Sacrificial Doll
Part 5- A Little Drink

A Ryvius fic by Elise

Rating: R
Warnings: Vampires, blood, boy-boy stuff. Oh, and AU. With slight spoilers. Maybe.
Pairings: Ikukou (IkumixKouji), YukixKouji hints of you look hard enough
Disclaimer: Ryvius is property of Sunrise. A Little Drink is a bad Anne Rice reference. Elise is an unworthy lawsuit target.
Summary: Piloting student Kouji Aiba is bitten by a vampire, and his friend Ikumi promises to protect him- against himself, if need be.

Notes:
This was the last chapter up on before my insane re-editting, uploaded originally on March 18, 2004. Only took two years to re-edit ; ;
Anyways!
Shameless shounen-ai. Mostly Ikukou. What can I say; that's part of why I'm writing this.

Kouji woke in the middle of the night again. He hated being so tired during the day. It meant he woke up in the night all the time. But at least he wouldn't be hungry for a little while if he slept.

It was the hunger that woke him up tonight.

He stared at the ceiling, trying to ignore his stomach. It had stopped gurgling days ago, but there was a continual ache in his middle. Anything that used to be remotely edible made him want to throw up, and even the thought of blood made him queasy. He'd starve to death soon.

"Ikumi?" he called softly. He heard Ikumi snort, as if startled in his sleep. He called again. "Ikumi?"

"Wha? Kouji?" The grey-haired boy sat up and pushed his eyemask to the top of his head. "Wha's'it?" he mumbled.

"Ikumi, I... No. It's nothing."

"Hn. Wouldn'a woke me 'f was nothin'. Spill it."

"I'm really hungry."

Ikumi sat up straight. "Do you need to drink?"

"I think I should. I'm... really hungry."

Ikumi's head lolled on his shoulder, and he seemed to growl at himself. He reached out to Kouji, though. "Come here. 'M too sleepy to move."

Kouji slipped out of his bed and padded across the room. He paused for a moment, startled, as Ikumi lifted his blankets to let him in.

"Well? Don't just stand there, or 'm goin' back to sleep."

"Ah... Okay." Kouji slipped in between Ikumi's covers next to the other boy. "Um..." He looked at Ikumi.

He seemed half-asleep. Maybe more than half. His hair was mussed, and stuck up funny from being pushed askew by the eyemask. His pajamas were rumpled and his eyes heavy lidded, barely even open. Kouji licked his lips. Ikumi's head was still cocked to the side, his neck stretched to expose the vein. Kouji leaned forward, only to jump away when Ikumi's arms encircled him.

"Go ahead," Ikumi whispered as he began stroking his back reassuringly. Although his eyes were still nearly closed, his voice sounded more awake. "I'll be okay. I'll do anything for you, Kouji. I'll feed you, I'll protect you."

"I-ikumi..."

"Kouji, you'll starve if you don't. I know I should have realized it before. I'm sorry. Just... Do this for me. I want to protect you. From hunger too, if that's what it takes." He pulled Kouji closer to him. "Go ahead."

Kouji leaned towards him again, relaxing in Ikumi's arms. His lips touched his shoulder. He pulled Ikumi's pajama shirt away from his neck, moving his mouth into range. He stuck his tongue between his lips, tasting Ikumi's skin, feeling for the right spot. One hand fumbled with the buttons to Ikumi's pajama top.

His lips settled on the juncture of his neck and shoulder. The artery throbbed beneath his mouth, and he wanted to tear into it, feel the hot blood gushing out... He moved away, sitting back slightly. His fingers twisted into Ikumi's shirt.

"Kouji?"

"It's nothing," he assured Ikumi quickly, before he could change his mind. He leaned close again, his mouth settling behind the spot he was just at. He could feel the wetness from his almost-kiss, and the artery still pulsed aginst his bottom lip, but Ikumi was safe. His teeth would not tear his life out. He pushed the unbuttoned shirt from Ikumi's shoulders, and sucked gently at his skin.

"Mmmm..." Ikumi purred. He held Kouji tighter, only giving a small gasp when his teeth sunk in. "Kouji..." he whispered. "I will protect you..."

Kouji didn't answer, lost in the heat of blood on his tongue, but he thought that Ikumi was the one who needed protecting.

Yuki opened the door without checking if anyone was home. He didn't care. If Kouji was in, he was in. If he wasn't, he was sneaking around with Oze like an idiot, and Yuki would find him.

The dark-haired boy looked around. Kouji and Ikumi's room was a mess, which surprised him because at home, Kouji was a borderline neat freak. There was clothes all over the floor, books lying open on the desk... Kouji's bed was unmade, the covers still rumpled from sleep. Ikumi's bed was piled high with laundry...

Yuki squinted and flicked on the light. It wasn't laundry. Ikumi was still in bed- with Kouji.

"What are you doing?" Yuki growled. He wasn't going to yell, he told himself.

"Hmmm?" Ikumi looked up groggily. "Yuki? What're you doin' here?"

"I came to see my brother. What are you doing to him!" His nasal voice hissed.

"Sleepin'," Ikumi replied, and flopped back down. Kouji moaned in protest to his movement.

"Brother!" Yuki snapped, his blue eyes narrowed. "What are you doing in Oze's bed?"

"Sleepin'," his older brother said in perfect echo of Ikumi.

"Why are you in Oze's bed?" he demanded.

"Fed me. Ikumi let me eat."

Yuki stared at them for a long moment, taking in the way Kouji lay in Ikumi's arms. Boys didn't twine together like that, their bodies pressed together and their arms around each other. Yuki ignored the fact that it was Ikumi who had his arms around Kouji, with Kouji's hands against his chest. Still, Kouji shifted uncomfortably as he began to really wake up. Ikumi didn't move, just stared back, his green eyes growing clearer and harder as he became more conscious.

"Yuki..." Kouji started.

"He needs to eat," Ikumi interrupted him. "I let him feed." His neck had an ugly purplish mark, with a cut in the center that looked like it had been drained of blood. The area was perfectly clean.

Yuki scowled at Kouji. "I told you, Brother. You don't have to rely on just him. You have me. And Aoi." He glared pointedly at Ikumi.

"I... I can't tell Aoi... It's..." Kouji stuttered. "I don't want her involved! This is..."

"She needs to take care of you! Oze can't! Just look at you! You're a mess. Let Aoi take care of you."

Ikumi growled and tightened his arms around Kouji. "I can take care of Kouji. I-"

"Are you hungry?" Yuki addressed his brother, cutting the other pilot off. Kouji seemed to shrink, but he nodded slightly. Yuki sat on the bed and pulled off his shirts. "Go ahead. You need something besides that skinny pervert." He and Ikumi glared at each other, until Ikumi loosened his hold and pushed Kouji towards him. Kouji reached for his brother hesitantly.

Yuki tensed momentarily when Kouji's teeth broke his skin, but he did not cry out. Ikumi turned away, unable to watch. Kouji... He wrapped his blankets around himself, mostly to muffle their soft sounds. Does Kouji always moan like that...? I can take care of him! I'm all he needs! I... I want to be the one to make him moan... Ikumi continued to ignore them after Yuki made Kouji stop. He didn't listen to the muffled words, barely heard Kouji call his name after Yuki's footsteps faded and the door closed behind him...

They sat on Ikumi's bed in silence. "Ikumi?" Kouji shifted uncomfortably, and then moved to get up.

"Wait." Ikumi turned and grabbed his wrist. "Kouji..." The brunet looked at him with those wide blue eyes. "I... I'll still protect you. I will!"

Kouji smiled warmly. "I know, Ikumi."

"Good," the other boy said awkwardly. He let go of Kouji's wrist, and dropped his gaze. "I... I'm glad. I..." He reached out. "I want to be the one you think of."

"Hm? The one I think of?"

"Yeah. For anything. Anything at all." Ikumi gently took Kouji's pale hand. "I mean it. I want you to think of me." He looked at the hand he held. It was so pale and thin, and made his own darker hand look big and ungainly. But it was better than his eyes.

His eyes were round and blue, not very Japanese for all that he was from Japan. They were a little blood-shot from not sleeping or eating well, but still a beautiful color. And when Ikumi looked into them, he could tell that Kouji knew exactly what he meant. Kouji knew that Ikumi cared for him.

"Ikumi," Kouji whispered. "Go to bed. You'll feel better in the morning."

Kouji knew, and he was ignoring it. He was pretending nothing was different.

"Will you... stay with me?" Ikumi asked weakly. The other boy smiled and nodded slightly. Ikumi let him under the covers and wrapped his arms around him. "Goodnight, Kouji."

"Goodnight, Ikumi. Sleep well."

They attempted to patrol again a few nights later. Yuki joined them quickly, giving Ikumi a rather nasty look before turning to Kouji.

"Here," he said shortly, shoving something into Kouji's hand. "This will do you alot better than those popsicle sticks you've got in your pocket."

Ikumi narrowed his eyes. He'd gotten that cross from Nicks, whose little brother had made it in Sunday school.

Kouji opened his hand, revealing a small metal cross on a silver chain. "Ah, thank you, Yuki..." he said hesitantly. When he paused too long, Yuki grabbed the cross and clipped it around his neck for him.

"You're supposed to wear it."

"I know that."

"Then do it. I can't believe you morons are going after him with so little preparation."

"As if you're any more prepared!" Ikumi snapped. Suddenly, he found himself staring at the business end of a needlegun. "What- Yuki!"

"Yuki, no!" Kouji shouted. The dark-haired boy looked at his brother before lowering the gun.

"I won't let you die, Brother," he said sullenly. "I won't let you hurt Aoi like that." He tucked the needlegun inside his jacket. "Let's go." Kouji and Ikumi looked at each other briefly, and followed.

Yuki led them through winding corridors, dusty passages, and at one point even the cargo passages, where Ikumi had nearly gotten squished by a metal lift before he ducked out of the way. Yuki's blank look did nothing to support Kouji's statement that it was an accident.

"Stop looking at him like that, Ikumi. Yuki can't control the cargo lifts." Ikumi stopped glaring at Yuki. Kouji's voice sounded tired.

"Are you okay?" he asked softly. Kouji merely nodded, and continued after Yuki.

They found nothing, as usual. Neya had watched them sadly, unnoticed, hiding above their line of vision through their search. They hadn't seen the sphix anymore than they'd seen the vampire.

Back in their room, Ikumi paced and ranted while Kouji lay on his bed, listless. "It can't have just left! We're on a spaceship out in space, dammit! Unless it can survive a vacuum…" He looked thoughtful. "Impossible," he decided, and flopped onto his bed.

Kouji looked up, his eyes half-lidded and dull. He dropped his head back down. He felt so weak… In books, vampires were always stronger. But what about those only half-turned? Would he waste away, die of starvation? Or would his body hang on until he finally cracked and killed to survive?

Funny how the only solutions involved someone's death…

He looked over at Ikumi, who was wrapped up in his blanket and mumbling, working through the problem. If anyone could find a way to save everyone, it was Ikumi.

Ikumi, for his part, was trying. But all he could think of was Yuki's grumpy expression and constant rebukes. And his sister of course. He wondered what she would think of him now.

She'd probably be disgusted. He was completely besotted- to himself, he could admit that this was the best word for it- with a guy who had a steady girlfriend.

He cut off that train off thought before it took over his mind. His maudlin' thoughts of his late sister tended to do that, at least until the maudlin' thoughts of Kouji took over.

"Okay, so your best friend has to drink blood. No big deal right?" He snorted at himself. "If we could only find the thing that did this… But where is it! Dammit!" He rolled over in bed and stared at the ceiling as if daring it to reveal the vampire.

Through his head was only one thought:

I will protect the one I love this time.

Notes: I'm trying to keep Neya involved, but it's hard, very hard. Here's hoping things will go better with her later!