Disclaimer: Daikaio does not own Yu-Gi-Oh! Or any of its' characters.

Chapter Six: Steel grey
Author: Daikaio
Rating: PG-13 (Just for safety)

"Speech."
'Thoughts.'
:'Yami to Yugi.':
(('Yugi to Yami.'))
/'Bakura to Ryou'/
('Ryou to Bakura')
Song lyrics

A/N - Now, I'm finally up to where I left off last time! Hope you guys enjoy chapter seven!

So, what is the authoress and crew up to...?

Daikaio smiles in satisfaction as she finishes off the review replies. Finally, she can post chapter seven, and hopefully she won't get the story deleted this time...

Yami bounces in with Yugi in tow, sucking on a lemonade flavoured ice block. Yugi beams at the quickeditted chapter and does Yami's happy dance. Yami finishes the ice block and dances as well. Daikaio laughs.

Rauzeras climbs in through the window unexpectedly and asks where Bakura and Marik are. Yami indicates the living room and Rauzeras disappears through the window. Daikaio frowns at her yami's exit then decides to finally post chapter seven. She grins as it appears on her fanfic.

Suddenly, Rauzeras jumps back in through the window with Bakura and Marik being pulled by their ears. Rauzeras is yelling at them for spraying the television's antenna with mud, causing it to have bad reception. Bakura and Marik bow their heads in shame as Rauzeras continues to scold them. Daikaio beams as reviwers begin to fill her email inbox...

"Tea? Tea?" Yami brushed a branch that was blocking his path irritably as he continued calling out for Tea. "TEA?" All that could be heard was the sound of the rustling leaves, chirping crickets and faint chattering back at the DDR machine. Yami cursed mentally.

"Damn it! I swear on Ra, if Tea gets into any trouble while out in this forest then I will make-that-Tomb-Robber-pay!" Yami hissed angrily. Yami's anger died away though, and was replaced by fear; panic.

"Tea?" He called nervously, peering about in the darkness. He was feeling slightly ill with worry. "I hope she's okay," Yami whispered to himself as he trudged onwards.

Tea kept sprinting through the slightly damp forest, tears still spilling out of her eyes. She sobbed loudly, mixed with the heavy pants that were escaping her mouth. Her foot suddenly caught on a tree root and she felt to the ground, landing in wet dirt.

She pounded the ground with her fists, gritting her teeth angrily. 'Stupid Bakura,' she thought savagely. She stopped pounding the mud as sadness washed over her. She laid her head lightly on the ground, crying silently. After a good few minutes of crying, she lifted her head up. Her sight was blurry and her eyes were red-rimmed and slightly sore. She blinked the remaining tears away and looked at her surroundings. She had no idea how far she had run into the forest, and it didn't look like getting back would be a simple task.

She blinked. She could have sworn she saw something in the darkness. Tea stared at the spot, looking…then she saw it again. Something golden and slightly amber-lit was glowing faintly in the moonlight. From this distance, she couldn't make out what it was. She got up and brushed most of the dirt off her front before walking cautiously over towards the golden thing. Her hopes shot up, slightly. They looked like the same colour as they eyes were in her dream…

But her enthusiasm was crushed; she found it to be only dry tree-sap covering a trunk. She sighed, slapping her head from being stupid. She closed her eyes and rested her head against the palm of her hand. After a moment, she began to cry again…

"They've been gone too long!" Yugi cried, attempting to break free from Joey and Tristan's grip. For the past ten minutes, Joey and Tristan had to keep a strong hold on the short teen to stop him from escaping into the forest to look for Yami and Tea. Joey and Tristan were panting, struggling to keep their grip on the small teen. Yugi managed to launch himself out of their grasp and pelted in the direction of the forest.

"SOMEONE GRAB HIM!" Joey and Tristan both roared. Ryou leapt at Yugi, grabbing him by the ankles. Yugi tripped and fell the ground with a great "oomph!" Bakura ran up to his lighter half.

"Ryou! Are you-?"

"MOVE OUDDA DA WAY, BAKURA!" Joey yelled, sprinting over to Yugi, who was lying flat on his front. "Yug', you alrigh'?"

"No!" Yugi reply was slightly muffled. "I'll be alright when Kaiba's search party comes!"

"Ah, c'mon, Yug'. Dis is Yam' we're talkin' abou'! So wha' if dere's a couple of animals livin' in dere? Yam's go' da Puzzle ta help him ou'!" His accent was more pronounced then ever.

"I suppose…" Yugi sighed, getting to his feet. He cast a worried glance in the direction of the forest before pacing up and down. After a few minutes of pacing, Bakura's eyes were crossed.

"Ah, damn it, Pharaoh's Light!" Bakura growled, shaking his head. "That's making me dizzy!"

Yugi cast a glare in his direction that clearly said, "speak-once-more-and-you'll-be-the-first-to-go". Bakura grumbled and fell silent, flicking his snowy hair off his shoulders.

"Dat Kaiba…" Joey growled, kicking a rock so that it went flying and hit another student in the back. "SORRY!" Joey apologised, the student returning him with a death glare. Joey shrugged and sat on a nearby tree stump. Ryou dragged the agitated Tomb Robber over to a large tree and ordered him to sit at the base of the trunk. Bakura grumbled something in Egyptian before sitting down. Ryou sat next to him and sighed loudly. Tristan was standing so that he could be a good look out for when Kaiba's search team had arrived. Yugi was still waiting worriedly, pacing up and down.

Tea sighed heavily and leaned up against one of the shadowy trees which were free of tree sap. The dull chirping of crickets and rustling leaves kept her wide awake, even if she would prefer to be snoozing in one of the cabin's beds. Her thoughts drifted to her past experiences with the gang, causing her to smile slightly.

Suddenly, she heard something move behind her. She jumped off the tree and turned around to face it.

Something black was slithering around the tree. A quiet yet venomous hissing sound was flicking off its' fork-tongue. It's slimy, black body and red stomach just visible through the darkness - A snake.

'Red-belly black snake!' Tea thought, fear stabbing at her. The snake's head snapped up, revealing cold, steel grey eyes leering at her. Its tongue flicked out at her, tasting her scent. Tea wanted to run, but she was frozen with fear.

The snake continued to slide its' way down the tree trunk. It slid onto the slightly damp grass, Tea watching every one of its' movements. It rose its' head up, eyes never leaving her. Tea was feverish.

The snake slowly slithered over to her, right at her feet. Tea tried to scream, but her throat was too tight. She stood completely still, watching the snake circle around her feet. Then, she heard another rustling sound in the distance. She looked to the side in the direction the sound had come from.

"TEA?" The deep baritone voice belonged to Yami.

"YAMI!" Tea screamed, and then her voice halted as she felt something on her arm. She looked down and she gasped. The snake's mouth was stretched wide and sharp fangs and sunk themselves into her warm flesh. It took a moment for the pain to be established in her mind, as it felt like white hot knives were piercing her left arm; she screamed.

Yami, hearing her scream, rushed forward. He darted in and out of the dark trees until he came into a damp clearing where he saw his brunette friend standing there. And on her arm – a red-belly black snake. Yami gasped.

Without thinking he ran over and seized the snake around its' neck. It's head snapped open in result, its' fangs being removed from Tea's skin. Yami's Millennium Puzzle glowed a brilliant gold, as the Eye of Ra appeared on his forehead. He thrust the snake away from them, opening a portal to the Shadow Realm. The snake slid through the portal and disappeared.

Tea sunk to her knees, her left arm motionless and bleeding. She sobbed quietly, mostly out of shock, and a little because she was feeling ill. Blood was dribbling out of her arm, as the snake's venom worked its' way up her arm and into the rest of her body. It was spreading like wild fire.

"Tea?" Yami said gently, getting down onto his knees and reaching a hand out to touch her arm. His fingers touched it briefly, and he felt it to be as cold as ice. She jerked it out of his reach, whimpering. "Tea, please let me help…"

Tea's body shuddered, feeling her arm grow numb. It was icy and becoming paler by the second. Yami was stressing, begging her to let him help her.

"I'm dying, I'm dying…" Tea cried softly, tears dripping off her cheeks. Yami's eyes no longer pleaded as he eyed her seriously.

"Tea," he said firmly, seizing her by the shoulders. She tried to move away, but he wouldn't let go. "Tea, look at me." Tea didn't look up, her body shaking violently. "Tea, look. Please?" He added. Tea slowly lifted her head up to see the handsome, former Pharaoh in front of her. "Tea, I can help."

Tea stared at him for a second, her nerves calming very slightly. She stopped trying to break free from his grip and she attempted to lift her arm slightly, gesturing that he could do what he wished with it. However it hurt too much to move, and she grimaced.

Yami sighed, gently holding her arm up to his eye level. Tea shuddered, but didn't move away. Yami gave her a reassuring nod, and Tea closed her eyes. She prayed to every God that existed that he could help her.

Her eyes snapped open when she felt something warm and silky touch her wound. Her veins were well visible against her arm's skin – blue lines working their way up her creamy skin. She turned her attention to Yami, who she realised had his lips pressed lightly to the snake's bite. If she was in any healthy condition, her face would of lit up like a Christmas light.

The Eye of Ra appeared on Yami's head as he worked his Shadow Magic, his Puzzle glowing faintly. A few moments later, Tea felt the feeling of pins and needles work their way down her arm, starting from her shoulder and finishing at the tips of her fingers. Blood seemed to be slowly flowing back into her arm. The outline of Yami's figure was a tinge of emerald.

Yami's head was spinning; it was painful removing the poison from one being…to another. He felt the sickening urge to wrench, but he kept his mouth tightly shut. He had to, in order for the poison to be completely removed from Tea's system. The Eye of Ra burned fiercely on his forehead as he continued his spell.

Tea felt the feeling of her arm returning to her, as the pins and needles faded. She knew that, if she tried, she could move her arm. But she wasn't planning on interrupting Yami, as the sickening feeling in her stomach began to ease off. Though not realising it, Yami was gaining a much worst stomach ache then she had.

About another two minutes later, Yami broke away from Tea's arm and he gasped for air. He tried to get to his feet, but his legs shook in protest. He fell onto all fours, panting. Long trails of sweat dripped off his tanned face, as he continued his ragged breathing. Tea was shocked, staring at her arm.

Her arm was regaining the entire colour back into it, and she looked at the area where the snake had bit her. All that was left were two, very faint scars.

Tea looked up at her crush, feeling like she could right there, right now, hug him so tight he would burst while planting gentle kisses all over his face. But just as that wonderful thought occurred to her, she could tell that there was something wrong with Yami. His skin looked a shade lighter, as if he was paling. His eyes looked slightly glazed and his breathing was huge gasps.

"Yami!" Tea said joyfully. "Thankyou-thankyou-thankyou-thankyou-THANKYOU!" Her cheeks were tinged a brilliant red but she didn't care.

Yami looked up at her, his eyes glazed and he looked rather ill. Sweat was still dripping from his forehead, and he had to use his mouth to breathe.

"D-don't mention i-it…" Yami stuttered, grasping his stomach as he stifled a groan.

"What's up?" Tea asked, concern in her eyes. "You don't look so well. Did that - whatever you did - use up a lot of energy?"

"N-no…" Yami breathed heavily. "The s-snake's…its' v-venom…"

Tea's eyes widened. "What do you mean?" She said quickly.

"I-I absorbed all of the poison," Yami supplied dully, his body getting cooler. He was shaking as chills worked their way up his arms and legs.

"Yami!" Tea cried, embracing him comfortingly. She felt like crying once more, and a tear did escape her sapphire eyes. "No! You're d-dying-!"

"No, I'm not," Yami shook his head and immediately wished he hadn't. It caused his headache to worsen. "I can't be killed by a mortal creature's venom. It takes some sort of supernatural force to kill me."

Tea felt slightly relieved but her eyebrows were knitted with concern. "Are you ill?"

Yami groaned as he felt a sharp pain in his chest and fell out of Tea's embrace. He shook violently, eyes shut as he tried to ignore the sickening pains in his body. "Y-yes…the snake's venom still makes me ill, but I won't die."

"Y-yami…" Tea sobbed quietly, rubbing circles on his back. He continued to shake, his breaths sounding as if he was being smothered. "This is my fault."

"No…i-it's not…" Yami opened an eye weakly and smiled. "It's me who put this upon myself, not you. Don't go feeling guilty. And if it's anyone to blame for this-," Yami added, shutting his eyes as he felt a particularly strong surge of pain pass through his body. "It's that ignorant Tomb Robber."

Tea laughed quietly, unsure of what she could do. She touched Yami's shoulder gently, receiving a fierce shake in return. Tea sighed, tears dripping off her cheeks. She lifted him slowly and carefully and sat him up. Tea heard Yami attempt to hold back a whimper. 'This is my fault…' Tea thought guiltily. She let him rest on her shoulder as she held him securely. She knew he wouldn't be able to walk back to the camp, and she couldn't just leave him…

Tea shivered, feeling the cool breeze brush against her warm skin. She knew it was probably ten times worst for Yami, but she was still freezing.

Suddenly, there was a light shining down upon her. She looked up and saw a helicopter hovering above them. The light blinded her, and she had to squint her eyes to see who it was.

Seto Kaiba stood near the doorway, his trench coat billowing in all directions. She faintly saw Yugi's hairstyle behind him, watching. "There's no room to land!" Kaiba called down, sounding very irritated. "We're letting a ladder down!"

And so they did. A ladder made of some strong rope was let down and stopped at Tea's knees. Tea wondered how Yami was supposed to get on; he was hardly capable of standing up!

Tea seized him by the elbow and assisted him in standing up. He sweated feverishly as Tea put a foot on the lowest part of the ladder. She gestured for Yami to do the same and, with a huge effort, Yami managed to grab onto the ladder. Tea held him tightly so that he wouldn't fall and gave Kaiba the 'OKAY!' signal. She felt herself and Yami being lifted up into the air, the wind blowing their hair about. Yami moaned and shut his eyes, looking more ill then ever. Tea kept her tight grip on him, praying that neither would fall – she wasn't on very securely herself.

She was relieved when they had reached the indoors of the helicopter. She helped heave Yami inside.

"Yami, Tea!" Yugi cried cheerfully. "I'm glad you're-! Yami?" Yugi looked at his darker half who's eyes were rolling in their sockets. He was shaking and sweating heavily and wasn't blinking. "TEA! WHAT'S WRONG WITH HIM?"

Tea didn't answer; she had the feeling that if she did tell him that Yami had made himself incredibly ill to save her life, her friends would blame it all on her, and that would make it twice as bad. However, they would have to reveal it sometime, so she explained everything that happened. The bite; the saving; the illness. By the end of it, Tea was in tears again.

"Oh…" Yugi said, casting a sorrowful glance at his currently weak dark. Tea just noticed that Yugi didn't look one hundred percent either. He was as white as a ghost, and his eyes were glazed over. Then she realised that Yugi and Yami were like the same being, which meant Yugi was probably as sick as Yami was!

"Yugi! You need to-!"

"No, wait," Yami said suddenly, grimacing as he shifted his position. "I won't let you feel this pain, Yugi."

"Yami!" Yugi protested, looking as if he was about to throw up his earlier snacks. "If we disconnect our link, then you'll feel every single bit of the illness!"

Yami smiled weakly. "Yes, but you'll be okay."

"Yami-!"

"Yugi, you can't stop me." And with that, Yami removed – arms shaking horribly – the Millennium Puzzle around his neck and placed it before Yugi. Tea watched in shock as Yami's body grew transparent, and his cheeks were flushed a brilliant shade of blue.

"Yami!" Yugi sobbed, reaching a hand out to touch him.

"Wha' wrong wid him?" Joey's voice came from out of nowhere which made Tea jump. She hadn't realised that all of her friends were here too! 'Kaiba must be going mad,' Tea mused.

"He's broken our link, so he doesn't properly exist anymore!" Yugi said through his tears. "Yami, you don't have to do this!"

Yami grimaced and didn't reply; most likely because he was trying to keep his mouth shut for fear of spewing everywhere. Yami's eyes rolled and his eyelids drooped over them. He fell unconscious...

"Yami…" Yugi and Tea whispered. Tea attempted to touch Yami but her hand went right through him. "What?" Tea yelped in surprise.

"I can touch him because of our bond," Yugi explained, gently touched Yami's shoulder. "He may have broken the mind link, but not our bond."

Tea nodded, a single tear clinging to her eyelashes.

"You do realise Kaiba only helped us because id woulda ruined his company's repuda'ion if da word go' ou'?" Joey growled, pounding a nearby wall.

"Oh, at least he helped us at all, Joey!" Tristan muttered, punching Joey in the arm.

"Ow," Joey said sarcastically before sitting down in a near by chair. Yami was lying in the bottom bunk of cabin 'A2', a wet washer folded neatly and placed carefully over his forehead. They had left him in the same clothes as before, but slipped a tracksuit over the top. The blankets were pulled right up to his chin and a jug of water was on the bedside table.

"Yami…" Yugi whispered, brushing a transparent bang out his dark's face. Mai frowned.

"How is that none of us can touch him – apart from Yugi of course – yet all the things like the bed and blankets still warm him and support his weight?" Mai asked curiously. Every nodded, looking hard at Yugi. Yugi sighed.

"Yami can only be touched by me and these other objects because I am his lighter half, and these objects aren't living. This is to ensure that while he is at his weakest point, no harm can really come to him." Yugi frowned at Yami who let out a small whimper in his slumber.

"Yeh, unless you get a great sharp dagger, and-," Bakura stopped at the death glares being sent at him. "What?"

"Oh, shut up, Bakura," Ryou yawned, eyes bloodshot. "I've had enough of you for one night."

Bakura looked deeply offended. "Well, I can see when I'm not wanted!" Bakura barked and got off up his chair.

"Now, 'Kura…" Ryou began.

"Don't call me that!" Bakura snapped and Ryou flinched. "I'm out of here!"

"Bakura, wait-!" But Bakura already strode off in the direction of the exit. He made to grab the door when it swung open unexpectedly. Bakura was flung into the nearby wall and his head hit the surface hard. His eyes rolled as he fell into a daze while Kaiba strode in.

"How is he?" Kaiba said unconcernedly.

"He'll live," Yugi sniffed grimly. "It's gonna be pretty rough for him, though."

"Well, none of this is to leave this cabin's walls," Kaiba said coldly. "Is that clear?"

There was a dull murmur of assent before Kaiba nodded and left. Bakura shook his head and jumped to his feet, swearing in Egyptian and English.

"ANGER MANAGEMENT!" Ryou roared at Bakura. Bakura's eye twitched as the door swung shut behind Kaiba. They heard a dull conversation from outside but Bakura failed to notice.

"Okay, I'm leaving for real this time!"

3…

2…

1…

Bakura was knocked off his feet again and into the same wall as the cabin door swung open again.

"HA, HA, HA! THE PHARAOH'S SICK! THIS I GOT TO SEE!" Cackled the newcomer gleefully. Everyone recognised the voice as the insane person who screamed into the microphone. Bakura grunted and shook his head to clear the images of stars. He growled and stood up, ready to scream.

"THAT DOES IT! YOU SON OF-!" He stopped, mostly because of the person in the doorway rather than Ryou's glare. He was shadowed due to the darkness outside, but everyone recognised him immediately. Mai ran out of the room screaming, leaving everyone to gape at the figure before them. The person grinned insanely.

"Malik?"

"NO!" He roared angrily. "I'M MARIK!"

Note to reviewers:

Djanime2004 - Thankyou! I love YamixTea-ness, it's so kawaii! Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Goooo Yami and Bakura fights! XD

Cutehelenjames - Your...review...made...me...laugh...so...much! XD Thanks for the review!

Dirty footprints - Hello, hello:) Glad you enjoyed the quick updates, and every time I read your reviews I go "awwww" and I'm not too sure why. Again, love the pen name! It's excellent. Thanks for reviewing!

Black Rose of Nevermore - Your review made me laugh, too! XD "THIS IS THE BEST HISORICAL EVENT EVER!" -LOL. Great review, thanks!

BrianSerenity - (Gives you a T.Alligator plushie) For being 50th reviewer. Arigatou:)

BradyBunch4529 - Thankyou very much! What a comliment o.o Anyway, here's the update! Enjoy!

DarkStar71 - Heh. You just got your review in on time. Thankyou for the review, I greatly appreciate it:)

Dreamer of Dragons - You also just got the review in before I submitted it. Good work! And I'm glad I made you laugh, arigatou!

Daikaio - YAY! 53 REVIEWS!
Rauzeras - Wow, and you managed to get that many with only 6 chapters this time!
T.Alligator - RaWr! Well done!
Daikaio - (Squeals) Anyway, thankyou so much reviewers! I love waking up in the morning to see all these emails in my inbox:)
T.Alligator - Don't forget: WE LOVE REVIEWS!