Stranded (Chapter 3)

Disclaimers: Not mine.

Kakashi stopped his car somewhere near the huge red door, relieved that he could actually find a parking despite the crowded condition of the area. A glimpse at his wristwatch and he simply could not stop the slight frown that donned his pale forehead. Breaking the record of being late for three years straight just because he wanted to meet a certain geisha? It was unexpected. Turning off his car engine, Kakashi opened his side of car door which went upwards instead of sideways and set one of his long, elegant legs down to the ground, at the same time running a slender hand through his silver strands of hair. He had easily caused a scene, he knew. He could sense the eyes fixated on his car, his legs or on him generally - it was pretty uncomfortable, but he was long used to it. Being a man in the best years of his life, having the look of a real life Adonis, wearing a classy designer suit and driving a Lamborghini Murcielago LP 640 of a dark silver colour, with that not being his best ride yet – it would be impossible if someone claimed that they did not notice him.

His charisma, it overflowed.

Not bothering about the glances directed at him, as most of them were basically green with envy, Kakashi walked towards the entrance taking large, distanced strides, his back straight and his head held high. Yes, he looked unapproachable and arrogant, he realised that. But, he also knew that he looked confident and downright hot at the same time.

"Entry pass please?" a voice rang out as Kakashi approached the entrance, effectively stopping the silver haired man's silent musing. Without a word, Kakashi handed his slightly crumpled pass to the guard, smiling as he did so. Surprisingly, the guard with a bandage across his nose returned the polite gesture with a smile of his own, showing a row of white straight teeth for a couple of seconds before he ducked his head to check the pass wordlessly.

"Thank you. Have a great night in there," another smile from the bashful looking guard and the door was opened. Vaguely noting that Hagane Kotetsu was indeed a very polite guard, Kakashi walked into the night town, fully anticipating his time with Iruka.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The flower town was nothing different from what he remembered, being all hustle bustle and crowded with people - most of them being suit-wearing middle aged men. The lights and the smell around him were as amazing as ever, teasing his senses mercilessly with the appealing promises of a great night. Wasting no time, Kakashi made his way to the largest building at the far end of the geisha town, this time not sparing any look at the other geisha as his mind was way too occupied with a certain geisha to do so.

Therefore, when he caught sight of the familiar figure standing in front of the building entrance, bowing and smiling oh-so-beautifully to the customers that shuffled in and out of the building, his breath hitched involuntarily even though it was just for a mere second. He was not quite sure why though. Perhaps it was out of anxiety, perhaps it was just jealousy or perhaps it was a little of something else – he could not decide. But, he knew that he was positively happy to see him, the one named Iruka.

Wearing a kimono of the lightest blue with streaks of darker blue, white and gold dancing across the rim of the clothing, Iruka looked absolutely stunning. His long obi was a blue so dark that it looked almost black and there were tiny patterns decorating the dark piece of clothing. Dangling down from Iruka's slim waist, the silky cloth rested snugly on its own special spot which happened to be right on top of Iruka's ankles. The kimono itself was not half as exaggerative as the ones that the other geisha wore but somehow, Iruka stood out even more like that. He looked perfectly perfect in his own unique way.

The silver haired man did not realise anything but he was actually staring and staring… until a soft voice called his name with the addition of an honorific suffix which no one had ever used on him before. With that, he finally realised that his feet had already brought him to his destination even though it was without his consent. Surprised, Kakashi managed to put on a little smile as he locked his gaze with Iruka, all the while trying his best not to stare openly.

"Kakashi-sama, I've been waiting for your arrival," Iruka spoke, his voice soft and smooth. For Kakashi, the feeling of listening to that smooth voice was surprisingly identical to the feeling of drinking a cup of high class sake – both of them being amazing that was. And when the tanned skin geisha smiled at him, brilliant and bright, Kakashi thought that the smile was perhaps the prettiest thing that he had seen in a very long time - it was absolutely stunning. With that being the reason, he stared again.

"Kakashi-sama?" Iruka reached out and patted Kakashi's forearm tentatively when the silver haired man did not reply to his greetings. Kakashi had not expected the tender touch on his forearm so it was out of pure reflex when he recoiled his arm, looking a little surprised.

"Kakashi-sama, why aren't you talking to me?" Iruka inquired with his ever soft voice, pouting slightly for better effect. The flirtatious question accompanied by a soft smile and a tiny pout successfully coaxed Kakashi into talking in no time. Finally regaining his composure, Kakashi ignored his dry throat and spoke with a well-pretended uninterested tone. Or at least he tried to.

"Maa, I'm sorry. So… you're Iruka?"

"Yes. It's a pleasure meeting you, Kakashi-sama," with that said, Iruka bowed deeply with his hands clutched together in front of his abdomen and he stayed in that position for a couple of seconds before he straightened his back, meeting Kakashi's gaze once again. "Shall we go in then?"

The gentle grasp on his wrist was all Kakashi needed before he nodded his agreement and returned Iruka's smile with one of his own.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kakashi had to say that he was amazed.

On the first look at his surrounding, Kakashi could tell that the interior of the building was nothing less extravagant than the exterior. If he really had to compare, he would have said that the interior was even more surreal and unbelievable than what he saw outside. The lights were shades of comfortable dim red and the wooden furniture decorated with delicate carvings shone softly under the lights. There was a stage in the middle of the hall with performers dancing on stage and the whole place was crowded with people and geisha alike, making the air a little too stuffy for his likings. Kakashi could not help but to frown a little when he thought about the idea of cramping together with all these people in the main hall. He was not particularly fond of being a sardine after all, no matter how appealing the design of the hall seemed to be.

A gentle pull on his wrist made Kakashi focused his attention back to the geisha who was leading him across the hall without stopping. He was a tad bit curious. Weren't they going to find a seat in the main hall? As if reading his mind, Iruka turned around and whispered – if the twinkle of mirth in the chocolate orbs were any indication – cheekily, "Our place isn't here. Come with me."

Kakashi's single visible eye widened a little when Iruka led him right across the hall and exited the place through a well-hidden door at the side. Their little journey did not stop just there. Walking past various corridors and rooms, Kakashi followed Iruka's lead silently, not asking a thing even though he was curious. He realised that they were meeting fewer and fewer people on their way and finally, finally they reached a garden, quiet and silent except for the sounds of frogs and the occasional crickets. They stopped walking.

"We're here," Kakashi felt Iruka let go of his wrist and the previously warm spot cooled down almost instantly under the ministration of cold air. He would have whined for the loss of warmth if he was not the Hatake Kakashi, a rich, successful and well-known businessman. But he was. So, instead of whining, Kakashi stuffed his hands into his pants pockets in a feeble attempt to bring back the warmth – which he very well knew that his attempt would fail – as he scanned his surrounding briefly.

It was a traditional Japanese garden with a huge pond covering almost half of the area and a pavilion stood in the middle of the pond with a bridge connecting it to the ground. There were small lanterns hanging at the pavilion and their bright red reflections on the pond surface would be distorted whenever a ripple appeared. The lotuses were not blooming at night time but they still looked beautiful with their flower buds showing just a shy of pinkish white. Kakashi could see the flickering lights located at the far, far corner of the pond and this just added extra points to the beauty of the garden – it was a refreshing change from the busy night town.

"This place is beautiful," focusing his gaze back to Iruka, Kakashi smiled and crinkled his visible eye, clearly showing his approval for Iruka's choice of place. For some reasons, his usual smile looked far more genuine than it usually did. And Kakashi realised that looking at his own reflection – clear and untouched – in the pair of dark brown orbs was definitely a mesmerising and addictive activity, especially when the owner of the clear orbs had absolutely no problems with staring straight back at him, looking as innocent as a dove.

"Come, follow me," it was a nice surprise for Kakashi when Iruka broke their locking gaze, snaked an arm around his elbow, leaned close to him and led him to the pavilion. His source of warmth came back and the mild jasmine scent on Iruka's hair teased his sense of smell every once in a while whenever the wind was blowing in the right direction. He was addicted to the scent within a second. Not that he was complaining though, not when he could so casually lean closer to Iruka and inhaled the mild jasmine scent – he loved doing that to bits.

"Is that a Japanese zither?" Kakashi pointed a pale finger at the instrument resting in the middle of the pavilion and asked, expecting for an answer. He was pretty sure that this was a traditional Japanese instrument but he could not recall the proper name of it right away. However, he could easily indentify the sake that was placed on a low table right beside the instrument. It was a bottle of Fuuka Junmai, judging from the light fruity aroma which had a touch of pineapple and melon hinted underneath the smell. He was good with sake, he drank it often after all. And knowing that the best part about Fuuka Junmai was the three hundred bottles limit, he knew that drinking it again would be such a pleasure for his taste buds. Yes, definitely a pleasure.

"Yes, we called it koto. This is a twenty one stringed version and it's a little different from the usual thirteen stringed ones," Kakashi listened to the explanation as he watched the geisha ran a single slender digit across the strings, being all tender and careful, just like how a mother would touch her child. Settling down at the low bench in front of the koto, Iruka looked up at Kakashi and asked in his soft and polite voice, "Would you like me to play a song for you?"

It was an instant answer – yes.

"Make yourself comfortable, Kakashi-sama. Enjoy the music," the smile from Iruka was again, blinding. Finding a seat directly in front of the geisha, Kakashi watched closely as Iruka put on the ivory plucks on his slim fingers as a preparation for the performance. He was curious about the material used for the plucks but he chose to keep quiet and pour himself a cup of the oh-so-wonderful sake instead. Relaxing his stiff muscles, Kakashi leaned back and took a sip of the sake, revelling in the soft velvety feel at first and the following strong alcoholic taste which bloomed on his taste buds right after he swallowed the tiny sip. Wonderful.

Never tearing his gaze away from the geisha, Kakashi noticed that Iruka signalled the starting of his music with a small inhale of breath which was barely audible even for his sensitive hearing. The slender fingers then descended onto the strings, the movement tender and beautiful, as the first note was played confidently. It was a beautiful sound, low, thick and deep, and it easily reverberated in the quiet garden. It took only a couple of notes played before Kakashi managed to recognise the song – it was the Butterfly Lovers. He was not the least surprised that Iruka chose to perform this song, it was very beautiful and famous masterpiece after all.

However, no matter how familiar Kakashi was with this song, it was his very first time listening to this piece being played on a traditional Japanese instrument instead of the violin or the orchestra version that he usually listened to. It was very tantalizing.

Sighing in contentment, Kakashi slowly closed his eyes as he allowed the distinct and unique sound of the traditional instrument caressed his sense of hearing for all its worth. He would not have his night spent in any way other than this. High quality sake with beautiful music, it was so close to perfect. Adding Iruka to the whole picture, it became more than perfect.

His night, it was so going to be a good one.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A/N: For those who had never listened to Butterfly Lovers on traditional zither before, or Butterfly Lovers generally, please do listen to it. It's amazingly beautiful. One the side note, review please?