Sacrificial Doll
Part 4- Inconclusive Results

A Ryvius fic by Elise

Rating: R
Warnings: Vampires, blood, Yaoi yaoi *yaoi*…. Oh, and AU. With slight spoilers. Maybe.
Pairings: Ikukou (IkumixKouzi), Kouzi+Aoi?, Ikumi+Kozue?
Disclaimer: Ryvius is property of Sunrise. This fic is brought to you by the number 4 and the letter V. And the word Profitless.
Summary: Piloting student Kouzi Aiba is bitten by a vampire, and his friend Ikumi promises to protect him- against himself, if need be.

Notes!:
Cullen: I can't believe it. Yuuki's actually... showing he cares?!
Ikumi: A little bit.
Cullen: It's a start.
Ikumi: I can take care of Kouzi myself. *pouts*
Cullen: Sure. Whatever you say....

****

Kouzi sat up late, watching Ikumi sleep and quietly sharpening stakes. He didn't know where Ikumi had gotten the wood, but then, he didn't know where he'd gotten the crossbow, either. He suspected Nicks was involved, though. Nicks was good at building things.

Ikumi stirred in his sleep, and Kouzi stilled his knife, afraid the soft sounds of his whittling was disturbing him. He thought Ikumi didn't sleep enough.

"Kouzi?"

That wasn't Ikumi's voice. Kouzi looked at the doorway to see a familiar silhouette. "Yuuki?!" He clamped his hands over his mouth, alarmed at the noise he'd made.

"Can I come in?" Yuuki asked from the doorway. He sounded a little petulant. As always.

"Y-yeah, just be quiet. Ikumi's asleep," Kouzi said in a whisper. Yuuki crossed the room and stood in front of him.

"Did you do that to his neck?" That was it. No preamble. No 'How are you doing?'. Typical Yuuki.

"I..."

"He said you did. That you're a vampire." Yuuki's brow furrowed, and he glared at Kouzi, as if it were somehow his fault.

"He told you?"

"Said he thought I should know. So it's true." Yuuki's face softened. "I thought he'd gone nuts."

"I think we both have..." Kouzi muttered, thinking about the popsicle stick cross that now resided in his jacket pocket. Yuuki just grunted in reply.

"Hn." He shoved his hands into his pockets. "Well, if you get hungry... You don't just have to rely on him." And he turned and left.

Kouzi stared after him for a moment. "Why me?" he whined, and drew his knees to his chest.

++++

Ikumi and Kouzi began their search the next night.

"We haven't heard a thing in a week. Do you think he's still around?"

"Kouzi, we're on a ship out in space. Where could he have gone?"

"It's... just wishful thinking." Ikumi turned to look at his partner then. Kouzi looked pale and drawn. He slept too much, couldn't stomach very much normal food... He looked like hell.

"I know Kouzi. I want this to be over too. But we can't just stop. You can't live like this. You have to eat something besides me."

"I really wish you'd stop phrasing it that way... It sounds so dirty."

"Yeah... Yuuki's girlfriend thinks we're gay."

"What?!" Kouzi stopped in his tracks, his face red and his eyes huge. "What did you say?!"

"Well, we were talking about my neck- which still hasn't healed completely, thank you- and let it slip that a guy did it. Yuuki pounced on that, by the way. Is he observant or just a pervert?" Kouzi didn't answer. He just glared. He tried to be intimidating, but Ikumi had seen Kouzi fight. He had nothing to be scared of.

"ANYways," he continued, "I told them you ate me, and Cullen took it the wrong way. So did Yuuki, but he stuck around for me to explain."

"That explains the visit from him," Kouzi sighed. "But! How could you say that?! You know what people will think! Ikumi, mou..." His shoulders slumped.

"Kouzi..." Ikumi reached for him.

"What am I gonna tell Aoi?"

Ikumi snatched his hand away. All he thought of was that girl. Who had been with him through this? He was barely speaking to her. He couldn't even tell her the truth! Who was going to have a nice little scar on their neck for the rest of their life? Not Aoi. Granted, she probably would let Kouzi if she knew... But she didn't and...

"C'mon," he said to Kouzi. "Cullen isn't a gossip. Aoi'll never know if you don't want her to. Okay?" Kouzi nodded. "Why don't we head back? I don't think we're getting much accomplished." He led Kouzi back to their room.

++++

"Idiots," Yuuki muttered from the shadows. He'd followed the pair from the moment he'd seen them sneaking around a corner into E-19, a weird bulge in Ikumi's jacket that looked suspiciously like a crossbow. Neither had noticed him, but Yuuki walked very quietly when he wanted to.

Ikumi and Kouzi were trying to do everything themselves. It was obvious that they would fail. They needed something more powerful than Nicks's home-made crossbow.

Yuuki was certain that what they needed, was him.

++++

Cliff Kei read the papers in her hands three times, and still couldn't believe what they said.

Kouzi's bloodwork was back from the lab, finally. But even with the suspicious reports, Kouzi and Ikumi's testimony, and Lucson's suspicions, she hadn't expected this.

"I have to contact the Captain," Cliff muttered, and reached for her ID card.

++++

Juli and Lucson stood fidgetting as Nurse Kei read them bits of the bloodtest report. Finally, Lucson burst.

"What does it mean in English!?" he bellowed.

"Kouzi Aiba," Cliff started, "is a parasitic lifeform that must feed off blood. You were right the first time, Captain Houjou. He is a vampire."

"Ha!" he said triumphantly. "I was right! See that, Juli! My instincts were right! I... I'm going to cry..."

"How could this happen?" Juli began. "We need more information."

"Noone's seen the thing that bit Aiba-kun since the attack a week ago," Cliff said. "Noone's come in with injuries like that. Neither Kouzi nor the original... thing... have assaulted anyone in that time."

"You don't think Aiba-kun would..." Juli's voice trailed off as Cliff nodded.

"Captain, Kouzi needs blood to survive. It's a hunger for it at first. He might be holding it off now, but the tests show that his blood requires the blood of another person. Soon, he'll need to drink. And it will only get worse when he does."

"Is there any way to stop it?!"

Cliff hung her head. "Actually..."

"Oh God, no!"

"...those tests haven't gotten back yet."

"Wha- For the love of- ARGH!!" Lucson sputtered. Juli had to agree.

++++

"Ikumi, what am I going to do?!"

Ikumi glared at his roommate with chagrin. Kouzi was turning into a vampire. He couldn't eat, couldn't sleep, hungered for human blood, and he was upset over what his girlfriend thought about something she would never know about.

"For the last time. Aoi and Cullen don't talk to each other. Cullen barely talks to anyone, besides Yuuki! And Yuuki certainly won't tell her anything. Aoi will never know!"

"Never know what?"

Kouzi and Ikumi turned to the door. It was Aoi, of course, with Kozue at her side.

"Hey girls!" Ikumi said cheerfully. Aoi gave him a level stare.

"What will I never know?"

"That I told Yuuki and Cullen about Kouzi's Superman Underoos," Ikumi lied smoothly.

"What!?" Kouzi stuttered, his face turning bright red. "I do NOT have Superman Underoos!"

"Sorry. Batman."

"IKUMI!"

Aoi sighed while Kozue suppressed a giggle. "Since it's obvious you're fine," Aoi said, "why don't you two stop bickering and come to dinner with us?"

"Yeah, Ikumi!" Kozue added. "You haven't eaten with us in DAYS!" Kozue didn't seem to notice how her companions flinched at the pitch of her whine. She just glommed onto Ikumi's arm.

"Who can argue with that?" he said. "Let's go." He grinned at Kozue, and they led the small procession to the cafeteria.

++++

Kouzi picked at his dinner, telling Aoi that he was still full from lunch and that's why he wasn't eating. He was starving, but he couldn't choke down his salad. It was better than other things, though. He couldn't eat anything that was cooked anymore. He and Ikumi had had sashimi the last four days running.

A sudden bleep startled them all. "Who's beeping?" Ikumi said, looking around. They all peered at their ID cards.

"It's me," Kouzi said, thumbing open a comlink. "Sub-Captain!" he cried, startled by Juli Bahana's face in the tiny window. She looked somber.

"Aiba-kun, I think... You should come down to I-Bay 4 as soon as you can. Nurse Kei has your bloodtest results."

"I... I will. I'll come now." Juli's face blipped off the card as he thumbed the connection closed.

"What was that?" Aoi asked, holding her fork.

"Sub-Captain Bahana. My bloodtest is back, and they want me down in the I-Bay," he explained as he stood.

"Well, get down there! Don't keep them waiting!" Aoi scolded. Kozue nodded.

Ikumi just looked at him. "I'll take care of things," he said softly. Kouzi smiled and set off down the hall.

++++

He didn't like the looks on their faces from the second he stepped into I-Bay 4. Juli looked worried, more worried than normal. She was playing with her bangs, the way she did when something really bothered her. Lucson looked more frightened than anything else. And Cliff was chewing on her bottom lip.

"Bad news, huh?" he said, his shoulders slumping.

"Kouzi..." Juli said softly. "Your bloodtest is back. It's... not normal."

"What's wrong with me?" he looked at the nurse, his eyes hard.

Cliff brushed her hair over her shoulder before she answered. "The tests say that your blood requires other blood. It's developed some parasitic qualities-"

"I'm turning into a vampire," he said, cutting her off. He stared at her for a moment.

"Yes," she answered simply.

"Can you fix it?"

"I don't know," Cliff admitted. "They're doing more tests to check, but there are no results yet." She paused. "Have you... felt any effects?"

"I haven't killed anyone."

"We know that!" Juli said. "We're only concerned for you! Aiba-kun, we want to help!"

"Then get those tests back soon," he said, his resolve fading. He felt very tired. "Because I'm hungry." He turned and left. He really wanted to sleep right now.

Lucson straightened and put his hands on his hips. "That went well!"

The two women turned to him, and glared.

++++

Ikumi was pretending to study when Kouzi got back from the infirmary meeting. He looked at his roommate over the top of his book.

"Judging from the way you just came in here and collapsed," he said, "I'd say your meeting didn't go well."

Kouzi sighed and pulled himself all the way onto his bed. "My tests even say I'm a vampire, Ikumi. And I don't even care. I just... so tired."

"Oh, Kouzi...." Ikumi put his book down and went to sit beside the other boy. "I'll find him. I looked a little while you were gone, but there's no sign anywhere. He hasn't shown his nasty glowing eyes anywhere on the ship in over a week. But I'll find him. I promise!" He brushed Kouzi's hair from his face.

Kouzi smiled wanly. "Thank you. I want to help you, but right now, I'm very tired. I think... I'll sleep for a bit." He kicked off his shoes and curled up on his side, still dressed. He was asleep in moments.

"I WILL protect you, Kouzi," Ikumi said, brushing his bangs from his forehead again.

"You won't be alone," a familiar voice said from the door.

"AH!" Ikumi cried out, nearly falling off the bed. "When did everyone stop knocking!?"

"Hello to you, too," Yuuki growled.

"Don't start, Yuuki. He just fell asleep, and I don't like waking him."

Yuuki strode over to stand next to the bed. "He looks like shit. Have you been taking care of him?"

"Of course! The best I can!"

"I don't think it's good enough. You should let Aoi take care of him. They belong with each other anyways."

Ikumi glared at the dark-haired boy, although he didn't look away from his brother. "You're really tiresome, you know that? Nobody BELONGS with anyone. It's up to their hearts to decide."

"I think their hearts are set on each other. They have been since we were little." Yuuki turned to Ikumi then. "You should let Aoi take care of him, if you're going to go out looking for the vampire."

"How do you know..."

"I've seen you. You don't sneak very well."

"I wasn't trying to sneak."

"Whatever. You're very easy to follow."

"Are you a professional stalker, now? Geez. I had no idea you were so talented," Ikumi said sarcastically.

Yuuki glared at him. "Shut up."

"Yeah, yeah," Ikumi replied, waving his hand in dismissal. Yuuki was getting on his nerves. "Did you come for a reason, or just to annoy me?"

Yuuki looked like he wanted to strangle him, but merely ground his teeth. "I came to see Aniki. I'm protecting him, too. Obviously he needs someone besides you to."

Ikumi clenched his fists. "Well, you saw him. Now let him sleep." Ikumi's thoughts whirled as Yuuki looked at Kouzi again. What I wouldn't give to be able to punch you now! Get out, Yuuki! I can protect him! I can!

Yuuki left the room, shooting one more glare at him over his shoulder.

++++