Summary: A training accident leaves Sasuke injured, and he certainly doesn't want anyone's help; least of all Kakashi's. MentorKakashi, not meant to be Yaoi but you can squint if you want.

A/N: I read Naruto fics a lot, and more often than not they don't go the way I would like, or I can't find any to my taste. So I figured I'd quell my frustrations and write one myself. Because face it, there is simply not enough hurtSasuke comfortKakashi in the world.

Someone to Watch Over You

The time had drawn away quickly, and Kakashi's kids were no longer the awkward, helpless team he had met all those months ago. Though still not enough of a challenge for him to use his Sharingan, Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura were learning quickly and Kakashi had to up his game slightly every time they trained. He had seen the biggest change in them after their near-fatal confrontation with Zabuza. They still bickered, and Sakura still swooned, but overall their teamwork was stronger.

The three landed simultaneously in a circle around Kakashi, successfully dodging his defense. Sakura had her kunai drawn, and kept a close eye on the boys. She never attacked first, but her backup was particularly good. Naruto and Sasuke took turns dictating their training sessions. It gave Kakashi hope that they were keeping within the spirit of cooperation that had kept them alive at the bridge. Back in the day, Naruto would have charged in first every time.

Kakashi guessed that Sasuke would be the one to make the first move. His energy and power were palpable. He seemed to be struggling to contain himself, but Kakashi knew that the young Uchiha wouldn't use that Jutsu during their practice, unless he wanted Kakashi to lift his headband, followed by a firm scolding. Still, Kakashi didn't discount the possibility, was just waiting for it to happen in fact. Today, for some reason, Sasuke had something to prove.

He was definitely the one to watch.

Naruto dashed forward. Kakashi braced, but in an instant the orange blur disappeared and Sasuke followed through from his blind spot. He guarded his head just in time to stop Sasuke's leg, and flipped back to gain some distance.

Kakashi scowled. It was a clever trick, and well executed considering there was no verbal communication between the boys about the maneuver. But had Sasuke landed that strike, Kakashi would have been knocked out.

"Alright then, if that's how you're going to be, I guess I can't go easy on you."

Naruto dashed in from the side. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Five clones descended on the copy ninja. He swatted away three, and then dodged the Rasengan from behind. Whereas Sasuke's attack had been to harm, Naruto's Jutsu had nowhere enough chakra to do significant damage. Sakura snuck up on him, but Kakashi swept her legs and she fell, then poofed away. The real Sakura appeared out of the smoke and grazed her sensei's chin with her fist.

"Very good," Kakashi muttered.

The two exchanged blows, and when Kakashi drove Sakura away, Naruto took her place.

"We're not getting anywhere," Sasuke growled.

"What do you suggest," said Naruto as he took some distance from Kakashi.

Sasuke pinched his fingers in front of his lips. "Fireball Jutsu!"

"Water Dragon Jutsu!" Kakashi called.

The two attacks collided in an explosion of steam. Sasuke wasted no time getting in close. He landed a clean hit to Kakashi's gut. Recovering quickly, the older ninja grabbed Sasuke's wrist and tossed him into the air, following him immediately and slamming him into the ground with reinforced fists.

"Sasuke!" Sakura cried.

Sasuke wobbled to his feet quickly, not allowing himself to be a dead target.

Naruto scratched his cheek. "Gee, Kakashi sensei, wasn't that a bit harsh?"

"I warned you three that I would meet whatever you threw at me with equal force."

"Hn." Sasuke wiped his lip with the back of his hand. "Well, If that's the case."

He pulled three kunai from his belt, laced with paper bombs, and threw them at Kakashi. They were easily dodged, but not so easy to see what the Uchiha's next move was through the dust. Not without the Sharingan, and Kakashi wanted to end this fight before it got to that. Sasuke appeared above him and the sky turned red. Dozens of individual fireballs rained down, and though Kakashi avoided them all, he wouldn't be able to do this forever.

Sasuke wrapped Kakashi in his wire and reeled him in quickly, punching him square in the face. He was replaced by a log. Damn…Substitution Jutsu. Kakashi attacked from behind and Sasuke deflected. When Kakashi got hit, he recovered quickly. When Sasuke got hit he retaliated even stronger.

"What's gotten into you, today," Kakashi hissed.

Sasuke smirked and his eyes narrowed. "Fight me properly, Kakashi."

"Sasuke!" Naruto yelled from the sideline. "Don't be such a jerk! This is supposed to be training!"

"What good is training if it doesn't provide a real effect," Sasuke retorted.

"Yeah but, Sasuke…" Sakura whispered.

That's when Kakashi felt it. He needed to end this now, or Sasuke was going to get out of hand. He kept blocking and dodging his young pupil's attacks, waiting for the right opportunity. Suddenly, he felt electricity tickle through his hair and the air around him grew thick. His eyes widened. Sasuke was really going to do it, and if Kakashi didn't stop it at this range…Sasuke's hand scooped up, scarring the ground beneath it. Kakashi had no time to think, he grabbed his student's hand, stepped out and turned.

SNAP!

"AHHHHH!"

"Sasuke!" cried Sakura and Naruto simultaneously.

Sasuke's Chidori dissipated immediately. He was on his knees, his arm pulled behind his back at a sickening angle. His face contorted in agony. Shocked, Kakashi let go of his student and Sasuke's arm flopped to his side. His shoulder was dislocated.

"Sasuke, no!" Sakura hurried to his side, followed closely by Naruto.

Uchiha or not, Sasuke couldn't hide his pain, it was so utterly intense and nothing like he imagined a dislocation would feel like. Worse, it took his breath away and the sensation was crippling.

'Damnit,' Kakashi growled. He crouched next to his quivering student. "Sasuke…" He put a gentle hand on his back but Sasuke pulled away.

"D-don't touch me!"

Kakashi's eyes dulled, his hand hanging stupidly in the air.

"Kakashi-sensei, we need to get Sasuke to the hospital," Sakura urged.

Kakashi nodded. "I'll carry him."

"Just stay away from me!"

"Quit being like that," Naruto interjected. "Kakashi-sensei didn't mean to. He just wants to help!"

"I don't need anyone's help…"

"You won't be able to do anything with that arm," Kakashi ventured gently. "You need to have it put back into place."

"That's right," Sakura agreed. "Then one of the medical ninja can heal it."

Sasuke stood abruptly, clutching his right arm. "Just leave me alone!"

"Sasuke…" Kakashi warned, but he was already running back towards the village.

"Sasuke!" Naruto called indignantly. "Rhh! It's his own fault! If he hadn't attacked Kakashi-sensei like that, it wouldn't have happened."

"How could you say that Naruto," Sakura said, her eyes welling up. "Sasuke was just trying to get stronger. It wasn't anyone's fault."

"Enough, you two," Kakashi barked. "We need to head back and find Sasuke."

When they arrived at the hospital, they were greeting by bewildered staff.

"What do you mean Sasuke Uchiha isn't here?"

"I'm sorry Kakashi, but none of the staff have seen him. Did he have an appointment?"

Very worried, frustrated and a bit angry, Kakashi sighed. "He was injured during training. I ordered him to report here."

"I'm afraid he's not signed in."

"Leave that to me. Sakura, report what happened to the Hokage. And if we need to, we'll have a search team on call. Naruto, you stay here. If Sasuke shows up, make sure the staff knows what happened, then come and find me."

"Wait," said the nurse, as she pulled out a white box with a red cross on it. "Take this. If you need us to come to you, just send Pakkun."

As they were about to go their separate ways, Naruto spoke softly, in the most mature voice the Jonin had ever heard from him. "Kakashi-sensei, it's not your fault. You would never hurt Sasuke on purpose, a-and he knows that."

Sakura held her hands against her heart and smiled sweetly. Moments like these, though trialing, were the proof that their friendship and understanding towards each other came as natural as breathing. This situation would be resolved and their bond would grow stronger.

Kakashi's shoulders dropped fractionally. "I know. I have to find him, and fix the damage I've done."

He took off, leaving his charges with their tasks, and focused on his. If he were Sasuke, where would he go in a situation like this? If he wasn't injured, he could be anywhere, including outside the village. However, given his vulnerable state, he would naturally find somewhere familiar and comfortable. He had never paid Sasuke a visit to his home; he thought Konoha's last Uchiha wouldn't want people intruding on his territory. That isn't to say that Kakashi didn't occasionally "check in."

Kakashi leapt from tree branch to tree branch around the apartment complex, looking through the windows of Sasuke's floor until he caught a bit of movement from the bedroom. Sasuke had his back to the window, and he was leaning heavily into the door. Even from a distance, Kakashi could see his student trembling.

Sasuke squeezed his eyes against the rolling of his stomach. It had been agony to spew up his breakfast, and he didn't think he could handle round two with the toilet very well. He had tried getting his shoulder to fall back into place, but the combination of the pain and his limited mobility proved impossible.

A sudden noise from behind made Sasuke reel around, and nearly collapse when his shoulder protested violently. He scowled. Had he really gotten so carried away with his dilemma that he hadn't noticed Kakashi crouched on his window ledge? How long had he been watching…

"Sasuke…"

"What are you doing here? I told you to bug off!"

Kakashi's face hardened slightly. "As your teacher it's my duty to make sure you're okay. And I can say with one hundred percent certainty that you are not."

Kakashi completed his entry into Sasuke's room, and took a quick look around. Sasuke had kicked off his shoes and leg guards haphazardly. There was a basic medical kit, its contents strewn across the desk. Two pills were gone from a packet of pain killers. He added his own medical kit to the mess, next to a half-full glass of water that had been spilled all over the place. Kakashi imagined Sasuke limping in, dumping the contents of the kit and slamming back the pills, followed by a shaky drink. Either the effects hadn't kicked in yet or it wasn't working.

He looked at his student, one of his favorite students, and couldn't remember ever seeing him so vulnerable. Not even when the curse mark had nearly overtaken him. And he, Kakashi, had done this.

"You can't keep going like this, Sasuke."

"I can try," Sasuke snarled.

"Now you're just being foolish."

"Just get the Hell out!"

"Not unless you're with me."

"Not going to happen," Sasuke exhaled through clenched teeth.

"I can call in a medical unit, to treat your wounds here…"

"I said NO!"

"Then you leave me no choice."

Sasuke saw Kakashi move, but he was too slow and ended up giving the Jonin his back. Kakashi threaded his hand between Sasuke's arm and body and pulled him tightly against his chest, and restrained his good arm. Sasuke tried for a moment to fight back, but the sensation of a hot knife being twisted in his flesh made his legs give out. Kakashi followed him to the floor, still holding on tightly.

"I know how you're feeling," Kakashi whispered, a hint of desperation in his tone.

"You don't know anyth –"

"Betrayed. From the very beginning I pledged to watch over you, to make sure you never got hurt. And I broke that promise by my own hands. It doesn't matter what the circumstances were, I should have never let you get so far in the first place."

Kakashi could tell that Sasuke was considering his words by the mere fact that he wasn't retaliating.

"I'm sorry, Sasuke. Please, let me help you."

Sasuke went limp and he bowed his head.

"You don't have to go to the hospital if you don't want to. I'm not as skillful as a medical ninja, but I can treat you here. That's my best offer."

Kakashi knew his student well enough to recognize that his silence was his way of cooperating. He gently coaxed Sasuke to his feet and sat him down on the bed. There was no way Sasuke would be able to lift his arm, so Kakashi reached for a pair of blunt scissors and carefully cut into Sasuke's shit, from the sleeve to the collar, then from under the arm to the waist. The fabric came away easily, revealing extensive inflammation and the beginning of deep bruises. Kakashi paused to swallow his guilt.

'I tore soft tissue as well. This isn't going to be easy for him.'

With utmost sensitivity, Kakashi felt for the head of the humerus. Sasuke allowed it, but flinched away when Kakashi found what he was looking for. Sasuke's instinctively shot his hand out to push his sensei away, but stopped short.

"It's alright, Sasuke, I know…" Kakashi soothed. "I'm afraid it's a complete dislocation." He glanced at the supplies on the desk. "I wonder…"

Sasuke's medical supplies were very basic, but standard issue mission first aid supplies contained some pretty strong pain killers. There was no reason why the ones from the hospital wouldn't carry the same supplies. Sure enough, Kakashi found what he wanted and did his best to hide it from view.

"What is it," Sasuke demanded.

Really hoping that Sasuke didn't share his phobia of needles with Naruto, Kakashi sat next to Sasuke and pulled the cap off a syringe. Sasuke didn't react, but Kakashi knew better; his shoulders caved in, his eyes darkened, and his upper lip was shiny with sweat. In fact, Kakashi was sure that he could hear the kid's heart hammering in his chest.

"What are you going to do with that?"

"The needle is too small to reach your shoulder joint. But if I can numb the nerves that feed your arm, then the next few minutes won't be so unpleasant for you."

As Kakashi swabbed the back of his neck, where the nerves feed through the spine, Sasuke said something so genuinely fragile, so uncharacteristic and soft that it nearly stopped Kakashi's breathing.

"Please don't hurt me."

Kakashi 's heart suddenly weighed a ton. He slipped to his knees in front of Sasuke, grasping his sweaty hands reassuringly. He reached up, slipped his student's headband off and ran his fingers lovingly through his dark hair.

"Sasuke…you know this is going to be painful. But you also know that I'm not doing this to hurt you."

Sasuke pressed his eyes closed, his lashes clumped with wetness.

"I just want it to stop. I don't want to feel it anymore!"

Kakashi understood the double meaning. "Whatever happens, I will always watch over you. And so will Naruto and Sakura. We're your comrades, and your friends. So as your friend I'm asking you let me finish. Just bear with me a little further, let me fix my mistake."

Sasuke nodded, struggling to reign in his emotions.

Kakashi returned to his original position and palpated for the right injection site and administered it confidently. Sasuke felt it, oh he felt it. His skin was hyper-sensitive, inflamed. He gasped and jolted forward, quickly steadying himself for Kakashi. He had to do it.

The effect was instant. The stabbing in his shoulder dulled to a manageable throb.

"I got the right spot, I take it."

Sasuke exhaled.

"Good. You ready?"

"Not really."

Kakashi took Sasuke's arm, bent at the elbow and turned it out.

"Ahhh! Nhgh!"

"Don't resist, just let it go."

"But –"

"Do as I say…trust me."

Kakashi felt Sasuke slacken, and in one swift motion, CRACK!

"AHHHH! Ghh…nhh."

The young Uchiha collapsed into his sensei, adrenaline gone and entirely drained. It didn't take long for him to fall asleep, his sharp gasps replaced by deep, rolling breaths. Kakashi didn't move for a long time. He may not ever get a second chance like this; a willing Sasuke letting his guard down in front of him…or anyone else, in fact. He thumbed the curse mark on Sasuke's opposite shoulder, like he could wipe it away. No, he could wipe it away. He would.

Sasuke nestled into the crook of Kakashi's neck. He was forgiven.

~The End ~

A/N: Sasuke in pain and Kakashi licking the wounds...my absolute favorite! Let me know what you think. I can do a sequel if there is good interest.