-x-

"How many did she eat?!" Kakashi roared, and Shisui's legs gave out. The poor Messenger fell to the ground under the might of the One True King. Lightning crackled at Kakashi's hands, filling the room with a strange chirping sound.

"I-I…I don't know, a handful? Six? Seven?" Shisui stuttered, trying to forget how his precious baby sister's eyes blazed with an anger he had never seen before.

No.

That wasn't his baby sister anymore.

That was the one he heard the mortals begin to call Desponia, the Mistress.

The Mistress that even the Lord of the Underworld submitted to.

"Then she will spend six months of the mortal year in Olympus with her mother, and the other will be with her…husband." He turned a sharp and tired eye to the Messenger. "If either side does not like my decision, I will make one that will benefit neither. Sakura will reside in a locked room. I will have only the key. She will see neither her mother nor husband and never any freedom."

With great regret and a dragging of his feet, Shisui went to deliver the messages.

-x-

Sakura ran her hand over the sharp thorns on the throne. Forward, the roses bloomed. Back, they withered and died. Forward, back, forward, back.

A strange feeling to control both life and death with your fingertips.

She tuned back into the man that had thrown himself at her feet, sobbing so hard he could barely breathe.

"Please, Mistress, I beg you!"

The Iron Queen hummed, snapping the rose head off the vine and twirling it in her lithe fingers.

"Tell me about your wife, soldier."

"M-my wife, Mistress?"

Pale green eyes narrowed at him. "Your wife."

He shrugged. "N-not much to tell. Homely woman, didn't talk much? Kept my house clean, gave me sons."

Shackled brides of war.

"Did you love her?"

Another shrug.

The silence stretched, and the man began to sweat. "Tartarus," Sakura purred, relishing in the fear in his eyes before they turned to anger.

"You whore, Queen! Where is the Lord?" He spat, rushing forward to her, but red-hot iron appeared and trapped him to the floor. His scream echoed, and burnt flesh lingered. "My Great Lord Itachi!"

When called, he did come, leaning down to gently kiss his young wife's cheek.

"She rules unfairly, my Lord," the solider choked out between snot, tears, and pain. "The Judges deemed me for Asphodel Fields, but I fought in wars; I gave my life for my country! I deserve to be in Elysian!"

Glowing red eyes flickered between that of the Mistress and a lowly soldier.

"Even I submit to my Queen's wishes," he replied.

The floor swallowed the man whole, and his screams combined with the hundreds of souls in the pits of despair.

Itachi would ask why she served such harsh punishment to soldiers of war.

This is the only way I can help my mortal sisters. They will live forever in Elysia, and their raping husbands will burn.

-x-

Itachi's cloak fell to the floor in a pile; chilled pale hands ran through his hair and rubbed his eyes. From what the spirits told him, winter was cold and harsh. Many needed more time to prepare for the change of season.

And that made Itachi's job much busier.

Charon was angry, demanding a bigger boat for all the souls.

The Judges were threatening a strike over the endless line that stepped up to the gates.

And Itachi's young wife was nowhere to be found this day.

Ever since he gifted her an unremarkable field, she spent much of her time growing flowers with her hands and breathing life into trees. Her own little garden, and she was happy to have both the things she loved.

So, it amused Itachi to come to his bedroom to find his beautiful wife asleep, surrounded by half-grew buds of flowers and herbs within the dark confines of his bedrooms, curled around Cerberus.

Or instead, more affectionately called by Sakura, who quote said, "It's such a droll name for such a cute dog. I shall name him Pakkun."
Now the three-headed thing follows her around like a puppy.

"I like this one," Ceb-...Pakkun rumbled, sniffing softly at Sakura. "She lets me on the bed."

Itachi narrowed his eyes. "Off."

Pakkun grumbled angrily, digging deeper into the bed.

"Off, Pakkun." Itachi seethed.

Sakura huffed. "Enough, boys," voice thick with sleep. "Honestly, big babies, both of you. Pakkun, move over, and Itachi, get in."

Dog and God made eye contact and relented.

There wasn't any arguing with their Lady.

-x-