There was a pulse- strong and steady and he was breathing evenly enough. Ben's mouth was slightly ajar and he seem to have dribbled a bit from the corner of his mouth.

Haru scrambled to pick up his phone as the dorm lady dialed 911. "He seems to still be linked in. He's breathing, but he's not replying to my shaking."

He continued to gently nudge the other, as if doing so would pulling him out of The Game without harm.

"No, not again..." Kris hissed.

There was a moment while Haru talking to the operator on the other end that Ben was completely still before he breathed out a sigh and groaned. He reached up and pulled off his visor- letting it fall to the floor and roll under the bed.

"Saipuressu!" Haru gasped, almost dropping the phone a second time as he looked at the other in surprise.

"He's awake!?" Both Kris and Chris yelled from the cell - which was on speaker phone.

"Ahh..." Ben held his head and tried to sit up. "That thing...it was...in my head..."

"Don't let Wyatt catch you calling him that," Kris warned. "How are you faring? How many fingers does Haru have up?"

"Zero, what are you...wait...who the?" Ben frowned and looked at Haru, then the phone and then back to Haru.

Haru's cheeks turned pink and he slowly held out a hand. "Its a pleasure to meet you... my name is Arashi Haru."

"...Was he as adorable as he sounded saying that?" Kris inquired.

"Yeah," The dorm room lady informed, grinning a little.

"Hun, please." Chris sighed. "You're interrupting the fruits of young love again."

"Wha-!?" Haru gasped, his entire face turning pink now.

"I am hanging up now." Ben informed- reaching for the phone.

"Noo-!" They boy cried as he hit the end call button.

"Are you okay?" Haru asked, trying to change the subject as he took the phone and shoved it into his pocket.

"No, I'm sick, hurt and pissed." Ben replied as he started to get to his feet.

"Wait!" Haru breathed. "I'll help you!"

He got up and put one of Ben's arms around his neck, blushing as he helped the other to his feet and moved him onto his bed.

"You need to stay in bed," He informed, gently. "That was a shock to your system and if you're not careful it could cause you to go into shock. I suggest you take a day off from classes and a day off from The Game."

"My nervous system isn't fried...that thing thinks it's a real person." Ben informed as he was set down.

"What happened?" Haru inquired, nodding to the Dorm Lady, who closed the door and left them in peace.

"He invaded my...head." Ben frowned. "I could feel him in there...and hear him talking...he's...he's something different...not a program or a person, but he thinks and feels like one."

"And Wyatt made friends with him or something?" Haru asked. "Why did he say he didn't want to 'lose him again'?"

He could tell something was going on, something deeper - but he didn't feel like he really had a right to press it.

Ben sighed.

"...He thinks it's our old friend." Ben replied. "He died...in-game...and the system fried him...but some guys think he got pulled into the game and stuck."

Haru's eyes went wide and he pulled back a little. "I... I heard that the NPC's look was based on the 5th alpha tester, but... I didn't know he..."

He looked down - more meek then Ben could remember him being in-game. He was smaller, too... the look was the same, in fact he had seen Haru in class and thought he looked similar to Arashi, but hadn't put it together.

Haru's hair was the same ebony, though much shorter and fell over his shoulder in waves. His eyes were dark brown instead of crystal blue, but the face shape was the same. He had a smaller build and was shorter, but there was a major difference... Haru was real and Ben could almost feel the warmth coming off of him.

"I'm really sorry that happened to you," Haru finally said after a moment. "That has to be awful..."

"...I think Pin- that's what he calls himself -I think that he's more than something programmed." Ben said. "I think...that because he's based off of that tester...the bits of him that have been floating around in The Game after the accident like bits of broken code...a ghost in the machine...have latched on and possessed this NPC."

"Wyatt said that... if someone disconnects suddenly... it can cause damage..." Haru whispered, looking away again. "Is... is that...?"

"The older equipment was being tested and had problems." Was all Ben offered in explaination.

Haru nodded, accepting the explication without saying anything more.

He glanced up at Ben through his bangs, taking in the the other's appearance - Ben was Indian, but was probably either adopted or had taken on an English name because his own was too hard to say for the other students. He had sharp features and was quite attractive... not that Haru was into guys or anything! If he was though, he would be attracted to Ben...

His cheeks turned pink again and he looked away.

"Okay, I gotta get a hold of Uke somehow." Ben nodded. "I bet those two idiots have his phone and address."

"Probably, but he never signs offline," Haru mumbled. "You can see his online time in the guild chat... it says he's been online for 7 days..."

"With that thing." Ben sighed- sitting up again. "We have to unplug him somehow."

"I'm sure that Kurisu and Kurisuti could help us," Haru hummed. "Maybe they will know what to do?"

"I hate those two." Ben groaned and shook his head. "Can you call them back?"

Giving a small nod, Haru pulled out his phone and hit the re-dial, handing the phone to Ben.

"What, me!?" Ben blinked in surprise.

With a frown, Haru put the phone to his own ear. "Curisu?"

There was a laugh on the other end.

"Make him say it again." Chris teased.

"So, do you think Ben's cute?" Kris asked.

"He is still beside me," Haru informed.

"Is that a yes or a no?" She hummed.

"We... need to get in touch with Waietto," Haru informed, his cheeks pink once more.

"Then you're going to have to wait until The Game's back up," she snorted. "Let me talk to Ben."

Haru held out the phone for him.

Ben snatch the phone in irritation.

"You know where we can find him...in real life!" Ben snapped accusingly.

"He hasn't moved from his old address, Benjamin," She snorted. "You still remember where that is, right? Or do you make a point to forget ex boyfriend's houses?"

"That's a lie." Ben told Haru firmly.

"He's either there, or he's in Pin's hospital room," Kris snorted. "Which is more likely, since he rarely leaves there."

"Pin?" Haru breathed. "I thought you said Pin was..."

"He's comatose," Kris explained. "Has been since back in Alpha when he was logged out by a glitch in the system. Wyatt's theory is that his mind was separated from his body."

"If that were the case, then the NPC would be more like Pin...not what it is now." Ben sighed as he stood up to leave- feeling a bit light-headed. "This program and Ukeru both believe that it is Pin."

"He's probably unlike himself because they programmed it has an NPC using the data backed up on that person's character," Haru informed, getting up and following him - the phone in his hand. "They changed the programming..."

"Which is why he attacked you, Ben," Kris commented. "The real Pin wouldn't, but he's not the real Pin. He's a program that's been made to attack players and its in the code that he protects what he cares about - it was supposed to be the monsters of the dungeon he's in, but instead it became Wyatt. It is him, but they changed him."