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 1/2.
 



The Blood is the Life I



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 want...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...
 




 Ranma 1/2 and all Ranma 1/2 characters are the creation and property of Rumiko 
Takahashi, and are used here without permission or license. No claims to the 
above copyright are made by the author of this work.