~ Chapter 4 ~

With a scowl Shirosaki stilled over his pet. He turned his head to look at the one who had interrupted him and his pet's moment together. Nnoitra stood in the living room with a huge grin on his face, clearly enjoying what he had seen.

"It's not fair tha' you two already have started. You could have waited fer me."

"Dream on Nnoitra."

"Oh yeah, I'll be dreamin' about what I just saw. Perfect jack-off material."

Shirosaki choose to ignore the man as it usually was the best method to get him shut up. He looked down on his pet that had turned away his head in shame, and consequently bared his marked neck towards the new guest. His body had also gone slack and they way he was laying almost resembled a submissive feline baring her stomach. It made Shirosaki smirk in confidence. He leaned down and graced the old bite mark which made his pet grasp at the sofa cushions. Nnoitra made a displeased sound at the action. "Che. You and yer stupid marking fetish."

"You're just jealous." The vampire said and untangled himself from his pet. He sat down casually on the couch again, continuing with his wine. His pet still hadn't moved as he continued to try and hide from Nnoitra. It made Shirosaki a little annoyed. "Sit up properly, Pet. Nnoitra may be an ass, but he's also worthy respect as a Master."

Ichigo obeyed quickly. He chose to stare down on the floor while apologizing. "I apologize for my behavior, Nnoitra-sama."

"'bout time you found yer manners." Nnoitra snorted which made Ichigo's shoulders sink a little.

"He behaves towards everyone willingly except you. Seems like you still have to earn his trust."

"Or it's you who don't have 'im whipped enough to make him understand who's in charge."

"Please, trust me- I do." Shirosaki answered and petted his pet's head. "Ain't that right, Pet?"

"Yes, Master."

"Nnoitra, I think you forgot someone in the hallway." Shunsui said as he entered the living room with a tray in his hand.

This made Ichigo perk up. Shirosaki noticed this and also had believed that Nnoitra had showed up by himself. Besides Ukitake, Ichigo had found a good friend in Nnoitra's pet. Nelliel was like a sister towards his pet in a strange way. They always had fun whenever both of them met.

"Drag yer ass over here, Pet." Nnoitra yelled.

A yellow head peaked out from the corner before entering the living room. Shirosaki watched as a thin man with rather long yellow hair walked in and paused at Nnoitra's side.

"This is Shinji, ma new pet." Nnoitra introduced and lay a hand on his pet's shoulder.

"Hello..." Was all Shirosaki could say to mask his confusion and surprise from Nnoitra. He felt how his pet's shoulders sagged upon the news of Nelliel not being around anymore.

"It's nice to meet you. I hope that you will find our gatherings enjoyable." Shunsui said, taking the roll of being a nice host seriously as he always did. Nnoitra's pet nodded and smiled at the foreign master. He then turned to Ichigo and broke out in a huge smile.

"You're so pretty!" Shinji exclaimed.

Ichigo's head looked up at the new pet to blush at the compliment. Not knowing what happened, his head was suddenly buried in blonde strands. Nnoitra's pet hugged Ichigo. Shirosaki watched in horror as the foreign pet put all his paws upon his pet without permission. "Nice to meet you." He said and sniffed. "You smell familiar…oh, I know! It's that expensive wax brand." Ichigo stiffened. "Did your master make you all pretty?" Shinji whispered in Ichigo's ear. Shirosaki's impeccable hearing picked up on what Shinji was saying and he didn't like how he clung to his pet.

"Restrain your Pet, he's bothering mine." Shirosaki said annoyed.

"Pet, Dracula is jealous. Get away from there." Nnoitra's pet instantly returned to his master's side.

"Don't fucking call me that, you bastard." Shirosaki growled, patience wearing thin. He wasn't in the mood to sit and talk pleasantries with Nnoitra, but was saved when Starrk came in through the door together with Kuchiki and his pet Renji. They were also served a welcome drink as they too sat down in the living room area.

Starrk sat down on the available side of the couch that Shirosaki sat on. He lounged casually with an arm flung over the top of the couch; leg draped over the other as the sipped his wine. Starrk hadn't taken a pet of his own, but owned a business as a dungeon Master. Subs without a master could go there and get their needs satisfied by Starrk in one of his many playrooms. It could also be those who were curious about the life style and only wanted to try it out before going as far as to go searching for a permanent master. Sometimes it happened that master's came and got lessons to improve the mastership. In the front where the customers were greeted held also a small shop to purchase toys or stock up on essentials.

Kuchiki had taken an armchair, leaving his pet Renji to stand behind him. The master to the read head was a well known business man and lived in the shadows with his lifestyle. He roamed in the same circles as Aizen did. The man usually could provide with news from the inside of the city leadership. In a sense as a pet, Renji bore a more significant role to his master as he served as one of his closest men. They never used the term 'bodyguard' but that was basically what he was. Because of Kuchiki's high status Renji would always be beneath him and taking work related orders looked natural to those who didn't know what occurred behind closed doors. One could view Renji as a stronger sub because he was involved in his Master's business on a daily basis and had to take decisions of his own. It was the way that the two had been brought together so it fell naturally for both of them. All Master and Pet relationship was different from one another.

Shunsui had disappeared at some point and came back with Ukitake. Who looked a little better, the rest had proven to be a vise decision. "The dinner is served in the main room. You know the deal, your respective at the makeshift table while we sit at the grand one." Nnoitra chugged the last of his wine before rising. Shirosaki stood up as well, motioning to his pet to follow. Renji walked behind Kuchiki while Starrk sauntered after everyone else, to hurry wasn't one of his favorite doings. Something that was often reflected when he played in his dungeon, it was no fun to ruin the scene by rushing through it and it made the subs beg more. Shirosaki made sure that his pet found a seat before taking one himself, while Kuchiki was treated the opposite way by Renji. Nnoitra didn't seem to bother at all, and sat down, leaving his pet to his own care. Shunsui made sure that the blonde found a seat too after he got Ukitake seated.

The food had already been served and everyone could fill their plates with whatever they wanted. At the sub table it was a little simpler since the plates already were filled with food. Shunsui had to learn the difficult way when he had had dinners before and no sub had dared to touch the food by themselves besides the more independent ones. More wine was passed around and everyone was set. Shirosaki viewed his pet for a few minutes to make sure that he actually dared to eat. He had forgotten to say that he was allowed to, but it seemed that he had understood anyway. Good.

"So Nnoitra…a new pet. What brought this on?" Shunsui asked. Everyone had to be wondering.

The black haired male sighed. "Nell was contradictin' me. She refused ta be on the pill while claimin' that it was damagin' her body. She went all crazy with this 'bein' natural' stuff. Fucking feminist hippie. I said that I refused ta fuck her if she didn't take it since I wasn't and aren't interested in accidentally knockin' someone up. I hate snotty brats." Nnoitra visibly shuddered at the thought. "Let's be honest, a creampie is sexy and pleasing as hell. Our contract made sure that I couldn't punish her for makin' health prioritizations so I played along. Since 'er pussy was off limits ta anything containin' sperm, I satisfied my needs through her ass. It didn't sit well with her either; she said that she wanted some pussy action too and tha' I was abusing her ass too much."

"Then why just not wear a condom?" Shirosaki butted in, a little annoyed at Nnoitra's reasoning.

"I'm fuckin' allergic ta those things."

Shirosaki gave him a look.

"Honestly, I get rashes." Nnoitra drank some wine before continuing. "An' since she stopped eating pills she started ta menstruate, and I can't fuckin' stand that."

Shirosaki got goose bumps at the mention of period blood. It really was disgusting for vampires. They called it 'dead blood' and the smell alone was enough to make one nauseous.

"We told you before you two signed, that you were better off with a male. You love anal too much and often women are weaker and can't handle as much." Starrk said.

"Che. I appreciate a good double penetration too an' foursomes with one female and three males are tha best groups I ever had. Groups are always great tho, anyway, we parted ways since we couldn't fulfill each other's desires anymore."

"It's the most reasonable thing to do." Kuchiki said unimpressed. "Or you chose right from the beginning to lessen the burden of finding someone knew."

"Whatever. I'm good now. Shinji is a real gem. He doesn't have any limits."

"He lets you do anything?" Shirosaki wondered. Nnoitra could be a sadistic bastard when he was in mood for it.

"Hell yeah. He's such a pain slut an' slut in general. He can be fuckin' annoying at times, but him lettin' me do whatever I want makes up for it." Nnoitra flashed a knowing grin towards his pet. He was obviously thinking about something fucked up.

"How's business Starrk?" Kuchiki asked as he was interested how they were doing, he was a business man after all and to change the subject. He couldn't stand to hear Nnoitra more than necessary. That man was utterly vulgar.

"They're good actually. Got a lot of first timers due to the 50 shade's hysteria. It's amusing to see them break; most of them do when they realize it's more than blindfolds and rope. My classes are usually full since a lot of people want to gain knowledge about our life style. I'm thinking to start an aftercare and precaution class, to avoid injuries that could have been prevented in the first place but I don't know if I have the time to do it."

Shunsui perked at this. It was something that he thought was missing among all the beginners. "That would certainly lower the raising hospitalizations after amateur plays. It gives us a bad reputation."

"Also subspace isn't talked about much. It's dangerous if you can't see the signs." Shirosaki said while thinking about the idea.

"I agree. If you want help, maybe I could take a class on my shoulders. I know you like to teach, but I think that you are better off with concentrating on your main business." Shunsui offered with a smile.

"Shunsui is right. It could be bad for your business if you spend too little time in your dungeons. One should always concentrate on the heart of the company." Kuchiki supported Shunsui's opinion.

Shirosaki agreed as well with a nod. He knew too well what happened if you strayed from your main line. His own establishments were successful now but that hadn't been the case the first years. He'd been forced to work hard to be where he was. Kuchiki on the other hand continued on the business that his father had passed on to him. Shirosaki wouldn't say that the man had it easier by any means, but with a path laid out made things work more… smoothly. His concentration went towards his pet for a moment. He didn't say much compared to Nnoitra's that seemed to steal everyone's attention. Renji could keep up with the blonde's pace and Ukitake brought calm to the group. At least his pet didn't seem too distraught with not being at his side.

"Rumors say that Aizen will have a banquet arranged in honor of an important client of his and that he will send out invitations. Anyone heard of that?" Shunsui said and looked mostly in Kuchiki's direction but the question was for the whole group. Shirosaki hadn't heard anything of it, which was strange since he had been invited before.

"What I know he hasn't decided on the guest list yet. The guest is important and many safety precautions have to be made. The list needs to contain people that don't prove to be a threat." Kuchiki answered after he dabbed his mouth with a napkin.

"Is it an event where pets are present or just important people with important business?"

"Can't say until the invitations have been given out. I know basically just as much as everyone here."

"It would be fuckin' dull with a petless party." Nnoitra complained. "'sides Aizen recently got a new Pet he probably wants to show off."

"Who in their right mind would invite you?" Shirosaki said sarcastically.

"Fuck you."

"No thanks. I do the fucking."

"We all do. End of the story." Starrk butted in. "Any one in for a smoke?" No one answered so Starrk disappeared on his own to get some nicotine.

Silence settled over the table for a short second. It transferred to the subtable too, with the exception off Nnoitra's pet. Shirosaki really wondered if he even was pet material to begin with. He didn't seem to have a submissive personality at all. Nell hadn't really been either when he thought about it, but this was a stranger's home, he should be more uncomfortable. It all seemed a little fishy. Even though he didn't want to, Shirosaki felt that he had to interfere at the other table when he concluded that his pet only had eaten half of the plate and moved around the rest of the food on it. It made him concerned seeing the anxious behavior. Something must have triggered it.

"Excuse me." He said and rose from his seat. "I need to check up on my pet."

Shunsui gave him a questioning look, which he met. Ukitake almost gave him the same expression as he approached the table but thought better off it. Nnoitra's pet resumed in the same fashion even though a master was present. Total lack of respect, and Nnoitra had complained over Ichigo's… While Shirosaki came closer to his pet, he stopped with his food poking, placed his hands in his lap and looked down on his hands. Yeah, something was definitely up.

Shirosaki never got as far as approaching his pet entirely. The cause of the strange behavior was easily spotted as he was close enough to the table. Nnoitra's pet sat across his and was currently feeling him up with his right foot. An innocent gesture, only traveling as high as the knee, but enough to make his pet uncomfortable. Something in the vampire snapped, making him round the table in a few strides. He kicked out the blonde's chair and picked him up with a fist tight in his shirt. The chair clattered to the floor and Shirosaki pressed the blond up against the nearest wall. He was growling low in displeasure. "Hands off my Pet, pet." His fangs peeked out, ready to inflict harm if needed.

At the domtable, the masters looked surprised. Nnoitra though, rose instantly from the table to defend his pet. Shirosaki on the other hand didn't bother about that. He pushed the blonde several times against the wall harshly. In his angered haze, he didn't see the petrified look on Shinji's face. When a hand gripped his shoulder to spin him around, he threw the pet to the side, who fell down to the floor. Nnoitra aimed a fist towards Shirosaki's face, but he easily dodged it and crushed Nnoitra's nose with his own. Blood streamed from it, making the vampire's eyes darken and fangs protruding even further.

"Ya fucker!" Nnoitra screamed as he held it to make the bleeding stop.

Shirosaki didn't bother about him being in pain, it only made him want to hurt him further and to suck him dry. Despite the one bleeding being Nnoitra, his brain decided that his blood smelled delicious. He flung himself at him again, this time aiming his fangs against the neck. Nnoitra saw this and did the only thing he could against a vampire in this state. Run. There was no use to try and fight a being stronger than himself.

Shirosaki growled as his prey ran away, but followed quickly. The hunt was always the best part. His pulse roared in his head and everything happened super fast. Something slammed shut in front of him and he was pinned to the wood. Heavy breaths were drawn to calm down, but he could still feel the smell coming from the other side. Nnoitra had closed a door in his face. The hand at the base of his neck pushed harder as he squirmed to get away from the restraint.

"Calm down." Shunsui said behind him.

It was easier said than done. Eventually Shirosaki let his forehead rest against the cool wood, fangs still aching after the blood. He was ashamed that he had gone this far. He wasn't sorry for Nnoitra, he'd deserved it, but to Shunsui for destroying his dinner.

"That's it." Shunsui saw that Shirosaki visibly let go of the tension in his shoulders.

"You can let me go. Just clean the blood away. Please."

Hesitant, Shunsui took a step back far enough to intervene if necessary. Apparently Shirosaki had managed to corner Nnoitra inside of the kitchen. He went back to where he last seen his pet. In the dining room Ukitake sat on the floor, consoling Nnoitra's pet who was completely shaken. The blonde stopped breathing as Shirosaki entered the room. His own pet acknowledged him worriedly. Kuchiki was flanked by his own pet who regarded him with a calculating gaze. He continued to the living room with his pet following him. He sunk down in a couch before moving to lie down in it. With the adrenaline rush earlier, he had no strength left.

"Master?" His pet called out carefully, standing at his feet.

"I'm okay. Don't worry." Shirosaki had his eyes closed, it felt better that way. His fangs still throbbed but were receding. He wasn't physically harmed, Nnoitra never managed to get a hit on him. The couch dipped at his knees as his pet laid down beside him. Ichigo curled up next to him as much as he dared. "You shouldn't lay here," his master said. "The blood is still too fresh in my mind."

"I trust you, Master."

It made Shirosaki's heart jump a beat. He could feel that his pet was wary and that he understood what could happen. One of his hands buried itself in orange locks and petted the hair. It was more of a nervous gesture, but Shirosaki kept his eyes closed to not risk a glimpse of his pet's beautiful marked neck. He was already calming down faster thanks to the warmth beside him.

"Uhm, what did I miss?" Starrk entered the living room, looking like a question mark. He scratched his goat tee in thought as he saw Shirosaki laying on the couch. Shirosaki stared straight at Starrk to not catch a glimpse of his pet next to him.

"Broke Nnoitra's nose."

"Oh…and his pet?"

"Scared the shit out of him."

"Is there a dom with him now?"

"Last time I saw him, Ukitake was with him."

"I'll go and speak to him." Starrk quickly moved to the dining room.

Shirosaki felt a little better, but was nauseous. This usually happened when a vampire neglected a triggered feeding. The taken blood always takes away the fatigue that comes with the body's change to make the bite. His nausea was caused by his stomach that had anticipated blood and therefore added a special enzyme to be able to break it down. Easy way out would be to draw blood to be able to get rid of the symptoms, but as he had wanted to feed in rage and not hunger, Shirosaki wasn't feeling it. It disgusted him a little to be honest, it was one of the sides of him that he didn't like. Primal instinct wasn't something you just could choose away.

He sensed how Shunsui walked in and how he paused at the possibly odd sight of the two of them on the couch. "What?" Shirosaki asked.

"Is that a good idea?"

"Not really. He was the one to climb on to me."

"You ok?"

"Nauseous and worn. Just give me a few more minutes."

"No worries. Nnoitra and his pet are going to leave. I patched him up as much as I could, but he needs to go to the hospital to get his nose set properly. You got a mean punch."

Shirosaki smiled faintly at hearing about the crushed nose, job well done. "I'm sorry for ruining your dinner. I lost it when I saw his pet feeling mine up."

"About that…" Shunsui sighed before sitting down in an armchair.

Sensing that things where to get serious, Shirosaki nudged his pet to sit up with him. His stomach flip flopped before calming down again. "Let me guess, Nnoitra chose a fucked up one didn't he."

"You could put it like that."

"What's the story?"

"There isn't one what I know of. This is only what Nnoitra told me and what Starrk confirmed when he sat with the pet while his master was gone." Shunsui folded a leg over his knee. "Apparently he can't help to touch people. He doesn't have that boundary and can't see the wrong in it."

"Okay, he's forward in an unpleasant way. Strange trait for a sub though."

"It isn't common." Shunsui agreed. "There's another thing, he has had bad experiences with vampires before."

Shirosaki looked at Shunsui with an even gaze. "And I scared the shit out of him." Shunsui chose to nod and Shirosaki rubbed his forehead. What a mess. "I should apologize to his pet. I never could have guessed."

"No one will blame you, maybe Nnoitra, but you and he never get a long."

Shirosaki sighed deeply and massaged his temples.

"How about we try and finish this dinner?" Shunsui rose and motioned for them to come join the others.

They decided that everyone should sit at the same table since Kuchiki's pet wasn't trusting Shirosaki and Ichigo didn't want to leave his master's side. The table had desert on it, but Shirosaki politely declined since his stomach still was upset. His pet on the other hand happily dug in to it. Sweets were always appreciated by him since they rarely had them at home. Shirosaki wanted to leave; he felt tired and could almost do anything to feel his satin sheets against his skin. It had been a long day.

"Relax, Red. I ain't gonna jump your master." Shirosaki said annoyed over the fact that the redhead shifted every time he moved in his seat.

Starrk put a relaxed eye on Kuchiki's pet to assess the situation. Shirosaki could get a little paranoid at times due to his vampire awareness, but he could see that Renji was on edge unnecessarily. Shirosaki noticed how Starrk was calculating and then got in to action. The man placed himself behind Renji and tried to get him to calm down by lightly rubbing his shoulders. It looked a little stupid, with Renji's muscled shoulders being massaged by someone who was more firmly toned then on the buff side. When it didn't work, Starrk moved to talk into his ear. Shirosaki picked up promises of him not going to do anything and that his tenseness would only make Kuchiki edgy. It worked to some degree; Starrk was a dungeon master after all.

"Thank you, Starrk." Kuchiki politely thanked the man.

"Sorry, it's a bad habit of mine. Sometimes I can't let certain things pass." Starrk had moved without any permission after all.

"We have tried to work on Renji's overprotective side, but it is a slow process."

"It can't be good to have the brain hyperactively aware of everything all the time." Shunsui said.

"He get's that relaxing outlet in submission. It's the only relaxation that has been proven to work to date."

Shirosaki's gaze left the conversation and his eye's landed on Ukitake. The man sat quiet, looking down on the table. The wheezing in his chest was a clear sound to Shirosaki's ears and he had no time to let Shunsui know, until the white haired sub clutched his chest and bent forward as a series of coughs racked through his body. They grew worse with each pained breath. Ichigo dropped his spoon on to the table in shock and looked worriedly at Ukitake. Shunsui tried to sooth the man, hoping that it was a light fit that soon would pass, but Ukitake covered his mouth as a deep cough brought up blood. Shirosaki's stomach churned at the blood in the air as it still hadn't calmed from before. The blood scent bore a sickly tang, it was terrible to think of it like that but it was his natural protection to not get infected by bad blood.

Shunsui begged Starrk to go and get the inhaler for episodes like these. The master was quick and handed it to Shunsui who helped his pet to inhale the medication. It quickly got a bit better, but the danger wasn't over yet. Shunsui would need to stay up all night to ensure that he didn't choke in his sleep. He never was able to sleep when his pet was this ill anyway. Ukitake leaned weakly against his master, trying to breathe. A small trickle of blood had escaped his lips and was rolling down on his chin.

"I'm sorry but I will need to ask you to go. " Shunsui said apologetically. He rose from his seat while he at the same time picked up his pet in his arms. Shirosaki followed suit with all the others at the table.

"Do you need any help?" Shirosaki asked while trying to swallow down his nausea. His pet was pressing close, casting worried glances over Ukitake.

"We will be fine." Shunsui answered and headed to their bedroom to put his pet to some rest. He trusted that his guest understood that they needed to show themselves out. Which they did.

Starrk was the last one to close the door, Shirosaki and Kuchiki had gathered outside waiting for the man. Ichigo stood with his face burrowed in Shirosaki's shoulder while clutching the front of his shirt slightly. The night had been very emotional for the pet. Starrk sent Shirosaki a faint smile before choosing to stand beside Kuchiki and his pet.

"When are you going to trade in to a bigger car, I never get to ride with you." Starrk said while eyeing Shirosaki's Porsche.

"I'd never trade to a four doors, they're plain ugly. Buy your own."

Kuchiki looked a little offended by his words. He had chosen to drive his BMW M3 since Starrk had asked for a ride. He too had the same opinion about four doors and liked the fast cars more, but he also was practical in nature. His black BMW with tinted windows, served as his working vehicle most of the times. Kuchiki had a few other cars he took pride in besides his everyday car.

"I'm a simple man." Starrk shrugged, but in reality his dream was to have a flashy vehicle like most in his circuit of people however where he lives there is no car parking. Living in the city center was disadvantageous in some aspects. Then there also was the cost for a car of that caliber. His business was flowing but not to that extent.

"Well Starrk, if my car isn't to your liking then maybe I can suggest a walk home? Might be good for you." Kuchiki 'jokingly' said.

"The BMW is a good car Kuchiki, I only want to feel the purr of a powerful engine once in a while. All of you always have your pets with you, no room for an old man like me."

"I'll take ya out for a spin sometime Starrk." Shirosaki promised.

"Thanks, I'll take you up on that."

They parted ways and climbed into respective cars. Shirosaki sighed before turning on the engine. His pet had snuggled against the other side of the car as much as he could in the tight space. Shirosaki brought them home in the dark with the stereo on low. His pet dozed, but tried to stay awake stubbornly. Home safe and sound they went straight to bed.

"Will Ukitake be alright, Master?" His pet asked from beneath the covers.

"Don't worry, Pet. He'll mend I'm sure. Shunsui takes good care of him." Shirosaki tried to guarantee Ichigo. His pet nodded in confirmation. Shirosaki let his boxers drop to the floor before he lay down next to his pet who had fallen asleep in the short seconds after his worry about the white haired pet. Instead of bringing Ichigo in to his arms, Shirosaki chose to look at his sleeping pet. His thoughts strayed to how fortunate he was to have his pet healthy. Ichigo shifted in his sleep to turn his head against the opposite wall. Shirosaki's eyes sunk to the faint bite mark, his neglected blood lust making a reminder. A bad one. He gagged soundlessly at the rising bile. Fuck. Moments later Shirosaki was throwing up his latest meal in the bathroom.

TBC.

AN: Don't know it Nnoitra's accent became too much, have no idea how to write it beautifully.

Big thank you to reviewers, followers & to those who puts this little story into favorites!

~BIAE