Kakashi unlocked the door to his apartment, placed his shoes carefully on the shelf provided for them in the hallway and slipped into his slippers before letting the door fall shut behind him and switching on the hallway light. He sighed deeply and cracked his neck. A few exhausting weeks lay behind him and he was actually quite happy to be home again. Although he could hardly call this apartment his home. It was a means to an end, after all, he needed a permanent residence. On the small sideboard with the half-empty drawers, there was even the brochure for the World City Towers, which advertised all the luxurious amenities and which Kakashi had never used once. Fitness center? He would never get fat again. Swimming pool? He wasn't a particularly big fan of water. Concierge? Yes, well, you could abuse that one every now and then, even though Kakashi hadn't done so since moving in five years ago. Why bother? He had Naruto for all professional inconveniences and otherwise got along very well on his own.
He put his trolley case next to the bureau and threw the key card, along with the mail he had taken upstairs, on top of an already worryingly high pile of envelopes with bills that he had previously paid online. What a waste of paper and printer ink. Japan was highly modern in many respects, except when it came to administrative matters. He was bloody glad he had Naruto to take care of emptying the mailbox while he was away. Maybe that would be a job for the concierge, although he would never want to assign a complete stranger to take care of his private affairs. He trusted Naruto enough to know that he wouldn't do anything indecent with his mail. He only opened the envelopes that appeared to be official, to check if there was a dunning letter in there. Kakashi's private letters he left untouched and stacked them next to the ones with the bills. Well, what did he mean by „stacked"? Kakashi rarely got any mail. Who would write to him? So he was more than surprised to find a single envelope with a stamp and handwritten addressand all that stuff lying next to the neatly slit ones.
Kakashi frowned and opened the letter. His eyebrows rose higher and higher with every line, and when he finally reached the bottom and read the name „Sarutobi Asuma" as the sender, he was lucky that his skin remained wrinkle-free. Asuma was an old school friend of his and he had invited Kakashi to the class reunion that he was organizing with a few helpers to celebrate the 15th anniversary of their graduation. 15 years... Crap. That meant he was now 33. Would he feel better about his age at some point, now that he had countless years, oh, decades ahead of him? Hopefully, because if he broke out in a sweat like that even at 100, he wouldn't last long in immortality. It was just as well that his appearance didn't change.
„RSVP..." Kakashi read out loud, his head tilted, staring at the characters. Should he go? Did he even want to go? Pondering, he left his luggage in the hallway, went into the kitchen, switched on the small strip light under the cupboard and immediately began to pour an undiluted shot of shochu from the bottle directly into his stomach. He closed his eyes with pleasure, felt the nasty burning of the high-proof alcohol in his throat and fetched a glass from the shelf for more sips. He had to at least pretend to be a civilized person sometimes. Apart from the alcohol, his fridge didn't have much else to offer. With the little time he spent here, that was also advisable. Food would only spoil unnecessarily and was superfluous anyway.
He drank from the glass, looked through the neatly stapled collection of menus on the refrigerator door to find a suitable meal – today it was to be Indian, which he hadn't had for a long time – and ordered by phone portions that were more suited to a family of four from the small South Asian restaurant around the corner. „Thank you very much, we'll be with you in fifteen minutes," said the man with the strong accent.
„Thank you, bye. „ Kakashi groaned and leaned against the kitchen counter. Fifteen minutes... Dammit. What was he supposed to do in that time? He raised his arm, smelled his armpit and took the opportunity to quickly jump in the shower, not even masturbating, he was too tired for that. It was always remarkable how the sun could weaken him that much. Just 24 hours ago, thanks to this young man, he had felt as alive as he did with any of his victims, but Cape Town was not in a particularly shady country. Perhaps he should ask Tsunade to only let him travel in the northern hemisphere, where the likelihood of dreary weather was certainly higher. He had liked Stockholm three months ago, it had rained the whole time he was there and the Swedish girl had tasted so wonderfully of lime, it had been magnificent. He would not forget this trip for a long time, it had been the best he had had since then.
Just as the delivery man was about to ring the doorbell, Kakashi pulled on a sweatshirt and a pair of sweatpants, took the bags and calmed his growling stomach with an annoyed „Yeah, shut up, you've had enough already." Actually, he didn't need to eat anymore, but he continued to do so out of habit, and his body reacted accordingly. Strange. But at least he wasn't gaining weight anymore, so he could eat fatty shit without any ulterior motives, as the mood took him.
While balancing the spicy curry on his chopsticks, he typed Asuma's number into his cell phone, which was noted in the invitation. He was a little mortified to realize that it was still in his contacts, which he had forgotten about. Fuck. He and Asuma had been inseparable in high school, until they went their separate ways for university. How naive teenagers were when they thought such friendships would last forever. What did a pubescent tormentor know about eternity? They were all stupid. Kakashi had it in front of him and had no idea what to expect. It tooted. „Sarutobi Asuma here, good evening?"
„Hello, this is Hatake Kakashi."
„Kakashi? Man, it's a pleasure to hear your voice!"
„I'm calling about the invitation to the class reunion," said Kakashi, somewhat sheepishly. Although he shouldn't even have needed one, he had an excuse to call his former best friend. He should get out more – and of course not instantly kill people while doing so.
„Oh, that, yes. I have to admit, I didn't expect to hear from you again, nobody would have, not even Gai and you know how incredibly positive he always is." Something suddenly itched Kakashi's ear and he started to scratch absent-mindedly. „But now I hope you don't want to cancel..."
„No, I'd love to come." That wasn't even a lie. „Is it too short notice if you still plan on having me? After all, the party is supposed to take place in two weeks."
„No, no, everything's fine. We'll still find room for you, don't worry." Kakashi scratched himself harder. „We ordered a little more alcohol anyway." Asuma chuckled darkly, sounding like a teenager planning a sleepover party for teenage drinkers. „I think the others will be happy to see you again. You haven't been around for a while. What have you been up to?"
„The usual, work, travel, earn so much money that I can't even spend it..." As he said this, his gaze wandered over the bare walls of his large, empty apartment. Decoration was not really his thing, but sometimes he wished he had even the slightest sense of interior design. Every piece of furniture in this apartment had already been here when he moved in. Only his suits in the wardrobe and his toiletries in the bathroom indicated his infrequent visits; otherwise, anyone could have lived here. „Can I help you with the party? Financially, I mean."
„That's nice of you, really, but we're well within budget."
„Mm," Kakashi nodded, scratching his ear lobe until it was bloody and chewing on a grain of rice that he had fished out of his molar. Something was gnawing at him, although he couldn't quite put his finger on what it was. „Well then. I hope my work doesn't get in the way. I'm flying to the USA next week and then to Argentina, but if everything goes according to plan, I'll be back in Japan on time."
„If not, just send me a quick message, now that you have my number."
Yeah, „now"... Kakashi's upper lip curled. „Asuma, I'm sorry I haven't been in touch. Tsunade's been riding me pretty hard, you know?" Blame it on others, never admit to mistakes. It wasn't his fault, after all, what could he do about having to travel so much?
Asuma laughed. In the background, a lighter clicked and his voice sounded a little hoarse for a moment as he replied. So he's still a smoker. „Kakashi, don't worry about it. We all know her temper, there are enough rumors about her." There was a short pause. „Uh... Speaking of rumors. I s- wanted to ask you if there's any truth about you having had something with her."
A sly smile crept onto Kakashi's face. „Is it likely that your wife is listening?"
Silence. Then a woman said, „Hello, Kakashi-kun."
„Kurenai-chan, you sound as enchanting as ever." He sighed in a convincing fashion. „To answer your question, Kurenai, yes, the rumors are true."
She gasped. „Really?!"
„My goodness, Tsuma, you're far too curious!" Asuma said in a sharp voice, but Kakashi grinned even wider.
„Kakashi-kun, do you have time?"
„Tsuma!"
Kurenai ignored her husband. „Come over, we need to have a talk."
„Umm, I'm still a bit exhausted from the trip," said Kakashi in a drawn-out voice, licking his chopsticks with relish, „the jet lag is killing me, you know?"
„Come on, I have to know everything about it!" said Kurenai with a mixture of curiosity and desperation.
„There's not much to know," Kakashi replied honestly. „It was years ago, I was 23, if I remember correctly. We had both been drinking, we were both lonely, and then it happened, just that one time." He couldn't say himself why he was telling her about it, but he liked getting that kind of attention. „But don't go blabbing about it, okay? I think she would be uncomfortable if everyone knew that."
„Of course," Kurenai assured him, sounding less than sincere.
„Kakashi," Asuma interrupted the conversation, audibly uncomfortable, „I'm glad you got in touch and want to come to the class reunion. We could meet for a beer or sake sometime, if you have a moment, hm? But right now we have to take care of our daughter."
„Do we?" Kurenai asked, and after a short pause she added, „Uh, right. We do. The little lady is such a whirlwind these days, it's sometimes a strain."
Kakashi dug deep into his mind and found a memory buried somewhere among unimportant addresses: Asuma and Kurenai had had a child six years ago. Mirai, or something like that. Kakashi hadn't been interested back then, and to be honest, he still wasn't today. He didn't like children. „Ah, yes, I see. Have yourselves a nice romp with her." Was that how you said it? Judging by the silence that followed his words, that was not what people said. But he didn't actually care. At least that way he would never be asked to look after that thing. „See you at the party at the latest," Kakashi finally broke the tension, and the two of them seemed quite uneasy as they said goodbye. Kakashi hung up and leaned back on the couch. The curry had gone cold by now and this gnawing just wouldn't leave him alone. He was slowly beginning to realize what it meant: he felt a bitterness because he was excluded from any kind of planning. Back then, he had been involved in everything, had often been the center of attention, had been popular with everyone – then he had had success in his career and where had it led him? They had forgotten him, underestimated his social skills. The invitation had probably been sent out out of a sense of obligation.
Kakashi was furious. He had to tear something apart, otherwise he wouldn't be able to rest tonight. So he swung himself up, put on a black suit and rode the elevator down to the parking garage, lost in thought. There, he saw the Ducati he had bought ages ago. Since then, he had used it rarely enough and sometimes he thought it was a shame how it was gathering dust in the basement, unnoticed. He only took it out for his forays because it simply made him horny to sit on it, feel the hard vibrations and lean elegantly into the curves with it. That sounded fucking gay, but somehow he was that by now. Donovan had successfully introduced him to his bisexuality and he was anything but angry about that. He still preferred women, but men also had their appeal. He only chose worthy candidates from both sexes to feed on. Even after two years since his transformation, they should still have that certain something about them. For this reason, and because he wanted to avoid being caught, he only killed once a month in Tokyo, if he was here at all. Abroad, he had gotten into the habit of disfiguring his victims only to the extent that he could make their death look like a suicide. And hell, that was easy. Often enough, he would then follow the local news and every time it was said „it was so unexpected" and „she was liked by everyone". Bullshit. If people knew what abysses lurked in people, completely different obituaries would be written. His victims were all filthy little whores who almost enjoyed it when he cut their wrists while he kept on fucking them. They had all begged for more, but none of them would get any further from him than they deserved.
As usual, Kakashi drove to Haneda Airport. After careful consideration, back then he had decided that no victim in his homeland was better than random tourists who had come to Tokyo to revel in Japanese culture, even though none of them showed any real interest in it. They just wanted to expand their unspeakable obsession with mangas and anime. How many kanji had he seen on their bodies, screaming meaningless messages to the world that could just as well have been stuck on a crappy white wall. The idea was that it looked Japanese, the meaning was completely irrelevant to them.
Kakashi parked his Ducati in an abandoned side street, hung his matt black motorcycle helmet over the handle, put his leather fingerless gloves in it and looked at his reflection in a dark, graffiti-covered shop window. Neon colors shone pitifully into the passageway from the left and right, but hardly reached him. This area was perfect. At night, nothing ever happened here, nobody noticed what was going on in the dark and if they did, nobody cared. It could have been conspicuous that each of his victims was slaughtered in the same alley, but it wasn't, otherwise Kakashi wouldn't be walking around freely anymore. He straightened his tie, ran his fingers through his greying black hair, put on a disposable mask and walked towards Terminal 1. A fine drizzle had started, which soon turned into a proper monsoon. Kakashi opened his umbrella, stopped at a corner and closed his eyes.
Despite the late hour, there were an astonishing number of people around the airport. Even at this considerable distance, he could perceive every pulse and every scent. His senses were sharpened, trained, pushed to the point of perfection. He never knew exactly what he was looking for, but as always, he was overcome with sheer excitement when he found it. Tonight it was chamomile. A young woman with light blonde hair and a baby blue mini dress was standing in front of the glass doors of the entrance, holding her handbag over her head due to the rain. Kakashi was at a loss to understand why she didn't just take a step back to stand under the canopy. She didn't seem to be the brightest bulb, which basically made her ideal. He approached her so that she was half-covered by his umbrella and asked in a friendly voice in English, „Hello, you seem a bit lost. Can I help you?" At the same time, he took great care to ensure that the camera above the entrance recorded as little of his figure as possible.
„Chello," the woman greeted him back with a strong Russian accent. „Yes, I don't know where I find chotel."
Kakashi smiled with his eyes, although her accent pissed him off. „Which hotel are you looking for?"
She fumbled a cell phone out of her wet handbag, glancing up at the sky in a frazzled way – but still didn't think to take cover under the roof, stupid cunt – and approached Kakashi, seeking shelter from the rain on the one hand and to show him a room reservation at Hisayo's Inn on the other. „Ah, yes, I know that one. It's a nice little hotel not far from here. To get there, you have to go down the street, a good distance straight ahead, until you..." He paused for effect and looked at the woman. „You know what? I'll just show you. It's almost on my route anyway and you don't seem to have an umbrella. I can't be responsible for you getting sick."
The woman seemed extremely relieved and Kakashi wasn't even sure whether his mental command 'Follow me' had been necessary at all. „Thank you, thank you, so much. Japan is such friendly country. Thanks, man."
Now they were already buddies? Tourists were strange. Not only did she apparently not know that Japan was flooded by downright typhoons in June, no, she also had the audacity to show him no respect as a stranger. If she didn't smell so beguiling, he wouldn't even bother with her. „You're welcome," he replied politely, taking her suitcase and setting off, making sure she had enough room under his umbrella. As they walked, her upper arm occasionally brushed against his elbow, which she acknowledged with a mild smile. She was very pretty, with her large brown eyes, full lips and well-formed breasts. She reminded Kakashi a little of Elizabeth, and that aroused an irrepressible longing in him. He hadn't seen the Countess for two years, and had only spoken to her on the phone once, at which she had been so curt. He missed her a little more with every passing day, and felt a youthful joy at being back in L.A. next week. That one client, the one he had failed – and no one, not Naruto and certainly not Tsunade, could convince him otherwise – was finally ready to invest, and at least they had kept their word and taken Kakashi on as their agent. The woman who was stomping through the puddles in her high heels was only a small consolation, a bland appetizer for the main course that awaited him at the Hotel Cortez.
After walking silently next to each other for several minutes, Kakashi stopped. They were standing right in front of the alley where his Ducati was impatiently waiting for him, far from Hisayo's Inn. „We're almost there," he finally said, pointing into the dark, narrow passageway. „Your hotel is at the other end. I have to say goodbye to you here, I'm sorry."
The woman smiled. „Thanks, thanks much."
Kakashi's guts tightened. He would have liked to rip out her larynx immediately, but he had to be patient. From here, his actions would be too easily observed. „You're welcome, I'm happy to have done it." He handed her the suitcase. „I hope you will find Tokyo very enjoyable." His eyes smiled again, even though his gaze continued to scrutinize her.
„I think too," she said, extending her hand to shake his. Reluctantly, Kakashi took her slender fingers. No manners, this wench. „Goodbye."
She nodded, stepped out from under the umbrella – wondering why she was getting wet, how stupid could one be, seriously – and raised her handbag over her head again.
Kakashi watched her for a moment until her pale blue back had disappeared into the darkness. Then he looked around, closed the umbrella, stowed it in the pocket of his suit along with the mask, and followed her at a quick pace. The clacking of her shoes was still clearly audible and it didn't take long before he had caught up with her. Like a predatory feline, he closed the distance between them and, as soon as she was within his reach, he grabbed her by the shoulders and slammed her against the wall of the house with a mighty thud. She let out a surprised scream and, when she turned around to see the unveiled face of the man who had been so nice just a moment ago, she froze and muttered something in Russian. 'Submit to me,' Kakashi ordered, and she obeyed instantly. Her almost panicked expression gave way to a warm flutter of eyelashes. She no longer cared that her dress was soaked through with rain or that a few drops of blood from her injured temple had stained her blonde hair. She stroked Kakashi's neck with a red-painted fingernail and began to kiss the same spot.
It was always astonishing how these women and men could be so seductive in their lack of will. Kakashi was hard only at the thought of how they would surrender to his command, satisfying him in the way he demanded of them. His thought was their decree. They belonged to him, until their last breath, the final beat of their hearts, which submissively brought their blood to him to quench the insatiable greed that filled them.
The act took less than ten minutes, only interrupted by the pattering of golf ball-sized drops that smashed on the roof above him. Kakashi took his tongue from her neck, from which blood was still seeping. He felt invincible. Her dead, brown eyes stared at him, almost reproachfully. That was the look he loved most about them. He smiled, kissed her and let go of her body, which collapsed to a heap of rotten flesh on the ground. So lifeless, they were pitiful, their grace grotesquely distorted. He sighed, licked the blood from her lips, closed his pants and washed his smeared hands clean in the rain that was constantly falling on the silent scene. His white shirt had been spared. After all the murders, he had gotten the hang of killing his victims in a way that couldn't be seen on his clothes afterwards. With a short and relieved sigh, he mounted his Ducati, which was standing a few feet away, dry under another roof. Helmet on, gloves on, jacket closed, pockets checked – all in fluid movements, he was a very routined person.
He stopped and his heartbeat accelerated uncomfortably as he reached into his breast pocket. The cell phone was there, but the key card was gone. He turned his helmeted head to the shimmering blue corpse. Could she possibly...? He swung his leg off the motorcycle and returned to her. Her dress was stuck to her skin, torn over her left breast because Kakashi had momentarily lost control, her shoes were only half on her feet or not on at all. Her body offered no hiding places, and her hands were empty too. He searched the ground around her – no key card. „Goddamn it," he grumbled to himself – after all, no one else could hear him – and now he remembered that he had put the card on the sideboard but not put it back in later. How stupid could he be..
Groaning, he straightened up, flipped down the darkened visor and drove determinedly over the wet streets to Shinagawa. The heavy rain blurred his vision and his suit, which was now soaked through, restricted his freedom of movement, but as always, he drove safely and without mistakes. He stopped at a gas station. For obvious reasons, he always turned off his cell phone during his nighttime activities, so he started it up and dialed Naruto's number. It beeped several times before his sleepy voice finally answered. „Kakashi-senpai, what's wrong? It's the middle of the night..."
„Naruto," said Kakashi urgently. „I'm out and I left the key card to my apartment in the hallway. I need the second card, can I come by for a moment?"
„Key card...? What..?" Naruto yawned loudly. „Why are you out?"
„It's Saturday and for my body it's only half past five in the evening, what do you think? Please, Naruto-kuun," Kakashi begged in the sweetest voice he could muster, „I really want to go to bed and I don't want to bother you for long, I just need the key card."
„Uh... Well... I don't have it."
Kakashi's muscles tensed. „What?" It took all his self-trained composure not to lose his temper. „What do you mean, you don't have it?"
„I gave it to Sakura-chan."
„What the hell is Sakura doing with my key card?!"
„Senpai, please cal–"
„Naruto," Kakashi interrupted him briskly. „Why does my student have the bloody key card to my apartment?! I entrusted it to you, and only to you. You have no right to simply pass it on. What were you thinking?"
„Senpai, it was an emergency, please believe me," Naruto complained, and there was no sign of his tiredness anymore. „Boruto got sick a few weeks ago and Hinata and I have been under a lot of pressure ever since. He had a bad case of pneumonia and someone had to stay with him in the hospital at all times, but Hinata couldn't do it alone and Neji and her father and my parents, they-" Naruto took a shaky breath and Kakashi could almost see him fighting back the tears. „I didn't have time to deal with your mail, so I asked Sakura-chan to do it for me. She was only there the other day, put the letters on the sideboard and left again. I knew you'd be back soon and that you'd be able to sort them yourself, so... We talked on the phone the whole time, she didn't touch anything or snoop around, believe me! I trust her, she wouldn't take advantage of something like that, never."
Kakashi massaged the bridge of his nose. „Naruto-kun... Why didn't you tell me that your son was sick? You know that I could have given you a break for something like that."
„I know," Naruto whispered sheepishly. „You've only had so much stress in the last few months and I wanted to relieve you as much as I could. I'm sorry, Senpai, please forgive me."
„I do," Kakashi said calmly. He couldn't be more angry with his assistant. The boy constantly sacrificed so much for him, this confession only showed it again. „Nevertheless, I now face the problem that I can't get into my apartment. Can you send me Sakura's address?"
„Of course, with immediate effect. Thank you, Senpai, I will make it up to you."
„You don't have to, just give me her address and we'll call it even." They hung up and not ten seconds later Kakashi's cell phone vibrated. Sakura lived not far from his own apartment in an area where there were many high-rise buildings with cheap, small flats. He sped to the border between Shinagawa and Minato, parked his Ducati a short distance away in front of a closed café and was about to ring Sakura's doorbell when the front door was opened by a small group of teenagers who stepped out into the rain, laughing and clearly drunk, probably to go out partying. Kakashi took the opportunity to slip behind them into the stairwell and look for the corresponding apartment door. Finally, he arrived on the second floor, pressed the button next to number 14 and a loud ringing came from inside.
Kakashi tapped his shoe impatiently on the tiled floor until someone finally opened the door. At first he wanted to say, „Excuse me, can I speak to Haruno Sakura?" but on second glance, Kakashi realized with a shock that the young woman standing in front of him was actually his student. He recognized her only by the color of her eyes and the scent of cherry blossoms that wafted towards him. His mouth opened. „Sa-Sakura-kouhai..?"
„Sensei?" Sakura beamed at him from below and her green eyes lit up at the sight of him. „What are you doing here?"
She seemed drunk and high. Kakashi immediately flew into a rage. „What happened to your hair?" he asked incredulously, pointing to her pink mop. „We're flying to Los Angeles together on Monday so that you can master your first field assignment. How dare you dye your hair before that? What kind of impression does that make?!"
Sakura laughed out loud. „Sensei.. Don't worry, it's just a wig. See?" She pushed her thumb under the fringe and lifted the hairnet slightly, causing a few strands of black hair to fall onto her forehead. She hastily tucked them back under the pink splendour. She giggled. „You should see your face.."
„Oh, I'm sorry about my tone, that was inappropriate."
„Oh, don't worry," Sakura waved off casually.
„Sakura-chaaan, come on! It's about to start!" an unfamiliar voice called from inside the apartment.
Without further ado, Sakura grabbed her mentor by the wrist and pulled him behind her through a narrow hallway and into a small living room, which was filled with a couch, two armchairs, a desk – which Kakashi assumed was also used as a dining table, judging by a dirty soup bowl – and countless shelves stuffed with even more books. Two girls of Sakura's age were sitting in the armchairs, one blonde with an astonishingly harsh aroma of leather and the other with brown hair and a pleasantly sweet scent of burnt gunpowder. Kakashi was fascinated by the two of them because the smells of their blood did not match their appearance at all. In contrast, Sakura, who as always exuded a floral scent, now topped off her name and scent with her pink wig. The moment she had drawn Kakashi into the girls' field of vision, they had opened their eyes wide and scrutinized him intently.
„This is Hatake Kakashi, my sensei, and this is Yamanaka Ino, my roommate, and Satō Tenten, a friend of ours," Sakura introduced the three to each other.
At the sound of Kakashi's name, the girls' eyes widened by several miles, until they almost popped out of their sockets, and both let out a resounding „Ooooohhhh~". Kakashi saw out of the corner of his eye how Sakura gave them a warning look and indicated a shake of the head. He himself ignored these reactions and raised his hand in greeting. „Hello. I don't want to disturb you. Sakura, I–" A sudden squeak interrupted him and he felt that resentment rising up inside him again.
The girls in the corner were beside themselves with glee and waved their arms around noisily towards the TV, where a countdown was running and the image of a young, black-haired man appeared in front of the words „The Shadows" in the background, in an overly dramatic light. The chat box that appeared to the right of his face freaked out just like Ino and Tenten, and even Sakura's eyes sparkled as she stared at the screen. Whatever this stream was going to show them, it excited them to Kakashi's unbearable degree.
Kakashi cleared his throat. „Mh, Sakura-kouhai, I need the key card to my apartment. Naruto said he gave it to you."
„Hm?" Sakura asked absent-mindedly, barely taking her eyes off the TV, where the guy was babbling on about some mystery or whatever in an unnecessarily distorted voice.
Kakashi was gradually losing his patience. Although every rational cell in his brain warned him of the possible consequences, he grabbed Sakura's shoulders and turned her towards him so that her eye contact with the moderator would finally be broken. „Sakura, look at me!" To his chagrin, Ino and Tenten also noticed his rather rough behavior and he immediately let go of his protégé. „Did you hear? I'm here because of my key card."
But Sakura, probably completely beside herself due to the alcohol and other drugs, looked up from Kakashi's face to his shirt. „You're all wet, my dear. Take off your clothes, I'll dry them."
„Excuse me?"
„You mustn't get sick, Sensei, not before next week!" And Sakura immediately began to pull the wet jacket off his shoulders.
„Stop it," Kakashi hissed and slapped her hand away.
„Sakura-chan is right, Sensei~," Ino's dulcet voice drifted over. „She's been really looking forward to this assignment for a long time, so you can't be missing!"
Tenten nodded eagerly and she and Ino jumped up, came to the two standing people and helped, no, forced Kakashi out of his suit jacket. Groaning, he let them do it. If he wanted, he could kill them all on the spot, look for his key card and disappear from here. However, after Sakura had given him a breathtaking lecture during their first conversation, he had decided against killing her. The girl had potential and had also made good progress under his strict hand in the last two years – at least so far that he thought she was capable of conducting a real client meeting. Showing her his true nature now would ruin everything. He watched in exasperation as Ino and Tenten peeled his dripping clothes off his cold skin until he was standing before them in his underpants. Sakura had disappeared into the bathroom for a moment, but now she returned with a stack of towels. Perplexed, she stopped in the doorway.
Three pairs of eyes, widened in shock, in bright red faces stared at the half-naked Kakashi, who only tilted his head and let his black eyes wander from blue to brown and finally to green. „What is it?" he asked innocently, although he knew exactly what it was. Three drugged-up young women were alone in a room with him, for Japanese standards a tall, athletic man in his early 30s with a satisfactory genetic constellation.
„Ch," Sakura blurted out, squinting wildly. „I didn't know you had a tattoo."
Kakashi looked down at his left shoulder, where a black flame ran from his upper arm to his neck, just big enough to fit under the fabric of a T-shirt so that no one in his profession would ever know of the testimony of his recklessness. Except for Sakura now, who bit her lower lip with a glassy look in her eyes. The only one who could hear the soft sucking sound she made was Kakashi, who grinned furtively to himself. Sakura had never been of any sexual interest to him, except for the first time they met, but he liked her obvious enthusiasm for his body. When she had finished her training with him and he no longer felt responsible for her, he might want to taste her after all. Because she definitely wanted it.
„And with that, dear true crime fans, we move on to today's interview. Please welcome the incredibly talented and, by the way, beautiful Sabakuno Temari-chan!" A ridiculous jingle sounded in the stream and broke the silence.
Ino and Tenten turned away from Kakashi, crouched back down on the cushions and beckoned Sakura over, who held out the towels to Kakashi, her hand brushing briefly against his bare chest, which made her head feel like it was about to explode, and said with a nervous quaver in her voice, „I-I'll just put your clothes in the dryer, I'll be right back." She disappeared back into the bathroom.
Kakashi began to rub his hair with one of the smaller towels, which very likely gave his hair the usual bird's nest look, and approached the stream with some interest, where a young woman with sandy-colored hair was now sitting next to the guy and was being virtually adored by Ino and Tenten. „She looks so fucking good," Tenten enthused, causing Kakashi to raise his eyebrows at the choice of words. She was pretty, yes, but her features were too domineering for his taste. He preferred his women to be gentler.
„Temari-chan, I welcome you to our den of mysteries and atrocities," said the moderator. „How was your journey here?"
„Everything went well, thank you, Shikamaru-kun. I'm really happy to be here today. Hi, chat! Hi, girls!" She waved at the camera and, as if she had addressed Ino and Tenten personally, they waved back.
„Are your friends watching right now?" Shikamaru asked and grinned briefly.
„Yes, fuck, we love your show, we watch it every month with the greatest enthusiasm." When her friends used such language, Kakashi wondered why Sakura could behave so seriously. Was she also so vulgar in private? The thought somewhat diminished the respect he felt for her.
„For you," came a voice from the side, and Sakura, still with her cheeks red, pressed a cup of steaming tea into his hand.
„Thank you, but that's not necessary, I have a strong immune system," Kakashi replied, refusing. His simple and credible explanation for the fact that he had not been sick since his transformation. „I would also want to leave again right away, so..."
„The dryer takes twenty minutes, I won't let you leave before then, Sensei," Sakura said firmly and jerked the cup, which Kakashi now accepted finally. He probably had no choice without being too unfriendly, and if he had to wait anyway, he might as well make himself comfortable. He draped a large towel over his shoulders to at least pretend that he was uncomfortable with his nakedness in front of the girls, and took a seat on the narrow couch. He felt the eyes of Ino and Tenten resting on him and stifled a smile. In a deliberately coincidental manner, he pushed the terrycloth up a little further at the front so that more of his six-pack was visible. If they wanted to secretly ogle him while watching the stream, they should at least have something to look at.
„I'll get more snacks, does anyone have any special requests?" Sakura asked the group.
„Just chips, and now shush!" Ino snapped at her because she hadn't heard Temari's half sentence. „.. laughed a lot, thanks for that."
„No problem," said Shikamaru. „But now to today's topic. I already know what you've brought us, otherwise you wouldn't be sitting here now, but tell our viewers what you've dug up."
„Mm," Temari nodded eagerly. Sakura placed a few bowls on the small coffee table and sat down next to Kakashi, obviously trying not to get too close to him, which was only partially successful due to the width of the sofa. Driven by a devilish idea, Kakashi leaned back comfortably into the backrest and brushed her knee with his. There was nothing wrong with a little tickling, after all, it wasn't intentional. At least that's what Sakura was supposed to believe. „... several unsolved murders. The police have been in the dark for years and it's a really strange case. Among circles, the perpetrator is known as: 'The Beast of Haneda'." Kakashi pricked up his ears. „The man, and yes, we are sure that he is a man, I'll get to that in a moment, well, he selects his victims at Haneda Airport in Tokyo and lures them, somehow, into an empty alley, where he finally kills them in the most brutal way."
„How does he do that?" Shikamaru asked, and the unabashed enthusiasm on his face would have been frightening to any normal person. Kakashi made it curious.
„That's why they call him 'the Beast': he rips the throats of his victims."
„Uuuuuh," came from the girls in chorus and Kakashi's eyebrows lifted a fraction of an inch. Were they.. pleased about it? His interest was piqued and completely forgot to drink his tea or tease Sakura with little touches.
„Really? With a weapon or how?"
„No," replied Temari. „Judging by the marks on the victims, he does it with his bare hands! They all had scratches on their skin and the wound patterns match fingers."
„That's fierce. The guy must be fucking strong. What number are we talking about?"
„So far, fourteen victims are assumed, although..." Temari narrowed her eyes slightly. „We in our club believe that there are far more. There are cases, especially at the beginning of the series of murders and also overseas, that show a similar killing pattern, but were never attributed to him. In the files it simply says: perpetrator unknown, finished."
„What do the victims have in common that makes you think that?"
„Ooh, a lot. The victims of Haneda are all tourists from all over the world. They arrive in Tokyo and don't even survive the first night. At first glance, it seems random, so it's hard to see a pattern. The only parallel between all the cases, whether official or otherwise, is that they were all quite young, always around 20 to a maximum of 25, objectively good-looking. That brings me to an important point. While researching the Beast, I came across a case and you won't believe it, but I'm convinced that she was his first victim."
„That sounds exciting, tell me more!"
Temari nodded with a grin. „Two years ago, a female black, i.e. African-American, body was found in Ballona Creek in Los Angeles. She was identified as Adela Pheonix. Adela's story is that of a typical small-town girl, as you know them from films. Young, beautiful, seeking success in the big wide world. She was in L.A. to become a model" – Kakashi grinned briefly. He had guessed right – „and until her death, things looked very good for her, but then, on a warm summer night, she disappeared from a club and was not found until the next morning in the water – her throat was completely torn open, literally shredded, it looked gruesome, believe me, and there were traces of sex."
„Sex? Are they being raped by the Beast?"
„Only he can answer that, because now..." Temari leaned forward a little and her eyes glowed with excitement, „.. the most exciting part of the story is coming! Apart from Adela, sperm was found in every single victim, male or female, because, yes, not all of the Beast's victims are women. There are also men among them, but that's actually irrelevant, because they all suffer the same fate. There is absolutely no evidence that they were sexually assaulted before their deaths. They all had sex, some of them quite hard, but there were never any defensive wounds or anything like that. But no drugs that would have made them compliant were found in their blood either. So the question remains whether they slept with him willingly or not. You could ask him this question if you ever catch him, but here's the crux of the matter: the sperm, which could actually be a perfect indication, even proof, is completely unusable."
„How so?" Shikamaru asked, and even Kakashi began to listen attentively.
„Well, normally you can determine a person's DNA from their bodily fluids, right? Yes, that's usually how it works. But the thing is, the Beast's DNA was examined, and I'll be damned, call me crazy, but I saw it with my own eyes, I looked at the damn gooey stuff under the microscope myself – the DNA.. is.. not.. human."
A silence fell and Kakashi realized with a sense of euphoria that the three girls with whom he had been following the interview with such anticipation were exchanging highly mixed looks. They seemed to be surprised, shocked and positively interested at the same time.
„N-not human..?" Shikamaru asked. „What do you mean, Temari-chan?"
„I can't explain it myself, but it's a fact. It's not that a sample was incomplete or something like that, no. Every DNA sample from every victim, even those not officially linked to the Beast, shows the same thing: chromosomes are missing, and not those that indicate a particular disease. There are only 32, remember: humans have 46. The police dismiss it as a mistake, an anomaly, whatever. But I compared the DNA with all kinds of other DNA and found something: the DNA of the Beast matches that of an animal. And now guess what kind of animal it is."
„Uh..." Shikamaru said, throwing a few species into the room at random, „Wolf? Bear? Rattlesnake?"
Temari shook her head, wrinkled her nose and said with dramatic pauses, „It's... the DNA... of a... bat." Silence again, more looks. „Our Beast, the Beast of Haneda, is a bat!"
„You're fucking kidding me," Shikamaru said in disbelief, but in the chat, which according to Temari's words was just scrolling through, Kakashi read short messages like „bite me, daddy!", „Batman with a difference" and „Fuck Edward, I'm flying to Haneda". Slowly, he could no longer hold himself back. He had to be careful not to let his inner grin show and give himself away.
„I guess that's why the police won't be able to catch him so quickly," said Temari in a tone that suggested she was thoroughly enjoying the impact of her revelation. „What should they do? Should they look for a humanoid bat? But guys, honestly, this is fucking proof: vampires exist! And they're just as brutal as in our dreams."
„That's what I call a final sentence... Chat, feel free to write your opinion ab–" Ino switched the TV to mute.
Hardly anyone in the room moved. Kakashi's gaze darted from one face to the next, and he was still struggling to maintain his indifferent composure.
„Vampires..." Sakura finally murmured. Kakashi thought he recognized a joyful glint in her eyes.
„She kept that from us the whole time, I can't believe it!" Ino was outraged. „Just wait, you'll get the truth soon enough. Yeah, whatever, bitch. Now we're sitting here like idiots and she can't confirm anything. Tsk."
„Kakashi-sensei, what do you think? Is that true?" Tenten asked Kakashi, who was just about to make up a lie, when a beeping sound came from the bathroom. „I think that was the dryer." He sneered at the group, downed the lukewarm tea, stood up, left the towel thoughtfully on the couch so that they could stare at him from all directions, and fetched his warm clothes from the machine. Dressed again, he returned to the girls, who were still discussing intensely. „Well then, it was nice, but I have to go home now. Sakura? My key card, please."
Sakura nodded, went to her handbag in the hallway and pressed a black plastic card into his hand. „Here." She looked at Kakashi skeptically. „Do you think vampires exist? Like, for real?"
Kakashi smiled thinly. „No, I consider all that to be old wives' tales. Vampires don't exist, nor do ghosts or witches. What does exist, however, are evil people, so: watch out for yourselves, all of you."
Knowing Kakashi's condition, it could have been taken as a warning, but it wasn't. At that moment, as he said goodbye to the girls and closed Sakura's apartment door, he felt a surge of arousal flow through his body that had nothing to do with sex, blood or the desire for destruction. When he left his apartment today, he never thought that he would, in addition to another almost cheap fuck, find his goddamn fan club. 'The Beast of Haneda'. That sounded kind of sexy.