I shouldn't be typing these chapters at work... but it's the only thing keeping me awake. Who cares what happenes the next time my boss strolls in and catches me on. I walk on the wild side. Oh, and a note: The previous chapter, chapter 13: The preview, has been replaced with a full brand new chapter entitled "Red Clouds." So make sure you go back and read that chapter before you read this one. That's right...two chappies for your enjoyment. Okay, now I gotta close this window before somebody notices.

Sitting on the cold earth, Tea imagined how things could have been different. Finding the right words, however, seemed impossible. How could anything she might say relieve her of the consequences? How could she ever be what Yugi called "a best friend?"

"I wish I could do it all over again... knowing what I do now," Tea thought

"So why did you come to the river," Joey said, interrupting her thought. "We're you planning on jumping in?"

"Don't you think I should?" Tea tearfully responded.

"Personally I think that's the easy way out... but if you are still planning on it, I can't let you."

"Why not?"

"Cause you have to tell all this to Yug and Yami."

Tea winced at the thought of coming face-to-face with Yami. Last time she talked to him, he rejected her—crushed her heart, and made her realize that she had made everyone suffer for no reason.

"I did all this for him. I loved him." Tea stood up and turned to the water. "I don't think I can follow you guy's around anymore. I only wanted him to love me back."

"Tea..." Joey said while shaking his head "this really doesn't seem like you. I've known you for too long to believe you freaked out like this all because of a crush. I think we should go back. You need to tell us more about this spirit who "helped" you."

Tea stepped into the water, allowing the water to rush around her ankles. As far as Tea was concerned, there was no way she could actually go throught with it...but it was worth a try.

"Tea! What are you doing!? Look, you already said that you had no intentions of hurting anyone. You said you didn't know all this would happen." Joey pleaded. "I believe you...and so will Yami."

Tea stopped moving and turned to Joey.

"Do you think he could forgive me?" Tea asked. "I only did it because I wanted him to have a body. I wanted peace for him."

Joey shook his head. There was no way he could lie to her. He wanted to tell her that Yami might forgive her...or that her reasons for doing this weren't selfish. But Joey figured that if he expressed this truth, Tea might go deeper into the water. "Best to just grab her," Joey thought.

"What are you doing!" Tea screamed. But before she could finish the sentence, Joey had her firmly in his grip.

"Enougha this. Tea, we've gotta get to the bottom of this."

Joey began to walk back to the cabin.

"Yami has managed to stand up but moving around seems to be impossible," Yugi thought. Yugi smiled. Yami seemed to be healing nicely and was on his way to recovery. Yugi bent down to assemble Yami's deck.

"How do you feel Yami," Yugi asked as he picked up another card. "You seem to be doing well."

"Just don't bump into me and I'll be fine," Yami said with a smile.

"I'm so glad to see you getting better."

"I live to protect you. I know this because the moment you came back to me, aibou, I felt my strength return."

Yugi blushed a little. "No, I'm pretty sure it must have been Tea's care. You seemed to be doing much better by the time we got back."

Yugi held out Yami completed deck. "By the way" Yugi asked "who knocked your deck over in the first place?"

Yami lowered his eyes, ignoring the deck Yugi held out before him. He envisioned the hurt Yugi might face if he informed him of Tea's actions. Yugi thought so highly of her... he treasured her...thought of her as a true best friend. "I wish he hadn't asked me that," Yami thought. "But as I said, I must tell him the truth."

"Is there something wrong?" Yugi asked.

Yami crossed his arms and closed his eyes—a position he frequently takes when he is facing a great challenge... or maybe it was because sitting or kneeling wasn't an option.

"C'mon, take your deck, Yami. Unless that is...you want me to keep it." Yugi grinned.

Yami smiled. "What good what that do you? Two identical decks? Trade, maybe?"

"I couldn't do that. I'd keep it somewhere safe."

Yami loved how Yugi could always make him smile. He decided to approach the matter as gently as possible. He uncrossed his arms and spoke gently to his friend.

"Aibou, I need to talk to you about Tea."

"What about her, Yami?"

"She was the one who knocked over my deck," Yami hesitantly said.

Yami opened his deep purple eyes and surveyed Yugi's, looking for any sign that he should stop. Yugi, however, just stared blankly.

"That's weird," Yugi stated calmly "but how come she didn't pick them up for you?"

"Because, Aibou, it wasn't an accident."

Yugi's face seemed to change slightly. He seemed as if he was trying to solve a puzzle, but the pieces wouldn't quite fit. He tilted his head faintly.

"What do you mean? Tea wouldn't do that."

"She did more than that," Yami whispered "she...declared her love..."

Yugi's eyes widened.

"...to me."

"To us?" Yugi corrected.

"No, Yugi. To me. And that's not all she did. She had been acting strange to begin with...but when you left, it seemed as if something had taken over her spirit. She approached me, and asked if I had ever been in love."

"That doesn't mean she likes you," Yugi said, slightly relieved.

"She approached me. I hoped and hoped you would come, Aibou, so you could have seen it with your own eyes. But now I'm glad you didn't because you would have seen what I now regret to say."

"Go ahead and say what happened," Yugi said.

"Tea... kissed me. She fully professed her love...to me," Yami said, staring deeply into Yugi's eyes.

Yugi felt his chest ache. His eyes flickered back and fourth as he searched for some sort of punch line from Yami. But Yami's eyes were still. They focused intensely of Yugi. Yugi lowered his eyes.

"She did that? She...kissed you?"

"Yes. But when my love was not returned, she was very upset."

"What did she do?" Yugi asked slowly.

Yami sighed. This was the hard part.

"She...began to cry. She ran out...knocking over my deck... and hasn't returned since."

Yami was trembling. Yugi felt a tear form in his eye. He backed away from Yami.

"Please don't back away from me, aibou. Please? I did not mean to hurt her or you. You must believe that I would lay down my life for both of you...she was just acting..."

"You're gonna tell me she was acting strange, weren't you? Just like, Joey did." Yugi shook his head from side to side. "This can't be. I mean, how could you hurt her like that, Yami?"

"I told her the truth...just as I'm doing now, aibou. I told her she would always be my dearest friend... but she seemed very deeply injured by that.

"Enough to knock over your deck," Yugi commented.

"Yes. So know you know, Aibou, when I said she ran out because of me...it was the truth. I hurt Tea. And I'm afraid you'll never forgive me for it," Yami said with his head lowered.

Yugi was frozen in thought. He could deal with Tea professing her love...or even her kiss. The part that caused Yugi the deepest pain was the fact that Tea was now out somewhere in the woods at night, crying her eyes out, because of Yami. Tea was first and foremost Yugi's best friend. And Tea's pain was Yugi's pain.

"Tea ran out because of you?" Yugi said with his head lowered.

"Yes. I tried to follow her..."

"But you couldn't..."

"No."

"I have to go find her," Yugi said as he impatiently headed for the door.

"Wait! Yugi, I'm coming with you...it's my fault."

"You stay here Yami."

"I won't let you leave me, aibou!" Yami said as Yugi walked away.

"You're too wounded to come," Yugi said, staring at the ground. "I wont have you hurt anymore. I can handle this," Yugi said.

"Yugi, you must have faith that Tea is okay."

Yugi stepped out...determined to prove Tea's sanity.

Hmm. I don't think Tea could ever come between Yugi and Yami...but Yugi just a little hurt right now. Yami will understand. I wonder what will happen when they learn the truth about Tea? And will they ever get the heck outta that place? Review 'n stuff. Please?