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: I own nothing, end of. This fic was inspired by FiveFootAngel's "Intelligence is a curse" because SasoriItachi is a wonderful ship, lacking in fics. Did that rhyme? Not sure.

Thank you to Saskia (FiveFootAngel) for helping me plan this story - and coming up with the idea of setting it in Peckham.

Chapter 1 - Sasuke

Winter always made the streets of Peckham even more uninviting than usual. The stone cold pavement, littered with old McDonalds and KFC packets, scrunched up newspaper, smashed beer bottles and crisp shards of old syringes. Cars drove up and down the street where a teenage boy stood; wearing a cap and covered with a hood he stood stock still, fiddling with the bits of flimsy paper in his pocket. He could just go, run off with it. A whole 60 quid! He could by so much with that. He turned it over and over in his pocket. But it was not his. Nor would he dare steal it.

He sighed. 'Wait by the fifth lamp post on his right from the Abu Ali Kebab shop,' those had been his instructions. So the teenager waited patiently, leaning against the post lazily. A car then pulled over from the street, a man leaned over from the driver's seat and rolled down the window

"You 'ere for Kisame?" came a low voice. The teenager nodded, the man opened the car door "Get it then"

The hooded boy took a look around quickly before getting into the car, all the time making sure his cap was pulled down and his head bowed. He shut the door behind him and the man began to drive down the street

"So…Why did Kisame send you Ay?"

"Dunno" the teenager shrugged "Don't know nuffin about it"

There was no reply and the man drove steadily down a quieter street then turning into a dark alley way, he drove right down to the bottom of it, where there was very little street light.

"Give it 'ere then" the man said holding out his hands. The boy reluctantly let the crumpled notes fall into the older man's hands

"That it then? Can I go?"

"Wait" the man said counting the money "Now I know why Kisame sent you…that cunt. This ain't even 'alf the money…Where the fuck is Kisame?"

The young man shrugged "How the fuck should I know?"

"WHERE IS HE?" The man said making to grab the boy by the scruff of the neck. The younger man was quick and nimble and he hastily opened the car door, fell out, stood up and ran. The man quickly followed him, catching up all too fast, grabbing him by the back off the hood and swinging him around to face him. Shit. This is exactly what Itachi told him to do let happen. 'Never let a stranger look you in the eyes'. And that was what was happening. The man's half covered face, topped with sunglasses to mask his eyes was looking right down at his face, his eyes looking right at his

"Listen you motherfucker, tell me where Kisame is, or I'll fuckin' rip your face off"

The boy struggled

"Look I was givin' the money by someone else, they told me it was from Kisame and to meet you 'ere and give it you, that's all!! I don' know nuffin!!"

The man raised his fist and then stopped

"I know you! You're Itachi's little brother ain't you!"

"What's it to you??!!"

"I've been wanting to smash that smug bastard's face in for a while now. You're the closest I've got for now it seems"

The boy struggled harder, breaking free and running down the alley way, he slipped and stood up again, running as if his life depended on it. Because who knows maybe it did. 'Don't trust anyone, there ain't know one who wants to 'elp you who won't benefit from it themselves…treat everyone you meet like a possible threat!'

The words churned in the boy's head as he ran, his heart pounding against his chest. He had to find crowds, he could get lost in crowds, and no one could do him too much harm if there were people about.