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For a long while, Sasuke clung to his brother. He was unable to let go, afraid that if he did, Itachi would vanish in a puff of smoke. Yet Itachi continued to breathe against him. He continued to hold onto his little brother just as desperately. He had long ago given up on trying to say his brother's name, voice far too garbled.

How was this possible? This wasn't like the nightmares Sasuke had been suffering for months. This was really Itachi. So this was why he couldn't see Itachi's body. There had never been one. Or at least, never been a dead one.

Itachi was soaking wet and shivering against him. Sasuke could feel the tremors in his own body. He reached to brush Itachi's damp hair from his face, staring intently at him and trying to find any scratches or bruises. His thumb gently stroked down Itachi's cheek and the elder slowly tensed, his brows furrowing and throat tightening.

When Itachi pulled away, Sasuke frowned in confusion, turning his head to his brother with a question on his lips. Under Itachi's closed eyelids, there would be nothing to look back, and it ate at Sasuke.

The pieces had quickly fallen together for Itachi. Itachi's mouth pulled into a thin line and Sasuke desperately wished he could hear him. He wanted to assure his brother that knowing the truth was not a bad thing. That he had deserved to know. Why had Itachi never told him? Sasuke would have eventually understood. He would have helped his brother. Or at least offered him something.

Instead, Sasuke could only take his brother's clammy hand in his grip and give it a gentle squeeze. As if to tell him that everything would be okay now. Sasuke would get Itachi new eyes. He would take him to a healer and have his hearing restored.

And now…

Now he would turn his rage to those who had done this to Itachi. Konoha could wait. Madara and Obito and everyone else involved in his brother's violation would suffer and suffer dearly.

But his first step would be to warm his brother back up and get him cleaned. The boy moved forward and pressed his forehead against Itachi's, closing his eyes. For a long moment, he did not move. He simply allowed himself to bask in his brother's presence. Itachi was alive, and right now that was good enough for Sasuke.

The bathtub was filled with warm water. A light steam rose from the surface and coated with mirror in a fine mist. Sasuke ran his hands through the water to test the temperature. Once he was certain it was not too hot, he turned to Itachi.

Itachi was still wrapped in the towel. His hair was wet and clung to his back. Sasuke could see goosebumps rising over his brother's arms. The boy cursed softly under his breath. What was he thinking, hiding him in the bathtub?

"Come on, Aniki." Sasuke murmured as he reached for the elder Uchiha. Itachi tensed slightly at the feeling of Sasuke's hands touching him. Itachi was still badly bruised and there was dried blood on his wrists.

The idea that his brother had been bound and forced to tear himself free left Sasuke feeling like he was going to vomit. How long had Itachi been right under his nose?

Sasuke managed to pull the towel away from his brother and help him in the tub. It was obvious Itachi was on edge and deeply uncomfortable to being bared like this. Sasuke tried to offer his brother a little bit of dignity by keeping his eyes averted as he helped lower Itachi into the tub. Yet, seeing the state he was in, Sasuke could not help but look.

Itachi's ribcage poked through his skin. His flesh was much pale than normal, taking on an almost grayish tint. His body was littered with bruises. The ones around his wrists and ankles were the worst.

The younger Uchiha took a washcloth and ran it through the water, ringing it out. He took Itachi's hand and began to clean his arm. Itachi kept his face turned towards Sasuke. He seemed at a loss and it was a look that Sasuke never had expected to see on his brother's face. He took Itachi's other arm and cleaned up towards his shoulder, the cloth gliding over the ANBU tattoo.

The cloth moved to stroke the back of Itachi's neck and over his shoulder blades. Itachi's back was littered with tiny bruises. Many looked like fingerprints from rough handling. Itachi's skin glistened under the water and the dirt was washed away. Madara couldn't even be bothered to keep Itachi clean while he was imprisoned. Sasuke rung the washcloth about and dipped it again before moving to Itachi's chest. Itachi remained quiet under his touch, eyelashes clinging to his cheeks.

Even like this, Sasuke thought his brother was the most beautiful person in the world.

He poured water over his brother's hair, working out the knots and tangles with a gentle hand. Itachi remained quiet, expression almost lost. Sasuke continued to apologize under his breath, even knowing that Itachi couldn't hear him. He wondered why that was. How had his brother managed to lose his hearing? Madara had done this…Obito as well. They had taken Itachi's eyes even though he was alive. Were they laughing at him? Pleased that they had pulled this over on the stupid younger Uchiha? He also wondered if that was what Naruto had been trying to tell him. Itachi had been with him. Had they saved him and planned on bringing him back to Sasuke?

Get Itachi healed and get out of here. Take him somewhere safe and far away. This was all that mattered right now.

Sasuke washed Itachi down before pulling the plug in the tub; He grabbed the towel and returned to his brother, wrapping it around his shoulders and helping him stand. Itachi's legs shook violently, and it was obvious that he would not be able to walk on his own. Sasuke adjusted the towel around Itachi and scooped him up and out of the water.

Sasuke carried Itachi into his room and sat him on the bed, tightening the towel around Itachi's shoulders before turning around to look for clothes for him.

"I'll get you somewhere safe, Niisan." Sasuke hummed softly as he maneuvered Itachi's arms into the shirt. He wrapped the towel around Itachi's hair before helping the elder into a pair of loose fitting pants.

He slowly dried Itachi's hair, allowing the towel to glide through the dark strands. His brother's head was turned towards him and Sasuke didn't doubt that if he had eyes, they would be watching his every move. Something about seeing Itachi wearing his clothes had heat flaring up in Sasuke's stomach.

But he couldn't dwell on that. They were in danger here and Sasuke knew he would need to escape quickly. The boy packed himself a bag and took all of Itachi's items along with his own. He refused to let anything that had been important to his brother be left behind for these people to use. They would come for him soon. He was surprised they hadn't yet.

As he helped Itachi stand, he ran a soothing hand through his damp hair. He walked backwards towards the door, Itachi pressed weakly against him. With deft fingers, Sasuke unlocked the door and peered down the hall.

"I'm going to get you out of here, Itachi. I'm going to protect you from now on." He solemnly promised his brother.

Sasuke wrapped an arm around Itachi's waist and lifted him up, charging out of the room as quickly as he could. There was no one around. Zetsu's chakra signature was nonexistent. They would still be looking for his brother and Sasuke was more than willing to give them a fight.

As Sasuke and Itachi fled through the north door, Obito stood just down the hall, arms crossed. He leaned his head back to gaze at the ceiling, chuckling softly.

Did Sasuke truly think that he did not know where Itachi had escaped to? Did he truly think that he could keep it a secret for long? Once Madara heard about this…any hope the elder had for keeping Sasuke at his side were dashed. Not that this concerned Obito at all.

He was much more interested too see if Itachi could return to his former glory and how long it would be until Sasuke's resentment and vengeance overtook his desire to protect his oh so precious Aniki.