wow. Thanks for all the reviews!

°shudders in fright at the sight of Naruto Uzumaki's waving chopsticks°

Well, Naruto does not belong to me. Neither does Gaara. Or Sasuke. OR ANYONE IN THIS STORY!WHY DO YOU HAVE RUB IT IN LIKE THAT?

°pants heavily° there. got that over with.

Here we go!

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Whore Street

If anything, the rain had worsened with the blue-violet dusk and the sun's disappearance. Whore Street was a shallow river, and the rain splattered loudly on the Konoha's bright awning. The street had brightened with the gradual darkening of the sky, and now, at ten, it was a chaos of cars and blinking lights and the sultry voices of the prostitutes, muffled by the rain as they recited their prices.

A tall, silver-haired man leaned against the doorframe of the Konoha, making sure -- it was a reflex -- to cover up the 'no one under 18 may enter' sign with his body. He let his eyes wander over the mess under the awning and then up to the curb, where the group that spent their days lazing around in front of his shop was leaning over car windows, their clothes slick and heavy from the rain.

He leaned out a bit farther, looking to his left, and chuckled. Shino and Kiba were cuddled up in Shino's huge, multifunctional blanket, murmuring to each other in very soft voices. Kiba looked up and saw the silver-haired shopkeeper watching them. He grinned and called, "What, Kakashi? You jealous?"

Kakashi laughed and looked back onto Whore Street. "Nah, Kiba. Shino's too young for me. But thanks for offering."

Shino muttered something too quietly for Kakashi to hear it, and the shopkeeper laughed again. He scanned the curb, and his smile faded. Ino was just getting into a red car, her shiny red boots splashing through a puddle on the sidewalk. Not too far away, Shikamaru was leaning over a rolled-down window, and Kakashi knew for sure that he was mumbling, "I fuck and blow, for 5 cel. Can I get in?" Minimum effort.

Sasuke was leaning over another car, and was obviously not liking the things that the prospective client was saying, because he was shaking his head. He straightened and walked away to another car. A flash of orange moved in the blurring rain, and Kakashi watched as Naruto took Sasuke's place at the first car. A short exchange of words, and he was getting in.

The silver-haired man frowned. That kid was going to end up dead if he continued doing everything the customers wanted him to. But Kakashi knew he wouldn't ever tell him that, no matter how well he meant it. After all, there were times when he wanted to shout at all of these annoying, exhausting, and fucking wonderful kids that they should go -- find work that didn't leave them broken and bleeding each night, find lovers that could show them that sex was something more than just a job, find anything that would make them safer than they were here.

But he never did it. He supposed he loved them too much. Or something. God. Had he just really thought that? It was true, he sighed to himself. He really liked them all. And he would never even let the barest hint of disapproval show, because he knew they were much happier here than -- he guessed -- at home or wherever else they came from.

As if to prove Kakashi's point, Tenten's clear laughter sounded from the curb, cutting through the heavy sheets of rain. The Konoha's owner smiled to himself and went back into his dimly lit -- very sexy in reds and pinks -- store to read more of Icha Icha Paradise.

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I am well aware that this is a short chapter, but I'm planning on updating again later today, so...bear with me, all right?

And although those reviews were very yummy, my stomach's bottomless! Down there! CLICK IT!