Chapter 1

I got the first part of a sequel to my story "A Birthday Walk". I don't own anything. I really appreciate your comments, so let me know what you think, please. Oh, and I'm working on a Jack x Carly one. I'll try to post it soon, so keep an eye out, please.

"What do you think about this dress?" Carly walked out in a light blue, halter dress.

"It looks all right. Just like the last ten you tried on." Aki replied with a sigh.

The dark haired, young woman sighed. "I don't want to just look all right. Jack said tonight was going to be very special. I want to look … … pr, pretty."

Aki smiled wearily. Secretly, she knew what was going on. "Well, try on another one."

Carly came closer and stared at her friend. "You okay?"

"Huh?" The young woman was taken aback by the inquiry. "I'm fine. Why?"

"You look kinda pale, and a little flushed. Are you sick?"

"I'm fine. Try on another dress. You don't wanna be late tonight."

As Carly obeyed, Aki sighed. She chooses now of all times to stop being oblivious. In truth, Aki did feel ill from walking in the rain on her birthday a week ago.

"How's this look?" Carly inquired and twirled in the ivory colored, wrap dress.

"It's okay. Maybe a little plain, but we can dress it up with some accessories."

"I don't wanna look okay. I really want to look pretty tonight."

"Carly, Jack would like anything you picked. What about the one you wore on my birthday?"

"Nah. I wanna surprise him." Carly sighed and rubbed her forehead.

Aki chuckled slightly at how nervous her friend was. "You're such a perfectionist."

Carly ignored her and went for a violet sundress. "What about this one?"

"That one's my favorite. It's really pretty."

"Okay. This is it. Will you help me with my hair?"

The amber eyed duelist smiled and nodded. "I'll do my best."

"So what's the game plan, Jack?" Yusei watched the blond duelist carefully.

"I'm not sure. I'm really nervous."

"Have you told her what happened after she became a dark signer?"

"I can't." The violet eyed, young man replied.

"She has a right to know the truth." The azure eyed signer told him.

"Carly would only hate herself, if I told her about all the pain she was forced to cause. I don't want her to know about it because it'll only hurt her."

Yusei stared at his friend and nodded. "I get it. However, I'm not so sure that she will be able to accept that explanation forever."

Jack was about to reply until his phone rang. "Carly?" He asked. "Carly, calm down and tell me what happened. She what?"

Jack stared at Yusei as he hung up. "What is it?" The young man inquired.

"Aki … … she fainted. Carly says she has a pretty bad fever."

Before Jack could say anything else, Yusei was heading for his runner. Jack followed and swore under his breath. 'I didn't find what I was looking for.'

Carly placed a damp washcloth on her friend's forehead and began to pace. How can Jack tell me to calm down? I knew something was wrong. She isn't waking up. What now?

Just as Carly was starting to really worry Jack and Yusei burst through her unlocked door. As Yusei went straight for Aki, Jack reprimanded Carly. "You dolt, I've told you a thousand times, lock that door when I'm not here."

"S, sorry. I forgot." She replied and glanced at Aki. "There's no answer at her house. Are her parents out of town?"

"They went on a romantic getaway yesterday." Yusei replied as he picked Aki up.

"Wha, what are you doing?" Carly requested.

"Taking her to my place. You two had plans today, right? I'll take care of her, so try not to worry. We'll see you later."

The dark haired journalist stared after them. "I feel bad. I had a feeling something was wrong."

The young man beside her took her hand gently. "It's okay. You did the best you could."

She smiled at him. "Thanks. She'll be okay, right?"

"Yeah. Let's go, if you're ready." He turned to her and stared.

"Uhh, Jack, is something wrong?" Carly blushed at his awed expression.

The violet eyed duelist quickly shook his head. "N, no. You look nice, that's all. And it's just a surprise to see you without your glasses."

"I thought I'd give the contacts a whirl tonight. Is it okay?"

The proud, young man blushed and nodded. "It's fine."

"So where are we going?"

"I haven't really decided on that yet. Is there anywhere you'd like to go?"

"I don't really care where we go. If you're there, I'm happy."

Jack stared at her in disbelief. "My company can't be that great."

The girl just smiled at him. "I like being around you."

The stubborn duelist didn't reply for a long moment. "Um, how about the planetarium? They have a new exhibit that's supposed to be pretty cool."

"Okay. That sounds nice. Shall we go?"

Yusei carefully laid a hand Aki on his bed. He rested a hand on her forehead. … ! She's burning up! Aki … .

The raven haired, young man left the room and quickly returned with a damp wash cloth. By that time, the girl's entire face was flushed. Yusei sat on the edge of the bed and squeezed her hand.

"Yusei … ." Aki groaned as she slept. "Y … Yusei, don't go."

"Aki? Are you awake?" Yusei stared at her.

Aki didn't reply except to moan softly. The azure eyed, young man stared at her. She's dreaming about me?

Slowly, Aki opened her eyes. "Mm mm, Yusei? Where are we? What happened?"

"You passed out. Why didn't you tell me you weren't feeling well?"

"I … … I didn't want to spoil the plans we had today. I didn't want to miss the double date we were going on."

Yusei stared at her and sighed. "I care more about your health than any date."

Aki smiled and tried to sit up. She swayed and fell against his chest. "Careful." He whispered.

"Sorry. I'm okay now." The amber eyed, young woman replied.

"No you're not. You're still burning up. I think you need to rest."

"Wait, what about Carly? I fainted on her … ."

"Yeah, I know. Jack was shopping for her when she called. He didn't get to pick anything for her." Yusei grinned a little.

Aki sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. "Poor Carly. I probably gave her a stroke."

"She'll live. She's probably have a nice time with Jack."

"This is your room. How'd we get here?"

"I brought you here so I could keep an eye on you. You don't need to be alone when you're sick. If you need anything, just let me know."

"Yusei, I'm sure you have better things to do. I can just go home to rest."

"Your parents are out of town. You'd be home alone. Just stay with me until they get back, then I'll take you home."

"I can take care of myself." Aki replied, despite how nice having Yusei take care of her sounded.

The young man stared into her eyes, pleadingly. "Please? If you go home, I'll worry about you."

The amber eyed, young woman sighed. When he looked at her like that, Aki's will power seemed to dissolve. "All right, I'll stay here."

So, how am I doing? Please let me know.