Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Younger Brother: Protection

Having an older brother could be many things; irritating, at times, but also reassuring and, dare Sasuke acknowledge it, fun. In all the words Sasuke associated with his brother, there was one he had not yet linked to Itachi: protection.

Unlike other children Sasuke did not make a habit of getting himself into unnecessary fights and those he did involve himself in were quickly solved with his victory. As far as Sasuke was concerned he didn't need protection, in any shape or form.

That is why, when Clan members started escorting him everywhere he went, Sasuke was more than a little irked.

It had started over a week ago, when Sasuke had been on his way to the Academy, walking alone, as usual, and minding his own business. Just as he was leaving the Uchiha District he had come across his aunt, who said she would walk him to the Academy since she happened to be going in the same direction that day.

Sasuke obliged, thinking nothing of it. Then, on the same day, he had come across one of his distant cousins who happened to be walking back to the District at the same time as he was walking home. So, naturally, they walked back to the District together. Sasuke thought it was odd that there had been two Clan members that just happened to be heading in the direction he was going on the same day but, still, he thought little of it.

When it had happened three days in a row, Sasuke was on to them. Not even the large and tight-knit Uchiha Clan would have 'bumped into him' or be 'going the same way he was by chance' three days in a row. Sasuke could see he was being escorted to and from the Academy but why?

He considered that there could be a dangerous ninja loose which would provide a reason for the Clan's extra safety measures. But then why weren't any of the other children being escorted? Did his Clan think he wasn't capable of protecting himself? He had spotted the Hyuuga girl walking home alone, confirming that there couldn't be a dangerous ninja anywhere around. For a large, prestigious family like the Hyuuga to neglect protecting their heiress when a dangerous ninja was around would be sheer idiocy.

With every passing day, Sasuke began to feel more irritated and more confused. What really bothered him, after the three days of being escorted to and from the Academy, was that he wasn't being told the reason for this sudden attention to his safety. Every Clan member had a different excuse for travelling with him:

"Oh, Sasuke, I just finished a mission so let's walk back to the District together!"

"You're being taught by Iruka, right? I'll come with you to the Academy and see how he's doing."

"I need to replace my armchair. The furniture shop is near the Academy so I'll walk with you today."

Needless to say, Sasuke felt crowded and, more annoyingly, like he was being treated as some sort of half-wit. Did they think he wouldn't figure them out? Was he no longer trusted? He tried to casually talk to his Mother about it one day, hoping to find some sort of answer.

"Is there something going on right now?" Sasuke asked as Mikoto prepared that night's meal.

"What do you mean?" she asked, sounding distracted, probably by the water beginning to rise near the rim of the saucepan. Sasuke couldn't outright ask why the Clan were insisting on guiding him anywhere and everywhere he went; it would be disrespectful and his accusations would imply that his parents were hiding something that he ought to know. Within the ninja world, there was a strict emphasis on what one needs to know and what one does not, especially within the ANBU which Itachi was now working with. Sasuke basically stating that he ought to be privileged with certain information would not go down well. So he resorted to pretence of innocence and mere curiosity.

"Well I've been seeing a lot of Clan members recently and I wondered what they were all doing off missions," Sasuke said, carefully watching his Mother as she bustled about the stove.

"Well, you know, when there's a time of relative peace there aren't as many missions available, at least not ones that require Uchiha abilities, so everyone is just waiting for something to come up that needs their attention."

Sasuke had considered this but it did not explain the Clan's undying persistence in shepherding him everywhere. He tried again, determined to find out why before he lost any more sleep over it.

"So there's nothing…bad…going on in the village right now?" Mikoto stopped moving for a fraction of a second, as if she had been hit with a paralysis Genjutsu. She then smoothly turned away from the stove to look at her youngest son, who was standing in the doorway to the kitchen.

"What makes you think anything bad is going to happen? Has someone said something to you?" There was something in her tone that Sasuke couldn't quite place. He heard his Mother's general worry for his well-being but something else…something deeper.

Sasuke quickly shook his head, upon seeing his Mother's hard eyes.

"No, it's, uh, just that everyone seems really on edge lately," Sasuke said, not really concentrating on what he was saying. He was still watching his Mother's expression with a hawk-like focus. She looked…dismayed? There was definitely some sort of forlorn look in her eyes that left Sasuke even more confused. A terrible hissing sound broke the moment as the water from the pan finally spilled over, splashing into the flames which wheezed and gasped from the onslaught.

Mikoto turned around to sort the disaster, muttering to Sasuke over her shoulder,

"I'm sure it's nothing, darling. Everyone has been a little stressed with the New Year's celebration coming up; there's a lot to do and things to take care of." Sasuke slipped away, discontent with his investigation. He had gotten practically nothing from that conversation and was once again starting to fear that the Clan thought him weak enough to need protection everywhere he went.

If it was any child other than Sasuke, they might have gotten used to the situation and simply just let it be. But Sasuke, believe it or not, was unsociable. The constant feeling of having someone breathing down his neck was driving him insane, coupled with the growing anxiety that he was too weak to take care of himself.

So Sasuke decided that he would take a different route home after more than a week of being escorted everywhere. It may be longer and more troublesome but to have one trip back from the Academy without being smothered by a family member would make up for any discourse, Sasuke was sure.

On a Thursday afternoon when no one had showed up at the Academy to take him home, Sasuke assumed that there would be a Clan member 'bumping into him' along the way home somewhere, which had happened several times already. Sasuke turned down a different street and began the walk home, glad to have time with his own thoughts for a change.

…

'The situation is dire'. The words tumbled around in Itachi's head, refusing to sink into the back of his mind somewhere. Yes, the situation was indeed very dire.

The Clan was preparing for their coup and everyone was on high alert. Doors were always locked, food tested before consumption and Sharingan kept at full level. Itachi was no different, but had different reasons. His position was probably the direst of them all.

Going home at night had become a mixture of pain and relief over the past few weeks. Seeing his parents' faith in his loyalty was hard to endure but Itachi went home thankful that his family were to remain alive for one more day. The cruel blend of the relief that he hadn't done what he was going to do, but knowing that he would eventually have to do it weighed heavily on the teenager.

Itachi might never admit it but seeing Sasuke and just being with the boy was what was keeping him going. In Itachi's world of betrayal and lies and deceit, Sasuke was like a white flower that grew amongst dark thorns. Sasuke may not know it but he had all the Clan members enchanted. He was innocent, clueless in what was being planned and about the only one they could have a normal conversation with anymore.

It had been agreed that Sasuke would have no part in the coup. He was simply too young and too vulnerable. Either by the view that Sasuke should hold on to his blissfully ignorant childhood or that he would spill information if questioned, no one said a thing to Sasuke.

However with the coup becoming more and more imminent, it was an increasing worry that someone would discover the Clan's treachery. Everyone was afraid they would be found out and measures would be taken. And who would be the first target of intimidation or threatening? Sasuke. It didn't matter that he didn't know anything; seeing Sasuke hurt for information would probably break every Uchiha's heart.

So it was agreed that during the last few upcoming weeks to the planned coup, Sasuke would be escorted and watched at all times when he was outside the District. It wasn't ideal, with powerful ninjas having to make pointless trips around the village whenever Sasuke was out but it was better than the possible alternative.

The Clan members took turns to watch over the oblivious Sasuke and it soon came to Itachi's turn. He waited a little way from the Academy, so as not to be seen by old teachers that were bound to want to catch up with him and ask him all sorts of things he didn't feel like answering. While Itachi waited for his brother, that one phrase kept turning over in his mind.

'The situation is dire'. Itachi knew that he was running out of time. It was for the greater good, it had to be done. He had to be ready to lose everything if he was going to make a difference. As far as Itachi could see, there was simply no other way.

He shook himself away from the morbid thoughts, looking out for his little brother. Itachi saw many people emerge from the Academy but he didn't spot Sasuke. He eventually resigned to the fate that he would have to go in to the Academy to find Sasuke and face all those teachers.

Itachi knew his brother liked to train after classes but today he didn't have the patience to wait around for Sasuke. He needed the boy to distract him otherwise he felt he'd go mad. Itachi searched the Academy training grounds and halls but couldn't find Sasuke. He reluctantly approached his old Sensei, asking whether the man had seen Sasuke and politely telling him that he was short on time when he looked ready to reminisce about the past.

With a slight frown he told Itachi that Sasuke must have gone home. If he stayed to train he would normally let a teacher know. Itachi was starting to panic now, wondering where on earth Sasuke could have wandered off to. His fears that Sasuke had been kidnapped by anyone suspicious of the Uchiha or even Danzo, who obviously did not agree with the idea of Sasuke be spared and protected, made Itachi's heart shudder.

He stepped back outside and looked desperately about the streets. There was still no sign of Sasuke, not even an inkling that he had passed through this area.

Itachi was not a strong sensory ninja but he managed to find Sasuke's chakra after a moment's concentration. The boy wasn't making any special attempt to guard his presence which helped. In fact he had been reasonably easy to find.

Itachi's shuddering heart dropped into his stomach. Sasuke's chakra had been so easy to find because it was flaring - and close to two more flaring chakras.

…

Having a few moments to himself did not make up for the discourse it caused. Sasuke had been keeping his head down, not giving anyone a reason to pick him out as a troublemaker or someone to fight with. But apparently two men decided that Sasuke deserved pain.

The attack had been too sudden for Sasuke to think past the first wave of fear as someone grabbed him and shoved him into an alleyway. Alarm bells were ringing in Sasuke's mind, making it difficult to think. He knew this was bad; he had been deliberately taken out of sight of the public and was currently facing two men far larger and therefore very likely far stronger than him, a mere eight year-old.

The two men walked calmly towards Sasuke, pressing him further back into the alley until he could back up no more. Sasuke wondered what he should do. Take them on? Try to reason? Call for help? His decision was made for him when one of the men lunged, forcing Sasuke to duck out of the way of outstretched hands. Almost on instinct he struck at the man's now unguarded face. Before he'd quite realised what he'd done, Sasuke was looking at four long, red gouges striped across the man's cheek. He hadn't meant to scratch the man – Sasuke remembered his Father saying 'cats scratch, ninjas strike' when teaching him Taijutsu – but he couldn't get his fear-stiffened hands to fold into a decent fist.

With blood dripping from his newly acquired wounds, the man seemed to move ten times faster and landed a bone-creaking kick to Sasuke's rib cage, which sent him vaulting back into the unforgiving brick wall at the end of the alley. Sasuke was too winded to defend against the next attack and after that, the best he could do was to curl up in a ball and wrap his hands around his head, his own feeble suit of armour.

The men didn't seem to have the intention to kill him, as they could have easily done away with him by now and neither of them were using weapons. A small part of Sasuke was grateful it was only kicks and punches he was having to deal with but the immense strength and pain that poured in and out of the seemingly never-ending blows made it hard to feel grateful for anything.

Sasuke tried to call out but it was cut short by a heavy kick to his still-covered face. He could feel blood trickling from his (thankfully unbroken) nose as he curled into a tighter ball. As the blows continued, Sasuke began to wonder if it was ever going to end.

It was when a slight drizzle began to fall from the dreary sky that the beating abruptly ended. Curious, Sasuke peeked through his hands at the two men, whose voices sounded far away and slurred to his ears.

"Better go, I can sense someone approaching. This should suffice as a warning," one of the men said, throwing a glance towards Sasuke who flinched under it.

"I really hate to do this…" the other one muttered, running a hand through his hair. He seemed to be looking everywhere but in Sasuke's direction.

"Well, hopefully they'll get the message. Let's go; something's coming in real fast." The two moved so quickly they almost seemed to disappear. Sasuke relaxed a little, and tried to stand. His body protested greatly, forming bruises and broken skin giving off thuds of pain at every movement. Sasuke had managed to rise to a kneeling position when something dark dropped in to the alleyway.

It was a man, who had dropped down from one of the rooftops above the alleyway, landing a few metres from Sasuke. The rain blurred Sasuke's vision, and as the dark shape moved towards him, Sasuke cringed back in fear, expecting more pain, more hurt. Later, Sasuke would scold himself for cowering like a frightened animal when his life could have been in danger and, even more so, for not recognising the dark shape as his older brother sooner.

It wasn't until Itachi was knelt directly in front of him and speaking his name in soft tones that Sasuke realised there was no enemy here; it was only Itachi.

"Itachi," Sasuke breathed, drinking in the welcome sight of his brother, his saviour.

"Are you alright? What happened? Who did this? Are you-"

Sasuke practically flung himself at his brother, ignoring his protesting wounds and wrapped his arms around Itachi's strong shoulders, clinging on as if his life depended on it. He felt Itachi's hands run gingerly down his back, checking for injuries or in comfort, Sasuke didn't care. As long as Itachi was here, he would be okay.

"I was really hoping this would just be another incident of you finding more abandoned kittens," Itachi muttered into Sasuke's ear, gently pulling Sasuke away from him and looking him over. "Who did this to you Sasuke?"

Sasuke shivered in the drizzle and said,

"I don't know, two men but I don't know who they are," Sasuke said and jumped as a nearby door banged shut.

"Any remarkable features?" Itachi asked, wanting information while it was still fresh in Sasuke's mind.

"No…but I scratched one of them so he now has marks on the right side of his face." Itachi supressed a sigh. Scratches would be gone in no time if the man had the sense to visit a medical ninja. That would be no good for finding the men responsible for this. He asked another question:

"Did they say anything? Did they say why they hurt you?" Sasuke thought for a moment.

"One of them said: 'hopefully they'll get the message'. I didn't understand though, what did they mean?" Itachi seemed to be lost in thought, hands twitching as they gripped Sasuke small shoulders.

"I don't know," Itachi said finally. Sasuke flinched again when another door banged shut, the noise cracking across the streets. Seeing his unease, Itachi rubbed his brother's shoulders. "It's okay, they're gone now, Sasuke."

"I thought they might never stop hurting me," Sasuke confessed in a quivering voice. "They only stopped when they said they sensed you coming."

"It's okay," Itachi said again. "I'll always be here to protect you."

After assessing Sasuke's injuries and concluding that there was nothing more serious than a slight concussion, Sasuke was carried home on his brother's back. He would normally feel embarrassed by such a public display of affection, compliance and dependence but at that moment, he basked in Itachi's aura of strength and, more importantly, his protection.

Sasuke was immensely glad that he had an older brother, and conceded that he wouldn't mind letting Itachi protect him, at least until he was strong enough to protect himself from everyone. Then something hit Sasuke.

"Itachi? Do you know why everyone in the Clan has been following me?" Sasuke felt he could be more open with his brother now, since he had just been injured and was likely to receive sympathy and therefore information. Sasuke could be devious when he wanted to be.

"Well, everyone does want to spend time with you, since they don't see you as much since you started Academy training and, well, everyone is worried about you."

"Why are they worried about me?" Sasuke asked.

"Because you're young. It's only natural to want to protect the young," Itachi said. "There are some who hate our Clan and would love a chance to show us up. That's probably why you got hurt today."

"Then what that man said-"

"He was probably trying to send a message that he had the strength to take on an Uchiha. It's pathetic really, two grown men beating up a child in an effort to prove their strength. All they're proving is their cowardice." Sasuke tensed slightly and said in a small voice,

"I'm sorry, Itachi."

"Sasuke, don't apologise for something that's not your fault," Itachi told him firmly.

"No, I took a different way home today because I didn't want anyone to walk me home for once. I was frustrated and wanted to know why everyone was staying so close to me all the time. I shouldn't have done that, I'm sorry." Sasuke expected to be scolded, but Itachi just chuckled softly.

"Foolish brother, did you actually think you could hide from an Uchiha? I found you pretty easily today," Itachi told him as Sasuke squirmed slightly, embarrassed. "Why don't you let our family members take care of you for once? Besides, you're unsociable enough already; you could use someone to talk to when you're walking home."

Sasuke just grumbled slightly but promised he wouldn't try to avoid the Clan again.

…

When they arrived home, their parents took one look at the battered and bruised Sasuke on Itachi's back and fluttered about him, asking what had happened.

"He was attacked," Itachi told his parents, shooting them a look that there was more to it, but not to be said in front of Sasuke.

"Yeah and Itachi rescued me!" Sasuke said, surprisingly cheerfully for someone who had just been beaten up.

"Is that so?" Fugaku said, smiling at Itachi along with Mikoto.

"Sasuke, let me help you clean your cuts," Mikoto said as Itachi deposited Sasuke back on his feet, who was led to the bathroom where the antiseptic was, leaving Itachi and Fugaku alone.

"What happened?" Fugaku asked seriously, all smiles gone. Itachi recounted his waiting for Sasuke then finding out he wasn't training in the Academy as he had thought, that Sasuke had taken a different way home to avoid the family members clinging to him everywhere he went and the two ninjas Sasuke had said attacked him.

"Apparently, they want to send us a message by hurting Sasuke," Itachi finished. He didn't need to say it out loud, he could see now. Fugaku's mind was following the same track as Itachi's. They both knew that this was probably a warning to the Uchiha not to go through with anything…reckless.

"I see," Fugaku said, face pinched with worry. "Hopefully this is some petty business from cowardly Genin that have a grudge against Uchiha and nothing more. We will have to be extra careful." Neither really believed it but the thought was consolatory to the both of them.

Itachi nodded and left to retreat to his room. He passed the bathroom on the way and saw Sasuke sat on the edge of the bathtub as their mother wrapped a bandage over the scrape on his knee.

"No scars?" Itachi asked, poking his head through the doorway. Sasuke shook his head happily as Mikoto finished wrapping the bandage.

"He'll be fine as long as he rests for a bit," Mikoto said, giving Sasuke a stern look. He was never very good as keeping still, always insisting that he had to train, even when ill. Sasuke looked at the floor and nodded reluctantly before pattering into his room.

"So what happened?" Mikoto asked as soon as Sasuke was out of earshot, putting away the first-aid kit.

"Father will tell you. I have some work to do so I won't be around for dinner," Itachi said and hurried into his own room, shutting the door behind him, trying to remain calm. He couldn't keep facing his family like this. Not with the knowledge that he would hurt every single one of them growing like a tumour in his brain. He actually didn't have any pressing work to complete; he just couldn't stand the idea of sitting at the table, eating a meal with his family, smiling and pretending not only that everything was okay, but that he wasn't going to stab them all in the back.

In a dark moment, Itachi wondered whether there was any good inside him. He considered leaving, then and there, without any explanation. Leave someone else to deal with everything, let them sort out their own messes created by corrupt politics and vengeful desires. But….

Sasuke. Itachi was the only one standing between Sasuke and certain death. It was only by his terms that Sasuke would not be killed along with the rest of the Uchiha. The Third Hokage may oppose Sasuke's death, but Danzo would have his way if Itachi left. For the sake of saving one life, perhaps the most precious life in his world, Itachi pushed away the darkness, choosing to face it, not accommodate it.

He would be Sasuke's protector.

Edited 2/7/15

A huge thank you to Sauterelle, akasukifangirl and the guest who reviewed last chapter.

Sauterelle: Thank you very much for the support and no worries – I have some ideas to keep me going for a while.

Guest: Haha, same here! I might try and include some lighter issues between the brothers to vary the interaction a bit.

Akasukifangirl: It's so good to know you liked the hints of fluff. Hopefully I'll capture more issues that are an integral part of an older sibling.

Thanks for reading,

Cipher.