Chapter I

Students, ranging from the ages of sixteen to thirty-two, raced out the room door just as the bell rings as if the hounds from Hell were nipping at their feet. All except a tall, seventeen-year-old boy who was casually walking away, with seemingly not a care in the world.

But everyone knows, most of all him, that looks can be deceiving. In actuality, hundreds of thoughts were passing through his head, each getting barely a moment's pause before being stored away somewhere deep in the recesses of his mind. His thoughts ranged from if he had enough money to pay his rent on time to when he was to find the time to write the paper that was due in the morning to whether of not he ate breakfast this morning.

The important things, like the first two, were catalogued to keep under constant surveillance so he didn't forget, but the latter was quickly thrown away as trivial, unimportant.

His deep black eyes, eyes that gave away nothing of his previous thoughts or worries, stared coldly around the campus, automatically calculating the quickest route home with the least amount of people to walk by.

Even though he wasn't new –he'd moved here nearly two years ago- the people here acted like he was a freaking god or something. All during his junior and senior years at the high school, they were constantly trying to get to know his, and while he wasn't exactly mean, his personality didn't bode well for friendships. Since college began, the locals who chose to attend the university gave up on getting to know him better; to just watch from afar and keep his "mysterious" personality intact.

It wasn't like it was a new thing, being alone. He'd been alone, really alone, since his brother died all those years ago. Sure, a nice family had taken him in, just after the funeral, but it really wasn't the same.

Even if he was only nine then, he had understood why Kakashi was unable to care for him, but that didn't mean he was happy about it. Instead of being with family at that crucial time in his life (or as close as family as he could get), he was taken in by a kind couple with two other kids. He was taken away, out of the state, and was almost happy where he was.

But he, growing up without extreme amounts of fluff, wasn't comfortable in the huggy, compassionate family. He wasn't blaming them, but he was set in his ways, and all the hugs in the world weren't about to change his Uchiha demeanor. Because he was, no matter how hard he tried to deny it, and would always be an Uchiha.

So he got out of there as soon as he could. Emancipated himself at fifteen and moved here, to Konoha, because of the school systems. That and he was accepted for a full scholarship to the high school. And since he was completely broke, didn't have any of the money from his real parents, that was spent on copious hospital bills, the scholarship was a godsend.

He was, however, still in touch with his foster family, no matter how hard he tried to stay away. And he didn't really want to stay away. They were kind people and he was adamant to admit that they had swayed his opinion more than once.

He looked down in distaste at his tiny studio apartment. It had seemed much larger two years ago when he had first rented it, but then he grew a bit more, pushing 5'11" and now it just seemed a little bigger than a box.

Barely three rooms, they were all surprisingly cluttered, but somehow clean. There were stacks upon stacks of books, covering almost every free space of floor, with almost every spine cracked. Each looked worn, well read, and they were for a variety of different readers.

The rooms were so small, that it the floors were bare, Sasuke could walk from his bed to the bathroom to the fridge in barely three strides. He hated the place, but thankfully didn't spend that much time there. He worked two jobs just to be able to pay for this place, tuition and food.

Which, as he looked at the clock, he would be late for, if he didn't haul tail-feather. He dropped his bag on the couch-turned-bed and stripped his shirt, looking for his work shirt.

The shirt was, ironically, being used as a bookmark in his Sociology book. He snorted humorlessly and ripped it from the book, pulling the ugly shirt over his head. His name tag, perched precariously on the very edge of his table, held by nothing but magic, was shoved into his pocket as he looked around the kitchen looking for something to eat before his shift.

He sighed, grabbing the final slice of cold pizza that had been barely feeding him for the past four days, and looked down at his jeans. They were worn, with a couple of small holes, but they were the very best he had. So he just shoved his feet into Chucks, pizza hanging from the corner of his mouth, and jogged out the door.

One would think that, of all places to work, a café would be the best place to work. And, out there somewhere, it is. Just not Java Sounds. The owner was a sadistic basted with a god-complex and the tendency to make very inappropriate comments. To his younger, male, employees.

But, despite all his bad qualities, he has some good ones. Like he gives you three strikes: you can be late three times before he fires you and he also gives his employees a fifteen minute break if their shift is longer than four hours.

Thankfully the man makes up for all his faults by giving them a hefty paycheck. It was because of Orochimaru and Java Sounds that Sasuke could even afford to live in his tiny apartment; one biweekly check would pay a smidgen over two-thirds his rent.

So, for the money, Sasuke –and all the other employees- would put up with the eccentric man's behavior and tendencies, as best they could.

Sasuke was, only just barely, able to clock in on time, when he checked the schedule to see who else was working. The shift manager for that evening was a strong redhead, with a temper that could only be described as explosive, and a potty mouth to boot. Tayuya, the girl's name was. Sasuke hoped, prayed, that he wasn't the only one working when, thank god, he noted Jirobo's name, one of Tayuya's favourite verbal punching bags, and Gaara Sabaku, who wasn't bad.

He had been working at Java Sounds for a little over a year, and it didn't take long for him to figure out whose bad side you didn't want to get on or whom you didn't want to have to work with alone.

For instance, he knows that Tayuya's bark really is as bad as her bite, and her bite's hurt. He knows not to talk with anyone (not that he does) when "the boss" is in, or when Jirobo is especially grouchy, or he will sit on you (this Sasuke hasn't experienced first hand, but he'd seen it. Twice).

He almost never had to work with Kabuto, Kimimaru, or either of the twins, Sakon or Ukon, because they mostly took the graveyard or early morning shifts. Why Java Sounds is open twenty-four hours a day, though, is beyond Sasuke. But they are, and someone is always working.

Some would wonder, if they were allowed to pry, how Sasuke has time for all that he does. He goes to class, on average, for seven hours a day five days a week; he works two jobs, trying to clock in at least forty-five hours in total; he works at the local hospital pushing thirty-five hours some weeks; and ass together the time he spends on homework, reading, and all the other miscellaneous things, he gets, on average, three to five hours of sleep at night.

All in all, he's probably the world's busiest teenager. And it wasn't as if he could give any of it up. He's going to school to further his education, so he can eventually make more money; he's working to pay for said education, and food and shelter; he needs time to sleep; and he can't give up working at the hospital, and even though he doesn't get paid for it, it was a promise he'd keep forever.

And somehow, between all that, he somehow finds time to spend with Kakashi, outside of class. He also finds the time to study, and he's somehow near the top of each class. But of course, nobody but him knows of his insanely busy schedule, not even Kakashi, though he was sure the man has his suspicions.

Speaking of the gray("Silver damn it, silver!")-haired man-devil, he had just sauntered up to Sasuke's register, nose literally in his porn book. "Coffee and cruller, if you please."

Sasuke rolled his eyes at the pure repeated-ness of this line. Every single afternoon or evening he worked here, like clockwork, Kakashi would come in, order the same thing, sit in the same spot, but never coming in when Sasuke wasn't working. And Sasuke still had no idea how, or why, he did it.

"Thank you for coming to Java Sounds, if you need anything else, feel free to ask." And Sasuke rolled his eyes once again when Kakashi snickered, like he always did, while chirping, "I will!"

He then went back to trying to clean the cappuccino maker, with very little success. On the second time his hair almost fell into the gunk he was supposed to be cleaning, he pushed back with an aggravated huff and looked loathingly at the machine.

"Hoping you will glare the contraption into cleaning itself, Uchiha?" came a faintly amused voice from just behind him. Being quite used to Gaara popping up unannounced, at the most inopportune moment, he did little more then flinch and look back at the redhead.

"I suppose it would be no use, still, to ask you not to sneak up on me anymore, Sabaku?" Sasuke said as a way of greeting, along with a nod of his head.

Gaara returned the nod with a small smirk and a simple, "Nope," as he took Sasuke's spot at the register, clearly telling him to finish his task.

Only a few of the more mild string of curses Sasuke began actually made it to their target, whose smirk grew with each bit he heard.

"Nuh-unh-ahuh!" Tayuya chastised, popping out of thin air, and wagging her finger at the boy's only visible body part, his backside. "No fucking swearing, you stupid shit!"

Sasuke climbed out from the "fires of hell" affectionately dubbed, and with a glare and a scowl, replied, "I don't see you trying to clean this shi- stupid thing, ma'am!"

Instead of glaring back at the "ma'am" comment, Tayuya just grinned satanically. "That's because I told you to do it!"

Sasuke's glare deepened at the look of sadistic joy on the woman's face as he crawled back into the machine that would soon be his down fall.

A few hours later, just as the sun was completely set, Sasuke's shift ended, thankfully, with him alive to tell the tale. He had spent much too long cleaning the machine that by the time it was clean, his shift was over.

He looked longingly in the direction of his apartment, but sighed when his feet took him in the opposite direction, towards the hospital.

Where he normally worked as a "candy striper" in the children's chronic disease wing, often late at night, which was all he really had time for. But the kids' faces made up for the lack of sleep when they see him visiting. Most no longer had visitors, so they were excited when he came. He didn't just visit the kids, he also worked; he did a lot of footwork, clerical work, and cleaning work.

"Oi! Sasuke!" came a voice from behind, waking the boy from his standing sleep.

He jolted forward, the only thing keeping him vertical was the tight-fisted grip on the back of his shirt, preventing him from an impromptu date with the floor.

Disoriented, he turned unsteadily to a face full of Tsunade and almost fell over backward at the invasion of his personal space. "I wasn't sleeping," he muttered indignantly, when he finally regained his bearings.

An amused smirk made it to the woman's face as she sarcastically replied, "Of course you weren't. So you remember the entire conversation we just had?"

"Sure…" he said. "You were talking about loosing all your money last night in a great game that you were just so close to winning?"

Tsunade blinked and scowled, but softened, as Sasuke's eyes seemed to slide out of focus. The reason she came over was to force the boy to go home, as it was after two, and he's been there since six. She wasn't sure if the boy was trying to work himself into an early grave, but the hospital was indebted to him completely, for all the work that he'd done. She didn't know his drive behind working so hard, didn't really know anything other than his name and the fact that nobody was supposed to know he was there. The only reason she actually knew his last name was because she had to literally beat it out of him, about three months after he started working.

"Look Sasuke, just go home, get some sleep laying down, in an actual bed. And not an empty gurney like last night, don't think I didn't see you!" Tsunade could have sworn she saw Sasuke look momentarily guilty, but it was quickly shaken away with a nod.

"Okay," he said, trying but failing to stifle a yawn. "Just let me say goodnight to the kids, alright?"

At Tsunade's nod, Sasuke turned on his heel and walked towards the doors at the end of the corridor. Upon his arrival the two kids awake in the ward began to call him over. He shushed them kindly, with a small smile, pointing at the sleeping kids, and walked over. The two kids awake, twin girls, were smiling up at him, and watched him walking with tired eyes.

"Did you two stay up for me?" Sasuke asked, frowning slightly.

One girl, the elder, just beamed and said, "Of course! You said you'd come back before you left. And it wouldn't do any good if you had made a promise but nobody was awake to see you keep it!" The eleven-year-old had a most angelic smile on her face, belying the mischievous glint ever present in her eyes.

"Ahh, I see. Keeping me honest, are we?" he said, playing along.

"Of course!" the younger said, loud enough for Sasuke to shush her again and point to the sleeping kids. "Oops, sorry. But we thought you forgot about us, because you said you were supposed to get out early to work on your paper, so when you didn't show up at one like said, we got kinda worried, and…-"

"Hush, T, I think he gets the point!" T sent her mouth and looked apologetically at her sister, then (with her sister) looked expectantly towards Sasuke.

He smiled sheepishly. "I, kind of, fell asleep…" The girls laughed at his expense before he shushed them yet again.

"Now shoo!" Sasuke looked up at the elder twin in confusion. She smiled, "You look dead on your feet. And you still have that Sociology paper to write, due tomorrow…? Which I'd bet Tsunade you haven't even started yet." At Sasuke's guilty expression, her suspicions were confirmed. "So go! We'll see you… tonight? Right?"

Sasuke nodded, agreeing, and bent down to peck each girl on the forehead. "Goodnight T, goodnight Ceelie."

"Goodnight Sasuke!" they chorused, earning yet another shush. They giggled at his retreating form and were asleep by the time he left the building.

He walked home in the quiet, hands in his jeans pockets and staring into the sky every once and a while. He thought of stopping by Java Sounds for a coffee, but that idea died as soon as it began; he had no money. He just hoped he'd be able to finish his paper without falling asleep halfway through like last time.

A/N: Sorry for taking so long, I was just really busy this week. Thanks for such a positive response on the prologue! Made me so happy! I dunno when I'll update again, hopefully this weekend? (This was the longest chapter I've ever written!).