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 now knew what they were up against.


        "Thank you for coming so quickly, Dr. Tofu!" Kasumi said as she
opened the door.  She had clearly been waiting for him, as he had just
stepped up when the portal slid open.  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 burned into 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 half-heartedly 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 wih 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.  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 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.
        "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.



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