Sympathy for the Devil

**Date Completed:** Ongoing
**Previous Role-Play**: Bite the Bullet
**Next Role-Play**: ?
**Users Involved:** User:KamiGuru, User:KingAtum00
**Setting:** Musutafu, Tokyo
**Characters Involved**: Vladimir Sharapova, Takeo Mikio, Hiroki, Yoshito Mikio

## Blood Brothers

*Over a century ago*
Night had fallen fast upon the land. No more than an hour ago the sky was painted with hues of red, orange and pink, but all color had faded leaving only a matt black canvas with no stars to be looked upon. The darkness was thick and the torched the boy carried in high right hand hardly lit his path allowing him to see at most an arm’s reach in front of himself, and the black mesh that covered his face only made his sight worse.

Other than the darkness and himself all that seemed to exist was the chilly wind that’s harsh bite could be felt through his cloak. He could feel the bite of the wind but unlike most, he didn’t react to the harsh temperature. His blood ran cold through his veins and his bones were chilled but no because of the depleting degrees but rather his unique physiology; he was part of the undead. Eight years of age and his name had spread far and wide, Vladimir Sharapova, Count Dracula.

As the darkness grew stronger, its true allies finally showed their colors. A boy, if you could even call him that, not much older than the monster he was about to hunt emerged from his hole that he called home. "That smell..." he thought, utilizing his enhanced senses to detect the undead from over a mile away. "It smells human, but it's different...." Takeo Mikio continued to ponder before falling onto his palms. "Either way he's dead!" he shouted, unleashing a powerful howl that echoed throughout the forest. The winds would carry his voice alarming his prey of his arrival. Expecting said target to flee, he let off a smirk. "Run sheep run. The taste of sweat and fears makes you all the more satisfying." he spoke, before dashing towards his prey's position with blitzing speeds, following him if he ran.

Hoping to find some hunters to feast on, Vladimir had his ears pierced as he waited to find his own prey. Then suddenly a sporadic heartbeat echoed in his ear. "Seems he already knows I'm here..." he concluded, before hearing a loud howl. His face was filled with disgust. "If I wanted to eat mutt I would have continued to live with my peasant family..." he commented aloud, awaiting what he suspected to be a wolf.

Dashing through the forest, Takeo leaped into the air as he reached his prey. Displaying his fangs and razor sharp claws, he suspected his target was paralyzed with fear. "Just a kid huh, not as much meat as I would have wanted. Might need to be a three course meal." he thought, going for the boy's neck, hoping to kill him in a single stroke.

As the beast leaped to the skies, Vladimir gazed towards it. For a moment, he was indeed paralyzed, but not with fear. Rather the emotion he felt was astonishment. The creature possessed a grey fur cloak along with its keened teeth and claws. And yet, Vladimir could tell with a single glance that the beast heading towards him was not mere wolf. Quickly recuperating from his stun, Vladimir used his own inhuman abilities to dodge the creature's attack. Upon doing so, he created some space between the two of them and spoke. "What are ya?" Vladimir asked, attempting to see if his suspicions were correct and his foe was a *freak* like him.

Pleased his prey dodged his attack, Takeo thought he'd do the boy the honor of answering his question, as his dying wish. "I'm your worst nightmare. All the best qualities of wolves with the intellect and personality of a human. I'm a werewolf!" he spoke confidently, not expressing any discomfort with his odd physiology. "Unfortunately, you won't get to go home and cry wolf. Cause in the next couple of seconds..." Takeo exclaimed, commencing his assault once again but this time hoping to latch onto his target with his claws before taking large bite. "You'll be dead!"

Vladimir found himself disgusted by the werewolf's arrogant nature. Killing humans was like second nature to him at this point, therefore killing a mix between a mongrel and person felt beneath him. "How do you expect to kill someone that is already dead..." the undead child retorted, before planting his feet onto the ground and clenching his fist. "One punch should do it.." Vladimir told himself. As the beast drew near, he propelled his fist towards the stomach of his foe, not concerned with protecting his body from its claws. The sheer force of his punch could easily splatter the average man's organs and leave them on the brink of death.

Even with Vladimir's great speed and strength, Takeo was able to see right through his attack. Unfortunately, his airborne state would prove to be problematic. So close in, at this point it'd be inevitable to take some damage. Thus Takeo decided he'd make the most of a poorly designed attack. Before being punched his claws dug deep into his opponent's body. Upon being punched, he quickly planted his feet and used his lower claws to prevent him from flying off. Winded, his mouth opened wide displaying his sharp fangs. Within less than a foot now, Takeo took a large chomp at Vladimir's lower neck and inner shoulder.

While displaying signs of discomfort, Vladimir worked through the pain. "Bastard is a lot tougher than I thought." Vladimir realized, before a smirk yet again arrived on his face. "But if it's a biting contest he wants, then it's a biting contest he'll get." At that moment, Vladimir's fangs revealed themselves. Within such close range of his target, Vladimir mimicked his line of attack and bit onto the wolf's neck and shoulder. But unlike his target, who was attempting to rip of Vladimir's flesh, Vladimir had a different objective. "If he's like me then..." Suddenly began to consume Takeo's blood.

"What the fuck?" Takeo thought with concern, feeling his body slowly grow weaker. "Is this dude really, Dracula?!?!?!" Across the world, the concept of quirks had spread far and wide but one name has become infamous throughout all of Europe; Dracula. Takeo had heard rumors of the menacing creature but never thought he'd ever come face to face with it. "Son of a bitch gonna suck me dry if I don't move!" Releasing Vladimir's neck from his jaws, the werewolf also removed one of his claws from Vladimir's arms. "Die you vampire!" he exclaimed before that same hand went for the boy jugular and ripped it from his throat. He then leaped back several feet, remaining cautious in case rumor of his immortality were true.

Just as the Werewolf expected, Vladimir’s throat and other wounds began to heal; he truly is part of the undead. “I take it you’ve realized the gap between our two abilities. Now turn over like a good little dog and maybe I’ll keep you as a pet.” Signs of Vladimir’s hubris began to show. Having a vast history of people underestimating him then fearing him, he waited for his target to submit. Despite what he had said, Vladimir had no intention of showing the mutant mercy. “Come on now, I don’t have all night…”

Takeo smirked in response. “So, what if you can heal. That just means more meat for me to eat.” He then placed the vampire’s jugular in his mouth and chomped ferociously. “Chewy.” He mocked, having no intention of submitting. “Even if it takes all night, I’ll devour you!”

And so it did. The two estranged creatures brawled for hours. Chomping, scratching, punching kicking, through every means each of them attempted to get an edge over each other but nonetheless, dawn had arrived, and both were still standing.

While his unique physiology usually prevents him from displaying signs of fatigue, Vladimir’s hungered state caused him to display his vulnerability. And with the sun piercing through the destroyed trees, he began to feel an extreme burning sensation against his pale white skin. “Fuck! It’s day time and I still haven’t eaten.” He thought gazing at his opponent.

“He looks weakened, now’s my chance!” he thought, but however his body did not respond that he wished it to. Much like the creature standing before him, Takeo is a nocturnal creature. Gathering his superbeast like strength from the power of the moon, the werewolf was reminiscent to a regular man during the day. “Has it really been six hours…” he mumbled to himself, panting from exhaustion and hunger.

“I guess it has…” Vladimir responded. While initially viewing the werewolf as an arrogant prey, over the past couple of hours, Vladimir has undoubtedly discovered a newfound respect for him. “I must say, you know how to hold your own.”

“I could say the same thing about you.” Takeo admitted. Having lost his taste for the Vampire long ago, defeating him was simply a pride issue. “How about we consider this a draw until later. I’ve got a nice little cave where we can wait until nightfall.”

While paranoid about the wolf’s sudden friendliness, Vladimir could not help but show some joy from being wanted by someone, he was indeed just a child. “Yeah, I guess so…” Vladimir spoke, following the wolf to his quarters.

Arriving at his cave, Takeo welcomed the vampire as a guest. “I don’t got much but can I get you anything?” he offered the child.

His sudden change of tone was alarming to Vladimir. “Why, did you poison it?!?!” Having no idea what the wolf was offering and yet he was skeptical.

“Woah dude, there’s no need to freak out. I think we’ve established neither of us can kill one another.” Takeo spoke in response. “People like you and me are hard to come by so it’s important we stick together.”

Vladimir was still unsure, but he appeared less tense. “Yeah I guess. When did your powers first start to show?” he quickly asked.

“When I was about four years old, you?” Takeo said, as he gave Vladimir a new set of clothes.

“Same…I think.” Vladimir responded, looking a little bit down as he said it. Realizing he was showing his true emotions, he quickly stopped. “It was the best day of my life!” he announced.

“So rough for you too, huh?” Takeo cut Vladimir off before he could say anything else. “So the rumors about what ya did…to your family…are they true?”

“Yeah, they deserved. Every single one of them would have preferred me dead than help me.” Vladimir spoke, hints of sadness coming off in his voice.

“Well consider yourself lucky…my folks gave me up before I even became a freak.” Takeo cut him off yet again. “Lived in an orphanage till I turned, then ran away before anyone could mock me. Been living by myself ever since.”

Vladimir was shocked. Someone whose had a worst life than him. All doubt that he initially had about Takeo suddenly disappeared. “So, have you ever killed someone…?”

“For fun or for survival. Oh who am I kidding. I do both all the time…Fuck human, not like they’ve ever given a damn about me…”
Vladimir’s began to glow like light bulbs. Finally, someone who understood him in almost everyway. “Right! Those specs don’t even know how inferior they really are. Once I’m big and strong enough, they’ll realize who the fuck they’ve been trying to slaughter.”

Takeo was impressed. He had heard rumor about the devilish boy who had undead abilities, but this was different. He could feel his hatred towards humans, it almost gave him the chills. “You really wanna fuck with them…?” Takeo asked with a sinister smile on his face.

“Fuck yeah, what did ya have in mind?!?!” Vladimir responded easing in closer…

*Later that Night*
In a small village that barely had a population of over a hundred people, night had just fallen. Families in their respective household had just begun to prepare dinner. The local drunks had started their long night cap. The local authorities were enjoying their donuts. All signs pointed towards a regular night within the village. But, unfortunately for them, a monster was within their midst. While most of them were armed and prepared to face Takeo if he ever attacked, they were not ready for the beast that is Vladimir. Swiftly moving throughout the darkness like as shadow, Vladimir aimed first to strike the tavern of drunks who reminded him of his father.

Entering the tavern, one of the men gazed at the entrance to see a boy with ripped clothes. “ey there little bu \*burp\* ddy. Where are your parents?!?!” he asked, struggling to walk across the room without stepping over himself.

A hellish smile emerged on Vladimir’s face in response. “Dead!” he responded displaying his vampire fangs before leaping at the man and digging into his neck with his razor sharp teeth. The woman bartender scram response, and yet fear prevented her from doing anything beyond that.

The local authorities, a group of eight men and two women, rushed over quickly as soon as they heard reports of the women’s cries. But as they arrived on the crime scene, everyone in the tavern had already died and Vladimir set there, patiently waiting their arrival. “Well would you look at that. More appetizers…” Vladimir spoke, as the authorities quickly escaped the premises due to fear.

“Everybody run for your lives, Dracula has come to our village.” One of them yelled at the top of his lungs. Hearing rumor of the boys undead physiology, he knew the only thing he could do for these people was warn them.

Amidst of all the disarray and death, another demon would soon join the slaughter. While the citizens of the village had undergone intense training in preparation for an attack from the Lone Wolf, they'd never expect him to have an ally, much less for it to be the monster that is Vladimir. And now with chaos and fear ruling their minds, all that preparation would fade and cease to exist. Standing on the tallest mountain that was visible to the village the moon stood inches above. And at the peak of the mountain was none other than Takeo howling; symbolizing the inevitable death of the village.

"No..no..no way.." a man fell gazing at the full moon. "What type of god would send us two monsters in one night!" he tried in terror. Similar screams and pleads were chanted as the Takeo blitzed down the mountain.

"And so the hunt begins...." Takeo thought arriving at the nearly slaughterhouse that is this village. It took him mere moments to stack up three deaths. "Man, I've been itching for this.." Takeo spoke, blood-crazed. The look in his eyes made him appear like a demon sent from hell. "Eight, nine, ten.." he continued to count his death toll as if it were a game.

"Please don't kill me..." a young girl sobbed, and yet, despite his enhanced hearing he could not hear her...

Just as his partner, Vladimir continued to slaughter. In the eyes of most, this would be one of the most horrendous sights to see. The fresh aroma of blood, the spilled organs, the fear in people's eyes as they watched people they've known their entire life drop, one by one, in the most gruesome ways possible. And yet, to Vladimir, this was paradise. Slaughtering the very creatures who hate and despise him and rue the day he was brought into existence. And on top of that, he's working alongside someone who truly understood him. After almost an hour of killing, Vladimir walked out of the final house. "That makes sixty two..." he spoke, keeping tally of the number of kills he got. The two obviously had some sort of competition on who could get the most kills. "And how bout you mongrel, bet you couldn't do better." he spoke arrogantly, positive he'd acquire victory.

Takeo walked out of the largest house on the premise with blood splattered on his white fur. "Sixty two, huh." he mumbled, before utilizing his keen sense of smell and hearing to briefly survey the area. Before even a second passed, he detected a slight heart beat from one of Vladimir's own killings. "There!!" he rushed to the soon to be corpse and executed the woman himself. "That makes us both sixty one now." he commented confidently. "And you had a head start..." Takeo mocked playfully, enjoying his time with his newfound friend. But just as quickly as his smile emerged on his face, it quickly faded for a stern look. Walking to a thick puddle of blood, he turned and gazed at Vladimir. "Today, was one of the of the best days of my life..." he began.

While the time he spent with Takeo had been fun, he suspected this may occur. A sort of buyer's remorse, per se. Takeo had used him and now it was time to throw him away. An intense look of anger emerged on Vladimir's face. "I knew you were no different from the rest. You just found a way to use me and no you're ready to throw me away. But guess you fucking mutt, I'll kill you!" Vladimir announce as his killing intent engulfed the massacred town.

"And because of that, I think we should brothers." Takeo spoke, as his cheeks somewhat blushed due to embarrassment. Before Vladimir could even respond, he explained himself. "Neither of us have any family left. And I don't know if it's the dog within me, but I feel it's important I do have a pack. So, here's the thing. Today, we bathe in the blood of our mutual enemy and become *Blood Brothers*, forever bound just like the corpses to this floor." Takeo said. This was something he had been thinking about since their fight the previous morning. While initially feeling childish about it, the more time he spent lingering around Vladimir, the more positive he was. "So what do ya say? Wanna be my brother?"

Tears rolled down his face. The anger and rage that just built up inside of him immediately disappeared. For the first time in his life, he wasn't called an "abomination" nor "monster". No, this time someone was asking him to be their brother. Vladimir was petrified, completely and utterly speechless because of it. But before Takeo could comment on Vladimir's speechlessness, he snapped out of it. "Of course!" he exclaimed rushing toward the puddle in which Takeo stood before leaping up and giving him a huge hug. The two then proceeded to dip their hand in blood villagers and then shook each other's hand. This process resembled that of the Japan's sake brother shot. And from that day forth, the two demon were brothers or at least, that's what the had hoped.

*Current Day*
Deep within the forest of Transylvania, during the the darkest night, a certain baleful feeling surrounded the largest yet most ancient castle in the area. In this hallowed and ancient site the trees have seen the centuries blow past in the winds of each season and witnessed the folly of struggles. They surrounded the caste like great armies defending their citadel. However, the castle is more ancient than any bone left in the soil. The once smooth rock is pitted and scarred. It crumbles in slow motion, slower than the eye can detect even over a lifetime. Only the sun and the moon themselves witness the steady deterioration of these abandoned turrets and ramparts. Within the castle, it was completely lifeless. Night's creatures managed to make their way into the nook and crannies of the aging structure. And although it appeared completely abandoned and almost haunted, a man whose skin was as white as snow, ventured toward the castle. "I am here, my lord..."

A loud knock proceeded every stride he took as his footsteps echoed throughout the facility. The man had ventured for quite the distance by foot yet, he didn't appear the least tired; something was keeping him moving, motivating him. He was dressed as if they were to meet someone regal, clothed in a tailored made suit and tie, with newly shine loafers. Along with his forehead, he wore a headband of silk cloth. Despite his long venture and well-dressed attire, he packed very light; carrying solely a book with unique symbols along the cover. After navigating through the castle for some time, his consistent well paced strides began to slow down. As he progressed, each step began to be more of a struggle. The air began to grow thinner. It felt almost as if gravity had increased. The beautifully designed door was only metered and yet it felt like an eternity.
Eventually reaching the door, the man fell to his knee opening the door.

This room was different from the rest of the castle, it had a more modern spice while still maintaining it's antique aesthetic. While filled with plenty of valuables, the powerful blood red color of both the carpet and wall would capture anyone's attention primarily. At the top of the fleet of stairs was a custom design coffin embedded with plenty of expensive jewels and encased in metal.

The feeling the man felt as he approached this room, severely intensified as the door opening. Unable to catch any air, he was literately suffocating. His paralyzed state and tortured state was no other than a response to the maleficent aura generated by the being in the coffin. His body wasn't even capable of trembling. "Yes, I hear you my lord!" he thought, his eyes filled with determination. Ferociously biting his tongue, the pain somewhat awakened him from his fear, allowing him to move a little more freely.

Dropping his book on the floor, he wiped the blood dripping from his mouth with his index finger and began to write sporadically. Doing this would be sheer torture to most men; the sensation felt as if every last breath could be his last. And yet his conviction allowed him to struggle through. After seven minutes of hell on Earth, he struggled towards the exit. Leaving the castle he spoke with resolve, "I shall not let you down. I will convey your order to the rest of the world, for I am your mouthpiece, *The Devil's Mouthpiece*." Removing his headband, it revealed the distinct Antichrist symbol.