Beneath the Tainted Moon

Bloodlust on a Sinful Night
Vladik never considered himself to be the type to sleep around. It just wasn't in his nature, nor his preference. Ironically, however, as he looked down on the man that lie beneath him, he could not quell the feelings of pent up lust and aggression that had festered and bubbled to the surface after being sealed tight within his mind and soul for so many years. This man, Shigenaga Arma, was not the man he loved. Not his Abram. And oh, how he resented himself for doing this. Or did he? After all, Abram would never love him. That's what he'd always told himself all this time. After all, who could love a monster?

Suddenly, a feeling of disgust began to well in his human stomach. What was he doing? He hated Shinigami. He hated them more than the Devil himself, and yet, here he was, poised to engage in acts of sin and lust with a Shinigami. Whatever feelings of regret and disgust he felt, however, were quickly shoved aside as a wave of pleasure overcame him. Shigenaga wasn't a passive partner, nor was he about to wait for Vladik to make up his mind, so he had begun to work on Vladik's lower parts. Vladik felt his face get hot and he shut his eyes tightly. He felt Shigenaga rise up from beneath him, felt his wet lips kiss and brush against his neck, and then clamp tightly around his lips. At first, Vladik sat, his eyes still clamped shut, doing nothing. Slowly though, he embraced the kiss.

"Ugh..." he thought to himself, "How did I get myself into this position?"

It had been his idea, after all. In his mind, he flashed back to earlier this morning. Wearing a Shinigami's shihakushō and a black cloak with a hood draped loosely over his head, he had infiltrated Soul Society. He was on a quest; to find a cure for the insufferable curse that afflicted him his entire life and prevented him from showing any of his true feelings, even to those he loved dearly, like Abram; the cursed affliction of lycanthropy. He had heard of Shigenaga. After the fall of the Vandenreich, Vladik had made it his personal goal to find his own way to get revenge on the Shinigami, so, naturally, he was keeping tabs on those that were considered particularly powerful among their kind. Shigenaga was just such an individual; a well-noted Shinigami spellcaster, with particular note on his ability to understand, cast, and undo curses. If anyone could cure him, Shigenaga could. He had to admit to himself, it was a despicable idea; to trust the very Shinigami that had used himself and Abram as Hollow bait when he was but a boy. Still, Vladik was a man who would sink to any low to achieve his goals. That's just how he was.

Shigenaga's deep, baritone voice snapped him out of his flashback. Vladik, in his daze, hadn't fully comprehended what his Shinigami partner had said, but it had sounded like encouragement. He must've had a stupid look on his face, because Shigenaga broke out into deep, hoarse laughter, making Vladik turn an even deeper shade of red. He hated being laughed at. He'd show Shigenaga who was truly in control. He nearly tackled the Shinigami back onto the bed, silencing Shigenaga's laughter. The two shared a highly aggressive kiss and Vladik began to move down immediately after they broke their kiss. This time, it was Shigenaga who threw his head back as pleasure hit him like a mallet, clearly pleased by Vladik's sudden aggressiveness.

Vladik was so caught up in his lust, that he barely noticed his partner's moans if approval. Once again, Vladik was thrust into his thoughts. How had he ended up with this Shinigami, after all? A Quincy and a Shinigami were hardly an ordinary pairing, especially giving both mens' rough and, often, harsh personalities. He could remember clearly now; they had met in a sake stand. Vladik, still clad in his cloak and hood, had been ease dropping for hours on the various Shinigami coming through to get their drinks. It was shortly after nightfall that Shigenaga had slid into the shack. Typical, considering the Shinigami was a criminal and, from what Vladik understood, had been a prostitute at one point. Vladik had bought Shigenaga's drink. Not out of kindness, of course, but rather, to get his attention. It had worked. Shigenaga was all too curious about why a shady stranger would go out of his way to buy him, a well-known crime lord a drink. Vladik had suggested they speak somewhere more... private.

Vladik rose up from his position above Shigenaga's lower region, looking down on his partner with a strong look of lustful passion. Shigenaga had begun to pant and sweat, a clear indicator that he was enjoying their little excursion. Though he hated to admit it to himself, he was enjoying it too. His bodily senses were becoming overloaded with the intense pleasure this "activity" was rewarding him with. With a mere gesture, he commanded Shigenaga to prop himself up on all fours. The Shinigami complied almost too quickly, but Vladik was in no mood to play the critic. He position his own body directly behind Shigenaga, uniting them completely in body and in lust. Now Vladik was sweating. The physical exertion was taxing his stamina, but he pushed his fatigue aside and continued his sinful activity on Shigenaga, who was now becoming louder and more vocal. He wasn't the only one. Vladik's own voice was nearly drowning out Shigenaga's. He had never known such sensations, as this was his first time, as opposed to Shigenaga, who could not possibly number the men he'd slept with in his lifetime.

He had agreed to this activity that he both loved and hated. Yes, he had agreed, but Shigenaga had been the one that demanded it. After the two had left the sake shack, Shigenaga had led Vladik back to a local inn, where he had a room. There, Vladik revealed himself as a Quincy, as well as his lycanthropy. Vladik visibly winced at the though of how much of a pretentious asshole Shigenaga had been. Almost as if he looked down on him. That had made Vladik angry, and the shift in his spiritual pressure had indicated to Shigenaga that if he continued to push, he might induce a transformation. So Shigenaga had suggested something. He would possibly help Vladik with his knowledge of the mythical and the arcane, but only if Vladik agreed to repay him. Vladik had been confused, but Shigenaga wasn't shy; he told him flat out what he wanted and was now getting exactly that as he held tightly the bed sheets of his hotel bed, as he was violently rocked back and forth by the increasingly aggressive Vladik. He had failed to notice that such a thing would prove even more dangerous.

As Vladik sunk deeper and deeper into his lust, a new feeling began churning within him. Hunger. Not the type of hunger you would expect when you have gone without a meal for a few hours, but pure, carnivorous hunger. To Vladik, it was a feeling all too familiar, but, as was the case in most transformations, he was too engulfed in his emotions to notice the warning signs. His hunger was growing. It demanded blood. It demanded flesh; any flesh, so long as it was raw. Vladik continued to sodomize his Shinigami partner, intensifying his lust, and his unholy transformation as a result.

Thump, Thump!

It was the sound of Vladik's heart, pounding hard in his chest; a beat so intense and powerful, he could feel its pulse in his head. He was now aware of what was happening, but, at this point, it was far too late to stop it. His teeth were elongating, his hands becoming larger, and his fingers becoming claws. Yet still he continued to engage in his act of lust with Shigenaga. Animalistic growls and grunts began to escape his mouth. He could feel the beast inside him begin to awaken at this point. Growls turned to snarls, and snarls to howls; one howl to be exact. He threw his head back and howled a most unholy howl, almost completely foreign to any canine any normal Shinigami or human would ever encounter. His transformation was now well on its way to completion.

Shigenaga had expected such a result, Vladik had informed him of his most unusual predicament before he had suggested that they get to know one another abit better. While the other man had been reluctant at first he had soon given in to his demands; and most likely not totally unwillingly, judging by how he had caught the human admiring him once or twice when he thought he didn't pay attention. Reaching out the nightstand at his side, Shigenaga collected a cigar from one of the sheds and lit it with a tiny flame procured from the tip of his finger, taking a long draw, the crime lord enjoyed the simultaneous stimuli of the cigar and the man behind him.

Soon however, he noticed that the physique of his partner was changing and his pants and moans had grown longer and more feral; his movements had also become more forceful and wild. Shigenaga didn't particularily mind any of these, it made the experience more worthwhile in the long run - at this point however, it seemed as if his partner was about to lose himself; and that wasn't exactly something he could accept, with the rather problematic predicament that Vladik had. So, the warlock quickly turned around to lie on his back without breaking the credence of Vladik's increasingly violent rhytm, mhmm - his partner had begun to become a real beast alright in more ways than one, to be sure.

With a somewhat facinated expression the nobleman lay on his back and observed his partners startling transformation. Indeed, whomever inflicted upon Vladik's family this particular curse was highly skilled in the art; for it changed their very being by twisting their own spiritual energy, although the method used he couldn't quite discern - it must be a highly advanced spell for it to leave the subject alive even after such a violent transformation. When his partner let out an ear-splitting howl of madness and ferocity the warlock groaned in exaperation as he noticed that it was about time to end this enjoyable activity, a damn shame considering how it helped take his mind of off business and the variety of boring transactions he'd have to deal with when day came.

Shigenaga could make out how Vladik's face seemed to twist and contort as his muscles and bones were stretched and torn by the forces of the spell placed upon him, soon he would've been turned into a ravenous beast and the warlock would be little else than a convenient meal. Calm and composed as always, he resigned himself to take a few last draws from the cigar before unceremoniously crushing the cigar into the provided ashtray at the nightstand beside him. Now, to deal with the growing threat infront of him, it was a simple enough procedure really - while the curse was indeed very powerful, there was very little which kept Vladik in his monstrous form and he could take advantage of that; and even as he lied there and casually observed the increasingly morbid transformation taking place just ahead of him, thoughts of how he could best capitalize on this phenomenon took place in his mind.

A thought dawned on him then, it would appear that while under the effect of his curse, Vladik seemed to lose all form of reason and coherent thought; this left him completely defenseless against his magical powers and thus under his dominance. To test out this strategy he awaited the moment when the beast had fully awoken and was about to rip him to shreds. Reaching out with his mind, the warlock felt no resistance when he employed his magical powers to reach for Vladik's consciousness and discovering that he was in fact incapable of defending himself from his enchantments. Before the creature could react, the warlock had seized its mind with his and forced it to obey him; a thought dawned on the sorcerer then, if he could control this creature then there was no point in stopping their enjoyable activity.

With a firm grip around Vlad's consciousness the warlock commanded the creature to continue with the act as if nothing had happened. Pleased with himself and this most useful discovery the warlock relaxed in the bed as he reached a hand out towards the nightstand to sip from a bottle of wine he had procured before this session of intimacy. Using his magic to ensure that his by now unwilling partner picked up the pace of his thrusts, when Vladik finished the warlock carefully used a variety of enchantments to soothe the other mans fluctuating emotions; and as he had thought, the transformation quickly dissipated, finally turning the Quincy back into a man.

Vladik found himself drenched in his own sweat as his humanity returned. His lust, anger, and bestial rage had all but vanished from him; a commonality when reverting back to his human state. Looking down at Shigenaga, he noticed that he had finished his sinful deed, even in his transformed state. Curious. Vladik was sure he'd have unintentionally killed the man while in his beast form. Then again, the wards that usually protected his mind from magical influence were broken while in his beast form and he slowly began to piece together what had happened. Once again, a Shinigami had used him for their own gain. While he felt a certain sense of displeasure and disgust from the thought of this, he had to admit the pleasure he had received from their sinful activity had been most enjoyable.

Sighing and, without warning, Vladik pulled out of Shigenaga and flopped onto the bed beside him. Immediately, the guilt from his actions began to creep into his chest. All he could see was Abram's face. He clenched his eyes tightly and gritted his teeth; doing all he could to put his mind on other things. Glancing out of one eye, he noticed the unusual calm of his Shinigami partner. Here the man was, enjoying his cigar and alcohol, while Vladik mourned his own foolish and lustful actions. He cursed his stupidity under his breath. Slowly, Vladik got up from the bed, pulling on his undergarments before throwing on his usual black shirt and slacks. He didn't want to be in the nude anymore; he just couldn't stomach it. No doubt, Shigenaga was an attractive man, but he wasn't his man.

Turning his back on the Shinigami, Vladik walked over to the large window on the side of the room, unlatching it before pushing it open, allowing a gust of cold night air to fill the room. He sighed with relief as his hot body was overcome by the cold air. Gazing up at the full moon, he decided the time to break the silence had come.

"So, now you've seen first hand what I was speaking of." Vladik said, his deep voice vibrating in his throat. "That is the curse your kind passed on to me. It is the reason I cannot love the one I chose to love. Can you undo it?"

How stupid did he sound? He, a Quincy, the sworn enemy of Hollows and the avenger against Shinigami, pleading to a Shinigami for assistance. Maybe he should just kill the warlock and be done with him. Was that even possible? Shigenaga was well known among the Shinigami for his power and magical knowledge. Vladik quickly dismissed the idea. Even if it were possible to kill Shigenaga, he would lose a wealth of knowledge and power. That was a resource he simply could not throw away. Not yet at least. For now, he'd play Shigenaga's little game. Mentally, with his Quincy magic, he enveloped his mind once again in several protective wards. He not let his guard down around this man again.

Shigenaga calmly ignored the man whom was having a rather intense internal monologue in his bedroom, as he smoked his cigar and inbibed alcohol. He decided however to at least inform the man of the reason behind his curse and give him certain details. Shigenaga was, despite many accounts to the contrary, a man whom prefered keeping his words rather than breaking it, which was why he was so reluctant to give it away in the first place. In this case he had decided to at least give the man some knowledge about what he could infer from the transformation itself.

Raising his vocie slowly, the warlock spoke with the usual deep baritone, his voice was calm and composed and despite talking to Vladik he didn't bother looking at him directly; clearly he had decided that as a human, Vladik was of minimal use to him at this point and had as such decided that to maintain eye-contact with one was beneath him. "Your curse, for I'm positive it is indeed one is one brought upon your family by a dying man. The curse was likely cast upon your family for the purposes of revenge, most likely your predecessors were the ones whom took his life in the first place - quite impressive for a ragtag group of simians, I'd expect" he paused them, only to sip from the glass of wine in his hand; when he continued his tone was slightly more polite, although still it held within it a great deal of arrogance "Curses uttered by a casters final breath are among the more serious kind, as these tend to be uttered by the very last vestiges of a wizards magical power; and is directed by his desire for vengeance. They're rarely permanent however, It should dissipate on its own in lets see.. three to four generations perhaps?" Shigenaga smirked at that, he undoubtedly knew that Vladik would likely have long since perished by that time; and judging by his appearances it amused him somewhat.

"However, I believe that this information will hardly help alleviate your situation, curses don't have expiration dates and even should you live to see the fourth generation of children. Whom by my estimations should be free from the curse, your own condition wouldn't change in the least. In short, whatever you do and however old you may become you'll never be free from the curse" Shigenaga then crushed the cigar in the ashtray before he finally turned his head to gaze at Vladik, as he added slowly "I doubt that even a man of my own significant talents is capable of undoing a curse as powerful as yours, but that doesn't mean that I cannot help you" the warlock stopped to give the words some time to sink in.

Vladik's initial reaction was hidden from Shigenaga's view, as he continued staring out at the moon. He was mesmerized by its pale, illustrious beauty. Its rays washed over him like a cleansing tide. Perhaps it was the instinct of the wolf spirit inside him that drew him to its wonder. Nevertheless, he was listening to what Shigenaga was saying. So, it really was a curse. Vladik had figured that much. Being a spellcaster himself, he was familiar with the works of the arcane and the marks they left on their afflicted, where most would consider it a physical ailment. His eyes widened only a little when Shigenaga informed him that the curse would wear off after a few more generations, but it mattered little to him. After all, it did nothing to alleviate his own condition.

However, when Shigenaga informed him that even his talents weren't likely to solve his problems, Vladik became visibly flustered. What had he hunted the Shinigami down for then?! And why had he preformed such an unholy act with the Shinigami if nothing could be done about his condition in the first place?! A feeling of being used washed over Vladik and he was close to lashing out, until Shigenaga offered him a bit more; stating that he could still help him. That was a hopeful statement, right? The Quincy looked over his shoulder menacingly, revealing that his eyes and teeth had been transformed by his elated emotions, though he was still far from the emotions required to completely transform.

"Help me?" Vladik almost chuckled in sarcasm, "You just said you couldn't cure me. Do not continue to lure me in with false hopes and promises. I am not a mere cub. I can see through your deception, Shinigami."

Vladik's voice was rough, possessing an edge of both anger and sadness. He turned completely around now, to face the Shinigami entirely. How could such a physically stunning specimen possess such a cruel and uncaring demeanor? If he hadn't been so angry, nor felt so guilty over his earlier actions, Vladik might have re-engaged in their sinful act right then. He wasn't about to fall for the Shinigami's physical charm again, however. Vladik had other senses. Wolf senses; the intuition of a beast. He could sense other intentions behind Shigenaga's words and behavior. This was no more than a game to the Shinigami.

Vladik's hoarse voice again rang out in the room, "Your actions and words reek of malevolence. You can't even look me directly in the eye. Its clear you look down on me, as some lower life form." he barked, "Tell me why I should trust that you, a Shinigami crime lord, could help me?"

When Shigenaga noticed how taken aback Vladik was at his revelation he could only smirk in amusement, the other male seemed to be horrified at the thought of having slept with a Shinigami, presumeably for no reason despite the fact that in the end he had been quite willing. "I find it peculiar that you appearantly blame me for your own actions, despite the fact that you were the one who took me, not the other way around. You wanted me, I wanted you, there's really no reason to overanalyze your situation" grinning slightly, the warlock took a long draw from his cigar before exhaling a cloud of smoke, before he again spoke; his words held an implausible amount of accuracy, almost as if he had read Vladik's mind - which, considering his transformation would indeed likely be the case, Shigenaga wasn't the type of man who let any oppurtunity pass him by, no matter how morally ambigeous or unethical it might be.

"The man you love doesn't return your feelings, and your mind is conflicted towards spending time with me instead of him, thinking that you've just soiled your own perceived virtue by sleeping with another man when your heart belongs to him and him alone" Shigenaga's voice was neutral and composed, at least for a time, until at last mockery began seeping into it before the warlock suddenly began to laugh, most decidedly at Vladik's expense "Love is but an illusion, you claim to love this man yet you offered me no resistance and even took the initiative during our most enjoyable activity. Now, discovering that your virtues have been broken and your beliefs shaken you seek to blame your mistake and sin upon me? You've got no backbone, human - and you wonder why I consider you an inferior creature?" Shigenaga's laughter, while clear and nuanced was nonetheless cold and mirthless, gloating at Vladik's expense and situation.

Shigenaga then stood up from the bed, cigar still in hand as he made his way up to Vladik; unlike the latter the Shinigami didn't bother to get dressed and yet somehow, even nude and vulnerable, the warlock managed to exude an aura of confidence and intensity. When he reached the other man he nonchalantly reached out with a wall to support his large frame as he leaned down closer to Vladik's face, while casually taking a draw from the cigar in his other hand: It was obvious that the warlock didn't consider Vladik a decent enough threat to thread carefully, and now, standing upright the warlock seemed to tower above the other man, the five inches that separated them in height becoming agonizingly apparent. At first Shigenaga didn't speak, he merely let his eyes connect with Vladik, as the warlocks soft hazel eyes met Vladik's dark green. Shigenaga's eyes, despite their soft and warm color appeared neither sympathetic nor kind, they were hard, relentless and cynical of the world they saw and not even the slightest hint of mirth flashed over them. These were the eyes of a man who even now, was appraising Vladik's worth, whether as a partner, henchman or lover, it mattered not to Shigenaga - for this was a new possible resource and he'd be a fool to let such a pristine tool get away without having first exhausted its possible use.

"Malice.. huh. I'm not a malicious man, I'm a man whom has learned to fend for himself first and foremost, cause in this vulgar world that's really the only thing a man like me can do. You're not a victim to me, you're not even that interesting - but you have your uses, and I intend to find out what those are and make the most use of them that I possibly can"

Shigenaga saw no reason to cover up the truth with lies, there really was no point, especially not when he considered that his previous partner had means to reveal those lies if he tried "The truth of the matter is, I can help you. I told you that even a prodigious spellcaster such as myself cannot break the curse inflicted upon you. But I never once said that I cannot make your condition more liveable, I may perhaps not be capable of breaking the curse outright, no, that would require a wizard of far greater power than myself. What I can do however is to delay its influence temporarily, remove its influence from you for a certain amount of time"

The Warlock silenced for a moment to let his words sink in, before he spoke once more "I could imbue an item with magical qualities so as to keep the curse away for two weeks to a month, depending on how often it threatens to take affect. During this time, you would be free from the influence of the curse and safe to pursue whatever shallow dalliances you might prefer with your loved ones" he paused a bit, before adding "Naturally though, there is a catch"

Vladik had been caught slightly in surprise at the Shinigami's bluntness. The words he used stabbed at the Quincy's heart and mind like searing hot daggers. He knew. He knew what Abram meant to him. Though, it was likely no big secret, as Vladik's face pretty much had given away the secrecy of his feelings. Vladik shook his head as he realized what was happening. The warlock was tricking him. He must've sensed the wards around Vladik's mind and so he was trying to tempt Vladik to transform again by turning his own emotions against him. The sadness and anger in his eyes were replaced with their usual cold and callous shine, enhanced by the autumn moon.

"Another Shinigami that only sees me as a means to an end..." Vladik thought to himself, scorn rising in his stomach.

It was then that Vladik was reaffirmed in his hatred for the entire Shinigami race. Not a single one of them was worth anything. Fucking Shinigami. Their pride blinded them. They were supposed to protect humanity, but, in their arrogance, they only do what are in their own interests; just like this man. This Shigenaga. Even now, staring down at Vladik with his memorizing stare, he was only assessing Vladik's value to him. He thought back to his childhood, when he and Abram had been abducted to be little more than Hollow bait. Those Shinigami had possessed the same look in their eyes... and it sickened him. He wanted to kill Shigenaga. To end his lecherous existance. He'd be doing the universe a favor, really. No one needed cold-blooded criminals like this man running loose in the spiritual realms.

Gritting his teeth at the mention of Abram's name, Vladik raised himself up on his toes, planting his nose mere centimeters away from Shigenaga's own. The smell of cigarette smoke was repulsive to his senses, but he bore with it. Regardless of his anger, Vladik's manhood was betraying him. It had already risen from beneath the fabric of his slacks. Shigenaga's posture and demeanor had, after all, been quite arousing. Nevertheless, the expression on the Quincy's face let Shigenaga know that he wasn't here to play games. He wasn't here to a tool.

"You underestimate me, Shinigami." Vladik finally said, now in a near whisper. "Contrary to what you think, you do not have me in your palm. You cannot manipulate me. I didn't want you. I wanted your knowledge. Our actions this night were but a means to an end."

Having said this, Vladik returned to his usual height and took a few steps back into the shadows; placing distance between the men. The sudden darkness caused the Quincy's eyes to glimmer; a side-effect of his lycanthropy. He was a creature of the night, regardless of what form he took, be it his humanity or that of the beast.

"I'll listen to what you have to say." Vladik finally conceded, "But... if I don't like it, I'm leaving. I'm not about to become the tool of another Shinigami."

Shigenaga chuckled darkly at the other males protests, clearly he didn't buy his act one moment and when Vladik attempted to retreat into the darkness he followed suit, the soft footfalls of his steps approaching the human slowly, once he entered into the darkness, the dim lighting of the room danced across his golden earrings, sending rivulets of smooth light dancing about the room.

The eyes of the warlock seemed amused by Vladik's antics, "You're backing away from me, human - your lies are transparent" moving ever closer to Vladik the warlock slowly proceeded to attempt to meticulously chase the man into a corner: Vladik resisted though, his eyes were confused, but yet they held much of that steely willpower and stubbornness that they had before, but to Shigenaga's eyes he could see how he was slowly relenting. "You speak of your sin like you've defiled some virtue - but yet you continue to break it by lying to me? Your faith and beliefs are really most superficial, aren't they?"

Soon they stood face to face once again, and with one last dark chuckle the shinigami sorcerer leaned down slowly to let his breath ghost gently across Vladik's lips, before pulling away quickly, almost playfully. Only to have his lips slowly part into a triumphant grin - "Your denial of the truth is most astounding, especially considering how.. affected you are by my presence" leaning down again, the nobleman bended over to whisper directly into the Quincy's ear; accidentally brushing his earlobe with his lips in the process: when he spoke, his voice was dark and seductive "This is what we call... body is honest"

Vladik was stunned. The man was playing with him! Using his own physical needs to turn him. It was insulting... and yet, oddly he was becoming more and more attracted to this man by the moment. Was this some sort of spell? No. Vladik had issued wards to protect his mind from such influence. If they'd been penetrated, he'd have felt the assault on his mind before it happened. Then why was this man so alluring? Vladik audibly sighed in disgust, attempting to back up more because he didn't want to risk being so close to Shigenaga, when he realized he'd been backed up against the back wall of the room. Once again, Vladik could feel his heart pounding in his chest. But this was not the beast form about to emerge again. He was nervous! He was charmed! And he hated it.

Nevertheless, his eyes could not seem to wander from the Shinigami's face. For a time, it stayed transfixed on his piercing eyes, then would travel down to the lips that had just been mere inches from his own. The man's breath smelled of cigarettes and his body smelled of the sweat of their sinful activities. The autumn moon, which shone brightly behind the man, caused the beats of sweat dripping from his body to glisten. It was then that Vladik finally broke his stare at the man's face to look down, and noticed that Shigenaga too was aroused. This only seemed to intensify Vladik's lust. Time and time again he begged himself not to give in to the man's charm, but it was becoming harder and harder by the second. He longed to be held, to be loved, to make love. Its what he'd wanted since he was a boy; the love of another.

But could he love anyone but Abram? No, he told himself. He could never.. would never think of such things! But then, why did he feel so strongly attracted to this simply of solidarity in front of him. Though he was a bit more extreme, Vladik could see that he and Shigenaga shared many of the same values. Shaking his head clear of these thoughts once again, he tried to look away from Shigenaga's imposing figure to another corner of the room, but found this too to be impossible. So, giving in to his lusts once more, Vladik leaned in, stood on his toes, and viciously kissed the man on the lips, thrusting his tongue into the man's mouth cavity, and grabbing the Shinigami's head to push it closer to his. Within mere moments, he was rubbing his body tight against the man, their heat igniting his lust in a full frenzy. Guilt, anger, pain - all were gone again. Replaced by the need to feel this man beneath him.

Bloodmoon
Morning come, Vladik would wake to the absence of the warlock at his side, after the activities of the previous night Shigenaga had fallen asleep in the humans arms; there, in sleep he seemed more tranquil and serene than he ever did while awake. While the warlock was by no means a kind man, all of his cruelty and cynicality seem to be abolished as he slept. But now, the warlock was gone: clearly, while he thought it appropriate to seduce a stranger he most certainly did not find the prospect of cuddling and romantic sweetietalk to be worthy of his valuable time.

Besides, he had business to attend to, whether it was at his estate or out in the outskirts of Seireitei as was currently the case, he needed to continue his work in order to continue on with earning his due share. Currently, he was pacing back and forth in the living room of the suite he had choosen for himself and Vladik; wearing nothing but a long dark-colored housecoat. Which unsurprisingly: considering Shigenaga's highly expensive preferences and taste for lavish decadence and luxury just so happen to be the princely suite; elegant carpets covered the floor, elaborate tapestries decorated the walls and the living room itself was roughly the size of an entire suite of lesser worth.

The nobleman was currently pinching the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger, a habitual behaviour which to those that knew him meant that his patience was begining to wear thin, and when Shigenaga was sufficiently annoyed; he was an even less pleasant man to be around than he usually was. The unfortunate cause of this ominous mood was a small man sitting on a chair opposite of Shigenaga. The Shinigami watched the man in question shift uncomfortably as he cleared his throat for the fourth time in as many minutes.

Drawing a deep breath, the warlock broke the silence, his voice dangerously low "So.. repeat what you just said"

"Ahh, yes, sir, you see.. uhm.. eh" the man took a deep breath before he finally mustered up the courage to answer. "She wants to postpone her payment until next wednesday, she doesn't have the money yet and she wants to wait till wednesday because.."

The warlock stopped his pacing as he pinned the mans gaze with his own, the mans face paling visibly at the contact "So what, you thought you had the authority to make the decision yourself? You thought 'Sure, I'll give you another chance, lass'?'" Shigenaga then punctuated his own rebuke with a cold chuckle, one devoid of either warmth or mirth; it sounded more like he mocked the idocy of a bad joke than anything else. Whatever the case, the man seemed to shrink in his chair as he began to tremble visibly.

Musing slightly to himself, the warlock made a casual snap of his fingers; and suddenly there was a third person in the room, with a muscular build and a handsome face; beset by steely eyes directed at the whimpering man in the chair. "Now.. what should I do with worthless trash that can't even follow a simple order, hmm?"

"I suppose I could kill you, but in the current situation it'll wind up doing more harm than good, not to mention all the hush hush paperwork I'd have to bother myself with. So no, you're simply not worth the trouble" The small man let out a breath of relief at Shigenaga's words "But hey.. I'm certain my friend would be more than happy to do the deed for me, he's a talented man in many.. many fields - it'd be no feat for him to make you disappear"

The little man threw himself on the floor in a desperate plea, crawling all up to Shigenaga's feet "N-no master, don't let him kill me.. I-I'll get you the money today, I promise!". Frowning in annoyance at the grovelling lowlife, Shigenaga brutally kicked him in the shoulder, sending him reeling back towards the chair with great force, before crashing through the meager furniture and landing at the feet of Shigenaga's most loyal henchman.

"You've got three hours, if you've not received the money by then, you won't be alive to appreciate our next sunrise" The man got on his feet almost instantly before he stormed out of the door, Raphael was about to follow suit before the warlock spoke once more "Raphael, make sure he does his job properly, if he fails - make sure he can't walk and that he won't talk" with this, he coolly dismissed the other man; but behind Shigenaga's back, Raphael sent him a longing gaze before finally heading out the door to accomplish his task.

Vladik had been awake for some time, by this point, listening from the security of the bedroom. Shigenaga had left the door slightly ajar when he'd left the room earlier that morning, so Vladik had some line of sight into the main room. He had seen the other Quincy... Raphael, was it? So, the Shinigami made a habit of bedding Quincy men. What an a disgusting individual. Still, Vladik had enjoyed the previous night. Oddly enough, though, he enjoyed holding the Shinigami in his arms as the slept more than he did the actual lustful acts. It made him feel like he finally belonged to someone; as though he wasn't just some "lone wolf". Those feelings were gone now though, replaced with a nothingness that filled his chest cavity.

Slowly, he peeled back the sheets that covered him and eased out of bed. He took his time dressing himself, as he was in no rush to get back to Shigenaga's side. The man clearly had issues to work out. Nevertheless, within the hour he found himself leaving the bedroom, closing the door tightly behind him as he entered the main room of the suite. He didn't bother to stay quiet upon entering. These men that clambered around Shigenaga may fear him, but Vladik had no cause to fear him, and he wasn't about to give the man the satisfaction of such a reaction. He approached Shigenaga from behind, but the Shinigami did not turn around. Typical. Vladik knew the Shinigami was aware of him, at this point, but just was either too busy to acknowledge him, or just didn't care.

Vladik leaned in the doorway, bending his leg inward and scratching his inner thigh with his bare toe. From this distance, he admired Shigenaga hard at work. He couldn't help but chuckle to himself. The crime lord was clearly displeased about something; likely the lost sum of money that hadn't arrived to him when he had originally intended it to. Still, even now, when he was hard at work, the Shinigami man was visually stunning. The events of the last night had allowed Vladik to become comfortable with at least admitting that much, though he not to keen on admitting much else. He despised the man otherwise, after all.

"You sure know how to make a racket." Vladik finally spoke, his deep voice booming through the suite. "If you and your.... man-servants... had kept it down, I might've been able to get more sleep."

Shigenaga turned around to regard the human slowly, his eyes were back to their usual state; and conveyed no true emotions, cold and unfeeling as always. It was hard to believe that just mere hours ago those eyes had expressed Shigenaga's desire. However, they met Vladik's own gaze entirely, clearly, the nobleman had decided that he was worthy of at least this much respect following their intimate session last night. The warlock made no indication that he wanted to speak to him at all, and merely held his gaze with his own for an undetermined amount of time before he at last let go, his eyes searching and contemplative.

The man then turned his back on Vladik, much like he had done earlier - this time however, it wasn't because he found the other man inferior as much as it was due to the work he still had to do and that the Quincy proved to be a distraction; and Shigenaga, as patient as he convinced himself he was, didn't much care for distractions where work was regarded. They tended to reduce his profit by quite the significant sum and he liked his profit to be as grand as it possibly could. When the other man made no sign to leave him alone however, the warlock sighed in exasperation, he really didn't have the time for meaningless chitchat at such an hour.

"You've been awake for roughly an entire hour and have been, quite unsuccessfully I might add, attempting to listen in on my conversation with my men. When you're pretending to sleep make sure your breath and energy flows in an even rhythm, otherwise people'll find out about your amateurish ruse" the warlock said flatly, not taking his eyes off of the expensive desk that he had walked up to prior to Vladik's entrance. "I'm certain that you're aware that since you're a Quincy, there are quite a few Shinigami in Soul Society whom would be thrilled to remedy the mistake of the wizard whom is responsible for your twisted form. Contrary to human beliefs, most Shinigami could care less about the people they're allegedly protecting"

"I'm certain you've heard about the mass genocide of your people; it took place two centuries ago, during my youth. It was allegedly enacted because of how the highly destructive properties of your arrows completely annihilate the victim's very soul as opposed to merely adding them to the cycle; and that this was threatening to destroy both worlds" A flash of violet light broke his monologue as he seemingly worked on some small object placed at the desk, although with Shigenaga's back in the way, Vladik couldn't make out what it was. Even as he worked, the warlock continued his little tale, as much for his own benefit as that of Vladik's "This of course, is merely Soul Societies propaganda. In truth - some of the higher ups didn't appreciate how mere humans could develop powers of their own, especially not if those very humans threatened to disrupt their system"

Another flash of luminescent light filled the room, shortly followed by rivulets of ethereal flame that seemed to twist and churn around the warlocks fingers as he spoke muffled words beneath his breath, seemingly an incantation of sorts "So, they enacted the genocide; killing everyone, men, women and even their children were slaughtered, most of the Shinigami were highly skilled at Kido; and for a mage there's literally a thousand different ways to kill a human, you're just so fragile: I'm sure the Kidō Corps had their fun trying out each and every last one of them, and then some"

Finally the warlock turned around from his work and regarded Vladik eye to eye, before he added slowly "The mage who cast this curse upon you, most likely did so with his last breath, after what I can only assume to be one of your forefathers dealt him a mortal blow. Wizards tends to do that, out of spite - so for reference, while killing a wizard make sure you strike him down from behind and that he doesn't see you. Also, keep your name a secret"

Vladik closed his eyes and let out a long, drawn out, sigh. He then straightened up his posture in the door way and folded his arms across his chest, furrowing his eyebrows in an inquisitive manner as he did. Shigenaga clearly was annoyed by his presence. Not that Vladik cared. After all, what did the man expect? To bed the Quincy one night, and for him to stay conveniently out of sight and mind the next morning? Well, if he thought that, he certainly had another thing coming. Vladik wasn't the type to let himself be pushed around like some used furniture.

"And while I'm at it, I'll make sure to incinerate his head." Vladik cooed sarcastically, "After all, you can't cast spells without a mouth to chant them or a brain to think them."

Vladik made his way across the main room, making sure to steer clear of getting too close to Shigenaga. He couldn't tell if the man was just in a bad mood or was constantly this anal, but either way, he wasn't risking getting into physical confrontations at this point in time. The Quincy selected a chair directly across from where Shigenaga was sitting and lowered himself into it. Being a luxurious room, the chair had reclining capabilities, something Vladik made a point to utilize. He then returned Shigenaga's gaze, staring into the Shinigami's harsh eyes. At that moment, Vladik got a sense that the man must've been through something in his life. Something very difficult. Few people with such intense eyes had lived an easy life. At that point, he decided to break the ice once more and restart the conversation;

"For what purpose would a mage have to cast a spell to turn my kind into wolves?" he asked, seeming genuinely interested at this point. "I'm a spellcaster myself. I'm no foreigner to curses. There are thousands of worse afflictions out there he or she could've chosen to inflict. Why this one?"

Shigenaga chuckled darkly at his comments, the same bemused chuckle he'd teased him with yesterday "Most curses, while unpleasant are very personal and physical - yours, is quite different. I searched your mind yesterday and I found that you were rather lonely, you fear yourself and deliberately avoid getting close to or attach yourself to others. You torment yourself with the fact that you could wind up killing and devouring each and every person you care for" he spoke while he continued on with whatever work he was doing.

"Whomever cast this curse upon your family didn't want to merely kill you, he wanted your family to fear every single moment of their entire life, what would happen if they fell in love, the pressure of constantly hiding yourself to avoid notice. The knowledge that if anyone found out what you truly were, you'd never get the chance to rest again, you'd be hunted til your feet bled and you fell unconscious due to lack of rest; at which point, they'd kill you" The way Shigenaga spoke of the curse held no contempt or disgust with the act itself, no matter how vile an act it had been, he seemed.. fascinated, interested even.

The warlock continued his speech with disturbing enthusiasm "The meaning behind the curse is to ensure that you'll always suffer, that you can never truly be happy and content with your life; that you dread each and every moment you are awake; and you avoid those you love, losing their contact and becoming sheltered and isolated from the rest of the world due to your growing fear. The curse was never meant to kill your family outright, no, for a spiteful mage that would've been far too simple and casual; no, its there to eventually cause an emotional breakdown, making you into an empty person with no goal; a frightened shell of a man with no hope for salvation, spending your days eternally wishing that you would just die, and perhaps eventually taking your own life out of despair. The curse might also be intended to devour you piece by piece, removing your sanity until at last you cannot turn back into your human form anymore and loses grip on yourself. For the rest of your life, you'd be little but a spectator in your own body, watching helplessly as you devour and destroy all around you, you'd be an insatiable mass murderer and in truth, a beast" as he finished, his voice had beamed up in fascination at the prospect of the curse, and for every word he uttered his features seemed to soften noticeably.

Vladik, on the other hand, wasn't as enthused by the curse as his Shinigami counterpart was. As Shigenaga divulged the mechanics and the nature of the curse, Vladik sat silently, taking the information piece by piece, while silent indignation rose in his stomach all the while. His hatred of Shinigami was already well founded, but this only served to intensify it. Vladik turned his thoughts inward, to the beast slumbering within him. What Shigenaga had said was true, after all. Vladik was terrified to love, to hate, to enjoy the simple pleasures of a normal mindset that most humans and even Shinigami enjoyed. He had to. If, at any given moment, those emotions were to become too strong, he'd turn into a beast that had the sole purpose of devouring and destroying everything in its path.

As he thought about all of this, he couldn't help but feel annoyed by Shigenaga's almost appraisal of such an act. It was almost as if Shigenaga admired the magician that cast the curse, if not simply for the curse's cruelty and brutality. He could feel the rivets in the man's spiritual power as chimed on and on about the curse's nature. It was obviously interesting to him. Vladik narrowed his eyes, unamused. Nevertheless, he didn't want to raise cane about the issue. Despite his sick obsession with the curse, Shigenaga did seem to have a vast reservoir of knowledge on this particular topic, so he was still a valuable resource to the Quincy. When he could finally stomach the words, he spoke again;

"You Shinigami sure can come up with sickening ways to torture your victims." he jabbed coldly. "Nevertheless, most curses have a way to undo themselves. Certain conditions that must be met. You indicated last night that this one might be an exception to that rule. Divulge to me the mechanics behind why that is."

The Shinigami didn't even turn around as he answered flatly "No, I've got no intentions to give you any more details than I've already done, you're a stranger after all and I've got no reason to give you the means to counter what I could possibly make use of later. Especially considering how you've made it pretty clear that you depise me, at least during the day" Shigenaga smirked somewhat before he turned around and walked over to Vladik, due to the height difference and the fact that the other man sat, the warlock loomed above him like before; and his eyes once more met Vladik's own, before he reached out with his hand slowly, reaching out to touch the base of the humans throat with his finger before slowly letting it trace the smooth skin all the way up to his chin, before the warlock would attempt to gently tilt his head upwards to meet his eyes.

He then leaned downwards so that their faces were once more mere inches apart, as he whispered softly while he caressed the humans chin gently, and when he spoke his voice had turned from cold and judgmental to dark and sultry "...You're giving me mixed signals" his voice had that dark tone to it; and his eyes bore deeply into Vladik's own as he finished softly, with a downcast expression, looking almost dejected at his own words "Don't you appreciate my company in the least?"

Like the bastard he was, he reeled his body backwards and out of Vladik's reach before he turned around and began walking over his bench, at the last step however, he looked across his shoulder and gave Vladik a single flirtatious look before he... 'accidentally' let the housecoat he was wearing slowly slide down his shoulders to expose his back to Vladik's eyes; the robe only being held up by the cotton rope that functioned as a makeshift belt, without caring much for the looks that Vladik was sending him; the warlock slowly took the housecoat and lifted it so that he could drape it around himself once more; it was pretty obvious that the sorcerer found his effect on the other male to be highly entertaining, but this sudden arrival of lascivious playfulness soon came at an end.

Turning to face Vladik again, Shigenaga started to do what he did best, namely talking business - and his voice took on its usual qualities, cold and formal "Alright, here's the deal, I'll give you an object which will stave of the effects of the curse for an extended period of time, one or two weeks, I'd assume, depending on your luck. But as I told you yesterday, there is indeed a catch. I require your servitude for a month before I'll hand this object over to you - and that, my friend, is the price I name" the warlock smirked at Vladik then, "What say you?"

Vladik was pleasantly surprised by Shigenaga's brief horseplay. It was highly erotic to the Quincy. As Shigenaga loosened his house robe, revealing the tanned golden skin of his back, Vladik felt a shiver run from the base of his spine all the way up his back. He loved where this was headed. However, much to his dismay, before he could go any further, the Shinigami's demeanor changed drastically; back to the cold, professional manner he had slipped into earlier. As the Shinigami laid out his proposal, Vladik bowed his head in deep thought. Weighing his options, Vladik decided that he needed to get the object Shigenaga was talking about at all costs. If it helped him live a normal life, if it helped him protect Abram, he'd do anything, even the man's bidding.

Even with this in mind, he couldn't completely convince himself that his month of servitude to the man would be all that bad. Shigenaga had made a point. Vladik did appreciate his company, though he would never vocally admit this. And, if it meant getting to enjoy more nights like the last, he wouldn't mind putting up with what few jobs the man could come up for him. Slowly disengaging the reclining feature of his chair, Vladik lifted himself out of his seat, rose to his full height, and began to shuffle across the room towards Shigenaga in a casual walk. Without saying a single word, he crossed the room, until he was now leaning against Shigenaga's strong and sturdy body. Gently, he slipped the top part of the Shinigami's robe off of his shoulders, letting it fall softly against his waist so that the could feel the man's soft skin against his own. Reaching down with his right hand, he gently massaged the Shinigami's delicate lower area through the fabric of the robe that was still loosely draped over it and then leaned into tenderly kiss the man on his neck.

He then looked up, staring directly into Shigenaga's cruel, harsh eyes, and softly whispered, "You have yourself a deal."

New Moon
Shigenaga largely ignored the obvious desires the other man had for him, along with his not-so-innocent advances. He didn't react at Vladik's touch either, merely regarded him with a mixture of boredom and cold disdain, it became obvious quickly that Shigenaga had no intention whatsoever of humoring the younger man by fulfilling his various wants; and soon, the warlock had raised a hand to Vladik's chest before rather pointedly pushing him away from him.

"I've already had you once, why would I need you twice? What do you have that my other lovers can't grant me, or quite possibly do better. If you want to relieve some stress and have some fun, I could direct you to one of my brothels and have them take special care of you - but I personally don't have the time to humor humans" the warlock spoke condescendingly. Before he added slowly "Especially not a human as.. inexperienced as yourself"

Shigenaga then calmly began properly adjusting his housecoat so that it once again covered him entirely, he did so in a rather elaborate manner, covering as much of his skin as at all possible, undoubtedly to place emphasis on the fact that he just wasn't interested in reenacting their previous activities. When he spoke again, it was in a different tone - being slightly lighter than before "Very well then, we have an agreement, serve me for one month and I'll give you the means to live like a normal human for two weeks; as well as grant you leave during that particular time, leaving you free to pursue your sentimental dalliances with that boy of yours"

Now Vladik could no longer hold back. Shigenaga's words had hurt. BADLY. The sheer magnitude of them surprised Vladik, as he had not felt emotionally hurt in a very long time. Too long had his feelings been numbed to the cares of the world. Rejection hitting him at full force, the Quincy pulled away from Shigenaga, a beastly snarl rumbling from his throat. The emotion wasn't extreme enough to induce his wolf form, however, his canine teeth elongated from the stress. He then quickly, without warning, struck Shigenaga in the stomach as hard as he could with his fist. He didn't care if he had or hadn't hurt the Shinigami, even though his bestial instincts were screaming for him to tear the Shinigami limb from limb and leave his bloodied corpse on the balcony for all to see.

But, for some reason, he just couldn't and this fact angered him more than what Shigenaga had actually said. Suddenly, he felt a warm sensation trickling down his cheeks. He was crying. He, one of the most powerful Quincy alive, was crying. Disgust welled up from deep within him. Fuckin' Shinigami. That's all he could think. Why had he allowed himself to get into this situation? He abhorred the Shinigami. Wanted to end their existance. Yet he let this one bed him and lead him on, only to stop on him like this. Fuckin' Shinigami! Suddenly, the anger was too much, and Vladik knew that if he didn't release it somehow, he'd transform again and likely be at Shigenaga's disposal. He was not about to let that man control him.

In an almost violent manner, Vladik drew the Quincy cross that was hidden up his right sleeve, dangling it from his wrist. Immediately afterwards, spiritual energy, like a monstrous tsunami, erupted from the tiny pendant, causing the cross to shake violently in mid-air. Vladik then formed one of the wakizashi he commonly employed in combat, his eyes now literally glowing with his indignation. He felt the beast stirring within him. He had to be quick. Pouring out all of his rage and pain into his blade, he whirled around, pointing it directly for the large wall on the outer end of the suite; the only barricade separating them from the outside world.

"When you're ready," he hissed to Shigenaga, not bothering to look the man in the eyes. "You can have one of your... brothel.. come and give me my orders."

Without a single word more, he unleashed a singular Heilig Pfeil, laced with his indignation, obliterating the wall that separated him from the outside and unleashing a violent explosion into the outskirts of the Seireitei that was sure to draw attention. Vladik had intended it to, after all, Shigenaga was a businessman that despised being disturbed. What better way to get back at the man that hurt him then by causing a scene. However, Vladik wouldn't be around to see the show. For just as the smoke billowed into the room and out into the skies of Soul Society, a shadow shaped like him appeared in the room, consuming Vladik and vanishing as quickly as it had appeared. And with that, he was gone.