The Blood is the Life IV 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 parts of 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. 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.