10
Chapter 12: Succumb to your demonKakashi had entered Sasukes apartment only once. Almost three years ago, he had accompanied Naruto as he had visited his best friend and colleague for whatever reason. Sometimes, Kakashi's memory was strange. He liked to forget things that involved social interactions, but he could recite the damn address of the damn Uchiha Sasuke in his sleep. He would never have believed that this information would ever be of any use to him.
But it did. After Sakura had spoken Sasukes name, he didn't hesitate, rushed to his Ducati and drove to Meguro, where he parked the motorcycle in front of a shop and went up to the apartment where Sasuke lived, at least at that time. He straightened his suit and rang the bell. His blood was pounding in his veins, as if it wanted to jump out and drown Sasuke, but he had to hold back – at least until he was alone with that bastard.
A signature approached the door, which Kakashi could clearly identify, and when it stopped behind the wood, didn't move for a moment, but then opened the door, Sasukes peppery scent blew into Kakashis nose, which made him want to throw up. He put on a smile.
„Kakashi-senpai?" Sasuke asked in surprise.
Kakashi's fake expression threatened to crumble when he saw that Sasuke was not wearing a top. And despite this get-up, the boy opened the door. How pathetic one had to be. His black hair was still damp, obviously he had just gotten out of the shower. Kakashi suspected that he had wanted to wash Sakura's blood off his body. „Sasuke-kun, hello." They hardly knew each other, had rarely spoken in the office, but Kakashi insisted on addressing him like a buddy. After all, they were about to exchange a lot of intimacies, so in his eyes that was justified.
Sasuke didn't seem to share this opinion. He raised his eyebrows a quarter of an inch and briefly scrutinized Kakashi. „What are you doing here?"
Kakashi tilted his head slightly to the side. „I wanted to talk to you about something."
„If it's work-related, then talk to me again on Monday. I'm off work and want to enjoy my weekend."
„No," Kakashi smiled. „It's about your brother."
Now Sasuke frowned even more. „Itachi? What's the matter? What's wrong with him?"
„That's what I like to talk about. May I come in?" Kakashi didn't actually wait for an invitation. Sasuke had just lifted his foot to grant Kakashi entry when his visitor had already marched past him. Sasuke's apartment was small and minimally furnished. Finally, Kakashi understood what Tsunade meant when she said he was overpaid. His palace of an apartment was in no way comparable to the rickety huts of the other employees, not even to Naruto's house, where he lived with his wife and child crammed into a tiny space. Tokyo was, after all, expensive. „Nice place," he said out of pure politeness, without actually meaning it.
„Thank you," replied Sasuke, who had followed Kakashi and was standing just six feet behind him, as Kakashi could sense exactly. „You can sit down in the meantime," Sasuke offered Kakashi a sofa in a modern style. „I'll just put on some clothes."
„Oh, that's not necessary," said Kakashi, and he could still hear Sasuke exclaiming a surprised „Huh?" before he was thrown against the wall with full force. The expression on Sasuke's face was divine. He looked like a little child who had been hit on the head with a stone. So shocked and surprised, it was hilarious. His body slid to the floor, where he remained lying, panting. „What.. What's going on..?" Sasuke asked, trying to get up again, but Kakashi was already there, closing his hand around his neck and pulling him up until he forcefully rammed him against the wall, which undoubtedly broke a rib. Sasuke groaned in agony and tried to loosen Kakashi's hand. Ironically, that's exactly what that girl had done a few hours earlier. How fitting that Sasuke was acting just like a young schoolgirl.
Kakashi could only imagine how threatening his face must have looked, judging by the way Sasuke's eyes no longer darted wildly around the room but focused on his opponent. An almost panicked expression spread across the reddish shimmering black. Kakashi came very close to his victim and growled, „It's not a nice feeling to be exposed to another person's violence in this way, is it?" He couldn't help but give Sasuke a little kiss on the chin, which rekindled his defensive measures. He scratched over Kakashi's wrist, kicking wildly with his legs, but Kakashi didn't let up. His fist tightened even more and Sasuke gasped for air in desperation.
A smile crossed Kakashi's lips as he let his dark eyes wander over Sasuke's features. „You know, Sasuke-kun, you look so damn much like your brother. If you weren't ten years apart, you could easily be mistaken for twins. Except..." He held his nose to Sasuke's neck and inhaled his scent. „.. you disgust me. Itachi smells like sandalwood. So calm and harsh. He smells like home. Maybe that's why I fell in love with him, because he makes me feel like I'm not alone in this world." Kakashi's thoughts drifted to evenings when he had lain happily in Itachi's arms, kissed him, when they had made love intimately. It would never be like that again, he knew. And he hated it. He hated that Itachi had pushed him away as if he were nothing more than a mangy dog whose existence was a nuisance.
Sasuke's rasping brought him back and Kakashi gave him his attention again. „You..," Sasuke croaked past the pressure on his throat. „What.. did you.."
„Oh, you want to know what I did to Itachi?" Kakashi asked with feigned curiosity. „I doubt it, but I'll be kind enough to explain. But my arm is getting tired, you're the second person I've held like this today. Do you mind if we sit down?"
Sasuke indicated that he was shaking his head. Kakashi smiled, nodded and effortlessly broke his hip bone with a single kick of his knee. He stifled Sasuke's scream by further constricting his throat, so that only a pitiful whimper could escape. Tears ran down his cheeks.
„Well, excuse my choice of words," said Kakashi, stroking Sasuke's salty tracks on his skin. „I'm going to sit down, you won't be able to do that anymore." He let Sasuke go, who slumped to the ground and felt his lower body with a mixture of panic, pain and disbelief. „Don't worry, your brain will release enough adrenaline soon, then you won't feel most of it anymore. I just had to make sure you didn't run away from me, Sasuke-kun. We still want to have a little fun together, don't we?"
Kakashi went into the open kitchen, switched on the kettle and looked for a tea bag in the meantime. In a cupboard above the stove, he found a considerable collection of different types of tea, along with spices. „Hey, you surprise me," he called over to the living room. „I wouldn't have thought you were such a connoisseur. You have a lot of exotic varieties here. Oh, look at that, Genmaicha. I've only heard good things about it." He prepared two spoons of the dried tea in a bag, hung it in a large, black cup and ultimately poured the hot water over it. Immediately, the drink sprayed a popcorn-like note in the room. Kakashi took the cup and returned to Sasuke, who was now lying down – presumably to relieve his hip – but had otherwise not moved.
Sighing, Kakashi sat down on the sofa, which was much too hard for his taste, placed the cup in front of him on the glass table, put one leg up on the other and leaned back. „You don't seem to be into knick-knacks, Sasuke-kun. It reminds me a little of my apartment when I was your age. I never developed a sense for decoration either. But let's be honest, it can get a bit dreary, can't it? Don't you sometimes miss a personal touch in your own four walls?" He sighed again. „That's what I like about your brother's apartment. It's not much bigger than yours, but it's so unbelievably cozy. I liked being there."
A strange sound came from the corner. Kakashi looked at the miserable creature called Sasuke and smiled. „Oh yes, you want to know what I did to Itachi." He loosened his comfortable posture, leaned forward and took a sip of the tea, which tasted formidable. „Do you want the short version or the long, detailed one?" A horrified look appeared on Sasuke's face and Kakashi nodded. „Of course, you want details."
He stood up with the cup in his hand and wandered aimlessly through the small living room, where he stood in front of the shelf and looked at the spines of the books with half an interest. „Are you aware that Itachi is homosexual?" He glanced at Sasuke and could read the answer on his face. „No? Well, that doesn't surprise me. I didn't know it either until recently. He's been in love with me since he was a teenager, can you believe that?" He snorted. „I can't really, but if he says so, I believe him. He's the most honest person I've ever met. Of course he's polite and friendly and I've seen him lie, oh Lord, can he lie, but dammit, when it comes to him and his feelings, he stands by who he is. He could have kept his illness from me, probably he did that from you." Another check. „Yes, he did. And now it doesn't make any difference anymore, you know? He won't die from the virus, you don't have to worry about your brother for that."
Sasuke's face relaxed a little, which Kakashi took as an opportunity to come to him, crouch down next to him, brush a sweat-drenched strand of hair from his forehead and whisper, „I took care of it and killed him." Sasuke's eyes widened. „You-"
„Yes, I did," Kakashi confirmed with a smile. „I put him out of his misery. He's a good man, he deserved to die at the hands of his lover, to enjoy our bodies one last time, united in a passion that you will never understand. I have to agree with him, it was perhaps a little brutal how I slit him open, but that's just the way I am, what can I say. I learned from a young age that violence is the solution to everything. I'm a lot like my father in that respect, you know, Sasuke?" He bent down lower. „You're the same, aren't you? You only know violence and you use it when you don't get what you want." He slapped his flat hand against Sasukes cheek. „You are obsessed with Sakura, you can't even call it love. Hey, I understand that, she truly is very pretty and when she moans, she sounds so.. racy." Kakashi grinned broadly at Sasukes horrified expression. „You've never heard her moan, huh? I'm sorry for you. But that doesn't give you the right to disfigure and stab her."
„I-I...–," Sasuke wanted to say, but Kakashi tilted the cup and let the hot tea trickle down Sasuke's neck, causing him to scream out loud. Red spots appeared on his skin.
„Hurts, doesn't it?" Kakashi asked, stroking Sasukes upper arm. „Don't worry, you'll forget this pain in a moment when I inflict even worse on you." He tapped his shoulder twice, stood up again and put the cup back on the table. Instead, he lit a cigarette. „Are you the kind of person who likes pain? When having sex, I mean."
Sasuke didn't react. Kakashi grumbled in annoyance, yanked him around and sank his fist into the half-stunned face. „I asked you a question, for fuck's sake!" Blood seeped from Sasuke's nose and dripped into his ear. Kakashi blew the smoke in his direction. „Do you like that?"
Sasukes head jerked.
„Too bad. I have to say, I love it when they get aroused by what I do to them." He pressed the glowing ash onto his forehead and Sasuke screamed again. „That makes me horny. Unfortunately, your brother wasn't either. He stayed limp when I cut him open. Seems to run in the family. What a shame." Kakashi dragged Sasuke, who only whimpered, into the middle of the room, laid him on his back, fetched a small vegetable knife from the kitchen, which was clearly too unstable to cut through bones, and knelt on Sasuke's stomach. „Well, Sasuke-kun, where shall we start?"
At these words, Sasuke's breathing quickened. His gaze wandered from Kakashi's face to the knife in his hand, which danced playfully between the long, pale fingers. „There?" Kakashi placed the tip on Sasuke's chest, which froze for a moment. Sasuke shook his head hastily. „So that's a yes." And the blade was suddenly buried in his flesh up to the hilt. Sasuke screamed hoarsely.
„Honestly, Sasuke-kun," Kakashi muttered, slowly pulling the knife out again. Blood followed, running down the skin, which was glistening with cold sweat, to the neck, where a distinct bruise in the shape of Kakashi's hand was visible. Kakashi traced the path with the blade. „The knife is really tiny and you're whining here as if I had impaled you. Tsk, I can promise you that the next few hours won't be fun for you."
Sasuke whimpered at these words. „P-please..."
„Please, please," Kakashi mimicked, sinking the blade into Sasuke's chest a second time, this time closer to the heart, but still not deep enough to kill him. „STOP WHINING!" A third stab and Sasuke was no longer screaming as the metal penetrated him. His head was obviously numbing the pain. „Did you show mercy on Sakura when you destroyed her face, huh?! No, you didn't. You just kept cutting, robbing her of her beauty, probably jerking off to the sight of her in the shower because it turns you on." Blindly, he grabbed Sasuke's crotch and squeezed his genitals. His anguished scream turned into a sob. „Please... no..."
Kakashi hated the way Sasuke begged, as if he were pleading for forgiveness. His hand shot back and the tearing of skin was completely drowned out by a deafening sound that made the cup on the glass table clink. Kakashi let go of Sasuke's genitals, which slid between his legs due to gravity, leaving only a hot, wet spot in the gray fabric of the sweatpants. Kakashi held his blood-stained hand in front of Sasuke's mouth. „Lick it off."
Sasuke did not react, he could only sob.
Kakashi roughly grabbed his trembling jaw, smearing Sasukes blood on his skin and forcing him to look him in the eyes, although that was probably difficult given the many tears. „Don't you think, just a little bit, that you deserve it?"
A hiccup escaped from Sasukes mouth and Kakashi punched him in the face in disappointment. He took a deep breath. „You're not making it easy for me, Sasuke-kun. I would have liked to have dragged this out longer, maybe you would have even seen the next morning, but honestly, you're making me angry. It's not just your fault, believe me, I've never been very patient. Even the smallest things make me lose my temper, and you, Sasuke-kun, you're not even a small thing. You act like a spoiled cunt who needs her daddy to spank her ass again. Has yours never done that? Itachi is so well-behaved and you.. My goodness, what did your parents fail you at? You need to be punished, Sasuke-kun, and since I'm the only one here, I'll do my duty."
Sasuke floundered again in desperation as Kakashi rammed the blade into both of his upper arms, then set the knife aside, punched him hard in the jaw, dislocated it, and slid down onto his knees. He pulled down Sasuke's trousers and almost tenderly stroked the hip marked by a large, dark stain. „I could say that I'll be gentle with you, but..." he giggled maliciously, „.. I won't."
Slowly, Kakashi pressed his hands deeper, breaking the already cracked bone into a thousand pieces. Sasuke was no longer fighting, but only moaning, unable to even scream. Then Kakashi opened his pants and was not surprised to find that he was already aroused. Something was clearly wrong with him if such a scene turned him on. But he didn't give a damn. He closed his eyes, thought of Itachi and rubbed his erection until it was completely hard, winked at Sasuke with a grin and finally penetrated him. Sasuke whimpered and pushed his spine through, making him look exactly like his brother.
Kakashi leaned against Sasukes head and began to thrust into his hot, bloody gullet that had once been his genitals. He felt small bone splinters on his shaft that were pushed through the flesh by his movements. „Haa, Sasuke..," he moaned, forcing him to look at him, tear-moist and tormented, he had turned away from him. „Look at me when I fuck you." He kissed him, forcing his tongue deep into his whimpering mouth, but almost choking on the taste of pepper that coated his lips. Disgusted, he pulled away, spitting in Sasuke's face, who closed his eyes, causing more tears to run down his temples, and hit him again. „You little, dirty brat," Kakashi cursed and thrust harder.
Sasuke could no longer resist him, could no longer fight against being defiled by Kakashi like the unworthy animal that he was. No more than a hole that was not even really fuckable, into which Kakashi could drill himself. It wasn't tight, after all, there were no functioning muscles left to work against him, but the glowing flesh closed lovingly around his shaft, giving him a feeling he would never have considered appealing.
Kakashi was far too horny to find none of this stimulating. It wasn't the sex he had wanted at any point during the evening, but it was... enough. Sasukes tear-stained, bruised face did the rest to heat Kakashi up even more. The panic that glistened in his watery eyes drove him crazy. He placed his hand around Sasukes neck again, squeezed it hard and sped up his movements. He felt his orgasm approaching like a tsunami, accompanied by distant screams that only drove him further to the peak. He thrust one last time and poured himself into Sasukes guts, spraying his lust into the abdomen that was shaking with pain.
Completely out of breath, Kakashi slid out of Sasuke's wound and laughed softly, growling. „That was surprisingly good, Sasuke-kun. Makes me wonder how you would have felt if you weren't such a pathetic piece of shit. But we'll probably never know, huh?"
Sasuke uttered a plaintive whine. His arms and upper body shook uncontrollably and tears streamed down his face.
„Do you want it to stop?" Kakashi asked, caressing his sweaty cheek tenderly. Sasuke blinked, which was probably all he could do to show his reaction other than making pitiful sounds. But was it a yes or a no? Kakashi couldn't tell. „You're too shy, Sasuke-kun. I didn't have the chance to see if you really liked it, but stand by your feelings." Kakashi kissed him again and at the same time pressed his index finger into one of the stab wounds in his chest. Sasuke screamed into Kakashi's mouth, so that he moved away and grinned, „Oh, so you can still feel that? Your brain is letting you down, you're almost pathetic. But that's good, because it means I know that you're aware of everything I've done to you and what's still to come. It would be boring if I had all the fun."
Sasukes distorted jaw moved slightly and he only managed to gasp out two muffled syllables, „.. le... es..."
„Hm?" Kakashi said, leaning forward. „What do you say?"
In obvious agony, Sasuke repeated the sounds, but this time a little more clearly. „... b.. lea... es..."
„You need to articulate yourself better, Sasuke-kun," Kakashi reminded him, pushing his finger deeper into the jerking chest.
Sasuke howled and between the bloodcurdling sound, a „... B-LEAAAASEEE.." could be clearly heard.
Kakashi grinned. „Please?" Sasuke nodded vigorously. „So you do want it to stop?" Another nod. „Why?" A second finger joined the first, stretching the wound further apart and eliciting a scream from Sasuke. Kakashi sighed. „Sasuke-kun... Why are you begging like this? You know why this is happening." To Kakashi's amazement, Sasuke shook his head. He tilted his head and scrutinized the distorted and once handsome face in front of him. „No? Shall I explain it to you again?" Now the ring finger followed. „You attacked Sakura, cut her face and murdered her. What I'm doing here is your punishment for that. Don't you think that's justified?" A second shake of the head. „Oh, what I wouldn't give if you could talk to me now."
He lowered his head next to Sasuke's and breathed, „Try it. Talk to me."
„I... I... don... ha-e..."
„What don't you have?" Kakashi asked, moving his fingers between Sasukes ribs. He felt as if he were talking to a toddler who had to be coaxed to say each word.
„Nhhhhh... I did-h... hure Saku-a….."
Little by little, Kakashi straightened up and stared at Sasuke. He couldn't deny that there was a sincerity in his bloodshot, tear-stained, desperate eyes that made him shudder. „So you're telling me that you didn't attack Sakura?"
Sasukes head jerked to the side and back again.
„Then why is she telling me this?"
Sasukes irises darted to every point in Kakashis face and finally back to his eyes. „What a bummer," Kakashi murmured, pulling his fingers out of Sasukes chest, which made him sigh with relief, and taking the knife in his hand. „If that's true, then you died for nothing, Sasuke-kun. I'm sorry." With these words, the metal flashed through the air, a final gasp escaped from Sasuke's slit throat and every gleam left his eyes. No red could be seen anymore, only endless blackness.
Kakashi rose, closed his trousers, his blood-stained cock sticking to the fabric, and wiped his fingers on his jacket. He bowed his head again as he studied Sasuke's body. Had he told the truth? Kakashi could only think of one reason why he would have lied – he wanted to appeal to Kakashi's remorse and be released more quickly. But who would think of something like that on their deathbed? He had always considered Sasuke to be quite clever, an up-and-coming agent in the company, but was he cunning enough to wrap his torturer around his finger? If that was not the case, however, it meant that Sakura had used him to get rid of Sasuke for whatever reason. No matter what the truth was, no matter which lie Kakashi had fallen for, one thing was clear: he was furious.
Without giving Sasuke another glance, he rushed to the front door. He had barely opened it when he saw a face that stopped his heart. Itachi. He was standing there, his hand half raised to the bell, looking surprised. „Kakashi?" Every thought was written on his face. His eyes fell on Kakashi's fingers, which still had blood on them, glimmering treacherously in the cool light of the stairwell, then on Kakashi's irises, which were probably maliciously glowing, and finally on the otherwise empty hallway behind him. „Sasuke," he gasped, pushing Kakashi aside and leaping into the apartment.
Slowly, Kakashi closed the door again and followed Itachi, who was kneeling next to his dead brother and softly pleading, „No... no... Sasuke... please don't..."
„I can explain what happened here," said Kakashi calmly.
Itachi's trembling body froze and, a second later, he pushed Kakashi against the wall where Sasuke had realized his fate an eternity ago. „I will kill you," Itachi breathed with a vibrating voice. „I WILL FUCKING TEAR YOU APART!"
„Itachi..." Kakashi began, but suddenly he felt a cutting sensation in his chest, not caused by any feelings. He lowered his gaze and saw Itachi's hand, which was firmly gripping the handle of the vegetable knife. The blade was not visible. Kakashi gasped. „Itachi, what-" One, two, countless more stabs sank into Kakashi's chest, his shoulder, his neck, sending a pain to his head that made him dizzy. Itachi's face in front of him blurred, then cleared again, then blurred again.
At some point, the blows subsided and Kakashi heard a soft sobbing. Itachi was crying and stumbled backwards. „Why, Kakashi... Why did you do that..?"
Kakashi felt his chest. Blood was seeping out from under his black shirt. A lot of blood. His blood. He looked at his hand, felt the hot life between his fingers. „I'm sorry, Itachi. It was a mistake."
„A mistake?!" Itachi gasped and shook his head in disbelief. „You slaughter my little brother, who is all I have left in this world, and then you claim it was a mistake..? Kakashi, you are mad. I.. I should never have let you into my life.." In one fluid movement, he rammed the knife, which had been lying in his trembling hand, into the spot where his beautiful heart was beating.
„NO!" Kakashi shouted, jumping forward and grabbing Itachi by the shoulders. „No, why are you doing this?! Itachi!"
Itachi's arm fell to his side and he blinked wearily up at Kakashi's face. „I can't live like this... Not when there's a monster in this world that can take everything I love away from me at any time."
„Itachi, please..." Kakashi forced his fingers into Itachi's wound and pulled the knife out of his chest with a sickening smack. Blood splashed into his eye, but he ignored it and pressed his flat hand over the hole. „Please, don't do this to me..."
A cough went through Itachi's body and he spat blood. A smile played around his lips. „Kakashi... I have always loved you, but you have turned into a beast and that has nothing to do with your existence as a vampire. I understand this urge, but you have given up fighting it. You have become too addicted to your own demon, and that scares me. YOU scare me." His hand now rested on Kakashi's chest, which was bleeding incessantly, and the way they stood there, their hands on each other's wounds, it could have been romantic if they hadn't both known that it was coming to an end. „I believe that the man I love is still somewhere inside this monster you have become. That man would never have done anything to Sasuke, would never have hurt me."
Kakashi laid his forehead against Itachi's. „I'm so sorry, Itachi," he whispered, kissed him and pulled his head against his shoulder. „Please forgive me."
Another cough made Itachi tremble and Kakashi felt the body in his arms sag. He carefully let them both sink to their knees, but still held him tight. „I'm sorry for what I did to you."
Itachi's breathing became heavier. „Kakashi... I..."
„Shhhh," said Kakashi, gently stroking his lover's trembling back. „It's going to be okay."
„I know... that it will," Itachi panted. „Eternity in this world is not meant for us. In the next, I will not shrink from seeking you, I promise you. I... I love you, Kakashi..."
„I love you, Itachi."
A final gasp and Itachi's flame went out. Kakashi clung to the lifeless body and screamed until he had no more air in his lungs. With every breath he felt his strength leave him. He loosened his grip and looked into Itachi's beautiful but motionless face, which was so relaxed as if he were sleeping. Only the blood on his chin betrayed that it was not a sleep from which he would ever wake up again. He was gone forever and Kakashi would soon follow him, even though he knew that he would never see his beloved again. He realized that he would go to hell, but Itachi had been too good for that, too pure, gentle and tender. He was the only positive thing he had achieved in his life, and he had destroyed even him, just like he destroyed everything around him. Shit, he should have been nicer to Naruto. The boy was so innocent and vibrant, Kakashi had never deserved him. He had never deserved any of this. Itachi was right, he was a monster. What name had they given him? He didn't even know anymore, his brain couldn't remember, as if it wanted to repress it in the final minutes. Strange.
He only knew that he had been revered by a handful of fanatics for something that had consumed him to the point of inhumanity. And he was no different. He admired Elizabeth for the beautiful, strong woman she was, but was that all? He had enjoyed killing with her and Donovan, felt connected to them in a way that had penetrated deep into his innermost being and shaken him to the core. Fuck, he should have stayed with her.
Itachi had been wrong. There was nothing left in him that could be called lovable. He was completely and irreparably a beast.
Right, that was what they called him: the Beast of Haneda. He now thought that sounded corny, but it was the best way to describe him.
Out of nowhere, Kakashi remembered a conversation from long ago, „Darling, you have no idea what is still to come."
Was this what Liz had warned him about? This moment? He had never paid much attention to her words, but now that he was kneeling here, his blood joining that of Itachi and Sasuke, he realized what mistake he had made. He had taken everything for granted, never even thinking about what eternity would actually look like. Because, and this should have been obvious, eternity was just that – eternal. He had plunged into his new life too quickly, had been far too prideful. Now his fall was all the deeper. He would die here, defeated by the treachery of his own student. A proud smile stole across Kakashi's lips. „You'll go far, Sakura-chan..."
He coughed, dripping blood onto the angelic face in front of him. Trembling, he wiped away the drops. „I will suffer for a thousand years and it will never be enough to make up for what I have done to you. Don't look for me, I had my chance and I didn't take it." Kakashi wanted to feel him one last time, as he would never be able to do again, in any future life. He kissed him tentatively, his cold, silent lips moist with his blood.
Something pulsed within him.
He detached himself and blinked at the dead face in confusion. He could clearly feel an energy flowing through him, sharpening his senses, clearing his thoughts and making his heart beat faster. Was it possible...?
Kakashi's gaze remained fixed on Itachi's bloodied lips until he made a decision that would bring him clarity. He kissed him again, this time more insistently, taking in as much of his sweet essence as he could.
A rush of power took hold of him. He only vaguely felt how he gently laid Itachi's body on its back, continuing to lick his mouth. Strength that he had thought lost returned to him, but it was not enough. He needed more. Much more. His face found its way to Itachi's chest, where the fatal hole gaped, into which he sank his tongue. Further, deeper, until he touched his heart. It was still hot, even though it had stopped beating. He pushed his flattened hand between the ribs, fingertips first, encircled the heart and pulled it out with a tug. His teeth fought their way into the chambers filled with warm blood, which seductively splashed against the walls. A gush of red liquid spurted from the opening he had bitten into, and he held the heart over his open mouth, drinking until the last drop. He tore open the flesh, ran his tongue through the atria, gnawing away at the tough tissue that was soaked through with this invigorating energy, with this aroma of sandalwood, in which he lost himself, weeping and laughing.
A ringtone was coming from Itachi's pocket. It was quite a trendy one, which surprised Kakashi. Itachi had always seemed to him to be the type of person who used the standard ringtone on his cell phone. This made him wonder what he hadn't known about his lover.
He lay on the floor in Sasukes living room with his arms spread out. Two corpses next to him and Itachis torn heart in his hand. His hands, his chest and his face were covered in blood, but only a little of it was of his own. His wounds had closed. He should have known before that the blood of other vampires had a much more intense effect on him than that of humans. Part of him felt bad for having abused Itachi to prevent his own death. The past hour, lying there as the world around him had sunk into the night, he had wondered whether it had been right. But even if it hadn't, he wouldn't have been able to stop himself. The greed in him to cling to the last straw of life had been too overwhelming. His demon had been too strong. He didn't know what the consequences of this decision would be, but he was alive and that was all that mattered at the moment.
The pop song was playing again from Itachi's pocket. The carpet made a smacking sound as Kakashi sat up. Blood had seeped through the fabric and was gradually drying. He carefully placed Itachi's heart back in the place from which he had removed it and took out his cell phone. It only said „Boss" and after a brief hesitation, Kakashi answered the call. „Yes?"
A man with a piercing voice answered. „Itachi? Where are you? We're waiting for you."
„Itachi is dead," said Kakashi, stroking his lover's cold cheek.
A brief silence, then the man on the other end asked, „Did you kill him?"
Kakashi frowned. Was that really the first question to ask in such a situation? „No, he killed himself."
„Where is he now?"
„In his brother's apartment. Sasuke is dead too, but I have to admit that I'm to blame for that."
„What was your relationship with Itachi?"
„I was his lover," Kakashi said honestly, and he had to smile at the thought that he had never had such an absurd conversation in any of his lives. „I'm sorry if I out him as gay in his death."
„Don't mind that, I knew it. So you're Kakashi?"
For a moment, Kakashi didn't know what to say in reply. Only now did it really dawn on him what he must have meant to Itachi for him to mention him by name to his boss. He swallowed and had difficulty suppressing his tears. „Yes... Yes, I am Kakashi."
„My condolences for your loss."
„Thank you..." He took a deep breath. „You're Pain, right?"
„Yes, what has Itachi told you about me?"
„Nothing, basically, except that you're wearing red nail polish." He couldn't hold back and burst out laughing.
Pain obviously didn't understand. His voice was full of anger when he asked, „What's so funny about that?"
„Nothing," gasped Kakashi, still laughing, and let himself fall back onto the bloody carpet, where he rolled onto his side and traced Itachi's profile with tear-filled eyes. „I was just remembering our first conversation, that's all."
„I see. I have a favor to ask of you." Somehow Pain's tone of voice suggested that what was about to follow was not a request but an order, and Kakashi was right. „You seem to have access to Itachi's body, otherwise you wouldn't have been able to take my call. Itachi wears a ring on his right hand. I need it."
Kakashi looked down at Itachi's hand, which lay calmly beside his thigh. He effortlessly pulled a chunky silver ring with a red plaque engraved with the character for scarlet from his finger. He had seen such jewelry before, usually from the more prestigious universities. „Yes, I have this ring."
„Good," said Pain. „Meet me in two hours at the southern parking lot at Tokyo Tower."
Kakashi's brain was buzzing as he weighed the ring in his fingers. „What's in it for me?"
„Excuse me?" Pain asked, sounding distinctly angry.
„Well, this ring obviously has great significance for you. And I assume it's not of a sentimental nature, because you don't seem to care about the death of your employee. So you need it for other reasons, and I wonder how much those reasons are worth to you."
„Are you blackmailing me? May I remind you that you confessed to me that you killed a person?"
„I didn't, I just said I am to blame for Sasuke's death. You can't judge the extent to which that is true. And I doubt you would have any interest in reporting me to the police, whether your accusations are justified or not. Itachi was evasive about his work, but I always suspected it was not particularly legal. And your behavior only confirms that. I'm certain you wouldn't turn me in. So, no, I'm not blackmailing you and you are not blackmailing me. Let's just say we're making a deal."
After a brief hesitation, Pain asked, „What should this deal look like?"
„You get the ring and in return you provide me with a new identity."
„What makes you think I am capable of that?"
Kakashi grinned, rose with a flourish and straightened his bloodied suit. „I have faith in you, Pain. Even if you can't do it personally, you surely know one or two people, hm?"
Silence again.
„I thought so. With your contacts and skills, I don't think we need to meet before. You can just get the information you need from what you already know about me." He lit a cigarette. „The photo I currently have in my passport is actually quite good, so you can use that again. As for the name, I'll leave that up to you. You call yourself Pain, you seem to have a penchant for the dramatic, and I like that."
„All right. You'll get your new identity with everything that goes with it. But I need time for that."
„Understandable. Does midnight suit you?"
„Yes."
„All right, then, at midnight at the southern parking lot of Tokyo Tower."
„No."
„Huh?"
„You come to me."
Kakashi ashed into the cup of cold Genmaicha. „Honey, we don't even know each other and you're already inviting me to your place?"
„Stop joking," Pain said emphatically. „My interest in you is not sexual." Kakashi grinned and thought, '… YET'. „You have made me curious. You seem to be a talented man at what you do, so I don't want to miss the opportunity to get to know you better. Don't worry, you'll get your new identity when you bring me the ring, this meeting is unrelated to it."
„Why should I ask for a new identity and then tie myself to your company?"
„Because your skills are a good fit for us and a place has become available thanks to Crow."
Slightly disgruntled, Kakashi looked down at Itachi. It sounded as if he was supposed to replace him, and that didn't sit well with him. „You benefit from me and what do I get out of it?"
„You don't seem like the kind of man who would prefer a boring life, Hatake Kakashi."
„You're probably right. But that gives me an idea: you know so much about me, and honestly, that's not a criticism. But I don't know anything about you, and that bothers me. What's your name?"
„Pain."
„Tsk, your parents didn't love you very much, did they?"
„No, they didn't. At Akatsuki, we don't call each other by our given names."
„Was Itachi an exception?"
„How so?"
„Well," snorted Kakashi, „because you call him Itachi and I know that was his exact name."
This left Pain speechless for a moment. „I see. No, he was no exception. I alone know all the names and only communicate them in private."
„Then I'll need a pseudonym in the future, too, of course, aside from my new identity."
„If you accept my offer, yes."
„I think I will. Your way of doing things appeals to me, Pain," Kakashi smirked and took a drag on his cigarette.
„I'm assuming you already have something in mind."
„You assume correctly," Kakashi replied. He looked at Itachi's face. „Scare." That was the tribute he would pay him, so that he would never forget who he was.
„Scare, then. Midnight, we'll pick you up at your apartment." It honked and Kakashi shook his head and put the phone back in Itachi's pocket. What had he gotten himself into? He looked at the clock, it was half past eight. So he had enough time to take a thorough shower and organize his new life, since he couldn't return to his old one. He stubbed out his cigarette in the tea, washed the blood off his hands and face in the bathroom and left Sasukes apartment. It hurt him a little that he was leaving Itachi behind like that, but he didn't have much choice. He couldn't drag a corpse through half of Tokyo, especially since he was riding his Ducati.
Down on the street, a person leaned against that vehicle, one he hadn't thought about for the last hour. „Sakura-chan? Why are you here?"
She had obviously showered, but still looked disheveled. „Kakashi-sensei, I... I was looking for you and then I saw your motorcycle here and... Oh fuck, I didn't really think about what you would do if I... Well... I have to confess something to you."
Kakashi smiled. „I know it wasn't Sasuke. He told me."
„So... you didn't harm him?"
„Well, I wouldn't sign that." He raised his thumb and threw it over his shoulder. „He's lying upstairs next to his brother."
Sakura opened her eyes wide and stammered, „B... what... Did you... Did you really... kill him?"
„Yes." He stepped closer to her. She wanted to back away, but bumped into the motorcycle. „I understand that you were overwhelmed at the time – after all, you literally returned from the dead – and that you couldn't necessarily grasp the magnitude of things when you gave me that name, but tell me one thing: why did you lie to me?"
„I.. He.." She lowered her gaze, but Kakashi forced her to look at him again. „Focus, Sakura-chan. You know I don't like it when you look at my shoes while we're talking."
She nodded, swallowed hard, took a deep breath and stared Kakashi straight in the face. „We had a thing at university. Sasuke ended it because I wasn't mature enough in his eyes." She laughed humorlessly. „I cried so often because of him, my goodness, that just showed me how right he was. It took a long time before I got over him, but I did and I was amazed at myself that I was able to become his colleague without falling back into that hole. Everything looked good until he started pestering me constantly. He asked me if I wanted to be with him again, I said no, but he wouldn't let go. He was lurking everywhere and even came to my place once when I was alone. Shit, I was so scared. Then some junkie attacked me on my way home earlier, I really thought that was it. But then I woke up again and you were there and I saw the chance to give Sasuke a pasting. I never thought you'd kill him right away, because he... he didn't deserve that. A beating, yes, but death? Did you... Did you hurt him badly?"
„Don't think about what I did to him, it would only upset you," Kakashi said calmly, thus giving her a clear answer to her question.
Tears welled up in her big green eyes. „You... You're the Beast of Haneda, aren't you?"
Kakashi nodded. „Yes, I am." He tilted his head. „Are you afraid of me now?"
Sakura was silent at first, then she said, hesitantly, „I'm just like you now. You turned me because you wanted to save me. We were alone so often, you had more than one opportunity to kill me, but you never did."
„Don't think I never wanted it," Kakashi threw in, grinning at Sakura's horrified expression. „I like you, Sakura-chan. I didn't just turn you because you would have died otherwise. You are a smart young woman and I am proud to have been your teacher. You will go far in your new life, even without me."
„What?" Sakura exclaimed, clearly confused. „Why are you saying that? Are you leaving?"
„Yes," Kakashi replied, patting her black hair. „Sakura, I caused a bloodbath up there and both corpses are attributable to me. At some point the police will pick up my trail and I can't defend myself against all of them."
„But... you don't have human DNA, do you? Then they can't prove anything against you. And I won't tell anyone what I know. And Ino won't either."
„That's sweet of you, but it wouldn't do much good anymore. One of the dead is an employee of my company and I've been in a relationship with the other one for the last few months. No matter how far you follow the threads, you inevitably end up with me as the common denominator, and if they dig any deeper into my life, they'll find inconsistencies. They will see that all the murders happened when I was around. And they only have to examine my DNA to get the final proof, because even if it is not human, it is still the same as the one found at the crime scenes. I can do without such attention, so I will go underground, at least for a few years or decades, until things have blown over. Sakura, you will still have your own experiences as a vampire, but I'll give you a tip: don't take it for granted. You can't die naturally, but you can still be killed, don't forget that. I did and now my lover is dead. Part of me died up there with him. I am no longer the person you met; Hatake Kakashi will no longer exist in the future, and perhaps he hasn't existed for a while now. I have changed, but I hope you won't either." He smiled and stroked her scarred cheek. „Don't worry, they'll disappear. You'll be as beautiful as before." He bent down and kissed her goodbye. „Take care, Sakura-chan."
Kakashi swung one leg over the Ducati and put on his helmet.
„Wait!"
With one hand already in the leather glove, he paused. „Huh?"
„Take me with you."
He tilted his head. „Sakura, are you serious?"
„Yes, Sensei. I want to be with you. If you're not here anymore, what will I have left? Who will I learn from? Who will I trust? My feelings for you haven't changed, they've even grown stronger. I have too much to thank you for, I want to try to give you at least a little bit of it back. I owe you that. Ino will understand. We talked for a long time and we both agree that I belong with you. Please."
It wasn't rational, but Kakashi would always stand behind this decision. He slid back in his seat just like hours ago, making room for Sakura, who immediately took it. Without luggage, she was much safer and she pressed herself tightly against his chest.
„I hope you know what you're doing," he whispered faintly in her ear.
Sakura laughed softly. „Not at all. But you know, Sensei, I love you and that's all that matters to me."
Kakashi grinned, lowered the visor and started the engine. „Hold on tight, my little cherry blossom."
„Yes, Sensei."
