Mizuki. The name reverberated inside the walls of Sasuke's mind, eating away at his subconscious; oh, how he wanted to punish the man, make him pay for daring to touch Naruto, make him cry and beg and scream for how he had broken the blonde. As he walked down the hospital's hallway, trying to locate Itachi, his hands curled into fists so tight, his knuckles had turned white under the constant pressure. Sasuke's jaw was clenched and although he wore a blank expression, anyone who walked by him could clearly see the vengeful look in his dark orbs and the deadly aura radiating off of him in waves.

The raven felt tempted to return to Naruto's side, talk to him about anything and everything that came to his brain, insult him if need be, to help reassure the blonde boy and offer him a sense of normality. However, moments after they had broken their embrace a nurse had entered the room fussing over Naruto and asking how much pain he was in; apparently it was almost unbearable for the blonde and so the nurse had offered him a strong painkiller, to which he had graciously accepted. The only drawback to the drug was that Naruto was left in a barely conscious state, making it almost impossible for Sasuke to continue talking to him.

Instead the younger Uchiha had decided to find his brother. He knew Itachi was the only person he trusted to help the blonde, his brother being a detective was perfect in this situation as he knew exactly what action to take and how to apprehend Mizuki. More importantly, Itachi knew how to help Naruto, and Sasuke was well aware that his brother would do anything for him if only he asked.

It was quite a rare bond they shared. Due to their parents being busy most of the time and hardly ever being home, the two Uchiha's had only each other to rely on; Itachi had always been protective and compassionate towards Sasuke, even when the raven was younger and had directed all his anger and hatred for his father, toward him. Itachi had only responded with love and affection. It was a trait Sasuke admired greatly.

Briskly, Sasuke walked towards the waiting area, knowing that his brother had most probably abandoned the task of waiting outside the room so that both Naruto and Sasuke had the privacy to talk. His stormy eyes flittered about the waiting room and when he located his brother, sitting back against the sofa, his legs crossed and newspaper in hand, Sasuke made his way towards him, trying desperately to unclench his jaw.

Itachi glanced up from the paper he was reading and upon seeing Sasuke's expression, a slight frown marred his features; uncrossing his legs and placing the newspaper on the small table to his left, he gave his younger brother his undivided attention and as Sasuke sat down tensely beside him, Itachi waited for him to speak.

His brother's presence had always calmed the raven, even now when Sasuke was absolutely livid and slightly shaking with barely concealed rage, he found himself relaxing both his features and his body when Itachi's concerned orbs locked with his own. Sighing heavily to himself, Sasuke brought a pale hand up and ran it though his dark hair, relaying his frustration to his elder brother.

"Mizuki, his foster father did it Itachi. The one person who was supposed to protect him, fucking beat him into unconsciousness." Sasuke said darkly, his jaw once again clenching as he glared at the table to the side, promising himself that he would make that man face the harshest punishment available for laying a finger on Naruto.

The frown only deepened as Itachi processed this information; rather disgusted that anyone could ever harm someone who was under their protection, however he was not surprised; Itachi saw these events almost daily in his line of work.

"Did Naruto-kun tell you how long this has been happening for?" Itachi asked.

"Awhile. He said that Mizuki became his guardian around 2 years ago and it hasn't stopped since." Sasuke growled, eyes hardening at having to say that god-forsaken man's name, before adding in a slightly quieter, yet determined voice "What should we do, Aniki? We have to help him."

Regarding Sasuke calmly for a moment, trying his best to help his younger brother's temper ease, Itachi spoke in a smooth voice. "I know, Sasuke. I will try my best, but I have to make a few phone-calls and Naruto-kun has to be willing to testify against Mizuki in order for there to be any hope of arresting him."

Two pairs of dark orbs locked together before Sasuke gave a quick, tense nod. "When he has the drugs out of his system, I'll speak to him again and bring it up. Hopefully he'll agree." Sasuke muttered, unsure of how the blonde would respond to being told that he would have to relive his abuse in order to give evidence of Mizuki's guilt; a deep frown spread across his face thinking of the conversation to come.

"What bothers me most is where Naruto-kun will stay. He is not 18 Sasuke and cannot live alone, while he could come and stay with us for a period, I doubt our parents would allow him to stay permanently." Itachi said, his expression mirroring Sasuke's and concern lacing every single word spoken.

Breaking eye contact with his brother, Sasuke glanced at the floor, sighing heavily in frustration as he knew Itachi spoke the truth; his mother may be more forgiving of Naruto's situation and allow him to stay with the Uchiha's but his father would never allow it. Cursing inwardly at the fact his father was a heartless bastard, helplessness curled within his stomach and he gritted his teeth at the agitation that followed. Surely there was some place Naruto could go for permanent residence, there had to be. He could never allow Naruto to continue in this position; being forced to stay with a man who violently assaulted him without batting an eyelash, it an inconceivable notion.

Feeling a reassuring hand on his shoulder, Sasuke glanced up and was met with his brother's warm expression. "Don't worry so much about it Sasuke. I promise I will find somewhere safe for him to stay, but for now let's just focus on him healing and getting him back to our home." Itachi said softly, a small smile following his statement and as an immediate response, Sasuke visibly calmed; his posture slumping slightly as his muscle loosened. He knew that when Itachi made a promise to him, he rarely broke it, pushing himself to his limit to fulfil the pledge.

As Itachi removed his hand after a small squeeze, Sasuke gave a slight nod in appreciation and agreement; decisions like that could wait until after he knew Naruto was safe and in good health. The raven was extremely thankful that his parents where away on an extended business trip, making it possible for Naruto to stay with them until they returned; he was almost positive that Naruto would agree to their request after some stubborn protests.

Watching his brother gracefully stand and leave the room after a quick, reassuring glance back at Sasuke, the raven only hoped Itachi's superiors would allow him to take the case and have custody of the blonde until Mizuki was behind bars. As his lips pulled into a slight frown, Sasuke glared at the floor; adamant that he was going to help Naruto, the only person who had ever managed to capture his romantic interest, out of his current situation. There was not a force on earth that could stop him from protecting the blonde. There was not a force on earth that could stop him from making Mizuki pay dearly.

I always imagined Sasuke to be quite protective of the people he loved, I think that's just his personality.

I'm so sorry if this fic is going slowly, I promise I'll try and speed it up to get to the NaruSasu bits! In all honesty I'm a bit nervous about writing fluff between them because I find it quite difficult, but I'll try my best!

I love you all, thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed!