A/N: I'm only updating the link cause the address has changed.

Disclaimer: I only own this one-shot fic . . but not Naruto & Co. (Oh how I wish I did)

Warnings: There is yaoi and purely SasuNaru. Don't like, don't read further. You've been warned.

Notes:

These are thoughts

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Title: Cure to Pain.

Author: exrxr

Setting: For this plot's purpose, Sasuke never went to Oro-snake man and Ino is Shika's girlfriend. This is happening during autumn. Naruto is 17 years of age and everyone else are aged accordingly (therefore he is well within the legal age of having sex but is still a virgin for this fic). Naruto's a Chuunin and Sasuke's just gone up to Jounin level. Right now, Naruto is on guard duty . . .

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Today was like any other day, sunny and cloudless with a feeling of impending doom looming in the horizon for the energetic blond. Actually, it had been like that for the past few weeks for one Uzumaki Naruto and it was already two months since his rival/friend/ex-teammate became a Jounin of Konoha.

To say that the Kyuubi holder was peeved was NOT in anyway true. In fact, everyone had thought that on that fateful day every living being within the village walls would be deaf. However, this did not happen. What did happen was that the blond turned to his rival with a fox smile on his face and congratulated the other for a great performance.

Everyone was shocked by the blond's behaviour and all questioned whether this was really the fox boy that they knew. On the outside Naruto seemed fine with everything but on the inside he was a little disappointed. Sure he had been expecting the rejection for the Jounin position but it had still hurt. It was made even more painful that his rival no less had surpassed him where he couldn't.

But this was to be expected right? He, Uzumaki Naruto, was the one that contained a blood-thirsty fox spirit that every villager of the older generation hated with a passion. Who in their right mind would let a being like that pass to Jounin level! Obviously not the council of Konoha.

Grumbling to himself about old wrinkly farts who were way overdue for their time, the blond looked out from his post before cursing his luck. There, within the tree branches outside of the village was one dark-haired, pale-skinned Jounin heading back from a mission.

The said dark-haired, pale-skinned Jounin was also the impending doom that lay in the horizon for the young blond. Ever since the "congratulations Sasuke" incident, the other had been paying more attention to the Kyuubi holder. If Naruto had been himself a few days before the incident, then he would have been ecstatic to receive so much attention from, well practically anybody. However . . . now was different.

Since a few weeks ago, the attention had been becoming a bit nerve raking. First there were the first few days in which he had received "the look". This involved the dark-haired teen looking at him and then scowling as if he couldn't figure out a piece of puzzle and that it was all the blond's fault.

Then followed the incident at the bath houses in which the blond had slipped in the tiles right in front of the scowling Uchiha. The said Uchiha had then cursed under their breath at the other before turning and leaving, of all things, when they had just got in there not seconds ago.

So, after that incident, the attention changed to being non-existent at all. Whenever the blond was around, the other would act as if he wasn't even there. This infuriated the blond to no end. However, this only lasted until the end of the first week.

The second week was a bit more disturbing for the blond. For the first half of that week, the Kyuubi holder would find the other looking at him but whenever he turned around to look at the other, their face would pink a little before averting their eyes elsewhere. It had been strange for the blond but the worst was to come in the second half of that week.

During the last part of the week, he had turned around to glare at the other like usual but instead of seeing the pink tinge he had received a full-out staring contest. Make that a one-sided full-out staring contest. The way the other had stared at Naruto made him uncomfortable, especially when the dark eyes seemed to rake over his entire body. It had made him feel naked in front of the other, like the Sharingan had some ungodly powers that allowed it to see other people naked.

Naruto shuddered even at the memory of those few days. So, ever since then, the blond had been "trying" to avoid the other at full costs. It didn't turn out too well as every time he had tried to avoid the other, he ended up in certain ahem awkward situations. All of which had put the blond somehow underneath the other.

Signing in frustration, the blond tried to come back to the present and figure out what he was supposed to do. Sure he was a Chuunin and had guard duties but that didn't end until lunchtime AND his rival wasn't supposed to be back today. Heck! He wasn't expected until TOMMORROW afternoon!

Cursing at all the gods up in heaven for doing this to him, Naruto contemplated whether he should fake being sick and tell Ino he needed to go home. Just as Naruto finally came to a decision, a swirl of wind and leaves startled him as he nearly fell over the edge.

Strong, warm arms wrapped around his waist and pulled him back into the confines of a muscular chest.

"Hn. Dobe." Hearing the deep voice of his rival, Naruto yelped and pushed back against the green vest in front of him. This was a bad judgement on the blond's behalf as he sent himself over the edge and landed not so graciously in a heap on the ground on the other side, face first.

Scowling into the ground, the blond turned around so that he was sitting on his bum. Glaring up at the bein of his existence, Naruto cursed colourfully at the dark-haired teen before getting up.

Before the blond could stand back up on his two feet, a pain shot up his left leg and he winced. Falling back down on the ground again Naruto looked down at his leg and found that he had cut his left knee in which blood was oozing freely from.

"Naruto! Are you alright? Geez, you're such a clutz!" scowled the blonde kunoichi.

"Eh he he . . . I'm alright?" Naruto scratched the back of his head in embarrassment before a light bulb turned on.

"Well, I guess I need to get this cleaned before it gets infected ne? Hey, Sasuke-teme, can you watch for me while I go take care of my knee? Sorry about this Ino! I'm off then! Ja ne!" with that Naruto got back up on his feet and bolted back into the gates and off to hide (most likely to his apartment where he knows he could lock people out, hopefully), almost forgetting the pain if not for the tell-tale sign of limping.

Raising a quizzical eyebrow at the retreating fox, Ino looked to the now brooding Uchiha and then back to the blond. Sighing in defeat, Ino decided to send the Sharingan user off before he became too troublesome.

Geez, now I'm sounding more like Shika-kun!

"Ne, Sasuke? Why don't you go after Naruto and make sure he's alright? Sakura's coming by in a few minutes and I'm sure she won't mi-" before the kunoichi could finish her sentence the other had gone in a trail of leaves.

Sighing in exasperation, Ino went back to watching the gates while waiting for her friend.

Hn. I guess she won't be happy about this. But then again, since when was Sasuke even hers?

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Back at Naruto's apartment, the blond shut and locked his front door before letting out the breath that he had been holding. Sensing no one else following him, the blond made his way to his bedroom and plopped himself down. Looking down at his bleeding knee, Naruto cursed yet again. Looking through the little drawer on his night stand, the blond located the white box easily.

Opening the container, Naruto pulled out a few bandages, cotton balls and antiseptic. Dabbing a few cotton balls with the fowl smelling substance, the blond carefully dabbed a little at the bleeding area. Pain coursed through his veins and straight to this head where a silent 'OWWWWWWWWW' passed through.

Contrary to popular belief the blond did not tolerate physical pain very well. It was situations in which there were others around or watching that the blond was able to put up his mask and tolerate the pain. However, once alone he would nearly bowl his eyes out but that rarely happened.

Breathing slowly, the blond was about to fish in the drawer for the bottle of painkillers that were always there when he felt cold fingers wrap around his other hand that was holding the cotton ball.

"What do you think you're doing dobe?" yet again a deep voice said but this time really close and quiet, as if they were whispered into his ear.

Turning his head a little, Naruto came face-to-face with his rival and 'Eeped!' before scattering back onto his bed, putting as much space between him and the other. Friend or no friend the other was just a tad too close for comfort.

A look of hurt? passed through obsidian eyes for a millisecond before returning to a hard cold glare. Shaking his blond head, Naruto tried to figure out what he was going to do and if he really had seen hurt in those eyes and why.

"W-What are you doing here!" demanded the shorter shinobi while trying his best to glare the other down and hopefully make them go away.

"Che. Making sure you don't get yourself infected and die but like I'd care anyways." Sasuke glared right back at the blond before taking a fresh cotton ball dabbed in more anaesthetic.

Naruto's glare faltered for a second before his face contorted in pain. Wincing a lot at the amount of pain he felt, the blond fisted his hands in his comforter and clamped down on his mouth, not wanting to show weakness in front of anyone.

Sasuke saw the other tense up and avert their eyes elsewhere every time he brought the cotton ball near the wound. Trying to be as gentle as possible, the Uchiha slowed down his movements so as not to cause more pain than necessary.

ARGH! That bastard! Is he trying to torture me on purpose! This is killing me!

Trying to hold back his tears, Naruto opted for staring somewhere above the dark hair but his resolve to not look slowly dissolved as the Uchiha moved closer to the cut.

Stupid fox ball! Why aren't you curing this!

Naruto nearly bawled his eyes out when the cotton came in contact with his open cut. Dashing his hand out to the pale one, the blond stopped the other from going any further. Taking a few deep breaths, Naruto looked up at the other while still holding the other hand in place.

"I'm alright now. You can stop." Taking a few more shaky breaths Naruto tried to push the other's hand away, 'tried' being the operative word.

"No." came the curt reply as the pale hand inched closer towards the wound.

Never in Naruto's 17 years of life did he feel so scared and threatened of the other. Feeling his panic state rising, the blond stopped the pale hand from moving further again.

"No! I-It's alright! I'm fine now! You don't have to continue anymore!" Laughing a little uncertainly at the other Naruto hoped that the other would stop. There was only so much pain that he could endure in one day and today had certainly exceeded its quota.

"Don't worry, I won't hurt you." Sasuke replied and he gave a reassuring look to the other.

Biting at his bottom lip a little, Naruto decided to trust his ex-teammate but still had his hand holding the pale one just in case.

Sasuke smiled a little on the inside as the other relaxed but still held his hand. It was nice feeling another warm hand on his and Sasuke decided to take everything slow so as to have the hand stay for a while longer.

Once the cotton touched the middle of the cut, Naruto's eyes nearly fell out of their sockets. Tightening his hold on the others hand instinctively, the blond looked back at the other before shaking their head vigorously in a 'no' fashion. There was absolutely NO way that he was going to let the other finish this painful torture.

Scowling in frustration, the Sharingan user was about to knock some sense into the other before a more . . . appealing idea came forth. Contemplating that other idea a bit, Sasuke was about to not do it but then his ego kicked in.

Since when have I been afraid of anything! Hn.

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Edited Scene Out!

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Panting in the after-glow, Naruto responded a little to the gentle kiss. Relishing in the simple contact that meant everything, the blond's eyes started to slowly close in tiredness even though it was only early afternoon.

"I love you, dobe." Whispered the Sharingan user as he slowly slid out of his lover.

"I . . ." Naruto never got to finish his sentence as darkness overtook his mind. In the faint distance the blond was certain he heard a faint, mellow laugh but wasn't quite sure. The only thought that was going through his mind was:

I feel better now. No more owies.

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