I'm posting this to the list for Cindy Toler, who is too busy in RL
right now to be subscribed. All C&C (public or private) is welcome and
encouraged, and will be forwarded to her. Enjoy!  -- GK




Author's Note: Dr. Tofu's occupation has been changed slightly for the
purposes of this story; he is a physician rather than a chiropractor in
this fic, for reasons which will probably become obvious.

This fic is dedicated with great respect to Bram Stoker, who published
_Dracula_ in 1897, and to Rumiko Takahashi, the creator of Ranma �.



                        The Blood is the Life
                            by Cindy Toler

 

It was a crisp autumn afternoon in Nerima, the kind of beautiful day
that just seemed made for a leisurely stroll in a park somewhere to
revel in the changing of the seasons. On this particular afternoon,
Ranma Saotome happened to be on his way past the park near the Tendo
Dojo, running as though his life depended on it.

"If I'm late, she'll kill me," he muttered, speeding up a little. At the
street crossing up ahead, a person dressed in black and yellow was just
stepping into view.

"Ryoga," Ranma growled. "Just what I don't need."

The Lost Boy blinked and shook his head slightly. "Saotome," he said,
then fell back into a defensive posture.

"Look, Ryoga, I don't got time for this right now. How's about I beat
you up later on today, OK?" Ranma offered casually, moving around to the
other side of the street in order to pass by.

Wisps of red battle aura flickered around Ryoga as he took a step toward
his rival. Suddenly the aura vanished, leaving him very pale and gasping
for breath. He staggered forward, muttering, "Ranma, prepare to..." and
then fell to the ground in a dead faint.

"Well, that was different," Ranma said, edging a little closer to see
that Ryoga was still breathing. "That's a great technique you've
developed there," he said a little louder, nudging one of Ryoga's hands
with his foot. There was still no reaction, so Ranma pushed him over
onto his back. Now that he had a closer look, Ranma noticed that the
Lost Boy looked like hell. He was ghastly pale, and there were dark
circles under his eyes and a bluish tinge around his mouth.

"You're not faking, are you?" Ranma asked as he knelt down and slapped
him on the cheek. Ranma looked around the empty street for help, then
with a resigned sigh he heaved Ryoga's limp form over his shoulder and
started walking.



"What happened?" Dr. Tofu asked.

"He fainted, I guess," Ranma panted. Even for a physically fit martial
artist, Ryoga's dead weight was a challenge.

"Here, bring him here." Tofu led the way to the back room. Ranma
unceremoniously dumped Ryoga onto the examining table and straightened
with a sigh of relief.

"Guess I'll be going..." Ranma said, backing away as Tofu pulled out his
stethoscope.

"No, stay," the Doctor requested. "I might need to ask you some
questions."

Ranma seated himself on a nearby stool, fidgeting anxiously as Tofu
started to unfasten Ryoga's shirt. Akane was going to kill him, no doubt
about that...

Ryoga woke with a shout, flailing his arms wildly.

"WHERE THE HELL...am...I now?" Ryoga ended the question in a small,
embarrassed voice, one hand clutching the open neck of his shirt and
holding it closed. "I'm at a doctor's office?" he asked, his puzzled
eyes finally resting on Ranma.

"Well, what else was I supposed to do with you?" Ranma grumbled. "I
mean, you passed out right in the middle of the street."

"I did not!" Ryoga gasped, struggling to sit up. Once he was upright,
his face paled dramatically, and he didn't offer any resistance as the
Doctor gently pushed him back down.

"Did, too," Ranma smirked.

"Shut up, Ranma," Ryoga said weakly.

"There's no shame in being sick," the Doctor said mildly, giving Ranma a
pointed look.

"Yeah, whatever," Ranma muttered. "Can I go now?"

"I'm coming with you," Ryoga added hastily, trying to slide off the edge
of the table.

"No, both of you stay," Tofu said firmly. Ranma settled back onto the
stool with a huff and Ryoga lay back looking unhappy.

"Now," Tofu said, adopting the kindly, professional manner that
characterized his practice. "Would you open your shirt, please?"

Ryoga sighed and reluctantly unfastened the shirt, allowing it to fall
open. Tofu gasped, and Ranma jumped up to gawk as well.

"What?" Ryoga asked, raising a hand to cover the right side of his neck
where their gazes were fastened. The area where neck and shoulder met
was sore, and ached with an icy pain when he touched it.

"What bit you?" Ranma asked curiously, as Tofu gently pulled Ryoga's
hand away.

"Nothing," Ryoga answered, feeling more than a little paranoid as Tofu
pushed his head to the left and cautiously prodded at the sore spot.
"What are you doing?"

"You got bit by something," Ranma asserted.

"Looks like an animal bite," Tofu mused. "I doubt that you could have
lost a significant amount of blood from a wound like this, though. That
wouldn't explain the fainting incident or your anemic appearance."

"I didn't faint!" Ryoga said hotly, turning to glare at Ranma. "What's
anemic?"

"Pale, bloodless, dark circles under the eyes..." the doctor murmured,
gently but firmly turning Ryoga's head to the left again. "I'd like to
run a few tests anyway, just to be sure. Why don't you go ahead and
disrobe," Tofu suggested, handing Ryoga a hospital-style gown, "and
we'll be back shortly. Ranma, would you come with me, please?" Ryoga
stared after them as they walked out of the room, then gazed with
distaste at the flimsy gown.



"So, Doc, what's the deal?" Ranma asked.

"What do you mean, Ranma?" Tofu said, distracted. He was peering at his
bookshelves, occasionally pulling a book down and leafing through it
before replacing it.

"What's wrong with him? He usually doesn't take naps in the street."

"Well, we'll do some tests. Anemia can be caused by all sorts of
things...poor diet, iron deficiency, overactive spleen..."

"But it isn't deadly or anything, right?"

"It can be serious. Let's wait till the tests have been run before we
draw any conclusions. We should have some answers soon," Tofu answered
patiently. "Ah! This is it!" he exclaimed cheerfully, pulling down a
large, old-looking volume. "Now, Ranma, before we go back in there,
there's something I need to ask you about..."



Ryoga tugged at the sleeves of the hospital gown, irritated by the
horrible fit. At the sound of the door opening, he jumped a little and
pulled the hem of the gown down over his knees. Ranma stepped in and
closed the door behind him.

"Hey, shouldn't you be lying down?" he asked, trying not to sound too
concerned.

"I'm OK," Ryoga said flatly, crossing his arms and shivering in the
sterile chill of the room. "I hate doctors."

"Yeah, me too," Ranma said. "But Tofu's a good one. And he's right, you
are really pale." Ryoga's hand rose protectively toward his throat.

"I think we're all set," Tofu said as he walked back into the room.
Ryoga snatched his hand away from his neck a little guiltily. The doctor
quickly cleaned and bandaged the wound, listened to Ryoga's heart and
lungs through the stethoscope, then asked him to lie down. He started to
examine the patient's abdomen, and discovered much to Ryoga's
embarrassment that he was very ticklish. Ryoga bit down on his lip to
try and stifle his laughter as Tofu ascertained that his spleen was not
enlarged. If Ranma said anything about this to anyone, he'd have to kill
him for sure...

The doctor insisted that Ryoga continue to recline as he began to draw
blood for tests. Ryoga winced and glanced the other way as Tofu tapped
into a vein.

"Ryoga, do you have a place to stay?" Tofu asked in a conversational
tone. Ryoga nodded.

"I have my tent with me," he began, but the Doctor held up a hand to
stop him.

"I think it would be best if you stayed in a house tonight," Tofu said.
"I'd like for you to stay with Ranma. I've already spoken to Mr. Tendo
about the situation."

"I can't!" Ryoga gasped.

"Sure you can, P-Chan!" Ranma interrupted. "You stay there all the
time!"

With some effort, Ryoga choked back a caustic reply, and instead said
only, "I don't ant...her...to see me like this. I can stay at my
parents' house."

"Oh, is it near?" Tofu asked, and Ranma nodded. "That would make much
more sense, then."

"He'd be all alone," Ranma said, and Ryoga shot him a furious glare.

"My folks could be there!" he said defensively.

"You shouldn't be alone tonight," Tofu said sternly, "wherever you end
up sleeping."

"Yes, sir," Ryoga said glumly.

"And I want you back here in the morning," Tofu added. Ryoga nodded his
assent and followed Ranma out of the office with no small relief.



"Well, that wasn't so bad, was it?" Ranma asked with forced cheerfulness
as he and Ryoga walked toward the Hibiki house. He might just end up
staying there for the night himself, to give Akane a chance to cool
down.

"Don't you dare mock me!" Ryoga snapped.

"Hey, take it easy!" Ranma said, clutching Ryoga's arm to keep him from
staggering into the street. "Geez, why do you hafta get so mad all the
time?"

Ryoga leaned against Ranma as they walked, begrudgingly grateful for the
support. He heaved a sigh of relief as he recognized his house. He was
so tired it swam in his vision, and he could hear the blood rushing in
his ears...

"Whoa!" Ranma cried, as Ryoga suddenly started to sag heavily against
him.

"Ryoga!" a female voice cried, and a middle-aged woman came running out
the front door of the Hibiki house. "Oh, what's the matter? Why are you
so pale?"

"Hi, Mrs. Hibiki," Ranma said, as Ryoga's mother swept her boy's heavy
body up in her arms and carried him inside.

"Mom, I can walk..." Ryoga mumbled.

"Hello again, young man. Ranma, wasn't it?" Mrs. Hibiki said sweetly
over her shoulder. "Won't you come in?"

Ranma closed the door behind them and gaped in astonishment as he saw
Mrs. Hibiki bounding up the stairs with her son in her arms. It seemed
Ryoga had come by his unusual strength as naturally as his sense of
direction. Ranma shrugged and followed them up the stairs, and helped
get an embarrassed Ryoga settled into bed. It took only a few minutes to
bring Mrs. Hibiki up to date about her son's medical situation.

"Well, you'll just stay in bed then, young man," she said. "Go ahead and
take your bandannas off."

"Aw, Mom..." Ryoga mumbled. Ranma snickered, and Ryoga glowered at him,
the blood rising to redden his face and then fading quickly. Ryoga's
mother gave him a Look, and he reluctantly pulled the bandannas off and
dropped them in a heap on the bedside table.

"There now," Mrs. Hibiki said softly as she perched on the bed beside
her son. "It's so good to see you again, dear."

"I missed you," Ryoga confessed. His mother pulled him up into a hug
that would have crushed an ordinary person's ribs. Ryoga pressed his
face against her shoulder, rubbing away the moisture that sprang to his
eyes.

"Um..." Ranma said uncomfortably. "I better go now. I'll be here in the
morning to take you to Tofu's, Ryoga."

"Ok," Ryoga answered, his voice muffled. Ranma hurried out of the house,
trying to ignore the ugly little knot of sorrow and jealousy that
tightened his throat. He couldn't remember the last time he had hugged
his own mother as himself.

As he stepped out onto the street, he remembered that he would have to
face Akane, and that she'd probably be angry. With a heavy heart, he
made his way back to the Tendo Dojo.



Mrs. Hibiki broke off the embrace and sat back to look at her boy,
fondly smoothing his rumpled hair and brushing the bangs out of his
eyes. Ryoga gave her a weary but genuine smile.

"Go ahead and lie down, dear," his mother said gently, straightening the
covers for him as he complied. "I'll go fix some dinner." She deposited
a quick kiss on his forehead and left.

Ryoga curled up under the blankets, and was asleep almost before she had
left the room. Just as he drifted off, one last fuzzy thought teased at
the corners of his mind... something he had forgotten...



His campfire had burned down to glowing embers which were just beginning
to die out. A chill wind blew across the site, stirring a few tiny
sparks up into the night sky to flash briefly among the stars. Ryoga
huddled into his sleeping bag, pulling his head in and shivering. He
didn't want to venture out into the cold to add wood to the fire, so
instead he turned over on his stomach, curled his legs up underneath him
and rested his head on his arms. He was just beginning to get
comfortable in his new position when he suddenly felt something cold and
hard touch his rump through the fabric of the sleeping bag. With a
startled, angry gasp, Ryoga leaped up and wrestled his way out of the
sleeping bag, peering into the inky darkness of the surrounding trees.

Poor little one, a Voice seemed to say from nowhere. But I thought you
would never get up.

"Who's there?" Ryoga shouted. His voice seemed to be swallowed up by the
night; he could barely hear himself yelling. He spun around, never
dropping his guard. An icy touch trailed down his spine, but when he
turned there was no-one there to be seen. He could hear the Voice begin
to chuckle.

Yes, little one. Do struggle. Your feeble efforts amuse me.

"Feeble?" Ryoga bellowed, his voice still sounding oddly muffled.
"No-one calls Ryoga Hibiki feeble!" He saw a shadow moving and leaped
toward it, letting fly with a kick that shattered the unfortunate tree
he landed against. The shadowy figure moved beneath the kick, grabbed
his outflung leg while he was still airborne, and threw him back into
the small clearing.

He landed face-down near his sleeping bag, and had barely begun to tense
his muscles to rise when a cold, dense weight landed on his back,
driving him forward. An icy hand grabbed a fistful of his thick hair and
pulled his head up and back. His hands scrabbled vainly for purchase on
the hard-packed, leaf-strewn ground, and his back arched painfully as
his entire torso was dragged up into the air. He felt a cold tongue
tracing his ear, and his assailant's free hand slipping down into his
shirt. The sturdy fabric ripped away easily in one swift pull, leaving
Ryoga to shiver, bare-chested, against the chill of the night and the
deeper, more penetrating chill of sudden terror. He made some
inarticulate protest as he felt the tongue trail its way down along his
neck. Sharp teeth pressed against him, nibbling gently at his neck and
shoulder, and then... And then...



"Ryoga, wake up already," a voice was saying. Not the Voice, just a
normal, familiar human voice. "It's time to go back to the Doctor's."

"The red eyes..." Ryoga mumbled, shivering.

"Ryoga!" the annoying voice yelled directly into his ear. Ryoga's eyes
snapped open to reveal that the owner of the voice was Ranma.
Unfortunately, Ranma moved out of the way before Ryoga could properly
thank him.

"Come back here so I can hit you," Ryoga grumbled.

"Geez, you're lazy," Ranma answered. "I've been up for hours." He didn't
mention that he wouldn't have gotten up so early if he had been given a
choice. He casually tossed Ryoga's clothes onto the bed as the Lost Boy
struggled to sit up.

"Whoa," Ranma said as Ryoga finally managed to get upright and groggily
started to gather up his clothing. "You look really bad today."

"Thanks a lot!"

"Heh, you're welcome," Ranma said with a grin. "Say, where's your mom?"

"She...went to go fix dinner."

"Think she's lost?"

"Probably," Ryoga answered sadly. He hadn't even gotten to really talk
to her this time... "She probably won't be back for a couple of weeks,
at best," he finally said.



Ranma led the way to the Doctor's office cheerfully. Akane hadn't been
angry last night, thanks to Dr. Tofu's phone call. She had been
concerned for Ryoga, and had even praised Ranma for being such a good
friend. As a reward, she prepared breakfast for him, which he had
actually managed to avoid tasting. So on the whole he was pretty
happy, although hungry.

Ranma stole another glance at Ryoga as the two of them made their way
slowly to Tofu's. Ryoga was definitely paler today; the shadows under
his eyes were much more pronounced. His cheeks looked slightly hollow,
as though he had lost several pounds. He trudged forward, doggedly
placing one foot in front of the other, looking for all the world as if
he were going to meet his executioner... or as if he had just lost a
loved one.

Dr. Tofu didn't seem too happy, either. He frowned as soon as he saw
them, and quickly ushered Ryoga to the examining room to lie down.

"So, Doc, whadya find out?" Ranma asked. Tofu adjusted his glasses and
looked at them both gravely.

"There doesn't appear to be any cause for the anemia," he said finally.

"What?" Ryoga asked.

"Something has to be causing it. He wasn't like this before," Ranma
said, his eyes drifting to Ryoga's throat, where the edge of the bandage
was peeking out from under his shirt collar. Ryoga unconsciously covered
the spot with his hand, then, when he realized what he was doing, he
rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.

"There are none of the usual signs," the doctor said. "The blood samples
showed nothing unusual at all - in fact, judging from the quality of the
sample, Ryoga should be enjoying vigorous, good health."

"What about that bite mark?" Ranma asked, pointing at Ryoga, who quickly
covered the bandage again.

"As I said before, a wound of that size shouldn't cause a significant
blood loss. May I examine it again, Ryoga?"

With some reluctance, Ryoga nodded, and fidgeted uncomfortably while
Tofu removed the bandage. The wound had begun to heal - a lot of the
ragged edges were already mending. There were two deep punctures that
still looked raw, and although Tofu had to agree with his earlier
assertion that a wound of that size couldn't possibly be causing any
great blood loss, something about the puncture marks bothered him. He
vaguely remembered reading something about a wound like this...

"You look a lot less chewed-up now," Ranma commented tactfully.

"Shut up!"

"I'd like to take another blood sample for testing," Tofu said, trying
to hide his irritation at having his thoughts interrupted. "And then
I'll let you go." Ryoga sighed and pushed his shirt-sleeve up.

"Now," Tofu continued as he began preparing the needle to draw blood, "I
want you to go home, have a good meal, and rest. You don't have an iron
deficiency, but it won't hurt if you try to include red meat and spinach
or broccoli."

"No pork!" Ryoga cried.

"Beef would be fine. Also, I don't want you doing anything strenuous! No
training today - "

"Yes, sir," Ryoga said unhappily.

"...And absolutely no fighting." At that, he gave both Ranma and Ryoga a
pointed look.

"I better call home, and let them know you're staying with us," Ranma
said. Before Ryoga could voice his protest, Ranma continued, "No telling
when your family will be back."

"You definitely do not need to be alone," Tofu said emphatically.

"I..." Ryoga started, but then had no idea what to say. He couldn't bear
the thought that Akane might see him as a weakling, but he really had no
other suggestion. Ranma waited a moment for him to continue, then
shrugged and left.

"Ok, all done now," Tofu said a few minutes later, quickly pressing a
gauze square to Ryoga's arm as he withdrew the needle. Ryoga wondered
briefly why it had taken so long this time, but then he decided that
he'd had less blood to start with. He sat up slowly and thanked the
doctor, and promised him that he would rest.

"We're all set," Ranma said as he walked back into the room. "Akane says
to tell you that they're happy to have you. I mean...the whole family's
happy to have you."

"I'll let you know when the new test results are in," Dr. Tofu said,
then turned to face his bookshelves as Ranma and Ryoga left. He was
certain there was something in one of those books about a wound like
Ryoga's, and pernicious anemia...



 They stopped at Ucchan's on the way to the Tendo house, and had beef
okonomiyaki because, as Ranma said, it was the doctor's orders. Ukyo
commented that Ryoga looked terrible, and he nodded glumly in response.
He was really starting to get tired of everyone telling him how bad he
looked.



  "Oh, Ryoga," Akane gasped as they walked in the front door. "You look
just awful!"

"Hello... Akane," Ryoga said with a wince.

"Well, come in and sit down," Akane said, pulling Ryoga away from a
frowning Ranma and leading him by the arm towards the dining room. "You
really look exhausted."

"I...uh..." Ryoga stumbled slightly and tossed Ranma a slightly panicked
look. The blood was starting to pound in his ears again, and he could
see black splotches crawling across his vision, keeping time with his
beating heart. In a flash of insight, Ryoga realized that he was about
to faint again.

"Sorry..." he gasped, and then his knees buckled. He dimly heard Akane's
voice calling his name, and then there was nothing but the darkness and
the laboring of his heart.



  "You OK?" Ranma's voice asked. Ryoga took a deep breath, then squinted
up at his rival.

"Ngh," he said intelligently. He was lying on a futon in the room Ranma
shared with his father, looking up at Ranma and a worried Akane. His
body felt heavy and numb. He slowly lifted one leaden arm and started to
shove the covers off, trying to push himself up with the other arm.

"Don't get up just yet," Akane said, laying a delicate hand on his
shoulder. "You still look really pale."

"Yeah, why don't you just stay put till dinner time?" Ranma added.

"I...I'm sorry," Ryoga said, closing his eyes. Akane's concerned image
burned in his mind's eye.

"Don't be," Akane said. Ryoga looked up at her again apologetically.

"I don't mean to be a bother..."

"Huh, that's a first," Ranma interrupted.

"Ranma, don't pick on him!" Akane snapped. "You're no bother, Ryoga,"
she continued, her tone still slightly more forceful than was necessary.


Ranma rolled his eyes.

"Oh, you're awake," Kasumi said as she walked into the room with an
armful of clean laundry. "Are you feeling better now, Ryoga?"

"I'm Ok," Ryoga answered. Kasumi smiled gently at him, then crossed the
room to start putting the carefully folded clothes away.

"The bathroom's available, if you wanted a bath tonight," she suggested.

"Thank you, Kasumi," Ryoga answered, staggering to his feet.

"I'll come, too!" Ranma said quickly, jumping up. Ryoga turned to give
him a quiet look that could explode into an angry snarl in a heartbeat.

"I don't need any help," Ryoga said in a low voice.

"Hey, I ain't doin' nothing weird!" Ranma cried, holding up his hands as
if to ward off any such accusation. "We should try to conserve the hot
water, is all."

Ryoga nodded, accepting the reasoning, and followed Ranma to the
bathroom. Ranma stifled a sigh of relief. That idiot would probably bite
his own tongue off before he'd admit he needed help, but what if he
passed out while he was in the tub? The two of them stripped in silence
and started scrubbing up.

"Hey, aren't you going to take the bandage off?" Ranma asked.

"No," Ryoga said flatly.

"It'll get all wet."

"No." Ryoga's brows started to draw together.

"Ok, whatever," Ranma said. He rinsed off and climbed into the tub,
closing his eyes and sighing as the hot water soothed him. The water
level raised slightly as Ryoga climbed in, and Ranma heard an echoing
sigh.

"Nothing like a good hot bath, eh, P-Chan?"

"Stop calling me P-Chan," Ryoga answered wearily, closing his eyes and
leaning back against the edge of the tub. Ranma stole a glance at him
and noticed that the bandage had soaked through and was starting to come
off...



  Akane was walking past the bathroom when she heard Ryoga's voice.

"Stop looking at it!"

"I can't help it," Ranma answered. "It's just...kinda cool-looking. Can
I touch it?"

"No!"

Akane paused, turned several shades of red, and then continued on her
way to the kitchen. "I don't want to know," she assured herself.



The evening passed without much incident. Ryoga ended up seated next to
Akane at the dinner table, and was so nervous he could barely choke down
a mouthful. Ranma and his father sparred while eating, and snitched food
from an unsuspecting Ryoga's plate until Akane caught Ranma doing it.
The resulting blow sent Ranma into the koi pond, and effectively ended
dinner.

Ryoga slipped away while everyone's attention was on Ranma, and wearily
stumbled off to bed. When he finally found the room an hour later, he
collapsed onto his futon, fully clothed, and fell instantly asleep. He
slept right through Ranma and Genma's after-dinner sparring session, and
Ranma and Akane's after-sparring fight. He didn't even stir when Ranma
returned to the room, still dripping from his second bath of the
evening. Ranma debated on the wisdom of making Ryoga more comfortable,
and decided it was wiser to let sleeping Lost Boys lie. He did pull the
covers over Ryoga, after looking around first to make sure nobody was
watching him.



Tofu woke up very early the next morning to the ear-splitting ringing of
his telephone. He sat up quickly, rubbing at the numb spot on his cheek
where it had rested against the desktop. Groggily, he fumbled around for
his glasses. The glasses slid off the desk, and Tofu stepped on them
accidentally before picking them up. He grumbled to himself,
straightening out the bent wire frame and pushing the glasses into place
as he finally picked up the phone.

"Tofu," he growled into the receiver.

"Oh, Dr. Tofu!" said a worried female voice. "Please come over, please
hurry! He's so sick!"

"K-Kasumi?" Tofu asked, then slapped himself across the face, hard
enough to knock his glasses askew again. This was no time to get carried
away.

"He's so pale, and he won't wake up!"

"Don't worry, Kasumi, I'll be right over." Tofu hung up, then quickly
assembled most of the things he thought he'd need - he'd have to stop
off at the market and the hospital on his way. He couldn't imagine how
he had fallen asleep at his desk last night, especially after his
important discovery. With one last look to be sure he had everything,
Tofu straightened himself up and left with a determined expression on
his face. He was now almost certain he knew what they were up against.



"Thank you for coming so quickly, Dr. Tofu!" Kasumi had clearly been
waiting for him, because the door slid open just as he was walking up to
it. Kasumi's hands anxiously toyed with the end of her ponytail, and she
looked very much as though she had been crying and might start again at
any moment. She was so heartbreakingly beautiful...

Tofu shook himself. "Which way?" he asked quietly. Kasumi led him
quickly to the room, where Ryoga lay surrounded by upset and/or curious
members of the household. Tofu shooed everyone out, grateful for
Kasumi's help as she gently suggested that now might be a good time for
breakfast. Only Ranma insisted on staying behind.

"Ryoga," Tofu called, and got no response. He quickly broke open a
packet of smelling salts and waved them under his patient's nose. Ryoga
choked and batted feebly at Tofu's hand, then opened his eyes.

"That hurts...you know," he rasped.

"Hey, Ryoga," Ranma said, sitting close enough that Ryoga could see him,
but far enough to be out of Tofu's way. "How you feeling?"

"Not good."

"Don't worry," Tofu said, as he pulled out various medical
paraphernalia. "I have part of your cure right here."

"More needles," Ryoga noted glumly. He seemed to be struggling for each
breath, and his pallor was even more marked than before. Tofu examined
Ryoga's mouth, revealing that even his gums were very pale; his fangs,
which were normally quite noticeable, seemed even more prominent now.

Tofu quickly finished setting up, and explained that he was about to do
a transfusion. In a very short time, he had Ryoga set up with an IV
steadily introducing fresh blood into his starved veins. Tofu listened
to Ryoga's heart and lungs, and grunted with satisfaction as their
action improved. When the first pint of blood had been absorbed, Tofu
started on a second. Gradually a hint of color stole back into Ryoga's
pale face. Ranma watched all this silently.

"Now," Tofu said after a long pause, "let's get that wound tended to."
Ryoga looked a little squeamish, but made no protest as Tofu carefully
peeled the bandage away. The wound had all but healed up; all that
remained were the two puncture marks, which were white and ragged around
the edges, but still angrily red in the centers. Tofu pulled out a small
bottle and carefully began to smear some of its contents over the wound.

Ryoga gave a strangled cry and almost managed to pull himself away as
the stuff burnedinto the wounds; his eyes watered from the noxious
fumes. Tofu held on and grimly continued, as Ryoga started coughing,
holding his left hand over his mouth and nose. He made no further effort
to get away, but writhed uncomfortably on the rumpled bed, trying to
stifle his gag reflex.

"What is that stuff?" Ranma cried, concerned.

"Garlic oil," the doctor answered with a grim smile. He quickly placed a
fresh bandage over the wound and left to wash his hands. If he had had
any doubts before, they were now resolved.

Ryoga's choking eased as the bandage cut down on the debilitating smell,
and in a few minutes he was able to take his hand away from his face.

"Well?" Ranma asked.

"I stink," Ryoga stated in a wavery voice, dashing the tears from his
eyes.

"Yeah, nothing new there," Ranma answered with a grin.

"Hey, shut up!"

"Ha! Now that's more like the Ryoga I know!" Ranma said cheerfully, then
left to tell the others. He hoped there was still time to get some
breakfast before his father ate it all...



As it turned out, his father had indeed eaten all of Ranma's breakfast.
Luckily, Kasumi was kind enough to make a second breakfast for Ranma,
Ryoga and Tofu. Ryoga picked halfheartedly at his food, and tried to
ignore the stench of the garlic oil. Tofu struggled to keep his bizarre
Kasumi-bliss reactions in check, and ended up eating very little
himself. Ranma merely shrugged and happily took more than his share.

As soon as was politely possible, Tofu excused himself and hurried back
to his office, intent on getting some work done on behalf of his other
patients. Ranma hastily finished the rest of his breakfast and grabbed
up his books. He'd have to hurry to catch up to Akane, but he might
actually get to school on time today.



Ryoga slept through most of the day, then wandered downstairs in time to
sit on the porch with Soun and Genma and watch the sunset. The two
fathers took turns making up haiku, and Ryoga thought up a few of his
own but couldn't find the nerve to say them out loud. He merely sighed
and focused on the serenity of the moment, hoping he could hold on to
that feeling.

"AAAAAAH!" Ranma's voice yelled, growing steadily louder until he landed
in the koi pond with a loud splash. Ryoga scrambled out of the way in
time to avoid getting wet, and watched over the shoulders of a very wet
Soun and Genma-Panda as Ranma climbed out of the pond.

"Kinda chilly for a swim," Ryoga said blandly as Ranma stormed past
them.

"Watch it, P-Chan," Ranma snarled as she stalked into the house. Ryoga
paused a moment, then followed her.

"Hey! What did you do to Akane this time?" he asked angrily.

"Drop it, Ryoga."

You've done something to upset her, haven't you?" Ryoga pressed further,
his hands balling up into fists. "I won't allow it!"

"Hey, you're not allowed to fight, remember?" Ranma asked, a little of
her own anger starting to creep into her voice.

"Oh...damn."

"That's Ok, Ryoga, we'll save it for when you're better," Ranma said,
laying a hand on his shoulder.

"Yeah?" Ryoga seemed to perk up a little at the idea.

"Sure. I'll be happy to beat you up anytime!"

"Why, you -!" Ryoga spluttered. Ranma dashed off to the bathroom,
laughing all the way. Ryoga resolved to put an end to that laughter just
as soon as the Doctor lifted the anti-fighting ban. Privately he had to
admit that he didn't feel much like fighting, anyway - but he was
determined to see Akane treated with the proper respect.



Ryoga ate as heartily as the others at dinner that night, casually
deflecting several of Ranma's attempts at food-snitching and grinning
when the after-dinner sparring session ended up with both Saotomes in
the pond. He joined them when they went to bathe, then followed Ranma
back to his room. Ryoga had just settled into bed and pulled the covers
up over himself when there was a knock at the door.

Ranma called out that the door was open, and Tofu walked in, followed by
Akane.

"Time to treat your wound again, Ryoga," the doctor said. Ryoga looked
at Akane nervously and clutched the covers against his chest.

"Do we have to? It feels much better now," Ryoga said hopefully. The
doctor shook his head and began peeling the bandage off.

"You had a bath, so the oil has to be reapplied."

Ryoga sighed and nodded his acceptance. The garlic oil still burned, and
he turned his face away, trying to get away from the smell as much as
possible. Akane, meanwhile, was busy hanging flowers over the door and
windows, carefully rubbing the white blossoms over every crack, cranny
and opening. The room soon filled with the smell of garlic.

"What's that for?" Ranma asked irritably. The room was getting to be
awfully stuffy, with the pervasive garlic odor filling it and all the
windows closed.

"Insurance," the doctor said with another grim smile. Ryoga choked and
wheezed for a few minutes, but gradually grew accustomed to the smell
enough to be able to bear it.

"Leave all the windows closed tonight," the doctor said, "and don't
touch the flowers. I'm going to treat the rest of the house before I
leave." Tofu left, intent on his task, and Akane followed him
wordlessly, her eyes full of unspoken questions.

"I'll never sleep in all this," Ryoga complained softly.

"Yeah," Ranma agreed as he lay down on his futon. It was hard enough to
sleep most nights, with a Panda snoring and enemies and would-be
fiancees sneaking into the room at all hours. "But you look a lot better
today, so the Doc must be doing something right."

"I guess," Ryoga yawned, and after several minutes' silence, Ranma
realized that he had gone to sleep.

"Never be able to sleep in this, huh," he muttered to himself, grinning
wryly. Genma walked in a few minutes later, making a great show of
tiptoeing around Ryoga. He flung himself on his futon and was snoring in
a matter of minutes. Ranma stared up at the ceiling and sighed. There
was no way he'd get much sleep tonight...



A howl rang out through the night, an unholy shriek of frustrated
malice. Ranma shook off the last dregs of sleep and sat bolt upright,
peering into the deep shadows of the room. He looked over at Ryoga, who
was sleeping quietly, his pale face limned in moonlight. As Ranma
watched, the Lost Boy stirred, a minor frown of discomfort crossing his
features before he opened his eyes.

"Mnh?" he said groggily, blinking his wide dark eyes as he saw that
Ranma was sitting up. "Did you say something?"

"Naw, man," Ranma answered wearily. "Go back to sleep."

Ryoga yawned hugely, his fangs gleaming in the moonlight, then he
settled down contentedly into his bed.

"You know," he sighed, "I don't even mind the stink anymore." Somehow he
found the garlic fumes very soothing, and he drifted back off to sleep
feeling secure. Ranma snorted and lay back down, and stared at the
ceiling again.



Ryoga's health improved steadily over the next few days. The wounds on
his throat started to fade, and take on the pinkish color of healing
flesh. His blood count was slowly but steadily rising on its own, and he
began to eat normally again and feel more energetic. This was both very
encouraging and very frustrating to him - he felt more and more like
indulging in a good fight with Ranma, and chafed under the doctor's
continuing injunction against any such activity. Ranma seemed more prone
to tease him, too, and Ryoga wondered if he was deliberately
exaggerating the situation.

He saw the doctor on Friday. Tofu grinned broadly at first sight of him,
and after a brief examination gave his permission for Ryoga to resume
his training. Ryoga's enthusiasm dimmed only slightly when Tofu asserted
that fighting still wasn't allowed. He went to the Dojo and worked out
until Ranma and Akane came home, then had a bath and got ready for
dinner. He was almost dreading the day he got a completely clean bill of
health, because he'd be out on his own again. He decided to enjoy his
last few days at the Tendo house, and to try to think of some kind of
gift to express his appreciation for all they had done for him.



Tofu was still grinning with satisfaction as he returned to his small
office. He quickly updated his notes in Ryoga's file and then left
again, this time to get copies of the latest papers. Now that Ryoga was
safe, he would have only a short time to find and eliminate the source
of the trouble before it moved on to a new victim.

Tofu quickly gathered up an armful of newly-purchased papers and walked
back to his office, shivering in spite of the bright afternoon sunshine.
He spread the papers out on his desk, not knowing what to look for yet
hoping to find something. An article caught his attention, a few short
paragraphs about an incident near Yokohama. Apparently, a half-naked,
raving lunatic had come stumbling out of the woods ranting about the
monster that would destroy them all. It took several police officers to
subdue him; he bit one officer on the hand, drawing blood. The only
intelligible phrase he would say as the police carted him away was, "The
Blood is the life...the Blood is the life..." The officer had required
several stitches, and the man had been admitted to an asylum. Tofu
stared at the paper for a long while, then tore the article out and put
it in his pocket. He was a little concerned for Ryoga, but his patient
was healing rapidly and seemed safe enough with a houseful of martial
artists and the garlic wards. If there was a chance this insane man
could provide a clue to finding the monster's lair, then Tofu was
obligated to find out. He would leave immediately, and return as quickly
as possible.



"Hey, aren't you going to put that oil on?" Ranma asked as the two of
them were getting ready for bed that night.

"Nah. It's practically healed up already," Ryoga answered. "Dr. Tofu
says I ought to be good as new by Monday."

"Whatever," Ranma said. "Good as new by Monday, huh?"

"Yeah."

"Gonna fight?"

"You can count on it!"

Both of them grinned into the darkness and went to sleep in a good mood.



In the darkest part of the night, a vicious chuckle penetrated Ryoga's
dreams. It was a familiar sound, one that had haunted his nightmares. It
was the Voice. Ryoga tossed restlessly, kicking the covers off, but
could not seem to wake up. The door to the room slid open, and bare feet
padded across the wooden floor. Garlic flowers rustled as they were
pulled down from the windows, and a cold breeze filled the room as the
windows were flung open. The Voice chuckled again, and Ryoga gave a
small cry of despair...



"Geez, Ryoga," Ranma said the next morning. "You look terrible!"

"Nnh," Ryoga said, and buried his face in his pillow.

"Hey, wake up, I'm talking to you!" Ranma said, pushing at Ryoga's
shoulder.

"I'm sleeping," Ryoga grumbled.

"Here, let me look at your neck."

"Will you leave that alone!" Ryoga slapped Ranma's hands away.

"Fine! I'll go call Tofu then." Ranma pulled on some clothes and went
out to use the phone. The number for Tofu's office rang several times,
then an answering machine announced that the doctor would be out of town
for the weekend.

"Great," Ranma muttered.

"What's the matter, Ranma?" Kasumi asked softly. Ranma jumped in
surprise and turned to face her.

"Ryoga's sick again."

"Oh, my," Kasumi said, distressed, "Is he unconscious again?"

"Nah, he's not that bad. But the Doc's gone for the weekend." Kasumi
brushed past Ranma and peeked in the room. Ranma left a quick message on
the machine, then followed Kasumi as she silently returned to the
kitchen.

"Goodness, if he gets any worse, perhaps he'll need to be taken to the
hospital," Kasumi said at last.

"You know," Ranma said slowly, "I wonder why he threw all those flowers
away."

"I thought they were part of his cure!" Kasumi cried, shocked.

"That's what Tofu said."

"Well, I'll go get some more today," Kasumi decided, then went about
gracefully and efficiently preparing breakfast for the household.



Ryoga slept most of the day, and woke up just around dinnertime. Ranma
bounded in, rubbing at his hair with a towel.

"Hey, you're awake!" he observed cheerfully.

"Yeah," Ryoga sat up, stretched, and grimaced. "What happened to the
flowers?"

"I thought you threw them out the window," Ranma said.

"Not me. I thought I heard somebody walking in here last night, and when
I woke up the flowers were gone."

"Hmm," Ranma said, quickly pulling on some clean clothes. "Doesn't
matter, I guess. Kasumi got some new ones. You hungry?" Ryoga slowly got
to his feet, looking relieved, and followed Ranma to the dining room.



Late that night, stealthy feet once again crept into the room, and the
chill breeze drifted in as the flowers were tossed out the window. Cold
fingers tore the bandage away from Ryoga's throat, and a cold, wet cloth
scrubbed at his neck before the bare feet padded away. Ryoga dragged
himself awake, opening his eyes by force of will. Ranma and Genma were
both sleeping soundly. When calling their names got no response, Ryoga
crawled out of the covers toward them and collapsed on top of Ranma's
sleeping form.

A low howl sounded from the garden below, and with a frantic urgency
Ryoga scrambled up and shook Ranma as fiercely as his limited strength
would allow.

"Hey, wake up!" he cried, slapping Ranma several times to no avail. The
clouds parted and a shaft of moonlight spilled in through the open
window, illuminating tiny motes of dust as they danced in a glimmering
spiral. The delicate fragments slowly started to coalesce into a shape
made familiar by nightmarish fragments of memory. Stifling the urge to
whimper, Ryoga crept back into his futon and pulled the covers over his
head. The closeness and warmth felt secure, and he started to get
drowsy...

Suddenly he felt a desperate need to stay awake. He flung back the
covers to get a breath of fresh air, and a shadowy figure landed heavily
on top of him. He pushed against its cold, leaden weight as it tore off
his pajama top, pulling his head up to bare his wounded throat.

Time's up, the Voice whispered, and chilly fingers trailed across his
collarbone, leaving gooseflesh in their wake.

"No!" Ryoga cried, his voice feeble in the shroud of silence that seemed
to have fallen over the room.

"Ranma! Wake up, you stupid jerk!" he screamed as the creature lifted
him. His back arched as he pushed against its icy strength, struggling
futilely to get away. It bit into him, tearing open the half-healed
wound. Ranma and his father slept on, oblivious as the creature began to
feed. Ryoga's hands rose to tangle in its hair, struggling to push it
away...and then drawing it in closer, as he moaned in acceptance and the
beginning of an unholy rapture.

The vampire chuckled low in its throat, the sound sending delicious
chills down Ryoga's spine. It drank until the Lost Boy hovered near
death, then rose with one last fond lick at his ravaged throat.

Ryoga lay in a half-faint, his wide-open eyes seeing nothing. He felt
the creature's wrist pressed to his mouth, and tasted hot, salty blood
on his tongue. With a whimper of protest he tried to spit it out, but
the vampire held him, one iron hand gripping his chin so he couldn't
turn his head aside...



"Ryoga," Akane's voice called him. "Oh, Ryoga, please wake up!"

Ryoga fought to open his eyes, each breath he took wracking his weakened
form. He squinted up against the early morning glare to see Ranma's
worried frown. For several minutes Ryoga merely looked at him, too
exhausted to speak, occasionally blinking his eyes and having to force
them open again. At length, he drew a long, shuddering breath.

"I'm dying," he said, his voice a faint whisper.

"No, you're not," Ranma answered with forced cheerfulness. "You'll be
Ok, just wait and..." his voice trailed off as he saw the pity and
certainty in Ryoga's eyes.

Ryoga turned his gaze slightly to meet Akane's tear-filled eyes.

"Akane..." he managed to say. "I'm...sorry...so sorry. I love..." He let
out the last of his breath in a sigh, and then his eyes went dim. 

Ranma and Akane waited several moments before they realized he was gone.
Akane burst into tears as Ranma hesitantly reached out and closed the
still, brown eyes.



Kasumi sat up in bed, stretched and yawned, and swung her feet around to
the floor. She stared a moment in puzzlement as she noted that she was
fully clothed, and her sleep-dazed mind took a moment to offer an
explanation.

"I wonder if I've been sleepwalking again?" she murmured to herself. 

Kasumi had walked in her sleep when she was younger, in the aftermath of
her mother's death. She had been so consumed with grief over her mother,
so worried about the rest of the family, so totally overwhelmed by the
weight of her new responsibilities... Her restless mind had prodded her
into sleepwalking for months afterwards.

The first time it had happened, she woke up to find herself in the
kitchen, stirring a panful of burned food - luckily, the charred smell
had interrupted her dream before a fire started. Then she dug a shallow,
splintery hole in her bedroom floor while dreaming about working in the
flower garden. She had moved her bed to cover the spot, but the incident
only gave her something new to fret over. Her family first discovered it
the night she took a stroll on the Dojo roof... she still shuddered at
the thought of what might have happened, if Father and Akane hadn't
found her in time. As time had passed, Kasumi gradually worked through
the worst of the grief and stress, and the sleepwalking incidents
stopped.

Now she wondered if it hadn't all begun again; to be sure, she had been
concerned over Ryoga's situation, and delighted when he began to
improve. This recent sudden turn for the worse had her worried, though -
it was so much like Mother....

With a sigh, Kasumi got up and went to prepare the family breakfast.
She'd have to hurry, it was well past the time she would normally have
started cooking. She did hope Ryoga would be better today...



Akane stumbled into the kitchen, her eyes red-rimmed from crying, and
threw herself into Kasumi's arms.

"Akane, w-what-?" Kasumi stuttered, dropping her spatula in surprise.

"Oh, Kasumi, he's gone! Ryoga's dead!" Akane buried her face in her
sister's hair and sobbed violently. Kasumi's own eyes filled with tears
as she wrapped her arms around her sister's shaking form and held her
tight. Gone. Just like Mother...

"Oh...my..." Kasumi gasped, and then she, too, began to cry.

Neither of them noticed when Ranma wandered into the kitchen, struggling
with his own ill-concealed grief, and shut off the heat under the burned
remains of the breakfast Kasumi had been preparing. He gazed at the
sisters for a moment, opened his mouth as if to say something, then left
silently. He would mourn later, in private, for the closest thing to a
best friend he had ever had. For now there were phone calls,
arrangements to be made... he'd have to break the news to the rest of
the household.



Cold.

Wake up, little one.

So cold.

Wake up now.

Cold, cold, cold.

OPEN YOUR EYES!

Ryoga's eyes snapped open. He was staring up into darkness, seeing
nothing. He was cold.

Look around you.

Against his own volition, Ryoga's eyes scanned the room. A morgue. He
was lying in an open drawer in a morgue.

Sit up.

Ryoga's body sat up, his eyes unblinking, the sheet covering him sliding
down to pool around his hips. He wanted to shiver with terror, but
couldn't. Everything was so...still... It occurred to him suddenly that
he wasn't breathing. There was a hollow stillness in his chest where his
heart should be beating. He was dead, stone cold dead. No wonder
everything was so cold.

Open your mouth and drink.

A hand in front of him, holding a glass filled with dark liquid. Without
thinking about it, Ryoga knew that it was blood, and to his horror a
dark, overwhelming yearning filled him.

Drink. It will ease the Hunger.

But if he drank, he would have to continue drinking. He would become a
Monster... He Hungered, and his mouth remained closed.

Drink, and you will not be cold.

That was the worst part of the Hunger, the paralyzing cold. Everything
in him yearned to drink, but still his mouth remained closed. If he
could choose in this moment, he chose to die, to be forever cold. He
would not, he WOULD not drink!

You will do AS I SAY!

Ryoga's mouth snapped open, and he swallowed greedily as the contents of
the glass poured down his throat. He felt flushed suddenly, warm and
content... for now.

Get up, we have to leave this place.

But why the hurry? Ryoga got up, and saw the vampire for the first time.
His new master placed a dead body in the spot Ryoga had just vacated,
covered it up with the sheet, then turned to face Ryoga.

"You!" Ryoga choked out, then had to consciously draw a breath to speak
again. "Murdered me!"

The vampire chuckled.

I took your life, and gave you another.

"Why?"

It suited me to do so. It was practice. Now come along, little one.
There is not much time left.

The vampire raced out into the Night, still chuckling, and Ryoga
unwillingly followed.



Tofu returned to his office wearily in the dark hour before dawn. He
hadn't even had a chance to stop at home yet, and he had barely slept
for the past few days. All he had to show for his time were the rantings
of a madman.

As he walked into the small room of his office, his answering machine's
blinking light caught his attention. Filled suddenly with foreboding, he
pressed the "play" button.

"*beep* Dr. Tofu, this is Ranma. Look, I know the machine said you were
out of town, but we need you. Please call back-"

"Oh, God," Tofu whispered.

"-taken a turn for the worse. I think he's about the same as before,"
the machine continued.

"What have I done?" Tofu moaned, as he sank down into his chair.

"*beep* Dr. Tofu, it's Ranma again. I, uh, don't know how to say this,
but... Ryoga's dead."

Tofu covered his face with his hands and shuddered. Ryoga wasn't dead,
that much was certain. Tofu had failed, and by that failure he had
betrayed everyone's trust in him. The machine went on with its message,
and the doctor put his head down on his arms and wept while Ranma's
broken voice droned on.



Ryoga crept up silent stairs, a shadow among shadows. As swift as
thought, he ducked into the bedroom and froze. A familiar scent assailed
him, the delicate scent of the woman he adored underlaid by an
intoxicating aroma only vampiric senses could detect. He stared,
breathless, at her slender hand uncurled against her pillow, the palest
hint of moonlight tracing the curve of her cheek as if the moon itself
must love her, too. Her lashes lay damp against her cheeks, and the
occasional hitch of breath gave evidence to the fact that she had cried
herself to sleep. The thought that she might have been crying over him
wrung his heart with equal partsof sorrow and joy.

The slow, steady rhythm of her pulse filled his senses, and he merely
watched, more in awe than ever. It was such a miracle to him that a
woman like her even existed...

She stirred slightly, and he couldn't bring himself to leave. Her
eyelids fluttered, then opened, and she stared directly at him. It
wasn't until she opened her mouth and screamed that he found the will to
move again. He was gone long before any of the others came rushing in.



The sun was casting the first blood-red light of dawn across the horizon
when Tofu pulled himself together, washed his face and then left for the
Tendo house. By the time he made it to the doorway, the sun had risen.
He looked up as the last pale pink threads of sunrise faded, then took a
deep breath and knocked. He only prayed it wasn't too late...



Kasumi answered the door, looking pale and tired. On seeing him she
smiled faintly, and pulled the end of her ponytail down over her
shoulder to toy with its silky ends. Tofu found the gesture both coy and
utterly charming.

"Dr. Tofu, I'm so glad to see you," she said. She seemed to suddenly
notice that she was playing with her hair. Her hands dropped quickly,
and she folded them in front of her as if to prevent any other nervous
gestures from betraying her state of mind. "Won't you please come in?"
she asked. "We were just about to call you, for Akane." The thought that
Akane might have become the new victim sobered him up before his usual
reaction to Kasumi's presence could manifest. Tofu managed a thin smile
and a nod for Kasumi's sake, then began climbing the stairs.

"Ranma, you jerk!" Akane's voice carried clearly throughout the house.
Tofu winced. Chances were good that her voice had carried throughout the
whole neighborhood. "I'm telling you the truth," her voice continued at
top volume, "I SAW him!" Tofu reached the top step. Now he could hear
the low murmur of Ranma's voice through the door, evidently trying to
placate his fiancee. Tofu opened the door just in time for Akane's
next outburst.

"It wasn't a dream! I saw him; he was real!"

"Good morning," Tofu said quietly. Ranma turned to him with undisguised
relief, and Akane looked at him pleadingly.

"I'm not crazy," she said in a much quieter tone of voice.

"You saw Ryoga," Tofu said flatly.

"It wasn't a dream! I swear, it was real!"

"I believe you," Tofu answered solemnly. Ranma and Akane both gaped at
him. "It's time I told you what I know."

"This better be good," Ranma muttered.

"There are some things I should explain about Ryoga," Tofu began
hesitantly. Was this really something Akane should know?

"What's left to explain?" Ranma snapped. The doctor's calm demeanor
infuriated him. He hadn't prevented Ryoga's death; how could he be so
cool about it now?

"I mean," Ranma continued, as Akane and Tofu turned to him in shock,
"He's dead. Nothin' else to say about it."

"How can you be so cruel?" Akane cried. "He was your friend! And
he's...gone..." She started crying again and allowed Tofu to put a
comforting arm around her shoulders. Ranma gritted his teeth and wisely
decided to keep his mouth shut. It disturbed him on a deeper level than
he cared to admit to see Akane leaning on Dr. Tofu that way...

"He does have a point, though," Nabiki said from the doorway. Cool and
composed, she stepped into the room and drew the door shut behind her.
"What could you possibly need to explain, unless there was something
about the way Ryoga died. Are you saying there was foul play involved?"

"Well, I-"

"I hope you have evidence to back up such an accusation," Nabiki
interrupted.

"I'm not accusing anybody," Tofu said, startled. Akane stiffened against
him and then pulled back, her tears forgotten.

"Are you saying Ryoga was MURDERED?"

"Could you keep it down, please?" Tofu asked with a wince. "I really
don't want Kasumi to overhear this." The three teenagers exchanged
glances, then sat on Akane's bed. Tofu pulled the chair around to face
them and began again.

"Now, as you know, Ryoga was severely anemic when he first came to my
office. I ran several blood tests to try to determine what could be
causing his condition, and they all indicated that there was no reason
he should be anemic. There was also that wound on his throat..."

"I thought you said that didn't mean nothin'," Ranma interrupted.

"At first, I didn't think so. But there were other odd symptoms. Each
time he took a turn for the worse, the change would happen at night, and
the wound would appear fresh again. And then there was his aversion to
the smell of garlic -"

"So what does garlic have to do with anything?" Nabiki asked curiously.

"-And Akane's sighting of him last night, after he supposedly died."

"Supposedly?" Ranma cried eagerly. "You mean, he's alive?"

"No," Tofu said regretfully. "No, he's not alive."

"So he is dead, then," Ranma said glumly.

"Not exactly."

"Well, which is it?" Nabiki asked. "It's an either/or situation. He's
either dead or alive."

"He's... neither."

"Excuse me?" Nabiki said, arching an eyebrow quizzically. "Are we
talking vampires here? Things that go bump in the night?"

"Actually...yes."

"R-Ryoga's a...?" Akane mumbled hesitantly, then started shaking.

"Dr. Tofu, we appreciate your coming all the way out here, but I don't
think this is helping Akane any." Nabiki said, moving to place a
protective arm around her sister's shoulders.

"What if I could prove it?" Tofu asked. Akane stared down at her hands
knotted in her lap, and Nabiki gave Tofu her best inscrutable gaze.

"I don't know how you could possibly prove such a thing," she answered,
"but sure, why don't you go ahead and try?"

Tofu looked once at Ranma, who seemed to want to say more, then back to
Nabiki and Akane. "All right," he said. "I'll just show myself out." He
left without a backward glance, determined to find some kind of proof.
The members of the household needed protection, and he couldn't provide
it on his own.



Hungry. He was so hungry, and seeing Akane had left a dark yearning in
him like a giant, gaping wound. So hungry. He wanted Akane, wanted her
forever, wanted her soul...

No! He wanted Akane to be happy, not dragged down into this black
horror!

He Hungered. He leaped from one building to the next, soaring through
the inky night like a giant bird of prey. There! Just below was... a
girl. A pretty girl, and all alone. A sweet pang started low in his
throat, and his teeth ached for her. So hungry... 



Tofu called the Tendo house very late that night, and was answered by a
very cranky Ranma.

"What?" Ranma mumbled, scrubbing at his eyes. He hadn't slept much at
all since Ryoga... hadn't slept much at all in the past few days, and
now that he had finally gotten to sleep, the phone had to start ringing.
Oh, well, it wasn't like he really needed to be sleeping on the floor in
front of the TV, anyway.

"I've got proof, if you want it," Tofu said, wincing a little as he
realized how late it was.

"Ok..." Ranma was suddenly wide awake.



Akane woke suddenly, vaguely aware that she had heard the phone ringing
and Ranma's voice a while ago. Her wide-open eyes strained to see in the
darkness, and she unconsciously held her breath as she listened
intently. There was nothing out of place, no odd noise... but a sense of
wrongness prevailed. She might just be overreacting because of the
vision she had had of Ryoga, but it wouldn't hurt to check things out.
She slid out of bed, her bare toes curling against the chilly floor, and
began to make her way through the silent house.



Ranma moved quickly through the too-clean, too-white halls of the
hospital, and almost ran into Dr. Tofu as he stepped out of one of the
semi-private rooms. The doctor looked at least as tired as Ranma felt.
His clothes and hair were uncharacteristically rumpled, there were dark
circles under his eyes, and the corners of his mouth were pulled down in
a weary half-frown.

"Right here," Tofu said quietly, leading Ranma into the patient's room.
A young woman lay unconscious on the bed, looking thin and frail. Long,
dark hair fell in a silky curtain to her shoulders, and Tofu silently
brushed it aside, revealing two ragged puncture wounds on her throat.
Ranma inhaled sharply, suddenly overwhelmed with an image of Akane lying
half-dead in a hospital bed. The girl bore a passing resemblance to his
fiancee, before her hair had been cut short. Tofu quickly led the way
back out into the hallway.

"That's just like Ryoga's-" Ranma whispered.

"No," Tofu whispered back. "Come with me." Ranma followed the doctor
through the hallways and down several flights of stairs, clenching his
fists in anticipation. He'd find whatever had done this to Ryoga and the
girl, and when he did...

"In here," the doctor said in a normal tone of voice, and Ranma jumped a
little at the sudden volume, then read the sign on the door.

"The morgue?" he asked. Tofu nodded, walked in and stood waiting. After
a few moments' hesitation, Ranma followed.

"Why the morgue?" he asked, his voice dropping to a whisper again.

"This," Tofu answered, indicating one of the refrigerated drawers. "This
is where Ryoga should be."

"Should be? He's dead," Ranma said uncomfortably. "It's not like he's
gonna get up and walk away..."

Tofu pulled the drawer open and drew back the sheet, revealing the face
of a young man. Ranma gaped for a moment, swallowed hard and then looked
away.

"It's not Ryoga," he finally whispered. Up until a few days ago, he'd
never even seen a dead body before. He was finding to his dismay that it
wasn't the sort of thing he would get used to easily.

"That's the point," Tofu answered, his voice echoing eerily in the
sterile chill. "It should be. This is where we put him... before he got
up and walked away."

"What are you trying to-"

"Think, Ranma!" Tofu said urgently. "That girl's bite was like Ryoga's,
but bigger. Ryoga isn't here, but he should be. Doesn't that mean
anything to you?"

"So a bigger whatever it is bit the girl, and you got the wrong drawer."

Tofu wordlessly opened the drawer further, and pointed out that the
corpse's toe tag identified him as Ryoga Hibiki.

"Someone stole the body?" Ranma suggested.

Tofu sighed. "Ranma, I know it's hard for you to believe. But you saw
for yourself what happened to Ryoga. I believe that he did get up and
walk away. He died from the bite of a vampire, and now he's become one
himself."

"Are you saying-?"

"I'm saying I think Ryoga himself bit that girl. Didn't you see how much
bigger her bite mark was?"

Ranma nodded weakly, too bewildered by lack of sleep and the sheer
unbelievability of what Tofu was saying to argue. Ryoga was a vampire?
Then that meant he'd go after...

"Akane!" Ranma cried, and ran out of the morgue as though his life
depended on it.



Hungry. He had almost killed that poor, beautiful girl, and it had done
nothing to fill his need. He pressed a shaking hand to his mouth and
prayed for deliverance. Surely a merciful God would end his misery...

His only answer came in the form of his master, who had escaped
detection even by his enhanced senses until it was too late. She gripped
him by the scruff of the neck and shook him like a dog correcting her
naughty puppy.

"Foolish child," she hissed. Ryoga growled and tried to tear away from
her, but she freshened her grip and pressed herself against him, her
cold breath brushing the sensitive skin of his neck. Ryoga froze as she
nuzzled him, the hard dents of her fangs pressing against his throat.
Like a mouse caught in a snake's hypnotic glare, he was powerless to
resist her, and he waited with a thrill of dreadful anticipation for her
next move.

"Foolish one," she repeated. "I should kill you now for alerting them to
our presence. They won't suffer our kind to live if they discover us too
soon. You've almost ruined all my lovely plans."

"You call this life?" Ryoga managed to say. Without warning, the fangs
sank into his throat, draining what little strength he had gained from
the human girl's blood, yet giving him pleasure unlike anything he had
ever known in life. His master released him finally, moving around to
face him as he sank to the ground. She stood grinning down at him,
licking her lips.

"You'll not repeat this offense," she said. Ryoga barely had strength
left to crawl, and she knew it. "You have two hours left of dark, and
you're no longer welcome in my lair. I won't have a child I can't trust,
little one. If you manage to survive the day, I might consider forgiving
you. If not, well... you were practice for me, as I said. It matters
little to me if you lack the strength of will to survive."

Ryoga gasped, and struggled to get out of the open as his master
disappeared into the night. Sunrise would come soon, and he had no
strength left. Where could he safely pass the day? There was water
nearby. Maybe he could turn into P-Chan... rest in Akane's arms...

He seemed to crawl for an eternity, dragging his weary body with his
arms, sick with exhaustion and Hunger. He finally made it to the
water...



Akane finished her rounds of the downstairs, and headed for the
staircase. She still felt uneasy; it was just a little too quiet.
Nabiki's door was locked, but Akane pressed her ear up against it and
heard her sister breathing steadily and deeply.

Kasumi was lying on her bed, fully clothed and shivering. Akane sighed
inwardly and smiled. Kasumi had been sleepwalking again, and must have
made some sound that woke Akane up. Akane pulled her sister's shoes off
and drew the covers up over her, then crept back to her own room and
went back to sleep. It never occurred to her to check Ranma's room.



"OhGodohGodohGod," Ranma panted as he raced down the darkened street to
the Tendo house, followed at a distance by Tofu. Above him, a silent
figure watched and smiled grimly, then vanished into the deepest shadows
of the night.



Ryoga groaned. Of course the Curse only worked on living bodies! He'd
have to think of something, there wasn't much time. He had to find a
safe place to hide... with a sudden burst of desperation, he lurched to
his feet and began to stagger aimlessly. There had to be a way...

The Tendo house loomed in front of him, and he found that suddenly he
wasn't as weak as he had thought. Akane was here... the Hunger sprang to
full life. Swift and silent, he dashed into the house, up the stairs,
and down the hallway. He stood in front of Akane's door for a long
moment. He couldn't do this to her. Was this what the vampire had
planned for him? That he make Akane his vampire slave so the master
could take Ranma? He couldn't do it, he just couldn't. The Hunger was
overwhelming!

With an extreme act of will, he turned away from the door and took a
step. The next step after that was easier, and then easier still as he
distanced himself from her scent.

A few more steps, and he was at the door to Ranma's room. The room was
empty; he could hear no breathing, detect no pulse. He darted inside,
and then froze in shock. Why would she punish him when she had already
alerted the household to the presence of vampires? The family would be
furious...

The hair on the back of his neck stood on end. The sun would rise soon,
and he didn't doubt what would happen if he got caught in it. He leaped
out of the window, landed running, and made his way toward the Dojo.
There was a little crawlspace under the building, which Gosunkugi had
used to spy on Ranma. Ryoga snuck inside, instinct guiding him. He dug
into the soft earth with his bare hands and feet, building up enough of
a wall of dirt around him that it met the floor above him. With a sigh,
he let his mind go just as the sun's first rays peeked over the horizon.



The vampire made her way to her lair, and smiled. It would all go her
way. She'd have to eliminate that idiot doctor, who was getting entirely
too close for comfort. She also must make sure that Ryoga was either
dead or loyal to her. One way or the other, though, it would all be
hers. She lay back, confident and serene as the small death of sunrise
overtook her. She would sleep, and awaken at sunset. Life without
sunlight was a small price to pay for life Eternal. Perhaps, when she
was an older vampire, she'd be able to walk about in the daytime. The
One who had created her had been able to do that. It must be... yawn...
must be that a young vampire needed more rest, as did young children,
while the adults could wake or sleep at will. She'd think about it
later, because the sun was almost-



"Oh, God..." Ranma muttered as he bounded up the stairs, his heart
pounding a frantic rhythm at the thought of Akane hurt, Akane's eyes
going dim like Ryoga's...

He raced to her room and there she was, sleeping peacefully for a moment
after he burst through the door. She sat up in alarm, frightened and
angry, and an instant later Ranma sailed out the window into the koi
pond with a smile on his face. Akane was definitely in good health.

"Pervert!" Akane yelled, poking her head out the window to glare down at
her fiance as Ranma floundered in the pond. He had nearly scared the
life out of her! Tofu jogged up, out of breath, and helped Ranma out of
the cold, stagnant water.

"Good to see you, too!" Ranma called back, her smile dimmed somewhat. A
cold bath could do that. Akane closed her drapes with a huff as Ranma
wrung out her clothes somewhat and hurriedly ushered Tofu into the
house.

"I'm gonna go get some hot water," Ranma said through chattering teeth.
Tofu nodded, and watched as Ranma sloshed off to the bathroom. Akane
stumped down the stairs and Tofu walked over to her with a worried
frown.

"Are you feeling all right?" he asked, noticing at a glance that the
smooth skin of her neck was unmarked.

"Fine, I guess," Akane answered, glaring sourly at the closed bathroom
door. "What are you two doing up so early?"

"I think I'll let Ranma tell you that," Tofu said. There was no sound or
smell from the kitchen, no indication that Kasumi was even awake. Trying
to hide his disappointment, he added, "Maybe I could go fix some
breakfast while you two talk." Ranma stepped out of the bathroom in time
to hear the last of that, and grinned at Tofu over Akane's shoulder.
That was one way to be sure breakfast would be edible.



"Goodness!" A gentle voice from the doorway behind him made Tofu's hair
stand on end, and he nearly missed the cutting board with the knife he
held.

Tofu spun around to face an angel in human guise, and the knife slipped
from his nerveless fingers and landed on the floor with a clatter. He
picked it up quickly, struggled to wipe the idiotic grin from his face,
and stammered, "K-Kasumi! Meeting you here, of all places!"

"Good morning, Doctor Tofu," Kasumi said with a puzzled smile.

"I was, uh, I thought maybe some breakfast..." Tofu mumbled, mentally
patting himself on the back for at least staying close to topic. "Give
them a chance to talk, and you might want to sleep in for a change..."

"Why, thank you!" Kasumi smiled at him. Good God, Kasumi was smiling at
him! "As long as I'm up, though, why don't I help you?" Tofu shook
himself, nodded his head eagerly, and worked side by side with Kasumi as
they prepared breakfast together. It was one of the happiest moments of
his life.



Breakfast was a mostly silent affair, with Ranma and Akane quickly and
methodically devouring every scrap of food in sight, and Tofu gazing
worshipfully at Kasumi whenever she wasn't looking at him. Kasumi smiled
gently at him as she began clearing the dishes, and it was then that
Tofu noticed the slight hint of weariness behind that smile. He was just
about to get up and help collect the dishes when Nabiki spoke.

"So, Dr. Tofu, Ranma's filled us in on this little adventure you dragged
him off on this morning." She paused a moment to be sure Kasumi had
moved out of ear shot before continuing. "Supposing you two are right,
and Ryoga really is a vampire. Just what do you propose to do about it?"

"Hunt him down," Ranma said with a grimace. Vampire hunting? This
nightmare just kept getting worse!

"And then what?" Nabiki asked.

"To send a vampire to its eternal rest, we have to..." Tofu started. He
swallowed hard, looking a little queasy as he continued. "We have to
drive a stake through its heart, cut off its head and stuff the mouth
with garlic."

A long silence followed, and Kasumi stepped back into the room.

"Would any of you like anything else to eat?" she asked cheerfully.
Akane choked, leapt up from her place at the table and ran for the
bathroom. The sound of her retching could be heard through the bathroom
door, which she had left open in her haste.

"Oh, dear," Kasumi said worriedly. "I do hope Akane isn't coming down
with something."

"She's Ok," Ranma said through tight, pale lips. He couldn't imagine
doing that to Ryoga...

"I'll go make some more tea, then," Kasumi said. "Maybe it will help
settle her stomach."

Nabiki remained frozen in place with her chopsticks raised halfway to
her lips. Her wide brown eyes looked from Tofu to Ranma and back again
incredulously. They weren't joking.

"So where do we look?" Ranma asked soberly.

"We don't," Akane said from the doorway. "Even if Ryoga really was a
vampire, we leave him alone."

Ranma turned to face her, noting that she still looked a little green.
"You want us to do nothing?" he asked in amazement.

"We have to act," Tofu chimed in. "A vampire must feed. The girl he bit
is still living; if we do this now his eternal soul is still human. If
we wait till after he kills..."

"Who's to say he'd kill anyone?" Akane snapped. "Ryoga's not like that!"

"Akane, I will NOT," Ranma said, standing to meet her eye to eye, "I
repeat, NOT, sit here and wait for him to come after you."

"I can take care of myself," Akane replied. "Besides, what makes you
think he'd come after me?"

"I think Ranma's right," Nabiki said quietly from her place at the
table. All eyes turned to her at this unexpected comment. "Akane,
everyone but you knew that Ryoga had a crush on you. IF he's really a
vampire, he's already dangerous. And if I were a vampire, I'd want the
one I loved to join me."

"I never...he never told me," Akane murmured. Privately, she had to
admit that part of her had known all along, and had hoped the issue
wouldn't come up. She couldn't imagine telling Ryoga that she could
never love him because she already loved...

"So where do we look?" Ranma asked again.

"I was hoping you'd have some ideas," Tofu answered. "I have the
equipment we need in my bag."

"Ok, so where would a vampire be in the daytime?" Ranma puzzled.

"I don't think this is such a good idea," Nabiki said slowly. What if
they looked all day and didn't find anything? What if they found Ryoga,
and he was really just dead?

"Got it!" Ranma jumped up with a snap of his fingers. "The cemetery!"

"But that's..." Nabiki began again. Ranma, Tofu and Akane all raced out
of the house, and after a moment's hesitation Nabiki followed, grumbling
about faulty logic.



"Nothing," Ranma called, exasperated. They had spent the better part of
the day touring cemeteries, and found nothing suspicious at all. There
had been no moldering crypts, no open or disturbed grave sites for them
to investigate - just green grass waving over peaceful rolling hills.

"The question," Nabiki puffed as she finally caught up to them, "isn't
where would a vampire be, it's where would Ryoga be?"

"With his sense of direction?" Ranma said incredulously. "Anywhere!
Wherever you'd least expect."

"Your bedroom, Ranma," Akane said quietly, her eyes wide in sudden
realization. They all turned to face her, and Ranma couldn't help but
notice how haunted she looked. He'd comfort her, if only she'd allow
it...

"I woke up before dawn because I felt something was wrong. Your room is
the only room I didn't check."

"Why?" Nabiki asked.

"Because I found Kasumi in her street clothes, and I figured her
sleepwalking must've been what woke me up."

"She sleepwalks?" Tofu cried, horrified. "If only I'd known sooner!" He
sank to his knees, burying his face in his hands. "All that effort, and
it was Kasumi herself who sealed his fate."

"Kasumi is no vampire!" Akane snapped.

"No, but a sleepwalker is most susceptible to a vampire's power, when
walking the realm between conscious and unconscious thought."

"Are you saying Kasumi-"

"I'm saying someone had to have removed those flowers," the doctor
sighed. "Let's not mention any of this to her. The damage is already
done, and the knowledge can only hurt her."

"Well, I'm sure not gonna tell her," Ranma said. Tell Kasumi she'd
played a role in Ryoga's death? He'd sooner eat glass!

"Aren't we forgetting something?" Nabiki asked coolly. Ranma turned to
face her knowing smile. It certainly hadn't taken long for her to
collect herself. "Namely, that there's an alleged vampire hiding out in
your bedroom?"

"That's right!" Ranma cried, and a bare moment later Nabiki stood alone
again, watching their quickly retreating backs.

"Thank you for your help, Nabiki," she muttered to herself as she began
the trek home at a saner pace. "Oh, think nothing of it," she answered
herself. Her stomach grumbled at her, and she quickened her pace a
little. Hopefully she'd get home just in time for dinner.



Ranma bounded up the stairs a half-breath ahead of Tofu and Akane, and
dashed into the room only to come to a screeching halt. Tofu and Akane
stopped just short of barreling into him, and all three stood staring in
shock.

Ranma's father lay on the floor in Panda form, his limbs flung out
awkwardly and his black-and-white coat stained with blood.

"Pop?" Ranma whispered, but the sound came out as little more than a
squeak. His knees threatened to give out on him as he stumbled over to
the still form. Akane's wide eyes peeked out from above her knotted
fists as Ranma sank to his knees and pressed his ear against the bear's
massive chest. Tofu crossed the room, noted the torn throat and
wide-open, glazed eyes, and laid a hand gently on Ranma's shoulder.

"He's dead," he said quietly.

"Pop?" Ranma said, his eyes filling with tears as he gripped the Panda
by the shoulders and shook. "Come on, Pop! This isn't funny!"

"Ranma..." Tofu tried again.

"Wake up, Pop!" Ranma screamed, pounding on the Panda's chest with his
fists. "Wake up! Don't do this to me!"

"Ranma!" Akane yelled, and pulled him away from the body forcefully. For
a bare moment she thought he might hit her, then his face crumpled and
he sank to his knees again. Akane knelt beside him and pulled him into
an embrace, resisting when he tried to pull away. He buried his face
against her shoulder and cried, his sobs shaking his whole body. Akane
clung to him, crying with him. She stroked his back and closed her eyes
against the sight of the Panda's face, frozen in an expression of shock
and horror.



Nabiki trudged up to the house, grimacing as she slipped out of her
shoes and examined the blister rising up on her right foot. She wished
she'd known it was going to be such a long hike; she would have worn
something more comfortable. She wriggled her toes for a moment, enjoying
the sense of freedom, then stepped into the hallway.

Everything was quiet... a little too quiet. Tofu, Ranma and Akane were
here, or at least their shoes were, but there was no sound from
upstairs. Obviously they hadn't found any vampire.

Sighing at the thought of a whole day wasted, Nabiki limped over towards
the staircase. She caught a glimpse of her father out of the corner of
her eye and turned to see him sitting still as a statue. A single tear
trickled down his cheek as he stared gloomily at the shogi board.

The sight of her father neither cheerful nor wailing unsettled her - she
hadn't seen him like this in years. Nabiki decided to stop in the
kitchen before going upstairs.

Kasumi was clearly upset, and reacting to stress in typical Kasumi
fashion - she was cooking up a storm, because the kitchen was one thing
she did have control over. Her knife flashed and clattered a little too
loudly as she rapidly chopped vegetables. She wasn't humming.

Filled with foreboding, Nabiki backed out of the room silently, glad
that Kasumi hadn't noticed her watching. This was just the way those two
had acted when Mother died.

"Daddy, what's wrong?" Nabiki asked quietly. Instead of answering her,
Soun buried his face in his hands. Nabiki stifled the urge to repeat her
question and hurried upstairs.

The door to Ranma's room was open, and Nabiki stepped in to see Ranma
and Akane huddled together on the floor in front of a sheet-covered...

"Wh-what?" Nabiki stammered. The lump under the sheet was too big to be
anything but the Panda, and Ranma's tear-streaked face told her all she
needed to know. "Oh, no."

"Excuse me," Tofu said softly behind her, and Nabiki moved numbly out of
the way as he entered the room with an armful of garlic blossoms.

"Forgive me," he said in that same quiet, humbled tone. "I thought it
would be best to do this while it's daylight." He proceeded to go
through the ritual of rubbing the pungent blooms against the window and
door frames before hanging them up as wards. Ranma glanced down at the
edge of the white sheet covering his father and clenched his fists. A
fat lot of good those damned flowers had done for Genma and Ryoga.

"Come on, Ranma," Akane said in the gentlest tone he had ever heard from
her. "It's not good for you to stay here."

"I'd rather be alone," Ranma said flatly, backing away from her and
brushing his tears away.

"Ok, you can stay in my room, then," Akane answered slowly. "Nabiki, can
I stay with you?"

"Sure, sis," Nabiki said, though it came out as little more than a
whisper.

"There," Akane said. "You can have the whole room to yourself. Is that
Ok?"

Ranma nodded, afraid that he'd start crying again if he tried to voice
his gratitude. Akane looked at him as if she understood, and gave him a
gentle pat on the shoulder as she rose and left the room.



Supper that evening was a somber affair. A gloom settled over the Tendo
house as the last rays of sunset cast a blood-red glow over the horizon,
and the stunned, silent remaining members of the household gathered
around the table. None of them could choke down more than a few
mouthfuls of the feast Kasumi had prepared.

Afterward they quietly made their arrangements and settled in for the
night. Ranma lay wide awake in Akane's bed, listening to the muffled
noises as she and Kasumi set up a futon on Nabiki's floor. The noises
eventually stopped, leaving him alone with his thoughts.

Dinner hadn't been the same, without the old man trying to steal his
food, and it felt unnatural to go to sleep without a good sparring
session. Ranma tossed restlessly on the bed, unable to get into a
comfortable position, then finally dragged the pillow and blanket onto
the floor and settled down. The smell of garlic pervaded the whole
house. As long as he lived, grief would always smell of the pungent
blossoms hung over the doors and windows.

He'd never hear Pop give another pompous lecture... The tears started to
well up again, and he rubbed his eyes fiercely with his knuckles. Men
didn't cry.



Akane waited in the hallway until the sounds of Ranma's fitful sobbing
had given way to a restless sleep, then crept back into Nabiki's room.

"Is he Ok?" Nabiki whispered, and Akane mentally kicked herself for
thinking she could sneak in and out of Nabiki's room unnoticed.

"He's taking it hard," Akane whispered back. "At least when Mom died, we
had each other. He doesn't have anybody to talk to."

"He has you," Nabiki said. Akane was still staring up into the dark long
after Nabiki went to sleep.



Hungry. So damn hungry. Why wouldn't it go away? He supposed he could
always crawl outside and wait for the sun to finish him off... nobody
would really miss him, except his mother. He wondered if she even knew
what had happened. He hoped not.

He couldn't go on attacking people. That girl - her long, dark hair, her
wide, terrified eyes - she haunted him. Her hands had battered at him,
her nails clawing at his face, his eyes, and he hadn't even felt it. He
had almost killed her, and the memory of her filled him with guilt and
longing and the rich echo of dark pleasure. For all he knew, she might
have died later, after he left her drained and sobbing in the deserted
alley.

He was, for all intents and purposes, a murderer. A murderer and a
rapist. The thought of how far he had sunk, how unworthy he was of even
loving Akane from afar, tore at his conscience. If he were capable of
tears, he would weep.

All he could do now was resist the will of the master and his own
Hunger. The master might not come looking for him, since as far as she
knew he could already be burned to ash. That meant he could be left
alone with nothing but this driving need. He wished he did have the
nerve to face the sun, but all his new instincts warred with that
desire. Maybe if he waited long enough he could starve his way to a real
death.

"Akane..." he whispered into the silent dark. The Hunger rolled over him
in waves, and it took all his willpower not to go looking for her in the
night, not to pull her warm body close against him, not to sink his
fangs into her throat, hearing her gasp at the unexpected thrill...

It was the hardest thing he had ever done, but he rode out the Hunger
until it eased a little. The pangs grew worse through the night, and he
was glad there was nobody nearby to hear him groaning in agony. He had
had long practice in denying his natural physical urges, though, and he
was determined to resist this unnatural urge. He would leave this
miserable non-existence, and win back what few shreds of his honor he
could salvage. No matter what happened, he would not feed again.



Akane turned to greet Ranma as he came downstairs the next morning, and
had to catch herself before she could comment on his appearance. The
poor guy looked as if he hadn't slept at all - dark shadows underscored
his reddened eyes, and he was pale with grief. Akane bit her tongue to
keep from asking if he was Ok.

"Good morning," she said instead, trying to keep her tone neutral and
hide her worry. She had never seen him look so...defeated. It seemed
that the life had faded right out of his eyes. Akane cleared her throat
a little nervously.

"We, uh, saved you some breakfast. Are you hungry?"

Ranma shook his head and looked around listlessly. There wasn't anything
to distract him from the fact that if his father were still alive there
wouldn't have been any leftover breakfast. Outdoors, the rain drizzled
down from an ominously dark, overcast sky, which suited his mood
perfectly. It was only a matter of time before it really opened up, and
that seemed fitting somehow. At least the sky could weep over Genma
without losing face.

"S'cuse me," Ranma mumbled. He stepped out into the rain, walked to the
koi pond and sat on a flat rock at the edge. The glassy surface of the
water was marred by the raindrops, distorting the reflection of the
pig-tailed girl as she started to cry again. This was no good. The old
man would be appalled to see his son crying like a ... girl.

>From the doorway of the house, Akane watched as Ranma got up and walked
to the Dojo, trying to swallow her tears. She'd give her a little time
alone, then go check on her.

Hungry. He was so Hungry! Where was the sun? It ought to be sunrise by
now. He desperately needed the oblivion only the sun could give him. He
didn't know how much longer he could hold out - and there was someone
nearby. Someone warm, breathing harshly as she cried... oh, it was
definitely a woman. Her pulse sounded like a drum in his ears, starting
off the sweet ache deep in his throat. And where was the damn sun when
he needed it?



Tofu woke up to a crash of thunder, filled with a sense of dread as he
noticed how dark it was. He hoped things were all right at the Tendo
house, but some inner sense told him that they weren't. He'd better call
to be sure.

"Hello?" a female voice answered. Nabiki. Tofu was disappointed it
wasn't Kasumi - but glad at the same time, because he had to be able to
carry on a conversation.

"Nabiki?" he asked, "Is everything Ok?"

"Well, other than Mr. Saotome being killed in cold blood..."

"There weren't any disturbances last night? All the flowers are still in
place?"

"No, Kasumi took them down this morning. She says you told her we only
need them at night."

"No, you need them any time the sun isn't shining! Where's Ranma?"

"He and Akane went to the Dojo," Nabiki answered, starting to sound
worried.

"Listen, stay in the house! You and Kasumi stay together and get those
flowers back up. I'll be right over."



A sudden flash of lightning struck nearby with a deafening clap of
thunder, and the lights in the house went out, letting in the gloom from
outside in one chilling rush. Nabiki yelped and dropped the receiver,
then stooped to pick it back up, feeling foolish. She shook her head
ruefully, glad that nobody had witnessed her moment of fright. Rain
started to patter heavily on the roof as Nabiki made her way through the
darkness to the kitchen.

"Kasumi," she said, relieved as another flash of lightning starkly
illuminated a female silhouette by the kitchen window. The figure turned
to face her, its eyes glowing red as hellfire as the dark descended once
again.

"No," said a husky Voice. Nabiki's heart rose to her throat, choking off
her voice for one long, frozen moment as she unconsciously took a step
back. The figure started to move toward her, and Nabiki suddenly found
the will to move again. She backpedaled quickly, screaming, and then
scrambled halfway up the stairs. A cold hand clutched her right ankle,
throwing her off-balance. She bit her tongue hard as she scraped her
chin on one of the stairs, and wrenched her right wrist painfully as her
grip on the banister kept her from sliding down.

"Do struggle," the Voice said with a chuckle. "Your frail efforts amuse
me." With a whimper of pain and fright, Nabiki pelted up the stairs and
into the pitch-black hallway, then ducked into Ranma's old room to hide.

"Oh, Miss Tendo?" the Voice called, and Nabiki huddled up against the
far wall, shivering in terror. The sheet-covered body of the Panda
seemed to glow in the faint, gloomy light from the window. The thought
of what the creature had done to Ryoga and Mr. Saotome, what it would do
to her when it caught her, tore into her with icy claws. Each long
moment was a heart attack, and she struggled to hold her breath as she
realized her short, panting gasps were audible.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are..." the Voice said in a gentle
sing-song. Nabiki bit her knuckles to hold back a terrified scream and
did something she hadn't done since her mother's death. She prayed.



"Ranma?" Akane asked, shaking the rain off her umbrella as she stepped
into the Dojo. "The storm's getting really bad. I think you should come
back to the house."

"Would you just leave me alone?" Ranma asked, irritated.

"Look, I know how you feel-"

"No, you don't!"

"Yes, I do!" Akane finally snapped back. "I've been through this, too,
you know!" And she suddenly burst into tears.

"Oh," Ranma gasped, her eyes widening in sudden comprehension, then she
looked down at the floor, shamefaced. "Sorry. I forgot."



Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. And there were two heartbeats now, singing in
his ears, calling to him. He bit down onto his own hand to stifle his
groan of desire and need.

It was Akane! Without a doubt, the second person was Akane! And the
first - it could only be Ranma - had made her cry again!



Ranma was just taking a hesitant step toward Akane, hoping to comfort
her, when the section of the floor she was standing on exploded upwards.
A clammy hand gripped Ranma's ankle as she tried to leap out of the way,
and swung her against the floor with tooth-rattling force.

"Ranma, I won't have it," a Voice rasped.

"No!" Akane cried, brushing her tears away.

"I won't have you making Akane cry!" the vampire howled as he bore down
on Ranma, his eyes glowing with murderous intent.

"Ryoga, don't hurt him!" Akane shrieked.

He turned to face her, and Akane stared in horror at the lost boy she
thought she knew transformed into a demon. There was something
compelling and... seductive in his gaze as he turned and began walking
toward her.

"Akane..." he said, and his Voice sent voluptuous shivers down her
spine. She knew what he had become, and for the first time she
understood how helpless she was in the face of his power, his lethal,
alien beauty. She could not bring herself to struggle against him, or
even to want to struggle. As his cold hand rose to brush her cheek she
leaned into the caress, even though deep inside part of her cringed. The
vampire looped one powerful arm around her waist and dragged her up
against himself, his body cold and unyielding as granite. Akane trembled
in his embrace, allowing an icy finger under her chin to tilt her head
to one side.

"Akane..." he breathed, leaning in to brush his lips against her
vulnerable throat, drawn by her warmth, her pulse racing in reaction to
him - her pulse racing in terror. "I can't..." His face twisted,
betraying some of his internal struggle. He froze for an agonized,
eternal moment, his fangs brushing just against her delicate skin...
then he pushed Akane away from him with as much gentleness as he could
muster.

Behind him, Ranma staggered to her feet and leapt at him in one swift
motion. He turned to meet her charge head-on, so confident in his
vampiric might he didn't even notice she was armed until it was too
late. The vampire gaped at the shard of wooden floorboard protruding
from his chest, then sent the pig-tailed girl sailing across the room
with one backhanded sweep, the motion so quick it looked like a blur. A
vicious snarl twisted his lips as Ranma slammed against the far wall and
landed on the floor in a boneless heap. Then he turned to face Akane
again.

"Akane..." he whispered, and suddenly the red glow faded from his eyes,
leaving just the lonely lost Ryoga she had come to know.

"Oh, Ryoga," Akane said hopelessly, knowing that even now he had power
over her.

"Please..." Ryoga gasped. "Please, finish it...while I'm still
myself..." Akane glanced desperately at Ranma, who lay unmoving on the
floor. Her attention snapped back to Ryoga as he staggered toward her,
pleading. If he touched her again, she'd be lost, beset...

"It wasn't me...it was Her. Please, Akane! Please!" Sobbing violently,
Akane lashed out and kicked the piece of wood, driving it a little
further. Ryoga dropped to his knees and whimpered, agonized as the
white-hot pain invoked violent instincts which he would not, he could
not carry out against Akane. He whispered, "Please..." Akane drew a deep
breath, focused her energy, and with one mighty blow sent the shard of
wood straight through Ryoga's dead heart. The body of her friend fell
over with a soft thud, the vaguest hint of a smile on its face. Akane
stood for a moment more, staring, then fell to her knees. Blood coated
her right palm, and she tried to wipe it off, but only succeeded in
smearing it over her hands and skirt. Crying so hard she could barely
breathe, she crawled over to Ranma and drew the unconscious girl up in
her arms.



"Oh, Nabiiiiiiiki...?" the Voice taunted. The vampire glided into the
room where the frantic heartbeat had led her. She was a little
disappointed; she had already dined in this room. Although... the window
on the far side of the room was open, allowing the rain to drench the
glossy wood of poor Mr. Tendo's floor. So the sneaky girl had gone up to
the roof? Inconvenient. Then again, she had never really dined al fresco
this way before... Chuckling, the vampire leaped out the window in
pursuit.

Nabiki was huddled on the roof, crawling along on the slick surface for
fear of sliding off. The vampire had to chuckle again. Falling should be
the least of that girl's concerns...

Then she felt it - a deep, instinctive knowledge she didn't dare
question. The storm was breaking up, and the sun would soon pierce the
cloud cover. She'd have to hurry to get back to her lair in time.
Cursing her luck, the vampire began her race home.

"I'll have to finish this some other time!" she called over her
shoulder. Nabiki stared after her in disbelief, clutching the roof tiles
beneath her and thanking the Kami for her deliverance as the rain
finally began to ease. Now, how was she going to get off the roof? And
what had that monster done to Kasumi?



Tofu skidded into the Dojo, out of breath, to be greeted by a gruesome
tableau. Ryoga lay sprawled out on the floor, peaceful in true death as
he had never been in life. Akane, her hands stained with blood, sat
rocking Ranma's still form, her heartbroken sobs wracking her body.
Certain that Ranma was dead as well, Tofu stepped softly into the
Dojo.

"Akane?" Tofu asked, and she jumped, staring in abject horror at Ryoga's
corpse before she realized where the voice had come from. The moment she
spied Tofu, she leapt up and ran to him for comfort. Ranma groaned as
her head hit the floor with a thump, and Tofu had to fight the insane
urge to laugh in relief.

"Are you two Ok?" he asked instead, biting his tongue as the laugh tried
to bubble up. This was neither the time or place, and Akane certainly
wouldn't understand.

Ranma staggered to her feet and took in the whole scene in astonishment.
She gaped at Ryoga's dead body. Then she stared in further surprise at
Akane's bloody hands.

"You did that?" she asked incredulously.

"You don't have to sound so surprised," Akane grumbled half-heartedly,
then sighed. She couldn't muster the energy to argue with Ranma right
now. There was too much horror, too much sorrow... "He asked me to."

"He what?" Ranma's disbelief was plain, and that added a new layer of
hurt to Akane's wounded heart. How could she explain what a tortured
soul she had seen? Or how relieved and grateful Ryoga had been, to at
least die as himself?

"He asked me to! He was -"

Tofu put a gentle hand on her shoulder. "I'm sure it meant a lot to him
that his friends gave him peace, in the end." Akane nodded, leaning on
Tofu's shoulder wearily, so glad that he understood.

Ranma watched the two skeptically. Grateful to be killed? What a load
of -

"Anyway," Tofu said, "We have to go check on Kasumi and Nabiki."

"You mean -" Akane began, her eyes widening in new fear.

"I mean that vampires can walk the earth whenever the sun isn't out.
Whoever made Ryoga -"

"What are we waiting for? Let's go!" Ranma said over her shoulder as she
pulled the door open.

"What about...?" Akane paused a moment, gesturing to indicate Ryoga's
body.

"We'll have to come back to it," Tofu answered reluctantly. At that
moment, the sun finally broke through the cloud cover. A trickle of
smoke started rising from Ryoga's hand as the faint patch of sunlight
coming through the door lit on it. Akane gasped, and Tofu and Ranma both
turned around in time to see Ryoga's entire body start to glow red.
White-hot flames suddenly flickered into life, devouring the fallen
vampire in a matter of seconds. All that remained was a small pile of
ash that lifted and scattered in the breeze, and a charred mark on the
glossy wood of the floor outlining the shape of Ryoga's body.

"Supernatural," Ranma whispered, her throat dry.

"Let's go," Tofu said anxiously. Kasumi and Nabiki weren't martial
artists, and there hadn't been anybody but their father to defend them.
Ranma and Tofu both ran out of the Dojo.

Akane lingered for a brief moment at the threshold, glancing back at the
spot where Ryoga had vanished. On an impulse she couldn't have
explained, she hurried back in and scooped up a handful of the ashes.

"Rest in peace," she whispered, then stepped back out into the world of
light, throwing the ashes wide into the clean, rain-scented breeze as it
rushed past.

Akane sloshed toward the house just in time to see Ranma bound up onto
the roof, scoop Nabiki up in deceptively frail-looking arms, and leap
back down again, sliding a little as she landed ankle-deep in mud.
Nabiki clung shivering to the pig-tailed girl for just a moment, then
mustered what dignity she could as Ranma set her down carefully. Her
clothes and hair were plastered against her, but she straightened up
with such a regal air, nobody really noticed.

"About time you came back," she said without rancor, looking at Akane
and Ranma and trying not to cry from sheer relief. She had never thought
to see the sun shining down on her again. "Where are Daddy and Kasumi?"
The four of them plodded through the muck as quickly as they could, then
raced into the house and split up, calling for the two missing Tendos.

"Here!" Nabiki called from the kitchen, "Help me!" The others raced to
meet her. She knelt on the floor cradling Kasumi in her arms, and there
was blood running down the unconscious girl's shoulder and trickling
from the corners of her mouth. Akane screamed hoarsely, and Tofu knelt
by Kasumi, his face ashen.

"She has a pulse," he said with relief. "Akane, Ranma, see if you can
find Mr. Tendo. Nabiki, I'll need you to get some supplies..."



"Dad? Dad, where are you?" Akane called, racing through the house. Her
heart was racing in panic and she was trying so hard not to think about
her father sprawled out on the floor like Mr. Saotome... she tripped
over him. He was huddled up at the end of the hall, where the shadows
gathered in spite of the sunlight that now brightened the house, and he
was all but invisible in his dark gi. He groaned when her foot caught on
him, and Akane choked back a sob.

"Dad, are you Ok?"

"Kasumi..."

"It's Ok, Dad, Dr. Tofu's taking care of her. Can you walk?"

Soun was bruised and shaken by his brush with the supernatural, but
otherwise unharmed. With Akane helping him, he managed to walk down to
the kitchen so he could see Kasumi with his own eyes. The tears that had
dried up when his dear friend died now returned full-force at the
knowledge that he had failed to protect his little girl. Akane and
Nabiki rolled their eyes at each other, strangely relieved to see their
father bawling like his old self.

"She's fine, she's just fainted," Tofu mumbled distractedly, his
professional training temporarily overriding his emotions, at least in
part. His heart might be beating a weird syncopation at being this near
to Kasumi, but it didn't shake his calm, detached bedside manner.
Kasumi's eyelashes fluttered, and Tofu breathlessly waited for her to
wake, barely aware of the anxious family members crowding around
them."My..." she sighed. Her eyes opened slowly, dim with confusion for
a brief moment. At the sight of Tofu and her family all worried about
her, she started to cry. The tears trickled slowly at first, then
suddenly she was sobbing so hard she couldn't speak.

"Found the garlic!" Ranma cried as he bounded into the room with an
armful of withering blossoms. Akane noted sourly that he'd had time to
find some hot water, too, while she was searching for her father and
fearing the worst.

"Good work. Let's get Kasumi to her room," Tofu said. "Mr. Tendo, I'll
need you and Ranma to get some supplies while the sunlight lasts."



A short time later, Tofu and Nabiki had Kasumi more or less settled in
her bed, with the few salvageable garlic blooms set up as wards at the
door and window. Ranma and Soun had left to get supplies, and had
reluctantly taken Akane with them at her insistence.

"I'm sorry to be so much bother," Kasumi said softly, her voice
strained.

"Never, sis," Nabiki answered, and Tofu echoed the sentiment.

"But it was all - it was my fault!" she cried, and then continued before
Tofu or Nabiki could shush her. "I knew it and I didn't - I didn't want
to know, I didn't want to think about it and..."

"It's Ok," Tofu said reassuringly, gently guiding her back onto her
pillows and straightening the covers. "How long ago did this start? The
wound on your throat wasn't new."

"A month or so. Before I heard about Ryoga. I saw the wound..." and here
she self-consciously tugged her hair down over her shoulder to cover the
fresh white bandage, "and I didn't think anything of it! I really
didn't!"

"How could you not wonder about a wound mysteriously appearing like
that?" Nabiki wanted to know.

"Maybe," the doctor interrupted before Kasumi could get even more upset,
"the vampire didn't want her to know. There might have been some kind of
post-hypnotic suggestion."

"I saw it and I didn't think anything of it except that I didn't want
anyone to see it. I'd remember dreams of Her coming to see me and, and,
and she was beautiful!" Kasumi began crying again, hugging herself as
the tears coursed down her cheeks. "She was beautiful and I was so
afraid of her but I kept hoping she'd come back!"

"It's Ok..." Nabiki said softly.

"No! It isn't! Poor Ryoga, and Mr. Saotome..."

"I'm just glad you didn't join them!" Nabiki said emphatically.

"But I caused their deaths..."

"No, a vampire caused their deaths," Nabiki retorted, her voice turning
hard as angry tears rose in her eyes. "A monster, Kasumi, not you."
Kasumi cried hard enough to choke off her voice, nodding her head even
though it was plain she still blamed herself. Nabiki awkwardly moved to
pat her on the shoulder, and Kasumi threw herself in her little sister's
arms. Hesitantly, pleased and a little embarrassed by the intimacy,
Nabiki wrapped her own arms around Kasumi and gently stroked her hair,
murmuring the same reassuring nonsense that had been told her on the day
of her mother's death.

"It's all right... this is all part of Kami's plan... everything will be
Ok..."

"I'd wake in the morning and wonder if I'd been sleepwalking again, but
the dreams seemed so real..."

"Ok, Kasumi, it's Ok. You didn't do anything wrong."

"And then today, she opened a vein in her wrist and made me drink..."

Tofu paled as the significance of this last statement hit home. He
clenched his fists so hard the knuckles turned white, furious at his
helplessness. If only he'd known! He would gladly have suffered through
Hell itself for Kasumi's sake!

"Oh, Kasumi," he whispered mournfully, and when the two Tendo girls
turned to look at him he shook his head slightly, unable to put his
regret into words, then pulled the small bottle of garlic oil from his
pocket. Holding his breath and hoping against hope, he put a small drop
on the tip of his finger and pressed it gently against Kasumi's forehead
as he whispered a prayer for her protection.

Kasumi wailed in anguish, and Tofu jerked his hand away quickly. An
angry red weal appeared where the garlic oil had touched her. Nabiki
quickly wiped the oil off, and glared at Tofu as Kasumi's tears started
anew. Appalled, Tofu quickly put the cap on the garlic oil and mumbled
an apology.

"No, it's me!" Kasumi cried, pulling at her bangs to make them cover the
burned spot. 

"Why did the oil do that?" Nabiki asked. "It didn't do that to Ryoga."

"It might have, if I'd used it on him after..."

"It was the prayer," Kasumi whimpered. "It's because I've drunk the
Blood and now I'm unclean. If I die..."

"We'll take care of it, Kasumi, I promise," Tofu said, grabbing her
hands urgently. "We'll-"

"Don't," Kasumi interrupted. "Don't tell me your plans. I don't want to
know." Her eyes met Tofu's for one long moment, and then he nodded
silently.

"Sleep, if you can," he said gently. "The sun is high."



Ranma, Soun and Akane arrived a short time later, their arms full of
garlic blossoms. Akane could tell that Ranma was getting a little
irritated at her tagging along everywhere he went, but she doggedly
insisted on going with him when he went to set the wards throughout the
house. How could she explain to him why it was so important to her? It
wasn't just that his presence made her feel safe, or even that she
wanted to be there if he wanted to talk about his father's death. It was
some unnameable instinct that compelled her to stay by his side. Deep
inside, she knew for a certainty that Ranma was in danger.

Nabiki and Tofu were waiting in the living room when Ranma and Akane
finished with the wards. Nabiki wryly informed them that Kasumi was fast
asleep, and Soun had refused to leave her side. The last she had seen of
them, Soun was busy sobbing quietly over his oldest daughter's pale
hand.

"Now, let's get down to business while the sun is still shining," Nabiki
said seriously. "We've got to figure out who's behind all this. I had
the chance to meet our vampire friend this morning, and it knew me. It
called me by my name." She shuddered involuntarily.

"But it could have found that out easily," Tofu interjected. "Especially
if it had been keeping tabs on the house."

"Or it could be someone we know," Akane asserted grimly. 

"But what if it isn't?" Tofu asked. "We don't have a lot of time to
spend interrogating all your acquaintances."

"Just what do you propose we do, then?" Nabiki asked, arching an eyebrow
at him.

"Look here," Tofu answered, pulling the wrinkled newspaper clipping out
of his pocket and spreading it out in front of her. "He wouldn't or
couldn't tell me before, but I think this madman might actually know who
the vampire is. If we can find out the vampire's identity, we can go to
those of your friends who can fight and ask them to help us. Ranma, you
and I should go talk to the madman. Akane and Nabiki can stay here where
it's safe."

"I'm coming with you," Akane said firmly. Everyone looked to Ranma to
see if he was going to argue, and he looked up from the article in
surprise.

"Huh? ...You should stay here," he finally said, but he already knew it
was pointless to argue. She had made up her mind. "You'd be safer. This
isn't any kind of place for girls."

"I can take care of myself!" Akane snapped. "Besides, the safest place
is with you and Dr. Tofu, right?"

"Could we reach some kind of decision here?" Nabiki interrupted before
Ranma could really get wound up. "Sometime before sunset, maybe?"

"You're not going with us this time, and that's that," Ranma asserted,
returning Akane's angry glare with one of his own.



"I still think you shoulda stayed at the house," Ranma grumbled as the
train raced towards Yokohama.

"This is a serious matter!" Tofu hissed urgently at them before Akane
could respond. "We have to find and destroy that vampire today - even a
day is too long to wait! Poor Kasumi-"

"What?" Akane gasped. "What about Kasumi?"

"She's been a victim of the vampire all this time," Tofu admitted, his
shoulders slumping in defeat. "She drank... she was forced to drink the
vampire's blood this morning. If she were to die..." he heaved a deep
sigh, "if she were to die she'd become one of them. We have to destroy
that monster to free her!"

"Does she know about this?" Ranma asked, never taking his eyes from
Akane as she started sobbing noisily. Tofu reached out to her, and she
huddled up against his shoulder and cried.

"I fear that anything she knows, the vampire will know. I haven't said
anything to her of our plans."

"Ok, so we talk to the crazy guy, find out who the vampire is and kill
it while it's still daylight. No problem," Ranma said confidently. Akane
looked up at him and swiped at the tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Do you really think so, Ranma?" she asked in a wavery voice.

"Sure, Akane. No sweat." Ranma managed a semblance of his customary
arrogant smirk, and Akane actually seemed relieved. He wished he really
felt that confident. A cold chill ran down his spine at the memory of
what the vampire had done so easily to Ryoga and Pop. Ryoga, especially,
had been a damn good martial artist. If the vampire could so easily
defeat him...

The train rattled to the next station, and complained with loud squeals
and a few bumps as it slowly rumbled to a stop. Tofu, Akane and Ranma
prepared to disembark as soon as the train finished its jolting halt.
Ranma took a deep breath and squared his shoulders. He'd get the
vampire's name from this crazy guy, even if he had to beat it out of
him.



"Be careful, Doc, he's really been on a roll today," the orderly said,
glaring ominously once more at Ranma and Akane. He had made it very
clear that he didn't think two innocents like themselves had any place
in an institution like this one, that they were too young and
inexperienced to deal with the insane, and that this particular patient
was especially dangerous and couldn't be trusted not to hurt them. Tofu
merely returned the man's gaze stonily and waited, refusing to give him
another opportunity to delay them with his long list of grievances. With
one final exasperated sigh, the man found the right key and cautiously
swung the door open, his misgivings still plainly etched across his
face. With barely a nod of acknowledgment, Tofu stepped into the padded
room, Ranma and Akane close behind him.

"Akane Tendo!" the madman cried. Ranma and Akane froze in shock at the
familiar voice. Beneath a bedraggled mop of greasy, untended hair, the
maddened eyes of Tatewaki Kuno watered in undisguised joy. "You have
come to free me in my hour of need! Quickly, before She returns to
finish her work!"

"Upperclassman Kuno?" Akane barely managed to force any voice at all
through her tight throat. In spite of Ranma and Tofu's reassuring
presence, and her own confidence in her ability to defend herself, she
found herself ridiculously grateful to see that Tatewaki was securely
fastened into a straitjacket.

"I should have known it," Ranma muttered.

"Foul sorcerer!" Kuno spat. 

"You know him?" Tofu asked incredulously.

"Unfortunately," Ranma answered, his eyes narrowing.

"Would that yours was the only evil I had ever known!" Kuno wailed.
"You, who have held captive both Akane Tendo and the beautiful
pig-tailed Girl!"

"Kuno?" Akane asked again. "Who is She?"

"Ah, beauteous Akane, that I cannot divulge, for it is not permitted to
me to do so. Would that I could help you, my beloved-"

"But I have to know!" Akane cried. "My sister Kasumi..." Tears welled up
in Akane's eyes, and she paused to draw a few deep breaths.

"Please forgive me, Akane Tendo," Kuno said, his voice suddenly almost
sane. "Forgive me! Had I but known the depths to which this evil would
draw us all, I would never have allowed it to come about this way." 

"Yeah, whatever, Kuno," Ranma interrupted. "If you know who it is, spill
it. This is a matter of life and death we're talking about here." 

A familiar flash of rage crossed Kuno's face, to be replaced by one of
malicious cunning.

"I'll tell you, Saotome," Kuno said softly. "Lean in close, and I'll
whisper Her name to you." Ranma bent toward Kuno, who lashed out
suddenly with the only weapon he had available - his teeth. Ranma howled
as Kuno's teeth sank deep into his left hand, before Tofu could
intervene or Akane could even cry out. With a savage yank, Ranma tore
his hand away, cradling it against his chest and backing up into a
defensive stance in front of Akane. Kuno grinned at him with red teeth,
and licked a drop of blood from his chin.

"The Blood is the Life," Kuno whispered. "The Blood is the..."

"What is it that She's trying to do?" Tofu asked quietly, subtly edging
his way between Kuno and Ranma. "You said you wanted us to help you
before She could finish her work."

"I'm not talking to you," Kuno said with some semblance of his usual
snobbish manner. "I was addressing Akane Tendo."

"It's Kodachi!" Akane yelled in a flash of inspiration, and Kuno looked
up at her in sudden fright. "It is, isn't it?"

"You mustn't try to interfere with Her, Akane!" Kuno cried. "You don't
know what She can do! She can hear you thinking!"

"Why didn't we think of that?" Ranma growled furiously, more to himself
than anyone else. "I swear, I'll get her for..."

"SAOTOME!" Kuno roared, and leaped over Tofu to get to Ranma, his eyes
impossibly furious, red-tinted spittle flying from his chin. Ranma
grabbed a handful of the Upperclassman's hair, keeping the gnashing
reddened teeth from closing on his hand again by the space of a bare
second. Behind him, he could hear Akane pounding on the door and
demanding release as Tofu helped him wrestle the crazed man to the
floor. It seemed like an eternity before the orderly rushed in with two
others to assist them, armed with tranquilizers for their deranged
patient. Kuno continued to fight for several minutes, incredibly strong
and faster than Ranma would have believed. When Kuno finally stopped
struggling, Tofu quickly ushered everyone out of the room. Just as the
door was swinging shut, Ranma heard Kuno whisper, "The Blood is the
Life..." and giggle softly to himself.



The train ride back seemed interminably long, and Ranma chafed anxiously
every minute of the trip. Akane filled Tofu in on what they knew of the
Black Rose, and Tofu grew even more solemn the more he heard.

"Do you suppose she'd harm the girls she saw as rivals?" he asked
softly.

"You think I haven't thought of that?" Ranma snarled, glaring at Tofu
for a brief moment before returning his anxious gaze to the scenery
rushing by outside the window. "Can't this damn train go any faster?" he
muttered. Tofu didn't answer, and he and Akane merely exchanged
understanding glances before resuming the conversation. There was no
telling what small detail might prove significant, so they went over it
all again while Ranma glared out the window in silent rage, trying to
make the train move faster by the sheer force of his will.



The Ucchan was disturbingly quiet, and by some instinctive
understanding, Tofu, Ranma and Akane approached the building in silence,
filled with dread. There was no answer to Ranma's knocking, and the door
was securely locked. Still without speaking, the three of them walked
round to the back of the building, where it opened out onto an alley.
The door here hung on its hinges, and with a sick feeling of certainty,
Ranma led the way inside. Ukyo lay just inside the kitchen door, pale
and cold, her body sprawled out like a forgotten rag doll. With a broken
cry, Ranma rushed to her side, pulling her up against him and cradling
her head against his chest. Her hair was cut off close to the scalp, all
those luxurious chestnut tresses gone. 

Tofu checked for a pulse while Ranma gently rocked Ukyo's still form
back and forth. At the shake of Tofu's head, Ranma started to tremble.
Akane quietly arranged Ukyo's limbs, glancing at Ranma every few
moments. His throat hurt. There was some kind of high-pitched whining
noise... Ranma realized that he was making the sound. 

"Shampoo..." he whispered, gently lowering Ukyo to the floor and trying
not to notice the torn patch on her throat. "We have to go warn her. If
it's not too late." He tentatively caressed the short stubble where
Ukyo's beautiful hair should be, then rose and left. Tofu and Akane
followed him silently, and Ranma turned to see Akane's face stained with
tears. It satisfied him somehow, that Ukyo should have more than one
person to cry over her. The sun was lowering in the sky, and he hurried
to the Nekohanten, his companions keeping pace.

They found Cologne in the dining room, impaled on her own staff, her
long white hair matted with blood. After all these years of combat, the
old warrior had finally met her match. With great respect, Ranma gently
closed her wide, staring eyes. Long streaks of dripping red led the way
through the restaurant - an extravagance the vampire could only afford
if she were killing for amusement... or revenge.

Shampoo was in the kitchen, her shorn head resting in her lap like a
cruel joke, her clothes soaked crimson from the waist down. MuuMu the
duck lay nearby, where he had apparently made his last stand. A flurry
of feathers gave evidence of a struggle, and it was easy to see that his
neck was broken. They both looked so much smaller in death... Ranma
hoped that at least they hadn't had time to be afraid. 

"Where's Akane?" he asked numbly. The sun would set soon, and Kodachi
would surely come after her last rival.

"In the back," Tofu answered. His face was grey, and in the growing
gloom his eyes were invisible behind his glasses. "We have to hurry."

"Akane! Let's go!" Ranma shouted. His fiancee came staggering from the
bathroom, obviously nauseated by the carnage. "Come on, it'll be sundown
soon. Let's go," Ranma said a little more gently. Akane nodded, biting
her pale lips as she gingerly made her way across the room to him. Ranma
scooped her up in his arms and bounded out of the building, too pressed
for time to notice that she clung to him gratefully.



They raced into the house just as the sunset stretched its last bloody
fingers of light into the encroaching night. Ranma held Akane a few
moments longer than was necessary, and she curled against him, feeling
the frantic hammering of his heart echo her own. He gently set her down,
tried and failed to muster a grin for her, and settled for leading the
way to Kasumi's room. Tofu hung back long enough to check that the
garlic blooms were in place before he followed them.

After ensuring that Kasumi was soundly sleeping, Tofu caught Soun and
Nabiki up on the latest developments in a few quick, whispered
sentences. Nabiki clenched her fists in frustration, ignoring her father
as he burst into fresh tears. She should have known! What good had all
her much-valued intelligence done, when it was really important? She
hadn't even been able to recognize the Voice!

The rest of the night was spent mostly in silence, though Kasumi was the
only one who really slept. Sick fury and unrelenting grief pervaded the
entire household, as well as an unspoken fear that left the anxious
group taking turns watching over Kasumi.



Dawn broke sullenly, bringing with it an unseasonably hot, still
morning. The day almost seemed to be holding its breath as Dr. Tofu,
Ranma and Akane stumbled out to face the sun.

"We'll have to do it now," Ranma said with quiet certainty.

"Let's eat first," Tofu answered. "It might be our only chance today."
Akane merely shivered in spite of the cloying heat of the breezeless
morning. She had not told them what she had seen in the bathroom of the
Nekohanten, but the memory of the word "Akane" scrawled over the
bathroom mirror in dripping scarlet letters chilled her.



Two hours later, everyone but Kasumi gathered in front of the gate to
the Kuno mansion. In spite of protests from the rest of the group,
Nabiki had insisted on coming along to help, and had displayed a
stubborn streak at least as formidable as her little sister's. Her
reluctant companions had decided they'd rather have her with them than
following them alone. Nabiki's expression revealed none of her inner
terror at facing the demon again. Her father hovered by her
protectively, clenching a wooden stake beneath the cover of his jacket.
Akane had several in a backpack slung over one shoulder, and Ranma and
Tofu carried theirs in odd-looking bundles under their shirts. Ranma's
eyes met Akane's for one long moment, then with a sharp heave he shoved
the heavy iron gate open. It groaned in protest as it opened wide enough
to let them each squeeze through one at a time. They crept over the
grounds, and Akane had to stifle the urge to giggle. It was all so
surreal, the sun spilling down on them as they crunched through dead
leaves fearfully. It reminded her of playing with the Kunos as a child,
running through the trees with her finger pointed like a gun at the
ready and hoping nobody would catch her. Tatewaki had always been the
ringleader then, the oldest child in her group of friends and always the
one with the coolest ideas on what to play next. It wasn't until after
Mrs. Kuno mysteriously disappeared that the Kuno siblings had stopped
letting Akane come over to play. And now her one-time friend was
drooling all over himself in an insane asylum... Suddenly Akane didn't
feel like giggling anymore.

They neared the house, and found to their surprise that the door was
unlocked. Surely Kodachi had known they would come. Ranma winced at the
soft creak of the door as he pushed it open, then carefully looked
around before leading the way inside. As had already been agreed, Tofu
followed Soun and Nabiki upstairs, leaving Ranma and Akane to search the
downstairs. Tofu glanced worriedly over his shoulder at the two
teenagers as his group cautiously started climbing the narrow steps in
single file. Something told him the vampire wasn't upstairs, but the
group had concluded that both teams would need two strong fighters. He
turned and silently began padding up the steps. Behind him he could hear
Ranma and Akane opening the windows. The sunlight pouring in was a
heartening sight, but unfortunately the light couldn't penetrate to the
top of the staircase.

Soun gently pushed ahead of Nabiki as they climbed, and Tofu bounded up
the stairs to catch up to them. He needn't have hurried, though, because
Soun had unconsciously slowed down as he reached that part of the
staircase that was still cast in shadow. After a moment more of
hesitation, he squared his shoulders and stepped into the gloom.

A brief scuttling noise off to the right was the only warning Soun had.
At the same moment his foot touched on the top step, a figure leaped
toward him from the darkness and slashed at him. Soun blocked the blow
with his forearms, and his assailant leaped backward again. The weapons
glimmered dully in the dim light, but Soun could still make out their
shape.

"Scissors," he gasped, clutching at the banister for balance. Blood
pattered down to stain the carpet on the top step.

"It's Principal Kuno!" Nabiki cried in surprise. She hadn't yet noticed
the blood, but the deranged Principal had. He grinned maliciously at the
sight and brandished his weapons. A high-pitched giggle broke out as he
charged again, the scissors clattering in a rapid cadence as Soun
struggled to block all the blows. 

"Daddy!" Nabiki screamed. Tofu grabbed her arm and yanked her out of the
way, then leaped in, using his full weight to knock the Principal off
his feet. Soun slumped to the ground, gurgling, his hands clutching at
his throat as blood welled up around them.

"Daddy!!!"

Tofu tuned out the agonized scream as he focused on his opponent, who
had already scrambled to his feet. The Principal's face shone in the dim
light, his eyes two dark wounds against the pale blur of his skin. He
sported a ragged, unhealed bite mark on his neck, and brandished two
pairs of oversized scissors with glee.

Without warning, the man charged in a lightning-quick strike. Tofu
dodged desperately, trying to avoid the sharp blades while leading the
deranged man away from Soun and Nabiki. He ducked under a vicious swipe,
then leapt away backwards to evade an attack at his legs. The lunatic
dove at his legs again, and Tofu scrambled backward, careening
awkwardly into the wall behind him. Pictures and ceremonial swords
rattled against the wall as Tofu thumped into it. Thinking quickly, he
grabbed one of the swords, flung the sheath away, and parried a scissor
attack before it could reach his neck.

The Principal smiled. Tofu was grimly aware that the man had him at a
severe disadvantage in a sword fight. As if he had merely been waiting
for Tofu to recognize his position, the lunatic dove at him. Tofu raised
the sword to parry - and found that the Principal had caught it neatly
between scissor blades. Tofu's eyes widened in fear as the Principal's
free hand reared back to strike, the second pair of scissors glinting
dully...

The man froze suddenly, then slowly crumpled to the ground. Nabiki stood
behind him, her face twisted in a furious grimace, her hand still
tightly clutching the bloodied wooden stake as it slid back out of the
Principal's body.

For a long moment, neither of them spoke. Tofu mumbled, "Your father..."
and with a muffled cry Nabiki dropped the stake and ran back to the
staircase. While her back was turned, Tofu quickly slashed the body's
head off and forced the stake back in. Just in case.

Soun was pale from shock, but the cut on his neck proved to be shallow,
and was the least serious of his injuries. Tofu cursed himself for not
having thought to bring bandages while he hastily ripped strips of cloth
from the patient's shirt to bind up his wounds. He was just pulling the
last knot tight when the screaming started downstairs.



Akane opened the last of the dining room windows, then forced a composed
expression before turning to face Ranma. Recognizing both her battle
face and the terror behind it, Ranma managed a confident grin and waved
to the other team as they started their climb up the staircase.

Ranma and Akane stealthily made their way toward the kitchen. The
sunlight spilling in through the open windows aided them in making a
quick check of the ground floor. They found nothing - until they got to
the last of the ground floor rooms. Ranma cried out, and Akane clenched
her fist around a stake as she peered over his shoulder to see what the
problem was. The room was bare, except for two long tresses of hair,
tied with ribbons at both ends and tacked to the wall like
trophies."Sh-Shampoo and-" Akane whispered. Ranma dashed forward and
pulled the stolen hair down, intent on keeping the murderer from having
this ghoulish souvenir. As soon as the tacks came out of the wall, a
trap door opened in the floor, and Ranma fell through without a
sound."N-No!" Akane gasped, then ran forward and tried to catch the
trapdoor as it closed. The door slammed shut, and in terror Akane
scrabbled at the seam, trying to get any kind of leverage to rip it back
open.

It seemed to her that the room was getting darker, and she turned toward
the nearest window, sick at heart, to see that clouds had begun to
gather outside. Vampires could attack while the sun wasn't shining.
Ranma was down there alone - Akane's worst fear had become a reality!
Akane screamed, and tried to pry at the trapdoor with the stake, then
frantically began pounding at it with her fists, still screaming.



Ranma woke slowly, brushing silky strands of hair from his cheek as he
gradually became aware that his limbs were in an awkward, painful
position. Suddenly he remembered the trapdoor. The hair he had brushed
side, Ukyo and Shampoo's hair, had been bait. His eyes snapped open, but
the room was pitch black, the darkness an almost palpable thing pressing
against his straining eyes. He struggled to untangle himself, and
discovered with a sharp burst of agony that his right leg and arm were
seriously hurt, possibly even broken.

"I knew you would come," a Voice murmured from the darkness. "You're
frightened, aren't you? I can hear your heart beating faster. I can
smell your fear..."

"Why are you doing this?" Ranma asked through clenched teeth, searching
for the stake with his good hand.

"R-Ranma?" A sudden spark near his right eye made him flinch, then the
faint, wavery glow of a single candle illuminated the vampire's pale
face. The scent of roses and old blood mingled with the sharp tang of
sulfur.

"Ranma, my darling! It really is you!" Kodachi said with a toothy, feral
grin.

"Who did you think?" Ranma grimaced as she leaned in closer, bringing
more of the blood scent with her.

"Well, I was expecting to catch that mousy little fiancee of yours,"
Kodachi answered musingly, contemplating the stolen locks of hair as she
leaned across him to pick them up. "But this way is even better, dearest
Ranma. I won't have to eliminate her for you. Ooh! She'd make a fine
first meal, don't you think?" Ranma flinched, struck to the core by the
thought, but the vampire seemed blissfully unaware. If he could only
keep her talking long enough for the others to find him...

"Why did you kill Ryoga?" Ranma felt the stake, just barely within reach
of his good hand. He slowly started to edge his way over to it, praying
that Kodachi couldn't see that far into the darkness.

"He was an experiment, of course," the vampire answered
matter-of-factly. "I had to be sure I could bring someone over before I
tried it on you. And he did stupidly set camp right on the grounds
outside my window - why, he was practically begging to be taken."

"Well, what about the others?" Ranma asked bitterly, pointedly glancing
at the rich locks of hair trailing through her pale fingers. The stake
rolled a half-turn away from him.

"They were unworthy of you," Kodachi said, her expression suddenly cold
and unyeilding.

"And my fa- and the Panda?" He could almost reach it...

"That wretched pig-tailed girl's pet? It was in the way, and I was
hungry. Why on Earth would you care about that? It was only a dumb
animal."

"So you wanted to kill off everyone I cared about. Just so you could
turn me into a vampire." Ranma could feel tears burning their way down
his icy cheeks, and silently cursed himself for showing such weakness.

"But don't you see, Darling?" Kodachi asked, leaning forward to trail
her fingers across his chest. "We'll be together forever now. There
won't be anyone to stand in our way."

With one desperate lunge, Ranma grabbed the stake and struck at her
blindly. For Ryoga. For Ukyo and Shampoo. For Pop.



"Akane!" Nabiki gasped. Tofu grabbed up the sword, still covered with
the Principal's blood. He ran downstairs, stumbling in the gloom with
Nabiki right at his heels. The bood-curdling shrieks led them straight
to the room where Akane knelt, scrabbling at the floor with bleeding
fingers.

"What is it?" Tofu said, rushing over to grab at Akane's hands while
Nabiki flipped the light switch on. 

Akane screamed at the sight of them, and it took a moment for her to
grasp that the blood was not theirs. Before they had even begun to
explain, she cried out, "Ranma! He fell down in there!"

The outline of the trapdoor was barely visible in the bright flood of
electric light. Tofu tried to wedge the sword into the seam, but it
wouldn't fit.

"What was Ranma doing when the door opened?" Nabiki asked. Akane
explained about the hair, and Nabiki wordlessly leaned in to peer at the
wall. The marks where the tacks had been were just barely visible. She
quickly removed her small post earrings and pushed them into the holes.
They weren't as wide as the tacks had been, but maybe...

"Cross your fingers," Nabiki whispered, then pulled the earrings back
out. The trapdoor swung open, and Akane rammed the stake she held into
the exposed hinge. The door groaned, but held open.

The room was partly lit by the opened trap door, but it was the candle's
flickering light that revealed the heart-stopping scene as Akane jumped
down. Ranma's body motionless in Kodachi's arms. His arms and legs flung
out at impossible, painful angles. His neck strained backward by the
vampire's grip on his braid. His unfocused eyes wide and terrified.
Kodachi hissed, revealing reddened fangs, as Akane landed with a
graceless thud. The short-haired girl cursed her lack of foresight in
rushing in unarmed, and her fingers trembled in fear at the thought that
she might be too late.

"He's mine!" the vampire shrieked, and in the blink of an eye she had
tossed Ranma's limp body aside and crossed the room. With one blurringly
quick strike, she sent Akane sailing into the far wall. The backpack
flung open at the impact, and all three wooden stakes tumbled out. Akane
staggered to her feet only to be thrown again. This time she landed on
something soft - Ranma. He was gasping for breath, and Akane felt her
own frozen heart stuttering back to life. He was still alive.

Akane took the stake he still held, and slowly circled away from Ranma,
shrugging the backpack off. Nabiki had jumped down at some point, and
Akane tossed her the now-empty backpack, relieved to have someone to
look after Ranma and terrified that her sister might meet the same fate.
Tofu had to be nearby, too...

"He's not yours, Kodachi," Akane called in a wavery voice. "He never
was. He never loved you." The vampire remained silent in the shadows.
The bright light spilling in through the ceiling actually made it harder
to see in the dark corners of the room; Kodachi could be hiding almost
anywhere.

"Do you hear me, Kodachi?" There was no response. The only sounds Akane
heard were Ranma's labored breathing, Nabiki's murmured assurances, and
the fierce pounding of her own heart. Akane's slow rage started to boil
at the memory of Ranma's frightened eyes. How dare she do that to Ranma?

"Ranma is MY fianc�!" Akane shouted. "He's going to marry ME!" 



Ranma groaned as the warm, solid weight of Akane's body landed on him.
He felt her pry the stake out of his numbed fingers, and he gave an
inarticulate cry of fear as she left him and started taunting the
vampire. She was going to get herself killed!

"It's Ok, Ranma, hang on," Nabiki was whispering to him. He dimly felt
her putting her arms around him, the pressure of her hand holding his,
but he could feel none of the warmth of that contact.

"Get Akane out of here," he rasped feebly, but he couldn't be sure she
had heard him. Nabiki didn't answer.

"Just hang in there, Saotome. Dr. Tofu will fix you right up again,
you'll see."

It seemed that the sound had to travel a far distance, but he could hear
Akane shouting that he was hers, and he had to smile at that. He was
glad to have the cover of darkness to hide his expression. He wondered
if she meant it.



Suddenly, the small room was flooded with bright light. Tofu had found a
light switch. Akane blinked painfully in the sudden brightness, and
blearily saw that the vampire was only a few feet away from her,
covering its eyes from the glare.

"Akane, hurry!" Tofu shouted. "It's almost sunset!" Akane dashed forward
with the stake, stumbling as Kodachi effortlessly dodged her. Tofu dove
in at almost the same moment, and the vampire plucked him from the air
as easily as catching a baseball. She tore the stake out of Tofu's hand
and tossed it aside, then grabbed a handful of the hapless doctor's
hair.

"Pathetic," she growled, pulling Tofu around between herself and Akane.
Grinning at the furious little mouse of a girl, Kodachi pulled Tofu's
head back and wrapped one slender arm around his chest.

"One more step in this direction and I'll break his neck," Kodachi said
sweetly. Akane froze, and the vampire had to chuckle. Only an idiot
would fall for a ploy like that. Of course, she had every intention of
breaking the man's neck anyway, after he had suffered enough for the
trouble he had caused her.

"Akane, you have to do it now!" Tofu gasped through clenched teeth.
"She'll be too powerful after sunset!"

"Yes, that's true, Akane dear," Kodachi smirked. "After sunset, I'll be
stronger, and Ranma will be mine."

"Never!" Ranma's strangled cry echoed through the room, and Kodachi and
Akane both glanced at him in surprise. Ranma mumbled something to
Nabiki, and Akane looked back at her foe in time to see the wounded,
puzzled look on her face turning to one of fury. A sickening snap
resounded as the barest flexing of the vampire's pale fingers broke
Tofu's neck.

With one desperate leap, Akane knocked Tofu out of Kodachi's slackening
grip and drove the point of the stake into her chest, falling to land on
Tofu's broken body with a thud. The vampire stared numbly at the stake
for an instant, then plucked it out gingerly and tossed it aside. She
glanced over in Ranma's direction and smiled triumphantly - just as
Akane jumped back up with Tofu's borrowed sword in her hand. With one
vicious lunge, Akane drove the sword home. The vampire's body dissolved
into dust, which rose in a spiraling column up through the trapdoor and
out of sight. 

Panting and trembling from the effort, and aching from bruises she
hadn't even noticed until now, Akane staggered over to Ranma. Nabiki
looked up at her tearfully as she drew near, and shook her head.

Akane sank to her knees as the import knocked the breath out of her.
Ranma was dead? He couldn't be dead. He couldn't be... Unaware of the
tears already streaming down her cheeks, Akane crawled over to Ranma and
gently caressed his cool cheek.

"Ranma no baka," she whispered, then pulled his unprotesting body into
an embrace, rocking him back and forth as she cried.



Akane returned to the house late that night, bruised and bloodied and
covered with soot. Nabiki was waiting up for her, and followed her into
the bathroom to help her undress.

"I'll get rid of these," she said quietly. "What took so long?"

"I gave them the kind of burial Tofu said," Akane answered wearily, her
twice-emptied stomach churning again at the memory. "I chopped off their
heads, put stakes through their hearts and garlic in their mouths."

"Oh," Nabiki answered. There didn't seem much else to say, in the face
of that kind of horror.

"You know, I thought..." Akane rubbed at her eyes, leaving a gory trail
across her face. "I thought about waiting. To see if Ranma would..."

"Did he?'

"I didn't wait. I didn't think he would want to come back as...as that."

"I don't think so, either."

"And, if he had... I would've become one, too."

"I know, sis," Nabiki answered compassionately. She couldn't begin to
fathom the sacrilege of it, that the purest love could be a recruiting
tool for that kind of evil... but even if Akane had the strength of will
to try to resist him, a vampire with Ranma's power would have been
unstoppable. Better not to mention that. Ever.

"Then I set fire to the restaurants and the Kuno house. I don't think I
left any evidence behind."

"You did the right thing, Akane," Nabiki said, placing a gentle hand on
her sister's shoulder.

"Did I?" Akane's eyes met Nabiki's in an intense plea for absolution.

"Yes, you did. I'm sure of it," Nabiki answered with a cool certainty
she didn't feel.

"Nabiki? What were his last words?"

Nabiki paused a long moment, watching Akane begin to scrub as though the
question was of no import.

"He loved you, Akane. Let's just leave it at that." Nabiki quickly
scooped up the clothes and exited the room before Akane could question
her further.



Akane scrubbed for a long time, trying to wipe the stench of the fires
from her memory, the horror of Ranma's body so still and silent. Her
muscles screamed in protest as she finally sank down into the tub,
hissing with pain as the water scalded her raw skin. She'd had to carry
the bodies of Ranma, Tofu and the Panda to Ucchan's before turning the
restaurant into their funeral pyre. It would have been so much easier to
leave Ranma and Tofu where they lay, but the thought was unbearable. No,
Ranma's resting place had to be with his friends and his father.
Groaning under her breath, she let the water out of the tub and climbed
awkwardly out of it. Everything hurt. Tofu could have made it better...

Akane choked off a sob, dressed quickly and hobbled over to Kasumi's
room. The eldest Tendo girl was soundly asleep, smiling faintly in her
pleasant dreams - dreams that were now free from horror. The red mark of
Kodachi's power had vanished from her forehead, and Kasumi was
blissfully confident that this meant she was now free of the vampire's
curse. Akane wasn't so certain, but she could almost smile to know that
her sister's peace had been restored. If Kasumi mourned at all over
Tofu, she didn't let Akane know about it.

Before moving on, Akane checked that the garlic blooms still hung over
the windows. No point in taking any chances. Her father slept fitfully,
his hair plastered against his skin with sweat. Akane fervently hoped he
would recover without needing a doctor. She didn't know how they'd
explain his injuries to the authorities.

Nabiki was still wide awake, with a dim lamp shining by her bedside.

"What were the exact words?" Akane asked. Nabiki glanced away
reluctantly.

"Please," Akane said. "I have to know."

"He said, 'Tell that tomboy to keep her eyes front.'"

"Just like that?"

"No, it was more like, 'Eyes front, idiot.' I wish you hadn't made me
tell you."

Akane smiled. Familiar words, ones she had shouted to Ranma during an
early match with Kuno.

"Why, what does that mean?" Nabiki asked suspiciously. Had Ranma been
speaking in code?

"It means he loved me," Akane answered softly. "I really think he did.
Good night, Nabiki."

"'Night."



It was nearly four in the morning, and Akane was only now getting ready
to sleep. With a deep sigh, she flung open the window and climbed into
bed. The fresh air blowing in cleared the last of the garlic scent from
the room, and a few withered petals fluttered down from the dead
bouquets hung over the window. Akane forced her aching muscles to relax
one by one, deliberately slowing her breathing as her eyelids slid shut.
She had dozed for a few minutes when the scent of roses flooded her
foggy brain. Holding her breath in sudden, certain fear, Akane opened
her eyes to see a figure looming over her, its glowing eyes illuminating
its furious face.

"Akane Tendo," the vampire snarled. "You've ruined everything."

"You killed Ranma," Akane answered, the barest tremble in her voice
betraying her. "You killed him. I didn't."

"I offered him eternity! Freedom from sickness and aging and YOU!"
Kodachi hissed. "I offered him salvation, and you robbed him of his
chance! You put a stake through his heart! Through my darling Ranma's
heart!" Tearless sobs wracked the slender gymnast's form as she leaned
in close, her fangs gleaming, the basilisk stare of her reddened eyes
freezing Akane in place before she could respond. "I can't give Ranma
his eternity," Kodachi whispered when she had regained her composure,
her Voice sending a delicious, horrible chill down Akane's spine. "I can
only punish you. I can condemn you to an eternity of guilt!" She bent to
graze her teeth across Akane's throat, one cold hand rising to grip a
fistful of short, dark hair. Akane froze in thrall as the icy fangs
brushed across her sensitive skin, and her mind raced back to Ryoga
doing just this... and Ranma, his eyes wide with terror as Kodachi
drained his life away.

"I knew you'd come," Akane murmured, slowly shaking off the vampire's
spell. "It had to be wood, didn't it? Not a steel blade." Kodachi
paused, irritated that her prey was still talking. She readied herself
for the first delicious lunge, for the sensation of her teeth piercing
delicate skin, the warm rush of blood in her throat, the final, sweet
satisfaction of triumph over her hated enemy... Suddenly a fiery pain
tore through her, and she fell back, staring dumbfounded at the wooden
stake protruding from of her pale, dead chest. Akane smiled viciously as
the vampire shrieked and clawed at the stake. "This is for Ranma," she
hissed, leaping to her feet. She drove the wooden shard home with one
solid kick, fighting the sudden, maniacal urge to laugh as the monster
gasped Voicelessly in its death throes.

Akane flipped the light switch on in time to see Kodachi thrashing on
the floor, a red froth bubbling at her lips as she convulsed in pain.
The vampire's eyes still held a spark of malignant consciousness as
Akane forced its mouth open and rammed a fresh clove of garlic down its
throat.

"For Ranma," she hissed, and watched as the body twitched and then was
still. Akane debated a long moment on whether to dispose of the body, or
just wait for the sun to take care of it for her. In the end, she
decided to do it the hard way - she didn't want a Kodachi-shaped burn
mark on her rug.

After considering the problem for a short while, Akane bundled the
gymnast's body up and carried it to Dr. Tofu's office. The office had to
be torched anyway, in case Tofu had left any case notes or other
evidence. Akane swiftly decapitated the body, noting grimly that she had
gotten better at it. She was getting just a little too efficient at
breaking and entering, too.

She quickly prepared to start the fire and then knelt on the floor near
the vampire's corpse, holding the sword against her own flat stomach.
Just a few moments of pain, and it would all be over. She'd be with
Ranma again... She stared at Tofu's bookcase, not wanting Kodachi's
malicious, glaring eyes to be the last thing she saw. Her family would
be safe now. Ranma was waiting for her. She could almost hear him
calling her... Calling her an idiot. Her family would be safe from
Kodachi, all right, but somebody had made Kodachi, and that somebody was
still out there. Grimacing in frustration she was too tired to voice,
swallowing tears she was too weary to cry, Akane quickly sheathed the
sword, started the fire and escaped into the night. She had to be sure
the deaths wouldn't be connected to her family in any way, and then she
had to destroy Kodachi's maker. She couldn't rest until it was all over.



Silent as a wraith, Kasumi Tendo glided through the halls of her
family's house in the dark hour just before dawn. It had been almost a
week since Akane had announced that Kodachi was truly dead, but Kasumi
looked through the house anyway, checking that fresh garlic wards
adorned each door and window.

Soun was recovering from his injuries, and although the physical damage
was healing, Kasumi doubted he would ever be the same again. While he
was still bedridden, he had penned out a new will. He spent several
hours a day explaining what to do in the event of his death... just in
case.

Nabiki was sleeping for now, but she would surely wake up screaming
soon, as she had done every night since the events at the Kuno house.
She and Akane trained rigorously every day now, both to exhaust
themselves enough to sleep and to prepare for what the future might
bring.

As for Akane... she lay perfectly still in her bed, only the rhythmic
rise and fall of her chest indicating that she still lived. Her bearing
was grim these days, as she finally became the focused and dedicated
martial artist Ranma had always been. The difference was that Ranma had
taken joy in almost everything he did...

Kasumi sighed deeply as she finally returned to her room. Despite the
brave face she had shown to her family, she didn't feel at all free of
the vampire's influence. She gazed out the window at the waning moon,
and briefly touched the spot on her forehead, wondering. She must be the
only person on the face of the Earth who had survived a vampire's kiss.
There was no-one like her... She prayed that there would never be
another like her. Gazing up at the lonely moon, Kasumi wept for
innocence lost and the woman she could never be.

Akane watched from the doorway behind her, her own fists clenching until
the knuckles turned white, her heart burning with dark purpose. She
vowed she wouldn't rest until she had wiped the vampire race off the
face of the Earth. And then, finally, she and Ranma would be together,
far beyond the reach of sorrow.

                              THE END



More Author's Notes: Finally! This fic was supposed to be part of the
Black Rose Mailing List's 1997 October Challenge of Doom. It... uh...
didn't quite get finished on time. *^_^* I am especially grateful to
Rebecca Littlehales and Gary Kleppe, two of the best prereaders in the
world. I doubt that this fic would have been finished without their
encouragement and input. ^_^