Disclaimer: Fic written for fun - well okay, actually for torture - and not profit. Characters are copyrighted to people who are probably as demented as I am, based on some of the canon, but I dunno...

Warning: Uh, look at the title. That should explain it all. Though this is the toned-down, less explicit version. The original is archived in the "getbackers" community on LiveJournal.

Notes: Everyone else is uploading fics for their pet pairings that make no sense at all, so why shouldn't I upload the one I wrote for a completely ridiculous pairing just to make people cringe too?
...Except... after I wrote it ages ago to torment my friends, I realized I sorta like it. ;)

Bloodlust

His movement was even more silent than the deserted streets of the Infinite Castle's Lower Town at night, due to the shouts coming from a few blocks over. Only fools, madmen, and criminals roamed the streets and alleys at night.

And the deliverer, of course.

He reached a gloved hand up to adjust his hat in the breeze that blew rustling paper through the gaps between buildings, still wearing the pleasant smile he usually wore, even as he glanced at an alley with mild distaste. There was no fun in killing the insignificant thugs that he knew were lurking just a little ways in, even if they did decide to target him. Oh, he would, of course - but there would be no fun in it. Amano Ginji had quite spoiled him, when they had met on that job not long ago. The idea of fighting the young man again was like a craving, but it was not the time for it to be satisfied. Not yet.

He glanced away again, peering at the road ahead, and passed the alley without incident. It didn't surprise him - most people avoided him. In fact, his smile grew more amused as a few children, probably gang members, scurried like rats into the shadows a ways ahead of him.

Pity - he wasn't even going that way, he thought as he turned down a side street, heading for the rendezvous point that his client had told him of. It wasn't too far inside the Infinite Castle, which suited Akabane Kuroudo perfectly fine - after all, he'd been in there on another job very recently, and aside from a few brief moments of entertainment provided by the street thugs and Ginji himself, that job hadn't turned out to be much fun. His recent experiences with the unusual place hadn't left him very enthusiastic about returning; it seemed its reputation for violence and mayhem had been exaggerated.

The further he went down the side street, the more he expected that someone might lessen the boredom of his walk by attempting to rob him, or something similarly amusing. Instead, strangely enough, it seemed as if the streets were even more barren here than on the main paths, despite the shadows that were just made for lurking in. How strange, he thought...

Until he heard the sound of harsh, ragged breathing from above, just a few seconds before a large, hulking shape landed in front of him, blocking the way.

Akabane stood perfectly still, watching with curiosity as the shape's shoulders heaved, the faint light glinting off hair of dirty gold. The man was hunched over, clutching one arm with the other, and Akabane recognized him after a moment.

"Fudo Takuma..." he murmured, smiling slightly. He'd never seen the man in person before, but Akabane had an excellent memory - and the Hakobiya had Fudo in their records, since their agents had crossed paths with him several times. "I heard that you had been spending time here. Although I don't believe we've met face to face, it's quite a pleasure to meet someone who reportedly nearly managed to match Midou Ban... Have you been well?"

It was an impertinent question, and he knew it - seeing the way Fudo was breathing, the way he clutched at his artificial hand, it was obvious he'd not been well in the traditional sense. Likely, he hadn't been for some time. That opinion was only confirmed when Fudo raised his head, latching onto the one thing he would always hear, even if he were to go entirely mad.

"Midou..." His voice was a growl, but with an edge of desperation - almost a whimper - as the fingers of his hand began twitching.

"Yes, Midou Ban," Akabane affirmed, patronizing the man. "He was quite well the last time I saw him. He has a new partner - a spirited little blond fellow named Amano Ginji. Ginji-kun comes from Mugenjou too... Perhaps you two will meet again someday, if he returns...?"

"...I can't stand it..." Fudo was talking not to Akabane; in fact, he'd turned half-away, as if not entirely aware of his presence. "Must find him... must see his death!" His voice rose suddenly, and somewhere in the buildings that rose above them, there was a commotion as someone flung the windows shut. "I will drink of his blood until I drown! Midouuuuuuu!" he howled, throwing his head back, and shouts rose from the street behind Akabane - a few little thugs had followed him, it seemed, but they were not willing to risk this.

As for Akabane himself, he was not the slightest bit fazed by the outburst. "Well, well," he said, smoothly and kindly, "aren't we dedicated, Fudo-san...? Though perhaps just a bit overzealous..."

"I was so close..." Fudo was nearly whimpering now, his voice fluctuating from soft and raspy to loud and enraged with each spasm of his metal hand. "I could see it... his mutilated body... I could have..." His hand spasmed so violently that it almost looked as if his arm were about to leap out of its socket. "...touched it..."

"Now, now, Fudo-san," Akabane comforted him, remaining where he was as Fudo paced back and forth fretfully before him. He was still a bit early to meet his client, and this could become interesting. If Fudo could come so close to defeating Midou Ban, who was considered to be quite the powerful fighter, Akabane couldn't help but consider him to be worth the time. "He still lives. As long as your enemy still lives, you will have another chance to fight him. So long as you remain intent on fighting him..."

"Never give up!" Fudo ranted, looking up at Akabane with eyes that were near madness, if not there already. "Never... The reason I still live is to destroy Midou."

"Hmm... an interesting thing to base one's existance on." Secretly, Akabane felt somewhat sorry for the man - he understood what it was like to have a foe so powerful that it set the bar of one's own skills higher... and as well, he knew how it felt to have that foe escape before he'd had his chance.

Akabane's patronizing smile slipped somewhat as he remembered a glee much like Fudo must have felt, as he had watched Amano Ginji slipping into oblivion, while the boy's body was consumed by blinding electrical currents and the violent will of Raitei. Such power, about to face him in battle, had given Akabane a thrill unlike any he'd known before...

And then Ginji's partner had arrived, and ruined it. He'd put on an entertaining show, of course - for a moment, Akabane had even believed Ban might be the last little push over the edge - but after it became clear that his appearance had banished Raitei, Akabane was left feeling quite bitter. Even remembering the battle caused his entire body to tingle with excitement, but it was not enough.

He looked up again, for once in his life somewhat startled, as he found that Fudo's maddened eyes were fixed on his own. "...You know," the larger man growled.

Returning the smile to his face, Akabane raised a hand to adjust his hat. "I'm not sure what you mean."

"You've seen it..." Akabane held his ground as Fudo took a lurching step towards him, and then another. "You've seen your life's purpose... right there in front of you... and you've seen it snatched away," he hissed.

Akabane remained motionless and unconcerned as Fudo made his way closer, close enough for Akabane to get a good look at his face. He had an expression that... no, it wasn't pity, not quite. It was more like understanding, a kinship...

Fudo smiled, his teeth gleaming in the night, and Akabane recognized that strange expression - it was lust.

Akabane chuckled softly, under his breath. "Yes, I have..." he purred. Now this could make a boring job a bit more entertaining. Fudo was not exactly what Akabane would call his type (to be honest, Akabane didn't exactly think he had "a type", other than "someone who might pose a challenge"), and there was no tenderness in the gleam of his eyes - only a ravenous hunger, like a beast that had been starved until half-mad. However, Akabane thought, giving the large man a curious, somewhat coy look, that sort of thing would make such an encounter rather interesting... add a sense of mortal danger...

And indeed, Fudo hesitated only a moment before Akabane found the man's bulk against him as he was pressed firmly against the wall of the alley. Slender as Akabane was, one might have expected his wrists to break in the strong grip of Fudo's hands, but he held firm, remaining steady as Fudo's mouth met his, hot and demanding.

Akabane, not worried at all, returned the kiss with a far more cool demeanor, but enough flair to surprise his unexpected partner, who drew back slightly with a manic grin. Already Akabane could feel him pressed against his torso, and he wondered with idle amusement if one particular part of Fudo was as large as the rest of him. He'd know soon enough, he supposed; although Fudo himself didn't do much for him, the feel of the other man's body against his was enough to trigger a reaction.

Fudo laughed, rather dementedly. "You like this!" he raved. "Aren't you afraid of me?"

Akabane considered for a moment, and smirked. "No, I don't believe I am." Fudo's grip on his wrists might be approaching painful, and the man was as large as at least two of him put together... but at any time, Akabane knew he could slide a few scalpels from their hiding place within his body and correct that. He flexed his hands, thinking about it, and chuckled softly again.

Fudo's demented smile slipped slightly, attaining a hint of anger. "...Are you laughing at me?"

"Not at all," Akabane lied, still perfectly calm and smiling.

"You won't think it's funny..." Fudo began, leering darkly. "I can see it in your future - I can see your body twisting beneath mine... writhing in pain and pleasure..."

Fudo's narration was causing him to grow even more excited, Akabane noted, and the way he ground his hips against Akabane's to accentuate his points made his excitement somewhat contagious. "So then, Fudo Takama..." he murmured, in a voice that he'd heard referred to as sultry, "...what exactly do you intend to do to make this vision you've seen come about...? It won't happen if you just stand there and talk... or are you truly that easy to please?"

With a roar of impatience and indignation, Fudo let go of one of Akabane's wrists, and with a speed that Akabane had not expected of such a large man, he had gripped the front of Akabane's pants. His mechanical hand yanked hard, and for a moment Akabane's eyes widened as the jolt threatened to snap his back. Instead, the zipper of his pants shattered, and the waistband of his underwear snapped as Fudo tore his garments open. He laughed with glee, and ran a hand from scarred chest to hips roughly. "And you?" he rasped. "How easy is it to please you?"

Akabane hadn't exactly expected such a question from Fudo, and he raised his eyebrows, remaining mostly composed - at least above the waist. "It is not so easy to please me at all."

"Isn't it?" Fudo mocked, sparing a moment to yank off his own belt with some difficulty; Akabane noticed that his mechanical hand was twitching as if he were having a seizure. "I can see you, in only two seconds, moaning and panting... what will excite you, Dr. Jackal?"

Akabane already knew what excited him most, but it was difficult to put into words. Instead of trying to explain to someone so simple as Fudo, he merely smiled, remembering how it had felt to watch Ginji-kun unravel, leaving Raitei in his place. How it had felt to see the rage in his normally gentle eyes, to see the electricity spike his hair up until he resembled a demon...

Laughing like a maniac, Fudo grabbed hold of his other wrist again, bringing it up to be pinned against the wall with the other in one broad hand, as Akabane closed his eyes in blissful rememberance, moaning. "I told you!" he gloated. "I told you I could see you moaning! What makes you moan, Akabane Kuroudo?"

His breathing growing heavy, Akabane tilted his head to the side, relaxing. "The taste... of close, fearsome battle with a talented opponent. The smell of blood on the wind..."

Fudo cackled like a maniac - which, Akabane supposed, he was. "Blood! Yes... Yes!"

Akabane opened his eyes again, vaguely curious, as he heard the sound of metal sliding from metal, and found Fudo wielding one long steel claw. Despite his distraction, he flexed his wrists again, preparing to ready a few scalpels if that hand of Fudo's twitched the wrong way

What was the wrong way, however, turned out to be a little less clear, as Fudo did turn the blade to Akabane's chest, pushing his coat aside and slicing the thinner fabric of his jacket and shirt out of the way. The sharp tip touched just above the scar that ran across Akabane's torso, but the threat that glinted in Fudo's hungry eyes was not deadly so much as teasing. "The blood of your enemies, Akabane Kuroudo...? Or your own...?"

Akabane could sense that his own smile was perhaps not quite sane either as he remembered past exciting moments, and answered. "It's never quite so exciting unless both of us shed blood," he replied, smoothly and breathlessly, getting ready.

Feeling him tense, Fudo grinned, knowing just what he intended. As the scalpels slid between Akabane's fingers, slicing down into Fudo's forearm with a deft flick of the wrist, Fudo pressed the edge of the knife against Akabane's chest, leaving a stinging, oozing line across his collarbone. Howling with pain and laughter, Fudo brought the red-tinged blade to his lips, and his tongue darted out to taste Akabane's blood.

Akabane just watched as Fudo savored the taste of his blood, then turned his attention to the deeper wounds on his arm. "Blood..." he muttered, and any hint of sanity was gone from his eyes as they met Akabane's once more, completely wild and filled with hunger. "Blood blood blood blood!"

So vocal in his psychosis, Akabane thought with amusement. He was still smiling even as Fudo shoved him against the wall again and forced him to the ground, pushing his legs apart. Not that Akabane put up much of a fight - he was somewhat amused by Fudo, but the man was no match for any serious resistance he might have offered. So much for the sense of mortal danger, he thought with a bit of reluctance, but at least there was an intensity in his mannerisms that resembled a pitched battle, and the smell of blood.

Both only grew stronger as Fudo took what he wanted and what Akabane now wanted too, even as he was crushed against the pavement. Akabane's expression barely wavered, however; he was well accustomed to pain, much greater than this. And after all, he had said that it wasn't much fun unless blood was drawn on both sides, hadn't he? With that in mind, he largely ignored Fudo's bestial panting and pumping, and found his own pleasure by shredding Fudo's shirt and carving intricate designs into the flesh beneath. Likewise, Fudo barely seemed to notice the "decoration", though his groans and his movements grew more intense as Akabane continued his work, making his way across the broad canvas of Fudo's chest until the blood dripped down upon him.

For all his eccentricities, and the unusual kink, Akabane still had the anatomy, at the least, of any other man. His breaths quickened under the smell of blood that surrounded him, but the movement of Fudo within him heightened the less ordinary arousal that came from the smells and sounds that resembled mortal battle. To Akabane's further amusement, he thought that he might be enjoying this as much as Fudo, though on a rather different level.

"Blood..." Fudo was murmuring again, and whether it was the smell of his own or Akabane's, he could not guess. "Blood... blood..." His voice rose in pitch and volume until the intonation resembled a battle cry, and Akabane had to abandon his creativity with the scalpels. Fudo's body jerked too much, and Akabane's own hands were becoming just a bit unsteady. There was something in Fudo's voice that touched Akabane as surely as his body did - an insatiable lust for battle, much like Akabane's own, but intensified by the madness of a berserker. It was fascinating, on a very base level, to see a man who had so thoroughly lost control, and Akabane found his own composure wavering in the face of it.

"I can see it!" Fudo gasped suddenly, staring down at Akabane with wild, frenzied eyes and a grin that was much too wide and arrogant. "Three seconds! Three seconds - I can see your body shaking, your hands clenched in fists - I can see your climax!" The vision of the near future seemed to drive him over the edge, and his hands nearly crushed the deliverer's shoulders as he threw his head back and howled. "Midoooooooooooooouuu!!"

Akabane's eyes widened momentarily, and he tossed his head back as well, laughing loudly as he lost the last remaining bits of his self-control. Of course Fudo's sexual pleasure was so closely tied to the retriever - his lust for Midou Ban's death was more intense and all-consuming than any other lust of the flesh. Akabane was far more amused than offended as he rode out a kind of pleasure that most mortals would never know - except, perhaps, for Fudo Takama.

Fudo's own release had left him madder than ever, Akabane quickly realized, as he felt the mechanical hand go to his throat. He was delusional - he truly believed he was with the retriever, and intended to kill now that he had taken possession. No matter, Akabane thought casually, releasing a few more scalpels into his hand. Even if Fudo did remain sane enough to foresee his actions, he could not react fast enough.

Fudo had only his right hand pinned - a fitting tactic if he had been in such a position with the retriever, but not so for Akabane, who struck upwards with his left, bristling with the small blades he kept concealed. Fudo's eyes widened and he made a painful gurgling sound as one of the scalpels impaled his throat, just barely missing his trachea. His grip on Akabane's neck loosened, and Akabane ducked underneath his arm to slip out from beneath him, leaving a few gashes in Fudo's shoulder and side as a reminder.

Worn out from the sex and the injuries Akabane had inflicted before, during, and afterwards, Fudo toppled to the ground, clutching his side with a groan. Akabane, however, simply refastened his pants as well as he could and arranged his coat to cover the torn and bloodstained portions of his clothing. It was dark, and the majority of his clothing black, so his client likely wouldn't see anything unusual.

"As entertaining as this was," he said calmly, bending beside Fudo's exhausted and pain-wracked form to pick up his fallen hat, "I do have an appointment I must make, so we cannot finish each other tonight. I will give your regards to Midou Ban, should I have the honor of meeting him again before you do. I may even leave him alive."

Fudo remained silent, aside from the rapid, rasping breaths he drew, and Akabane smiled fondly. "Do take care of yourself, Fudo Takama, and perhaps someday we may do this again." With that, he turned away to continue on towards his rendezvous point. "Next time, though, do try to become a bit more powerful. I would like to see the man worthy of challenging Midou Ban, and I don't believe I have seen him yet. Farewell..."

A vicious growl came from behind him, but Akabane did not so much as turn his head. Powerful and dedicated as Fudo might be, he did not have the strength of mind to pose any real threat to someone like him. Even so, Akabane mused as he made his way through the now-silent back alleys of Lower Town, Fudo was intriguing in his own right; he might just come back this way in a month or so, and see if he had taken his advice. If nothing else, it would prove to be an amusing diversion.