A/n: My sister and I suddenly got hooked (again) with the Sasusaku pairing and decided to make a story of our own. Our boundaries limit us to alternate Universe fanfics after being traumatized by the reality of manga-related fics. Don't get us wrong, we adore them until we realized the harsh reality that no matter how good it (Sasusaku pairing) is it will never happen. Because from how things are looking (manga) Sasuke is lost. D: We miss the old adorable 12 year old Sasuke who, no matter how cold and indifferent he is to others he still cares about them one way or another. So this is dedicated to the Sasuke we love and cherish.

Disclaimer: We don't own anything except the plot. No copyright intended.

P r o l o g u e

Even the rich are hungry for love, for being cared for,

for being wanted, for having someone to call their own.

~Mother Teresa

Three years ago, when they were all twelve.

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"Sneaking never felt so good!" said Naruto Uzumaki. A wide grin across his face as he removed the silky tie around his neck. He threw the tie at the dirty road and gave a long stretch."One more minute there and I swear! I would have died out of boredom."

"Che." As if its something new. Sasuke Uchiha scowled at his oblivious 'friend'. It was obvious in the Uchiha heir's face he didn't want to sneak out. His hands were in his pocket fiddling with his cellphone in case the Dobe comes into terms with trouble.

"Ne, Teme... It's your first time here? ...Right?" Something in Naruto's fits of giggles made Sasuke irritable. When Naruto said 'let's get something to bite', it never hit him they would be sneaking out like some pathetic spies. And he never would have agreed with the filthy Dobe about going out to equally filthy slums and poor facades. His eyes glared at the poorly constructed building of a restaurant. His nose wrinkled in disgust. The Uchiha garage looked even better than that.

"Dobe." Sasuke hissed. He didn't want to eat nor sneak out. He never wanted to be friends with a dobe in the first place. Who needs friends when you have all the power in the world? All he wanted was to stay in the meeting and possibly get pointers on how to run the family empire. But no. No. A certain ramen eating blonde dobe made a sly plan about being rude and leaving a party/meeting without permission. Sasuke growled at the realization.

"Teme... are you... mad?" That's probably the biggest understatement in the record of the world. He was beyond mad he was furious! Who would have thought a peaceful meeting would end up giving him a migraine? Naruto could already sense the dark aura he was emitting and started to sweat. "Okay... Listen about sneaking out..."

Growl

Naruto blushed a crimson color of red as Sasuke glared even more. Naruto just gulped. Before they left the party/meeting they had yet touched the creme brulee, french toast and everybody's favorite whiskey. Thinking about it now, sneaking out seems like a very bad idea at the moment.. because as he touched his coat pocket he forgot to get some money from his bodyguard (Not that the bodyguard would approve of whatever he is doing.) He masked his shock and nervousness with a stifled laugh. And that laugh happens to be so fake that Sasuke saw through it.

"What now?" Sasuke said through his clenched teeth. The words, in Naruto's ear, felt like a grinding punishment for making Sasuke go through the ordeal his stupidity had created.

"Hey Sa... Sasuke..." Naruto didn't have enough confidence in calling his friend Teme anymore, seeing as he had caused so many troubles and... stupidity. Naruto gulped as if the lump on his throat would disappear if he did. "I'm... I... You know... Ah..."

"Spit it out." Sasuke's voice was venomous.

"Okay... Okay! No need to be so impatient about it!" Naruto half-yelled at Sasuke who ignored him. He clenched his fists together and tried very hard, although it wasn't really working, to hide his embarrassment. "Well, I forgot to bring some cash, okay?"

"Typical." Sasuke said it so swiftly and immediately he brought out his leather wallet from his coat. He opened it to see some thick paper bills. Naruto, who was peeking from his back, saw the cash and his spirits instantly lifted.

"Well, I think this should cover everything..." Naruto snatched Sasuke's wallet and started to count the bills. "We can eat about as many ramen as we want!"

Sasuke ignored Naruto's rudeness. "You mean as many ramen as you want?" He raised a brow at Naruto and closed his wallet. It felt lighter after Naruto got all of his 10000 bills. He didn't bother checking out what's left in his wallet because somehow he knew only his gold credit cards would be there. "Che."

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Steam blew out of the bowl as Naruto cheered for another bowl ramen. It's his fifth now and it didn't look like he would be stopping anytime soon. Sasuke looked at Naruto's seat and saw some scattered noodles and spilled soup. Naruto looked like a pig munching and devouring the poor noodle soup like its his first time to eat something. Naruto's way of eating is nothing compared to Sasuke's who had just finished his second bowl and not one noodle was laying limp on the wooden counter.

"Yosh!" Cried Naruto who banged the empty bowl on the counter asking for a sixth bowl. The shop owner looked extremely pleased at the sudden demand of the noodles and immediately served the ramen. Judging from how things are looking, Sasuke's credit card would soon feel the warmth of the sunlight.

Sasuke tried to block the slurping noise Naruto was making. But his etiquette could not handle it anymore. "Dobe."

"What?... Whooooooospp..." said Naruto who continued to gulp and slurp the noodles and soup, not bothering to use the chopsticks anymore. And in an instant Naruto was already asking for the seventh. "Whooooooooooooooosp. Hooo! Ramen never tasted so good!"

The shop owner said they need to wait for a few more minutes before he could serve the next bowl since he was only starting to cook them. Naruto seemed a little bummed but he was still smiling widely eagerly eying the noodles.

"Dobe."

"What?"

"Didn't your parents teach you any manners?"

"Huh?" Naruto felt his ears turn pink, not from gluttony but from the snide remark Sasuke said. What's wrong with his manners? He said thanks and please every now and then. So what's wrong with them? "Grr... Teme. I ougt-"

"Naruto!" a voice squealed. Immediately the blonde boy turned around. It was a girl who called Naruto and Sasuke eyed her. None of the two seemed to notice him eye the girl warily as they were very busy hugging each other. Sasuke's face had disgust written all over him.

The girl had unruly pink hair who looked like it needs proper taming, her face was covered with dirt-snot? No, but something equally disgusting. Mud. Her red shirt had all sorts of tatters and dirt. From bubblegum to coal dust. And it's not just the shirt who looked dirty and in need of intense washing. The girl itself needed to be washed thoroughly.

"-ember the girl I told you who almost bit a dog just to save me?" Sasuke could not really comprehend to what Naruto was saying since he was busy scrutinizing the girl so he just nodded at Naruto. The girl had a sickening sweet smile plastered all over her dirty face, looking proud at what Naruto said and Naruto was looking at her like 'it' was some kind of angel. Che. Naruto must like this girl as they both have the same idiotic and dirty tendencies.

"I'm Sakura." The girl reached out her hand enough for Sasuke to shake. But Sasuke felt no need to shake it nor recognize her. He just looked at her hand like it was some kind of disease while pseudoxanthoma elasticum, fungus, nail patella syndrome and other skin related diseases ran across his mind as he looked at the limb infront of him. Sakura felt the hostility and retreated her hand. She felt degraded at the 'look' he was giving her.

"Don't worry Sakura-chan." Naruto chirped in as he placed an arm around Sasuke's shoulders. "Dear boy, Teme here, isn't used to making new friends and he's kinda shy about it. Ne, Teme?"

Sasuke ignored the mocking tone in Naruto's voice.

"You act so high and mighty, yet your mother couldn't think of anything nice but Teme as your name?" snorted Sakura, she paused for awhile and gripped on the nearby tool for support. "Wow. Really wow. That brings your attitude down the drain..."

Sakura and Naruto instantly laughed at Sasuke. Naruto slumped back at a chair trying his best to breath, a hand over his stomach that's threatening to explode from all the ramen he ate and his free hand banging the wooden counter while Sakura was already brimming tears from so much laughing.

This is the first time in Sasuke's twelve years of existence that he was mocked, insulted, laughed at and publicly humiliated. And it certainly didn't feel good. In fact something in him boiled. For the first time ever he felt like hitting a girl.

"Dobe." Sasuke hissed. This time it wasn't Naruto he was hissing at it was Sakura. When the aura suddenly turned dark both Sakura and Naruto managed to stop laughing. "My name's Sasuke UCHIHA. Keep that in mind, mutt."

"So that explains why you're a conceited spoiled brat." spat Sakura. From the first time she laid eyes on him she could tell... He's too clean for any real fun real kids have.

"Che. That coming from a hobo, it's a compliment." Sasuke was already standing up and having a glaring contest with Sakura.

"Naruto, I didn't know you have such a gay bitch for a friend." Even though Naruto was addressed both of them were still in there own dimension, proving who could come up with a meaner insult.

"Guys... I think we should all-"

"Shut up Naruto!" Both of them hissed at the poor blonde who quickly sat down and mumbled an apology. None of them said anything after that but none of them backed out on the glaring contest either. None of them blinked. None of them wanted to admit defeat. And none of them wanted to be the better person and apologize. Well, those are the typical attitude of children born and raised in different worlds. Clashing.

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Having been poor is no shame, but being ashamed of it, is.
~Benjamin Franklin