---Joe! NO! I most save you! ---

Chapter Fifteen

Death Virus

For the next week or so Yani keep close tabs on her light. Laria did not mind, ever since Yani and Atemu got together she had not spent that much time with her darker half. Yani made mental notes of any physical changes; checking her hikari's thoughts while she slept. Yani noticed some small changes but nothing big.

Yani sat underneath a tree at the park. Yami was going to meet there to discus Laria's sudden physical change. It's probably nothing. She told herself. I just have this bad felling... she sighed and glanced up at the cloudless sky. Please just let it be a feeling.

"Hey"

Yani jumped and looked up at Atemu.

"Don't do that!" Yani said as Atemu sat down beside her. "You scared me."

"I'm sorry," Atemu smirked, "But you shouldn't have been spacing out in the middle of a park."

"Yes mother," Yani muttered grinning evilly. Atemu glared at her.

"Alright that's enough," Atemu said, "Have there been any more changes?"

"Yes, not that much, more physical then emotional. Though reading her thoughts has proved useful," Yani grinned.

"How?" Atemu asked, though he probably did not want to know.

"Seems she has a crush on some one," Yani grinned evilly again.

"Oh really?" Atemu said slyly, "On whom?"

"Atemu!" Yani said, "That's personal!"

"Jeez I was just asking," Atemu said, "Anyway, back to Laria"

"We were talking about Laria..." Yani mumbled.

"Important things," Atemu rolled his eyes, "What are the changes?"

"Oh right, right," Yani checked her mental notes, "Well her hair has been getting lighter every day. Between Tuesday night and Wednesday morning her eyes went from bright blue to pale blue, almost white."

"Hmmm," Atemu's mind was racing.

"Then last night I noticed that she looked very pale compared to Malik a-"

"Love, everyone looks pale compared to Malik," Atemu interrupted.

"Malik AND Ryou?" Yani finished raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, well that's a different story."

"Do you know what's wrong with her?" Yani asked, wishing, still, that it were nothing bad.

"Yes," Atemu said glancing up at a passing plane, "It's what I feared..."

Atemu trailed off, Yani looked at him she could see the sadness and worry in his eyes.

"... She has the Death Virus"

Yani gasped. She can't have the Death Virus... no. the Death Virus is what killed her five millennia ago, now her hikari has it.

"Please tell me it's not so, Atemu," Yani pleaded, "She-she can't have it."

Atemu shook his head hopelessly.

"It is," he said, "There's nothing else to explain it."

"I don't believe it... no, I can't, I won't..." Yani said.

"You have to Yani," Atemu told her, "She's your light; you have to be there for her."

"But there's nothing we can do right?" Yani asked, "If there was I wouldn't have died, right?"

"There was nothing we could do about it then," Atemu said, "But that was five millennia ago, someone could have found a cure for it by now."

"I hope..." Yani said, "I don't want to lose you again."

"Neither do I..." Atemu trailed off again, "We should start looking for a cure. We don't know how long she has."

"Right, let's start looking at Kaiba's library; he has every book ever written."

"Ok let's get going."

"Think we should tell Laria?" Yani asked.

"We'll tell her after school... we need to get started as soon as possible," Atemu said standing up and helping Yani to her feet.

"Ok," they headed off in the direction of the Kaiba mansion.

"Has anyone else noticed the changes?" Atemu asked as they walked.

"If they have they didn't say anything about it," Yani said, "Even Laria herself doesn't seem to notice a change."

"Really?" Atemu couldn't believe it, "Maybe she's just in denial or something."

"It would be in her thoughts," Yani said.

"Oh true," Atemu said, "Well we'll see when she gets home"

--- 10:30! I get Joe back! Now its 10:31.

Who cares? I do I need Joe back.

I do not need him until band camp, but I would like to know he's safe---