Title: No Strings Attached
Summary: The streets of Peckham are littered with crime and poverty while the borough of Mayfair lives in style. What happens when those from different sides meet by chance? SasoriItachi, GaaraSasuke
Disclaimer: Bit of a longer chapter today, quite fun to right…story sort of starts now really...
oh and chappie dedication to Saskia who didn't sound very happy when I spoke to her on the phone, hope this cheers u up babez
The proposal
Sasuke woke up from his sleep, he heard the sounds of his brother stepping over the plastic bags, finding a place to settle down and sleep.
"Itachi?" Sasuke said in a whisper so as not to wake up anyone else who might be sleeping near by. Itachi turned his head slightly and nodded to his brother, and came over to sit beside him. "Where did you go?" Sasuke squinted in the darkness. Itachi looked around quickly to check no one was listening, he rummaged in his pocket and pulled out two £10 notes.
"'ere take this" he said giving him half of it
"What the fuck is this?" Sasuke frowned
"What does it look like?" Itachi rolled his eyes
"Yeah but…where did you get it"
"I don't matter where I got it"
"Itachi?"
Itachi did not answer, he pulled a grubby blanket from between the plastic bags and pulled it over him
"Itachi!" Sasuke said realising what Itachi had done "You told me not to do that stuff"
"Yeah you're not going too!" Itachi growled "I won't let you!"
Sasuke frowned
"But I could get money too y'know…it…"
"Enough Sasuke, no way. 'Ere take it and don't worry about it…I'm tired. Lemme sleep." Itachi said folding his arms to keep them warm and burying his head into his chest. Sasuke sat stationary looking at the £20. He hated the fact that his big brother did this for money, and for so little. He hated the fact that he could also do it…so his brother perhaps did not have to do it so much. He hated the fact Itachi took the load himself. Itachi was a proud man, Sasuke knew it, even living in this terrible squalor, having the terrible indignity of sleeping in the streets and scavenging for food, it was still there.
"Itachi?" Sasuke said softly. Itachi gave a grumble of acknowledgment, his eyes remaining shut "Thanks for the money yh" Sasuke whispered
"Wha'ever, don't spen' it all at once" Itachi answered
Sasuke sniggered
"I won't" and he stuffed the money deep into his shoe and closed his eyes to sleep.
3 days later
Sasuke looked up into the mirror of the public toilet, he scowled at his face before running the tap and pulling out of his pocket a small case with a travel sized toothbrush and toothpaste in it. From the beginning of when he had moved to the streets with his brother, the two had kept up the morning ritual of "face, hands and teeth" before starting the day and ending it.
He brushed his teeth quickly and spat out any water making sure he swallowed as little as possible of it. He would later go back and hide the case behind a loose brick down the back of a sandwich bar in the high street.
He sighed as he finished cleaning up and headed back to the street, his head lowered, his hood up and his hands deep in his pocket.
Nearly as soon as he had got out of the public toilet
"Sasuke my luv" came a voice, he looked up and saw a familiar face. Heavily made up, and terrible glamorous for this area. Ino, with her long blonde pony tail, tight clothes and incurably smiley face "Gonna 'elp me wiv the shoppin'?"
Sasuke rolled his eyes as he saw the heavy looking shopping bag
"Yeah wha'ever" Sasuke said taking the shopping bag
"Oooh, look at you 'nd your attitude" she laughed "C'mon luv" she said leading the way, her plastic high heels clacking along the pavement.
"'ow's business been?" Sasuke asked
"Oh…slow, 'cause your brother's been takin' all the pickin's" she laughed
"Shuup Ino" Sasuke said darkly
"'Ow you been anyway?" she asked
"Ugh…got a bad cold, got caught in that rain yesterday"
"Poor sausage…You eaten breakfast yet?"
"No…you?"
"Not yet…come on…I'll make you something" she said putting a hand behind his back caringly
"S'alright Ino" Sasuke shook his head "I better be off anyway, said I'd meet Naruto…I'll walk you to the door" he said
"Oh bloody charmin'" Ino shrieked with laughter "Kindleh escort moi to me humble abode…ja?" she said putting on a ridiculously posh accent.
Sasuke blushed
"Shuup yeah!" he grumbled
"Alrigh' alrigh' keep yer hat on" she pushing his cap down and walking over to the block of flats, she took the shopping bag off him and unlocked the front door
"Sure you don' wanna come in for a cup o' tea?"
"Nah…s'arligh'….seeya later Ino" Sasuke said walking off
A little later
"You look terribly nervous" Kankuro said glancing at his brother as he drove the car through Peckham high street. Gaara was looking paler than usual out at the many rough looking waifs and strays through the window. Why did they all have to look so threatening? He could not possibly have felt any more out of place.
"I'm fine" Gaara sighed
"Well…tell me when you want me to pull over" Kankuro sighed "G-d these really are the dregs of society aren't they?…well at least they're not claiming benefit"
Gaara rolled his eyes, he was not going to get into another political discussion with his brother.
"Look…just pull over here…I'll find someone…I can't believe I'm going to actually do this idea that Sasori's"
"Don't do it if you're that worried" Kankuro said pulling over
"No…I have to" Gaara gulped "I won't go out of sight of the car" he quickly added as he opened the door and stepped out into the street. No sooner as he had shut the door, he automatically felt even more lost, he clasped the clipboard in his arms and walked onto the pavement. He saw a tramp sitting on cardboard newspaper against the wall. Gaara nervously walked over
"Uh…excuse me?" Gaara said
"You got any change?" the tramp said looking up, his grubby face scrunched up as he tried to see Gaara's face
"Um…would it be possible to ask a few questions?"
"Spare us some change" the man continued
"…but I want to…"
"Look I ain't interested in your charity work, you got any change or not??!" the tramp said angrily. Gaara stepped back nervously bumping into a young man in a hoody
"'ERE WATCH IT!!" they said threateningly clenching his fists
"S-sorry" Gaara said quickly walking away and going along the high street.
He stood nervously for awhile, a little more wary of he should attempt to ask next. He looked around, the clipboard tightly clutched to his chest. There was a smallish thin man in also in a hood standing against the wall; he had been there the whole time. Gaara gulped and tried his luck again, he walked over
"Um…excuse me" Gaara tested. The man glanced up slightly and looked away
"Yeah?"
"W-would it be possible to ask you a few questions?"
"'bout what?" the man asked lazily
"Uh…I'm doing a-a project on people of uh…no fixed abode…would you be interested?" Gaara stuttered, in shock that he was actually getting some kind of positive response
The man frowned "You mean tramps?"
"Uh…well….anyway it's rather an in depth interview, rather a study and detailed analysis of life in…uh…your current situation, with the causes and thoughts and opinions etc" Gaara said trying to make it sound appealing
"Tell you what" the man said "'Ow bout I give you someone to interview, if you do me a favour"
"…w-what would that be?"
"You take 'im in for the night; give 'im a bed and a warm dinner in return for the interview"
Gaara gasped inwardly, this man had guessed Sasori's plan
"Well that had rather been the idea you see, I figured such a story of someone's life might take up more than a couple of minutes or so."
"Yeah…" the man nodded "And you're gonna need someone you can trust, 'o ain't gonna steal from you…'nd will tell you the truth"
Gaara nodded
"Yes…do you know someone in particular?"
"I know 'im, but you gotta promise to look after 'im" the man said warningly
"Naturally" Gaara piped up.
"'Ang on a sec..." he turned his head craning his neck over the people "YO SASUKE, C'MERE" the man yelled. Another, smaller boy in a hood looked over and walked towards them
"What?" the smaller boy, supposedly called Sasuke said
"Go with 'im, e's gonna take you to" The older man looked at Gaara
"Oh uh…Mayfair…to uh conduct an interv-"
"Mayfair, eh? How'd you like that ay?"
Sasuke frowned
"What the fuck are you on about Itachi?"
"'E's gonna talk to you about livin' on the streets, go with 'im and get that cold of yours better" Itachi nodded "But I don' wanna 'ear any bad stuff 'bout you when you get back alrigh'"
Sasuke looked at the redhead, evidently confused
Gaara cleared his throat
"I hope to conduct and interview you-"
"Look explain details on the way there, off you go Sasuke…'ave fun"
Sasuke frowned
"Look I don' know what your playin' at but-"
The taller man gave him a shove
"Stop bein' a dickhead Sasuke, just go, seeya whenever"
Gaara blushed. Sasuke stood still, he looked at Gaara, from under his cap
Itachi patted him on the shoulder and walked off.
Sasuke had no words to say, he opened his mouth once…twice, unable to think of anything to say.
"Well uh...there's a car waiting…if you'd like to come?"
Sasuke looked back at where his brother was walking away then back to the redhead
"Yeah…alrigh'…sure…" he nodded "…lead the way"
Gaara gave a hesitant smile
"Good…uh…let's go"
this was fun to write
review dahlinz, don't just add to story alert...yes i know who you are and where you live