"He should be around this area…" Rockman said doubtfully.

"This area…" Netto repeated slowly. This area included a bunch of empty looking buildings and an open snow field. "How about we try the buildings first?" Netto asked Rockman.

"Sounds like a good idea, but you better hurry. Those buildings have no heat."

Netto nodded and walked towards the first one. He tried the door handle but it didn't budge. "Hello?" he called while knocking on the door.

"He's not in there," Rockman concluded.

Netto shivered involuntarily. "Okay, next one then."

"Netto-kun, you won't last long out here," Rockman said warningly.

"Then we'll just have to find them quickly, won't we?" Netto asked pertly and tried that door. It too was locked and there was no signal coming directly from it.

Rockman kept an eye on Netto's body temperature from inside the PET. It was starting to go down as Rockman also felt it. "This can't end well," he muttered.

"What did you say?" Netto asked while peering into the third building.

"Nothing…" Rockman said innocently.

"He's not here either… damnit," Netto hissed.

On the sixth building they got lucky and Searchman was able to tap into his PET to tell them where they were. "Searchman?" Rockman asked.

"Laika-san is unconscious," Searchman said in a low and harried voice. "We're in the second row, seventh building. You need a passcode to open the door from the outside."

"I knew it!" Netto yelled but his victory was short lived as he rushed over to the building that was specified. "I knew he was in trouble," Netto hissed.

"Netto-kun, you need to hurry," Rockman said. "I'm starting to feel the cold now."

Netto nodded and stepped in front of the building. "What's the passcode, Searchman?" he asked.

"153920531," he answered.

Netto quickly typed it in on the numerical key pad and the small green light below it turned on. Netto pushed open the door and propped it open with a small wooden wedge he found near the door. "Laika?" he asked while rushing over to his friend's inert form.

"He collapsed from the cold?" Rockman asked.

Searchman nodded, "We've been here since about five."

Netto hissed softly, that was far too long in the Sharro cold. Almost four hours worth. He took off his coat and wrapped Laika in it as best he could. "Netto-kun!" Rockman gasped.

"Look, he needs to get warm before something happens," Netto muttered. "All I need to do is get us back to his dorm."

"Netto-san, you'll freeze," Searchman said quickly.

"I've been in worse then this," Netto said with a small smile. "And I survived that."

Neither navi could really do anything anyway so they watched as Netto hoisted the taller boy on his back and made due with the cold as he walked back out into the Sharro night.

"Netto-san, are you okay?" Searchman asked him about halfway there. Netto's breaths were coming in short; painful pants and he seemed to be struggling to stay awake.

"No… he's not…" Rockman said softly while he rubbed his own arms. "Netto-kun…"

"We're almost there," Netto cut off his navi. "Just a little but further."

About ten minutes later Netto finally walked in the doorway of Laika's dorm. He put Laika on the couch and straightened up while gasping for breath, "That wasn't too bad," he said in a distant voice.

"Netto-kun…" Rockman said. "You're… ah!" he exclaimed when Netto collapsed on top of Laika.

"Damnit," Searchman hissed. He knew he couldn't call for paramedic help because of the Neko Virus infecting Netto. At that point all they could do was wait for Laika to wake up and hope he was okay.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Laika smelled the familiar smell of his dorm as his senses slowly came back to him. He groaned softly and immediately Searchman's voice could be heard, "Laika-san, are you all right?" he asked.

"I'm… alive?" he asked sleepily. He felt a heavy weight on his chest and he decided to open an eye to find out what it was. "NETTO?" he gasped.

Searchman nodded, "Netto-san and Rockman came out and found you."

"Rockman, what happened?" Laika asked the navi.

Searchman shook his head, "He fell into a stasis mode about ten minutes after Netto collapsed."

"How long…" Laika started.

"About thirty minutes, sir," Searchman answered.

Laika pulled Netto into his arms and saw that his face was flushed. Then he noticed that he still had on most of his winter wear, including the two hats he had put on for protection. Laika quickly pulled them off as well as the gloves Netto was wearing and put him on the couch. "Okay, his temperature should go down now," Laika said with a small sigh of relief.

He stood up and Netto's coat fell off him. Laika stared at it and Searchman cleared his throat, "Netto-san… insisted."

Laika took in a deep breath through his nose. "He is in so much trouble when he wakes up," Laika muttered.

Searchman gave him a wan grin and returned to where Rockman was in stasis mode to wait for him to awaken as well.

Ten minutes later, after Laika had made himself a very soothing cup of tea he returned to see if Netto's temperature went down at all. He pulled off a glove and placed his hand on Netto's forehead. He may have not been a doctor but he knew enough that Netto was sick, regardless of whether he shouldn't be or not.

"Does he have a fever, Laika-san?" Searchman asked.

Laika nodded, a little stunned. "He shouldn't be sick, there's nothing going around right now."

"Maybe his body couldn't handle the temperature changes," Searchman suggested. "The virus may be trying to regulate some kind of normal temperature and in turn it's putting too much stress on his human systems."

Laika hissed through his teeth, "Damnit, this virus is entirely too much trouble." He turned around and walked to the kitchen and took a sip of his tea. "All right, Searchman, call me off for tomorrow. I'm not leaving him by himself right now."

"All right, Laika-san," Searchman said and disappeared in a small pixel shower.

Laika heard Netto stir in the other room. He walked into it to find Netto opening one eye. "Good morning," Laika said sharply.

Netto's ears went back in an almost upset maneuver and he looked sheepishly up at Laika, "Heh, glad to see you're okay."

"And you're not," Laika answered.

"We're both alive," Netto pointed out.

Even Laika couldn't argue with that and he didn't try to. Instead he walked over to the couch and sat on the edge to peer down at Netto. He put his hand on Netto's forehead and glared at him. "You're sick," he said finally.

Netto shrugged, "And you're not dead."

"I appreciate that," Laika said in a tight voice. "But what part of, 'stay in the dorm' do you not understand?"

"You were going to die," Netto said evenly.

Laika sighed, this was a lost argument and he knew it. "All right, fine. You can't go anywhere now," he added.

Netto sat up, "I'm fine," he insisted. Laika raised an eyebrow and Netto continued to glare at him, "It'll go away by tomorrow."

Laika reached over and touched one of Netto's ears. It was hot and burning to the touch. He highly doubted Netto's previous statement. "Netto…" he said.

Netto groaned as he struggled to stand up. He stood in front of Laika with an accomplished look in his eyes, "See, I'm fine," he said.

Laika stared at him and Netto wavered a little. Laika stood up just in time to keep Netto from collapsing onto the floor. "Right, fine," Laika said sarcastically.

Netto leaned against Laika with an angry glare directed towards him. "What were you doing there anyways?" he asked.

"A favor for a friend," Laika answered. "And the only reason I was stuck there was because of a bunch of stupid circumstances."

Netto grinned, "Right…" he said sarcastically.

Laika gave him a cold look and Netto smiled back, flushed face and all. Laika merely reached down and scooped him up, taking his feet off the ground in one fluid motion. "Ah, hey! Put me down!" Netto protested but he didn't have the strength to break free.

"Netto, you're sick, and denying it does nothing but make you look foolish. Now calm down and go to bed," Laika said calmly.

Netto quieted down in his arms and Laika carried him to his bedroom. "I don't like you right now," Netto told him with his ears back.

"If you're convinced you'll be better in the morning, yell at me then," he said coolly.

Netto sighed and leaned into the grip to make sure that he didn't fall. Laika placed him in the bed and Netto pushed away the covers. "You'll freeze," Laika said with a touch of concern.

Netto threw him a withering look and Laika just backed away there and then. "Night," he said simply.

"Good night," Netto muttered and turned over. Laika could tell that he was asleep in a matter of minutes.

"What a night," he sighed as he made his way towards his own bedroom.