Checking in

Kakashi coughed several times into his mask. He wiped his watery eyes, shouldered his briefcase and pulled his wheeled suitcase towards the elaborately adorned entrance. Above the double glass door with its linear ornaments, a large neon sign screamed the name „Hotel Cortez" in his face. Very inconspicuous, he thought to himself. He wouldn't have needed Naruto's detailed directions.

He put his smartphone, on which he had opened the memo with the address, back in the inside pocket of his jacket, grabbed the cold metal of the front door and pulled it open. A slightly musty smell met him, making him wrinkle his nose, and he entered the lobby, struggling to heave his luggage over the threshold as the door tried to slam back into his heels too often. They really should make this thing more user-friendly.

On the matte red carpet that covered almost the entire lobby and was decorated with black and gold octagons, the wheels of his suitcase could no longer be heard as loudly as on the asphalt outside. They made a muffled thud as he dragged his luggage past some small seating areas with red upholstered chairs and round side tables to an obvious reception desk. He let go of the handle of the suitcase, shouldered the briefcase again, which almost slipped off even with this short distance, and pressed his hand on a bell on the counter. The golden metal - it certainly couldn't real gold - has already tarnished a little.

While he waited, he took a closer look at the lobby. There was no one else here except him. As soon as his suitcase stopped rumbling, it was completely silent in this lavishly designed room. No staff anywhere, no music, not even a clock ticking far too loudly. He kind of liked that. He hated these overcrowded hotels where you could never really get any peace and quiet. And peace and quiet was all he needed right now. He coughed. Okay, peace and quiet and a warm bath.

The middle section of the lobby was open to the top over two floors, so that a gallery almost completely surrounded the entire seating area. Kakashi thought he could see the back of a bar at one point above the golden railing, where glasses of various kinds were hanging in front of a wide mirror. Well, then at least he knew where he would be heading after his well-deserved bath.

Long chandeliers hung above the seating areas, immersing the scene in a pleasantly warm light. As he stood there, ringing the doorbell a second time, he wondered why no one was here but him. This hotel perhaps smelled a little musty, which led him to conclude that it was quite old, but otherwise it looked very classy. Maybe, he tried to answer his own question in his mind, people just didn't like this old style very much. In Los Angeles there were more than enough modern hotels to be found, nobody wanted to stay in such an old-fashioned ambience. But he liked it. It had a certain charm and probably because Naruto knew exactly which hotels Kakashi preferred, he had checked him into this one.

Well, he would like to check in. He pressed the bell a third time, perhaps a little too hard, because the thing slid a few inches to the side. Abashed, he moved it back into position and finally a grim-looking older woman came out of a door next to the key rack. Even at first glance, she fit perfectly into this hotel. She looked exactly like her surroundings from the last century, wore large square glasses with rounded corners, had her thinning gray hair loosely combed back and a small sign on her blouse introduced her as „Iris". Despite her unmistakable grimness, she smiled, which only furrowed the wrinkles around her mouth even deeper, and asked in a selectively friendly tone, „Yes, please?"

„Good evening, my name is Kakashi Hatake. My assistant has reserved a room for me, I would like to check in."

The woman nodded curtly, bent over a large book whose pages were a little yellowed, and finally said, „Yes, here you are. Room 28." She took the corresponding key from the board behind her and handed it to Kakashi. „The elevators are back there, fourth floor."

Short and crisp, just the way Kakashi liked it. He smiled, even though the receptionist couldn't see it, bowed, took the key and moved his luggage in the indicated direction. He took the elevator, which was just as rustic and old-fashioned as the rest of the hotel, to his floor, looked for his room and unlocked the door to number 28. In contrast to the lobby, the room was less spectacular. It had a wide bed, a table with two chairs, a fringed wing chair, a chest of drawers, a cozy light from the shaded lamps and access to a small bathroom with a shower, toilet and sink. Actually, everything he needed was here, only the bathtub was missing. Dammit. Then he would just have to take a shower.

He coughed again, probably because of the light layer of dust that clung to simply everything, and placed his luggage next to the bed. After a test wiggle on the mattress, he realized that it was soft enough for him - he just didn't like those hard types. Waterbeds were unheard in the hotels he preferred, but at least he wouldn't have to sleep on a board. It would work, definitely.

Without further ado, because otherwise he wouldn't know what to do with himself anyway, he took off his suit, neatly folded it and placed it on the back of one of the wooden chairs, and went to take a shower. It had been a strenuous day. This morning, he had driven directly from the airport to downtown, endured this hour-long meeting, explained his approach to the client and then taken a taxi straight here. He hadn't really seen much of the city itself yet. But he also had to admit that he was never particularly interested in the cities he visited. Sometimes, when a job went faster than planned, he had a day or two before he had to leave and could roam the nightclubs. On such days, he forgot about his work, was able to stay out all night, get drunk without restraint and indulge in the local drugs, as befitted his age. On other days, like today, he almost felt like a suburban father. Work from morning to night, a maximum of one beer after work and the next day it all started all over again. The negotiations with the new client were due to start tomorrow and he knew - as his excellent business sense told him - that they would take a long time.

The only plus point of his job was that he got to travel the world. Yesterday he had been in Toronto, had conducted the final contract negotiations and delivered the good news about another million-dollar project to his boss on the way to the airport. Tsunade had been satisfied with him, as she usually was. He was glad that he did a good job and didn't constantly feel her anger like almost everyone else in the company.

As the warm water ran down his neck, he grinned with his eyes closed. Tsunade was a case in herself. He had often wondered how she could manage one of Japan's most successful companies with her temperament. But maybe it was that very temperament that had brought her to where she was. And Kakashi didn't complain. She had poached him directly from university and thanks to her, he earned more than any of his former fellow students. Now he just had to find the occasion to spend all that money. Yes, he traveled the world, but the company paid for everything. He had never flown on vacation himself and to be honest, he didn't know where he would want to go. He had seen almost everything. He knew all the major cities in Europe, East Asia and even South America. L.A. was actually one of the few world cities he had never set foot in, which was surprising considering his air miles. And he could already say that he didn't really like the „City of Angels". The air pollution here was sometimes worse than in Rio de Janeiro, which, together with the constant changes in climate, was not good for his lungs. Rio, Stockholm, Mexico City, Toronto and now Los Angeles – he really needed to spend some time in a single climate zone again, otherwise his cough would only get worse.

Kakashi turned off the water, dried his feet with one of the surprisingly soft towels and stood naked and dripping in front of the mirror. He groaned, coughed and ran his fingers through his wet hair. He had already noticed that, despite being only 31 years old, a few gray strands had begun to appear in his otherwise black hair. Dammit. The stress of his work was well rewarded, but he paid a high price for it: his youth. He leaned forward, startled a little because his cock touched the cold porcelain of the sink, and examined his forehead closely. There! When he crinkled it and then relaxed again, a fine line appeared. He was actually getting wrinkles. Shit.

He sighed, straightened up again and began to dry his hair when his cell phone rang in the next room. He went to the small table and took the call from his assistant. „Naruto-kun, hello," he greeted in Japanese. He glanced at the time on his screen. „What time is it over there"

Naruto laughed. „We're about to have lunch. How is life in the past?"

Kakashi sighed silently. Every. Fucking. Time. At some point it was no longer funny, although it had never actually been funny. „Naruto-kun, what would you want?"

„Tsunade-sama wanted me to give you her best wishes," said Naruto in a businesslike manner. At least he realized by now when he was annoying Kakashi with his behavior. „She is once again highly impressed with your work. „

„Great, thanks, why didn't she tell me herself?" Kakashi asked, plucking a loose, black hair from his chest. Wonderful, now the few dark hairs were falling out too. Soon he would be gray and/or bald. He hated it already.

Naruto cleared his throat. „She also wanted me to tell you that the client in L.A. has changed his mind."

„What?!" Kakashi exclaimed loudly and had to sit down on the bed. „Why? We just had a meeting today. We're still at the very beginning." Had he done something wrong? He had been tired, okay, that was because he never slept well on airplanes, but he had seemed confident in his opinion. Not like he didn't know what he was doing or what the client wanted.

Naruto seemed to know what was going on inside him, because he said, „You didn't make a mistake, Senpai. The client is simply too gutless to invest such amounts. He backed out."

„Is there any possibility that I can change their minds?"

„No, probably not. Tsunade-sama understands that this upsets you, so she's giving you a day off. The hotel is booked anyway, so stay there for a while, have fun – however that might look for you – and then come back with fresh energy. Your return flight to Tokyo remains unchanged."

„No further orders after that?"

„No," Naruto replied. „Not for the moment, at least not according to the current status. Of course, that can change at any time, we've seen that before. But anyway. What are you planning to do tonight?"

„Tonight? Well, I spotted a bar two floors below me. I'll probably check it out soon."

After a short silence, Naruto said quietly, „You really didn't make a mistake, Senpai. Sometimes these things just happen."

Kakashi sighed. „I know. Thanks.. Can I ask you for something though?"

Naruto let out an assenting „Mm-hm".

„Please analyze my documents and the client's rejection. I know," he said quickly, as he could hear Naruto starting to speak, „I know, but I still want to have it in writing that I haven't made a mistake somewhere. Do it for me, please."

Naruto sighed. „Okay, Senpai. I'll get started right after lunch. And you... well, don't overdo it again, yeah?"

Kakashi grumbled.

„How's the hotel?" Naruto ventured an obvious attempt to change the subject. „From the little information I was able to glean from the internet, it seems to be right up your alley."

„It's been all right so far," Kakashi replied truthfully. „I'm going to get dressed and go downstairs now. Say hi to Hinata for me, see you." He hung up after Naruto's „I sure will, see you." His hand around the phone tightened a little, then he threw it onto the blanket next to him, stretched back and looked at the slightly discolored ceiling. Son of a bitch. Never before had a client withdrawn from an assignment so quickly. Normally, he sensed when the client lost interest during the conversations, and usually he was able to counteract that and still convince them, but now? They had barely been able to get to know each other today. Why invite an expensive agent like him if you weren't convinced of the idea of an investment?! Fuckers.

With a heavy groan, Kakashi sat up again. He coughed. Dammit. All in vain. With a shake of his head, he got up, put on something comfortable as he had said he would, and went back to the bathroom to look at his tired reflection in the mirror. If he had known where this day would lead him, he would have accepted the hooker's offer this morning in front of the terminal. He had never had anything against paying for sex, but after a debacle four years ago and the subsequent outburst of rage from Tsunade, he had set himself the rule of never doing anything like that during negotiations. No drugs, no alcohol, no sex. Well. He had the next few days off, so he could do whatever he wanted here in L.A. He briefly considered sprucing himself up a bit and going to a club, but he was too frustrated to do so. Today he couldn't stand crowds.

„Fuck it," he growled to himself and put on one of his disposable masks due to his cough. He tried to flatten his hair, which always looked like he had a nest on his head shortly after washing and without any care products, but after two miserable attempts he gave up and left his room for the bar. The hotel was deserted anyway, so he didn't have to worry about how he looked or whether he could pick up anyone in his current condition. He would just let the evening wind down with a few drinks – maybe a few more – and see what tomorrow would bring.

The bar at the Hotel Cortez was basically exactly what you would expect an old-fashioned bar to be like. The wood of the counter was dark, polished, and scuffed in some places. The bar stools were covered with red upholstery, and a little further away were more small seating groups with crumpled, red fabric armchairs – just like downstairs in the lobby, which you had an excellent view of from up here.

As soon as Kakashi had approached one of the stools, he actually saw a third person in the hotel, apart from him and the receptionist. He had almost expected her to be the only employee, after all there were no crowds of guests around, but as soon as Kakashi sat down, he scrutinized the person behind the bar with interest. It was an astonishing figure and he immediately felt insecure. Transsexuality was not widespread in Japan and he didn't know how to address a person who was so obviously between two genders. The face was that of a man, as was the stature, he was bald and wore a richly decorated cloth wrapped around his head like a glittering headband, but his face was covered in make-up and his lanky body was dressed in a gown. „Um, hello," he greeted her in a friendly tone. Even though he was nervous about offending her with the wrong form of address, he didn't have to show it. „May I order a drink?"

The man smiled broadly and fluttered his glued-on eyelashes. „Of course. What would you like?" He had a very deep voice.

Kakashi let out a thoughtful breath, causing his mask to bulge. „I haven't had a good day. I'm in the mood for something hard today, what do you serve?"

In the man's brown-blue eyes – he really did have a very interesting eye color – Kakashi recognized a brief flash of something he would call a glint of mischief. „Well, you'll find plenty of hard stuff behind this bar," the man grinned, and immediately Kakashi wondered whether the man still had his– „Then I'd like a whiskey, if you've got one," he quickly interrupted his own thoughts. The genitals of his counterpart were really none of his business, especially since they didn't interest him.

The man nodded, took a glass from the shelf behind him and poured the amber liquid from a bottle that was as old as the hotel itself. „Here you go," he said, setting the glass down in front of Kakashi.

„Thank you very much," Kakashi replied politely, taking the mask off his face, folding it and placing it next to his glass, which he sipped from. Surprisingly, the whiskey tasted delicious. A few more glasses of it and his evening was saved.

The man in front of him leaned elegantly on the counter and leaned forward slightly. „May I ask you something?" Kakashi nodded while he drank. „Why do you wear the mask?"

Kakashi swallowed, cleared his throat and explained: „I'm currently suffering from a cough and my education demands that I cover my mouth because of it." He cleared his throat again and couldn't suppress another cough due to the scratchy feeling in his throat. „Fucking hell," he swore in Japanese, jumped up from the stool, bowed to the man so that his forehead almost touched the edge of the bar, and said loudly and clearly, „Please forgive me." Then he sat down again.

The man seemed intrigued. „Where are you from? I've never met anyone who acts like that when they cough."

„I'm from Tokyo," Kakashi said.

„Oooh, Japan, the land of the rising sun." The man spread his arms theatrically and turned around on himself. „It has always been a dream of mine to visit the island. Is it really as beautiful as everyone says?"

Kakashi nonchalantly shrugged. „Well, I was born and raised there, so you could say I'm used to it. But I have to admit that my work takes me on a lot of trips, and there's no better feeling than finally coming home again after weeks away."

The man smiled vaguely. „What's your name?"

„Hatake Kakashi," Kakashi introduced himself, took a sip of his whiskey and bowed his head briefly.

„Hatake? Quite an interesting name."

„Oh, that's my surname," Kakashi interjected. „Sorry, sometimes I don't think about the fact that in the West you say your first name first. In business meetings, I force myself to do it," he chuckled, „but in private I forget it every now and then. So again, correctly: My name is Kakashi Hatake."

„Mm," the man replied. „I'm Liz Taylor."

„Liz, isn't that a woman's name?" Kakashi asked without thinking. He felt his face turn red. „Sorry, I didn't mean to..–"

But the man laughed. Or rather, the woman laughed. Kakashi wanted to get it correct in his mind. If she identified herself like that, he wanted to respect it. „You don't have much contact with my kind, do you?"

Kakashi shook his head in earnest. „No, actually not. I didn't mean to offend you, I'm sorry."

„It's okay," Liz waved off. „I can forgive that with a cutie like you." Kakashi raised his eyebrows, but Liz continued, „Why didn't you stay in Little Tokyo? That would be culturally closer to your homeland, wouldn't it?"

„That's right," said Kakashi. „When I'm traveling for a long time, I usually ask my assistant to find me a hotel in such areas, but my western culture-o-meter is not yet used up and I love that I get to know so many different countries and their traditions in my job. So I'm pleased to be here. This hotel is right up my alley. It's quiet, old, cozy – the atmosphere is almost spooky, but I like that."

Liz squinted her eyes a little and started cleaning an already spotless glass. „You have an assistant? Where is he now?"

Kakashi licked his whiskey-drenched lips and ordered another round with a flick of his finger. „He's in Tokyo. Normally he comes with me on business trips, but his wife recently gave birth and I didn't think it was a good idea for him to be away for weeks. I can do my job on site without him, he supports me no less than usual as soon as he has a PC with internet access, and he is not separated from his wife for too long. We couldn't have arranged it any better." Alcohol always made him so talkative. He sipped the whiskey that Liz had just placed in front of him.

„Well, you seem like a very nice chap," said a gloomy voice next to Kakashi. He turned his head and looked at a woman who, judging by her outfit, seemed to have been stuck in the mid-90s. She had shaggy, bleached blonde hair, smeared make-up and under her plush jacket with a brown leopard print she was wearing a top with a purple leopard print. Wild. She brought a stench of alcohol, sweat and cigarettes with her and Kakashi involuntarily had to cough again, although he tried to suppress it as much as he could. „Excuse me," he said, half-choked, and made the same apology as he had to Liz earlier. The unknown woman and Liz exchanged a look, and Liz grinned cockily. She was already familiar with Kakashi's attitude.

„How polite," said the other woman in a disparaging tone, and as if in response to Kakashi's behavior, she herself coughed across the counter. Kakashi's eyebrows drew together imperceptibly. Because of him, Liz might as well clean all the glasses. Disgusting. „Liz, darling, be a dear and give me a beer."

„Are you going to pay for it?" Liz asked briskly.

„Pleeeaaase, Liz, I need this!"

„I'll pay for it," Kakashi interjected.

Liz looked at him. „You're paying?"

Kakashi nodded and smiled at the woman next to him. She was anything but pretty and he invited her with no ulterior motive whatsoever, but it might have been the alcohol that made him find the whole situation at the Cortez so interesting. It was still so quiet around them and if he happened to meet another guest, he could have a chat with her. Even if she looked like a junkie – but at least that gave her something to talk about.

„Then at least introduce yourself," said Liz, handing the woman a beer bottle.

The woman groaned, drank first and then said curtly, „Sally."

„Kakashi Hatake," Kakashi replied in a friendly tone, shaking Sally's sweaty hand. He wiped his own inconspicuously dry on his jeans. They were having a conversation, yes, but they didn't have to start exchanging bodily fluids.

„Where are you from? You look quite exotic."

„Tokyo," Kakashi repeated.

„Do you speak Japanese?"

„Of course."

„Say something."

Kakashi thought for a moment, then he said: „I'm insanely horny, but you two are absolutely not fuckable, because one of you probably still has a dick and the other has syphilis."

Liz and Sally grinned and Kakashi was a little relieved that the two of them hadn't understood him. „Uuh, he could purr that into my ear more often with his voice," Liz cooed and Sally laughed.

„What does that mean in English?" Liz asked curiously.

„I've ordered another whiskey," Kakashi lied with a smirk. He really was a jerk sometimes.

Liz again fluttered her eyelashes conspicuously. „I have to admit that your English is very good. I would never have guessed that you're not from the States. How did you manage to speak without an accent?"

„Mh," Kakashi said, just to buy himself a little time and to sip his whiskey instead of giving a hasty answer. „I grew up bilingual to a large extent, my grandmother was American, I only spoke English with her and that's why I more or less got it from the cradle."

„Oh, so a mixed breed, fascinating," smiled Liz and leaned forward with interest. „How did that happen? I've heard that Japan is not too open-minded about foreigners."

Kakashi's vision blurred for a moment and, guided by the alcohol, he said, „That's right. I'm an outsider in my own homeland, even in the second generation, and my mother and grandmother were even more so. Many never accepted them, seeing them as a kind of disgrace, especially since my grandfather was also a soldier in the Second World War and what did he bring home instead of victory? A pregnant enemy." He put on a smile. „It wasn't always easy for us as a family, but well." He coughed again. Excuse me." This time, however, he didn't rise. The two women already thought he was crazy, so he didn't have to make himself look any more ridiculous.

„Do you want somethin'?" Sally asked with an unmistakable undertone. Kakashi's story must have been an unpleasant one for her – understandable, after all, their two countries did not have a particularly friendly past. The attack on Pearl Harbor and the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were difficult topics in both cultures.

„Sally," Liz snapped at her, perhaps a little too forcefully placing the third glass of whiskey in front of Kakashi, because a few drops spilled over the rim and she wiped them off with the rag she was using to polish the glasses.

Sally just grinned, wordlessly took a small bag of white powder out of her pocket and waved it in front of Kakashi. „You won't find something better today."

Kakashi pondered. Actually, he had only wanted to have a little drink, which he was already well occupied with. But as soon as none of the three said anything, the fact that he had failed at his job resurfaced. Contrary to all expectations, he liked the company of Liz and Sally and after a short sigh he nodded. „Fuck it," he said for the second time that evening. „Why not?"

Sally's grin grew even wider. She opened the sachet, tipped the white powder onto the counter and divided the pile into three small lines with a for some reason dirty razor blade that she had fetched from who knows where. After a meaningful look at Liz, who shook her head, Sally reduced the three lines to two. Kakashi took a rolled-up dollar note from Sally and took a deep sniff of the cocaine through his nose. „Oh fuck," he muttered, rubbing his nose. The drug burned away everything and, by hastily wiping his nose, he realized that he was bleeding.

Sally laughed. „You're greedy for sure."

Kakashi grinned at her and watched as she sniffed away the second line. She too rubbed her nose a few times. „Uuuuh," she said, shaking her head energetically. „Delightful."

Kakashi didn't know whether to agree with her. The drug didn't work like he was used to. He had popped coke before, maybe a few times too many, but this stuff was somehow... different. Unconsciously, he wondered if cocaine actually had an expiration date and if the stuff was as old as Sally and the rest of this fucking hotel. He felt dizzy, woozy, as if someone had muted his mind and he was just a spectator in his own head. Without really knowing why, he turned his gaze away from Sally and looked down into the lobby. It was as if his attention had been magically drawn to two people walking across the octagonal carpet. In his intoxicated state, Kakashi could think of no other word for them than „cool," even though he hated that word with a passion.

It was a couple. The man was tall, with dark hair that he had casually gelled back. Even from this distance, Kakashi could see that his eyes of a heavenly deep blue. His black shirt was unbuttoned a little further than strictly necessary, revealing a firm, smooth chest. Kakashi was not really into men. Maybe it was the alcohol and the strange cocaine, who knows, but he found himself wanting to fuck the man down there. His undeniable beauty was only surpassed by the woman at his side. She was... Kakashi didn't even have a description for her. This woman, with her light blonde hair, equally light eyebrows, dark make-up, blood-red lips and flowing dress, radiated an aura that immediately captivated him. She was truly a apparition.

As the couple crossed the lobby in their all-consuming elegance, Kakashi stood up to be able to keep watching in awe. They floated almost as if they were not of this world. As if they were inhuman creatures whose only purpose was to beguile him. He leaned over the railing, just so he wouldn't lose sight of them. He couldn't help but stare at the two of them.

Just before they disappeared below him in the elevator, they both looked up at him at the same time. And that sparkle in their eyes, the furtive smile on their lips was all Kakashi needed to turn around, ignore the looks of the women at the bar and hurry towards the elevator as well. He wanted them. Both of them.