Chapter 5! YAY! My arm has gotten better, but it still hurts. Apparently, I hyper-extended it or something. NOT FUN! So, the chapters may be short for a while. Sorry!

Well, I hope you like this chapter. If you have any suggestions for future chapters, please let me know!

The next day, Hikaru woke up to her ceiling spinning above her. She gasped and started coughing. She rolled over and out of bed, bile rising in her throat. She swallowed and crawled out of her room to the bathroom.

Ten minutes later, she staggered out of the bathroom and down the stairs. Her parents were seated at the table, talking. When they saw her, they immediately knew something was wrong. Hina ran to her daughter, worried.

"What's wrong, sweetie? You're so pale…" Her mother asked, worried. She laid her hand on the girl's forehead. "Your head is still warm…"

Kouji walked over with a thermometer. He checked her temperature and hissed with surprise. "Your fever has gotten worse. A lot worse…"

"What?" Hina asked, grabbing the thermometer from her husband's hand. She gasped. Hikaru started to fall, her vision blackening. Her father caught her and carried her over to the couch.

"We need to call the doctor." Kouji turned to his wife. She ran to the phone.

An hour later, Hikaru lay in a hospital bed. She was coughing so hard her voice was nearly gone. Her parents were constantly hovering over her, making her cross. A doctor came in and drew her parents to the side. A few minutes later, they came over to her, smiling.

"Well, you should be happy to know that you'll get better." Kouji told his daughter.

"Oh joy." Hikaru rasped. A nurse came in and gave her some water. She drank it gratefully.

"You just caught a nasty cold. You'll be able to go home in a bit." Hina reassured her daughter.

"But first, you have visitors again." Kouji grinned and drew his wife out of the room. Right after they left, Hikaru's friends entered, worried looks on they're faces. Ryou walked right up to her bed.

"What happened? You seemed fine last night!" He asked, trying to find the answer on her face.

"The fever just got worse." Hikaru winced as her voice died in the middle of the sentence. Ryou grinned at her. Natsume, bless her soul, gave Hikaru some water. The three of them found seats, Natsume and Yukito pulling up chairs and Ryou sitting on her bed at her feet.

"So, caught a cold and it got worse?" Ryou teased. Hikaru grimaced at him.

"Yeah, and it's all your fault." she accused.

"My fault?" Ryou said in mock surprise. He grinned and patted her legs. "You need to get better. There are going to be tests soon. Not to mention Kuhn and Atoli are worried about you."

"Well, I'll log in when I get home. But if they say one word about my voice, I'll PK them." Hikaru said, glaring at him.

They talked until a doctor announced that Hikaru was ready to go home. She was given some medicine and told to take it easy for the next few days. She left the hospital and fell asleep on the way home. She took a nap when she got home and woke, feeling refreshed.

Karumi logged onto The World and saw that she had received many emails telling her to get well.

"I didn't know I was this popular!" she said surprised. Her voice cracked and she grimaced. With a shrug, she went to Mac-Anu. There, she got a surprise.

"Welcome back, Karumi!" a group of people cried. At the front of the group was Haseo and Braizer. Karumi laughed and thanked them. She ran to the two male characters and hugged them.

"H-hey! Don't do that!" Haseo protested. Karumi laughed and released him. Several other guys asked for a hug, which she gave, feeling happy.

"Don't forget, you can't stay on that long." Braizer reminded her. Several people protested. "She needs to rest."

"Yes, yes, I know." Karumi said, wincing as her voice broke. Someone laughed. She grinned. "It's not funny."

"Actually, it is." Haseo grinned evilly at her. She kicked him. "Hey! No kicking!"

"They're so cute!" Someone called. They both turned to look for the source. The whole group was grinning at them.

Suddenly, Karumi started coughing. Haseo looked worried.

"You okay?" He asked. Braizer came over.

"Off. Now." He ordered her. Karumi glared at him and logged off.

Hikaru leaned back in her chair, trying to stop coughing. But her father heard and came in, a cup of tea in his hand. He handed it to her and watched her drink it all.

"No more games." He told her with a frown.

"Okay, okay." Hikaru sighed. She turned off her computer and stretched. She started coughing again, so she stopped. Her father handed her her medicine and ordered her to got to bed.

--A few days later--

"Hey, Hikaru! Welcome back to the world of the living!" Ryou called as she walked into the classroom. She made a face at him and sat down. He leaned forward and peered into her eyes. "What? Not going to say anything?"

"I can't." She tried to say. It came out as a breathy squeak.

Ryou raised his eyebrows and whistled, leaning back. "Hikaru the Quiet has lost her voice."

Their classmates, who had been listening, laughed. Hikaru glared at her friend and kicked him. "But not her kick!" Someone called. Hikaru grinned as Ryou rubbed the leg she had kicked. He glanced up at her.

"You didn't kick as hard as you usually do." He commented. Hikaru sniffed and looked out the window. In truth, she was felling kind of weak, but she wouldn't tell him that, even if she could.

"Hikaru!" Someone called. She turned and saw the leader of her Photography club heading in her direction. He stopped when he reached her desk.

"It's good to see you've gotten better! Now you can help out with the preparations for the festival." He grinned at her. Hikaru smiled back at him and gave him a thumbs up. He stared at her, confused.

"She lost her voice. Completely." Ryou informed him, dodging Hikaru's kick.

"I'm fine!" She said, her voice a small squeak. She crossed her eyes. The club leader shook his head.

"Well, good thing you don't really need your voice for taking pictures." He commented. "Anyways, do you think you can make it to the festival? I'd like you to take photos there, so we can post them on our website."

Hikaru nodded, grinning happily. She took out a piece of paper and wrote 'I'll ask my parents when I get home.'

"Cool. Let me know tomorrow." The club leader said. "I hope you get your voice back soon!"