itachi had come to his senses.

Itachi took out a scroll. “We’ll use this. I stole it from TenTen.”

“It wouldn’t be the first time you impaled me from behind.”

“Sorry Hidan, not today.”

“Ah, fuck. Son of a bitch Itachi, I was all fired up. I’ll need to kill someone.”

“Later, Hidan, later.”

“Fuck! Just get it over with quickly.”

Itachi came behind Neji who could barely move. Itachi opened the scroll and Neji knelt there without moving. A large number of weapons flew into Neji’s back. Neji bowed and coughed up blood. He fell forward, dead.

“No!” Sakura sobbed. “Sasuke! Sasuke! Help!”

“Sasuke is at least three miles away. He’ll not come to help you. At least not in time.”

Sakura put all the chakra she could harness into her feet to escape, but Kabuto hadn’t lived with Orochimaru all the those years without learning something. Two white snakes appeared and bound her.

“Itachi, please, for your brother’s sake, let me go.”

“We can’t very well let you go.”

“Naruto is so taken with you that he won’t hear a word against you. He married you despite all objections; I can’t say anything to him. I’ll keep your secret. I won’t say anything about this. Please, Itachi. If you ever loved your brother—”

“I can’t say that I did.”

“Have you any pity at all? Please Itachi.”

“That brother murdered Madara in the streets. He would not be so merciful to him; I shall not be merciful to him or his people. He made his own older brother beg in the streets like a common whore and he proudly murdered my lover and drank his blood! Don’t speak to me about pity!”

Kabuto, Deidara, and even Hidan cowered under Itachi’s anger. Itachi was like his brother, emotionless, calm, and never raised his voice. In that, Itachi was more stoic than his brother. Itachi’s fury frightened them all.

“Blame the Uchiha rites, not Sasuke. He was doing what he believed was right.”

“I so shall I,” Itachi growled. “Do what you want with her.”

Sakura understood what they meant to do with her by the lures on their faces. “No, Kabuto, please. You were kind to us during the Chunin Exams. You’ve been living too long with that snake and this raven. Please, let me go.”

“I was Orochimaru’s even then, it was an act and I would not shame my dearest raven by disobeying him.”

“The worse done to her, the more I know you love me,” Itachi pronounced.

“Itachi please, kill me with your own hands. Isn’t that enough offence done to your brother? He loves me so that my death by itself will drive him mad. Please Itachi, some pity. Be a charitable murderer.”

“And rob my friends and lovers of their prize? I might even join in if I feel like it after they’ve had their turns.”

“No, Itachi, please!”

“I do not hear you.”

Kabuto tried to tie her hands, but her control of chakra was good enough to cut the rope around her wrists. Kabuto grabbed her hands again. Hidan motioned for Deidara to hold her legs. Hidan straddled her and pulled out a kunai.

“I’ve we can’t tie your hands.”

“No!” Sakura screamed.

Hidan took one and sawed through the skin and bone, Sakura screaming all the while.

“Gag her,” Itachi said, “she’ll attract attention too soon.”

Kabuto did as Itachi ordered while Hidan completed his task. He motioned for Kabuto to move his hand and Hidan pushed Sakura’s own hand into her mouth. He cut off her other hand, then got off her.

“Make it quick.” Hidan sucked at the severed wrist, drinking the blood. He went over to kiss Itachi.

Itachi pulled away. “Don’t make too much of a mess.”

“You can say it’s Demetr’s.” Itachi let Hidan kiss him with his blood soaked mouth.

Kabuto struggled with Sakura’s handless stumps as he pulled up her hot pink dress.

Deidara used a kunai to cut away the rest off Sakura’s clothes. Because Deidara was in the best position, he went first. The mouths on his hands sucked and bit at her breasts as he thrust into her.

Hidan and Itachi were concentrated on each other, ignoring Sakura’s muffled screams and whimpers. Deidara didn’t take long and Kabuto replaced him while Deidara took over holding her down. Hidan and Itachi turned to watch as Kabuto finished. Hidan took his turn. Finally Itachi took his turn with the now motionless woman.

Itachi was respectively gentle. He caressed her face when he straddled her. She opened her eyes. She was held by his Sharingan, but he didn’t put her under any genjutsu. She didn’t make a sound when he raped her, at that point she may not have even really felt it after being raped three times already. When he pulled out, she was in a daze.

Itachi stood. Hidan licked the blood from the skin on Itachi’s thighs. Once Hidan finished, Itachi adjusted his clothes. “Now kill her. If she speaks, she may undo us all. Once you do that, Deidara, take this letter to the Hokage and beg him to come seek me out. Hidan, go find Choji and TenTen and lure them here. I will get Demetr and kill him nearby then go join my brother and tell him we killed him and bring him this way to see.”

Hidan and Itachi left.

“Why do we need to kill her?” Kabuto said. “I know what will make Sasuke suffer more.”

“But Itachi said she shouldn’t be allowed to tell anyone about this.”

“So we make sure she can’t speak.” Kabuto took out his kunai, motioned for Deidara to pull her mouth open, and he grabbed her tongue and cut it out at the root. “Without hands or a tongue, she can never reveal who did any of this.”

Sakura coughed up the blood that started to seep down her throat.

“Ha! Now go tell your brother who cut out your tongue and raped you.”

“Use your jutsu to heal yourself and write down our names.”

“Go home and call for water to wash your hands.”

“Oh, but she doesn’t have a tongue to call with or hands to wash.”

“If I were you, I would go hang myself.”

“If you had hands to tie the rope.”

Deidara nodded to Kabuto and held up the letter Itachi gave him. “I’ll bring Naruto out here.”

“I’ll catch up to Itachi.”

Sakura was left by herself. She wanted to lay down and die, but she forced herself to her feet, pulling at her clothes with her stumps. She wept further in frustration. She walked away still in a daze.

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You can’t believe how difficult it was to write this scene; it’s been holding up the entire story. It was how to separate people. And I needed to keep everyone in play. Not to mention I suck at writing ninja battles, I’m a sword fighting kind of writer.
Yeah, other than Mizuki, I couldn’t think of a good cannon character for the bait so I used the names of Tamora’s sons.