In celebration of .hack//G.U vol.3 redemption being released in America I've decided to shun my other two fics for now to make another chapter for this fic! Yes Naruto and beyblades .hack//G.U takes that much priority over you! Plus if you can complain I'm smack you with this pulls out scythe known simply as ticking death note: this is not a spoiler because you can unlock this weapon in vol.2 heck you were forced to, to advance the story line! But if you haven't got to that point yet someone's going to get pked! On another note I'm surprised no one noticed that I put a line that belonged to blackrose in the last chapter. Well enough talk time to put on our FMD's and log into The World!

Infection

Chika Kuramoto walked down isle after of the grocery store yet still couldn't find the item she desperately sought. With a heavy sigh she nearly gave up but decided to ask a worker restocking the lower shelves. "Um excuse me sir do you know where I can find the…"

"C-Chika, why are you here?!" A surprised voice said calling out her name.

Looking up from her grocery list she saw the male's surprised face staring back up at her, his yellow eyes wide and bright, his cheeks bright red. "R-Ryou" she let out a small laugh.

"What's so funny?" Ryou questioned sounding annoyed as he stood to face her.

She sighed as she whipped a stray tear from her face "it's just that I never expected you of all people to be here! And you work here at that." (Fact: Ryou does work in a grocery store, thus the reason why he acted as such when he was in charge of the guild shop.)

Ryou scratched his head as he heaved a sigh "we all have to make a living somehow. Plus my father is rarely home so I'm just killing time." (also a fact: his dad works for a large company therefore he is rarely home and when he is it's only for a few hours which is most likely just to sleep. His mom, don't know. Maybe the absence of parents caused him to start replaying what started the "incident")

"Aww, you poor baby" Chika said as she pinched one of his cheeks before he knocked her hand away. "You know this is kind of weird, me seeing you like this I mean."

"How is that" he asked with a cocked eyebrow.

"I mean think about it. I fall into a coma but before I do you're there. Then when I'm leaving The World for possibly forever the only person of the member addresses I have that shows up to say goodbye is you! I move to a new school and you're there and I sit next to you! And finally I run into you at the store" Chika said counting off all the strange things that revolved around the two.

"What does that last one have to do with anything? It's possible to run into plenty of people you know at the store everyone knows that" Ryou retorted trying not to acknowledge the fact that fate seemed to enjoy making his life awkward.

"I know but we're standing in the candy isle" she said letting out a sigh as she massaged her forehead.

Ryou glared at her annoyed "so."

Chika let out something between an agitated sigh. "You have no sense of romance you know that!"

"What does romance have anything to do with standing in the candy isle?"

Chika gently massaged her temples. "It's easy if you think about it. What does people usually look for in candy? They want it to be sweet!" She gave her explanation but it was obvious that he hadn't caught on because he was nodding as if telling her to finish. She made up her mind it was time for something on the drastic side.

She touched a hand lightly to his cheek, she leaned in to the point that her lips was less then an inch from his ear. He felt her gentle breathing tickle his cheek causing his cheeks to flare. She then tenderly whispered "maybe it's to mean I'm supposed to be your sweet heart." She then moved away and just smiled at him.

Ryou's mind now clouded in confusion tried to piece together a response. He almost had it when he heard her let a small that she tried to pretend never existed but her acting failed her as she burst out in laughter. "W-what is it?" Ryou questioned regaining himself.

"Your face!" she said holding her side with one hand the other pointing at him.

"M-my face?"

Chika whipped a tear off her cheek from laughing so hard "You just looked so funny after I said that. I mean really the terror of death reduced to a mindless idiot by a girl." He laughing then proceeded to pick back up.

"Shut up!"

Chika's laughing stopped cold. "What's wrong with you all of a sudden?"

"I said shut up! I've spent enough time playing. I need to get back to work." He then turned back to restocking the shelves.

Well then maybe if you are so focused on work why don't you help me find what I'm looking for?" she asked stamping her foot.

"Three rows over to the left. Walk to the middle of the isle and look to your right." Ryou continued what he was doing not even looking back at her. He didn't have to. There was only one thing she could have possibly been looking for. Ramen.

"So that's it huh? You're gonna get all pissed and act like everything you said never happened! Everything we've been through, all we've talked about? And youre just gonna throw that out the window because of joke" Chika or rather Alkaid said sounding furious.

"I'm not a toy. You can't just play with emotions."

"Oh well so I've gone and hurt your feelings? What ever happened to the guy that stood up for him self saying he would beat me! The guy who stood up to every last bad name I gave to him and yet somehow got me join his group and above all else earned my trust and respect" her glare bore into his back but he didn't so much as flinch.

"You were also the one who told me not to toy with her feelings weren't you?" Ryou said in a cold voice giving her an over the shoulder, icy, stare.

Chika felt her world shatter around her. That had really hurt. It was as if a dagger laced with poison had been plunged into her chest and now the poison was working through her slowly causing her to break down. With her last ounce of strength she scribbled something on her grocery list before throwing it at him. It bounced off the back of his head and laid on the ground unnoticed. She then exited the isle fuming.

Ryou just sighed as he continued working but not before picking up the paper he was hit with. "you blew that rather spectaculary didn't you…Haseo?" a voice said to him. Wait, that voice!!! It wasn't his and it wasn't in his head! He turned to see a pair of legs in front of him.

Ryou was shocked. Only three people knew about his true self out of The World, Shino, Chika and Himself. Technically Pi as well but she found out the stalker kind of way. "H-how did you…"

"You wanna know how we know you're the legendary PKK the terror of death Haseo?" Another voice said. But this time more feminine. A girl stepped out from behind the boy holding a small black box. The box appeared to be a tape recorder. He recognized the girl from one of his school. "I could tell you but this way is much more fun." She hit the play button on the recorder. The sound of Ryou's and Chika's conversation from when she first moved to the school played before the girl stopped it having already proved what she knew.

"You were following us? What the hell is you're problem?"

"You are actually. You think you're too good for everyone. Now I have something that gives me the ability to have you at me every beck and call. Just think the terror of death as my personal hit man." The boy gave an evil snicker.

"Like hell I'd ever work for you!" Ryou retorted having nothing else to say.

"Fine don't, but remember I let this get out and you'll never have a peaceful moment again. In this world or The World." The boy smirked at Ryou. His greatest nightmare had come true. He was gonna be bombarded with a ton of spam mail. There was no way this could get worse.

"Don't forget Ryou here is gonna become my boyfriend" she wrapped both arms around his neck so that their faces were barely inches apart. "Isn't that right Ryou?" It just got worse. Ryou felt sick to his stomach. Not because he was being forced into all of this. But because what was the cause of this was Chika and he had threw it away. There was no way that this could get worse.

As if fate had wanted his life to be miserable the one person he didn't want to see this rounded the corner. One miss Chika Kuramoto. "Hey Ryou I'm sorry about what I said earlier. I guess that I just…w-what?" She stared at the sight before her. Ryou in the arms of another girl. She shook her head trying to wish the image away but it wouldn't disappear. This time she turned and ran but not before a tear could be seen rolling down her cheek.

"Chika wait!" Ryou struggled in the girls arm.

"But Haseo we have so much to do today" the girl said reminding him what kind of situation he was in.

"Get off of me!" he shouted as he threw the girls arms off him and ran to the exit of the store. Looking around he didn't catch a single glimpse of the girl. He sighed to himself. 'The world really like to toy with me doesn't it?' he thought to himself.

As he walked through the store he pulled out the paper that Chika had threw at him and unballed it. The paper had several digits written on it with the words 'call me' written under them. The numbers were obviously her phone number.

Pulling out his phone he dialed the number. The phone rang once and he heard the faint ringing of another phone in the background. He followed it as best as he could but the phone switched to the answering machine. He dialed it again. This time he was close. He followed the sound and found what he was looking for. He found a girl outside of the stores bathroom, curled tightly into a corner, her arms wrapped tightly around her knees. The girl sat crying a phone on the ground next to her ringing.

Ryou hung up his phone "Chika…I" he called to her. He didn't get a response. The girl didn't even acknowledge him being there. But he knew she had heard him. He pulled out his phone once again and dialed Chika's number.

She momentarily shifted her gaze towards Ryou before reaching down and picking up her phone. She answered it, "what do you want?"

"I just want to talk to you, that's all."

"There is nothing to talk about. You talk about how I was leading you on but the truth was you felt bad because you were just toying with me. You wanted your prize in both the virtual and real world."

"Come on it's not like that Chika you see…"

She cut him off tears still running down her cheek, "yes I saw! I saw that girl with her arms around your neck. You were loving every minute of it weren't you? You just never though I'd see and you could have us both. I'm not that kind of girl Ryou. I just…"

This time it was Ryou doing the cutting off "they found out about us!"

She didn't understand. Her rage pushed her far beyond reasoning. "Oh so you'e saying your little plan backfired before you could advance it huh? Whatever, I don't care anymore. I'm done talking." She hung up the phone and began to rush pass him but stopped when she felt something grab her wrist and pulled her back. She knew exactly what it was. "Let me go! I don't want to talk to you Ryou." She was then pressed up against the wall.

"Then don't talk! Just listen!" he watched her squirm in his arms. He knew she wasn't going to listen so he took action. Using one hand he steadied her head before letting his lips lightly touch hers. Caught off guard Chika's eye's shot open before slowing closing as she relaxed into it. Her phone slipping from her grasp in the process. The moment lasted about a minute before Ryou ended it. "Now will you listen to me?" He looked down at the girl who was still crying. "I was saying they're black mailing us. They heard us talking." He brushed away a stream of tears from the girls cheek before he kissed it. "It wasn't my fault. She thought by threatening me she'd get to have me…But" he kissed her cheek again "my heart already belongs to someone. Please Chika, please won't you be my empress and stay by my side?" He kissed her cheek once last time.

Chika's sobs could be heard welling up again as she stared back up at him. "Let me go!" She shoved Ryou to the side before picking up her phone and running off. Ryou knew there was no sense in running after her now. She needed to be alone at this point.

Ryou rested his hand over one of his eyes partly brushing back his hair. He gave a small laugh. "The world really must like messing with me!"

TBC

Akira (AKA Blackrose's user): I'm handling the ending rant this time because the writer is being a baby and crying about the ending.

Me: I am not!

Akira: whatever, well anyway he wanted to me to tell you guys that also in honor of the new game he is gonna name each of the following chapters after one of the first .hack games. Since this one was infection that means mutation is next. Followed by outbreak and quarantine. So don't miss it! And if he does as another tribute you had better notice!!! Well to the narrator.

Narrator: You saw it yourself. The process has started and now the gears are turning. What hold in the near future for Chika and Ryou. Will they be forced to work for the blackmailer? Or will they stand tall and fault. But first they must prove true that love conquers all by salvaging what they have left. Find out on episode 4. Mutation of "Meeting you on the other side!" Put on your FMD's and enter those keywords for this is a special event you don't want to miss!