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

Chapter Eight: Lavender
Author: Daikaio
Rating: PG-13

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

A/N – Hey guys, HAPPY NATIONAL HUG DAY! (Hugs everyone) :) Sorry I couldn't get this up sooner, but was down so I was like "!" Anyway, chap.9 might take a while, I haven't finished writing it yet. Expect it out about...Saturday or Sunday. Anyway, on with the chapter!

A/A/N - Dedicated to cutehelenjames, who had her 16th birthday on Monday!

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

T.Alligator desperately tries to unlock the password protected folder containing chap.8 while Rauzeras attempts to comfort the depressed Daikaio. She pulls Daikaio into a friendly hug and pats her head, while Daikaio falls asleep.

Meanwhile, Marik and Bakura take down Helen's "Happy Birthday!" decorations, looking extremely moody that they didn't get to have the party. Yami and Yugi are playing a game of Mario Gold on the Nintendo 64, with the rest of the Yu-Gi-Oh! gang watching eagerly.

T.Alligator does Yami's happy dance as he finally cracks the code. He quickedits chap.8 before uploading it onto

Everyone stared in shock at the lavender-eyed psychopath in the doorway, who was grinning madly. There was a pause, and then Ryou and Bakura's Millennium Rings began to point at Marik, humming and vibrating. "So that's why our Rings were doing that the other night!" Bakura muttered.

"Hold on!" Yugi said suddenly, staring at Marik. "Marik, you're not supposed to have the Millennium Rod! That's Kaiba's!"

Marik cackled insanely. "HAHAHA! Technically it isn't his anymore! His past form owned the Rod, now I do! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Everyone in the room sweat dropped. "Well, wid him around, Mai won' come near us!" Joey whispered so that no one could hear him. Marik glanced around the room until he caught sight of the ill Yami.

"Ha! Poor Pharaoh!" Marik mocked, approaching the unconscious form. "Arise, Pharaoh!" Marik commanded, his hand hovering over the Pharaoh's limp body. Yami opened his eyes slowly and groaned. His cheeks flushed blue once more, and he looked around the room dazedly. He stared at the psychopath.

"Rise and shine, Pharaoh! Hahaha!" Marik cackled gleefully. Yami blinked at him, and then fell unconscious. Marik growled angrily and raised his Rod into the air. Yugi ran in front of Marik and pushed him backwards.

"Leave Yami alone!" Yugi said angrily, defending his sick dark. Marik glared at him.

"Bah! Foolish mortal! You dare to stand up to the great and powerful Marik? Hahaha!" He laughed evilly again. "Fool! I have great power, and will rule the world! Haha!"

"What?" Bakura yelped. "No! I-!"

"Bakura, not now!" Ryou said angrily, silencing the Tomb Robber. Bakura glared at Marik, in a way to say, "I'm-the-most-powerful-and-will-kick-your-sorry-behind". Marik snorted.

"I pity you, Tomb Robber. Being controlled by someone such as your Light!" Marik sniggered.

"Huh?" Ryou said confusedly.

"You don't see me being controlled by my weaker half!" Marik boasted. Ryou looked on the verge of tears with the 'weaker half' comment. Bakura looked furious.

"LEAVE MY LIGHT ALONE, MARIK!" Bakura roared, shocking everyone within three kilometres of him. "HE IS NOT WEAK! HE'S DAMN RIGHT SANER THEN YOU'LL EVER BE!"

"Uh…'Kura?" Ryou said looking shocked at Bakura's outburst. "Hey, calm down, it's okay…"

"NO! IT IS NOT 'OKAY'!" Bakura continued yelling; only causing Marik to retaliate. Ryou sighed and allowed the two immature yamis to have their argument while he approached Yami and the others.

Yugi put a hand on Yami's forehead and jumped. "He's heating up! We need to resoak that washer!" He grabbed the washer and raced outside frantically. Yami's ragged breathing was just heard over Marik and Bakura's bickering. Tristan quickly ran outside, calling over his shoulder that he was getting a first aid kit from Kaiba. Tea was crying with worry, not knowing what she could do.

"I'll ge' a blanked for him…" Joey murmured before heading over towards the wardrobe. He opened it and reached up to the top shelf and grabbed a thick blanket. He returned to Yami and Yugi's bunk and placed the blanket on top of Yami's cold body. Yami shuddered, his eyebrows creasing his sun-kissed face as trails of sweat ran down the sides. Yugi returned with a wet washer and folded it. He gently placed it on Yami's forehead and kneeled down next to him. Everyone was silent apart from Bakura and Marik, who were arguing continuously.

A few minutes later, Tristan came in with a box which was surely the first aid kit. He passed Bakura and Marik (Who were still arguing) and stood behind Joey and Tea. "Here we go; some of this stuff might help."

Tristan placed the box on the bedside table and opened it. It contained many things: Panadol, thermometers, different medicines and sleeping draughts, band-aids, bandages and ice packs. He pulled out a thermometer and gave it a quick shake. He then gave it to Yugi, who slipped it in Yami's mouth.

Yami's temperature was very high. Yugi was looking extremely panicky and started babbling.

"WILL YOU SHUT UP?" Both Bakura and Marik roared. "WE'RE TRYING TO ARGUE HERE!"

"OKAY! DAT DOES ID!" Joey looked like steam was about to come pouring out of his ears. He approached the psychopath and Tomb Robber and gripped them tightly by the collar and threw the pair of them unceremoniously out the door and into the night. Everyone in the cabin blinked at him, while Joey dusted his hands and locked the door. "And dat's dat."

Tristan and Tea cheered while Ryou scratched his head, unsure whether he should celebrate or be annoyed that Joey had thrown his yami out. In the end, he decided to just sit there and ignore the faint cursing from outside.

Everyone stayed with Yami, making sure his temperature didn't get too high, or he didn't get too cold, and that he was comfortable as possible. Every now and then, a blue blush would appear across Yami's cheeks and nose, indicating he was feeling very ill. It was almost midnight before there was a gentle knock on the cabin door.

"Pl-pl-please let m-me in!" Bakura stuttered. "It's f-f-freezing out here…"

"No way, Bakura!" Joey said quickly, walking over and standing in front of the door. "Now, you lis'en here! I am sick and tired of ya always screwin' with our heads! Ya always poin'in' ou' da mos' foolish fac's in da dopic of conversa'ion! I speak for everyone here – we're sick of id! Why can' ya jus'…jus'…jus' no' bring up dose sords of dings! Id's very uncalled for…"

While Joey had been giving Bakura his speech, Ryou had got up and had opened the cabin door, leaving Bakura in full view. Bakura was rubbing his arms furiously, teeth chattering. Too bad Joey was too busy giving Bakura a talk to notice Bakura reaching for something in his jacket…

"-an' dat's why we really expec' ya ta jus' coopera'e wid us all, ins'ead of bein' so incredibly insane, dat you-!"

"SHUT UP!" Bakura roared, attaching a dog muzzle around Joey's nose and mouth.

"MMPH?" Joey managed to mumble, the muzzle nearly silencing him all together. Bakura sniggered uncontrollably and Ryou shook his head.

"'Kura…"

"Ryou, must I remind you that I-?"

"Bakura, then," Ryou said, rolling his eyes. "Take that muzzle off Joey."

Bakura shook his head. "He deserves it!"

"BAKURA!" Ryou yelled angrily. He began fiddling with the clips around the back of the muzzle and nearly unhooked it – until Bakura activated his own Shadow Magic to keep the muzzle locked tight. Ryou attempted puppy dog eyes but Bakura was too busy laughing to notice. Joey was growling angrily.

"Bad dog!" Bakura laughed.

"Hey-! That's my call!" Said Kaiba as he entered the cabin. He took one glance at Joey and his muzzle, before he burst our laughing. And it wasn't the 'funny-funny' kind of laughter. It was cruel, scathing laughter. Joey growled more menacingly, and attempted to kick Kaiba in the shins. Kaiba stopped laughing. "Mutt, don't make me force you to drink out of a dog bowl."

Joey's eyes widened and he stopped trying to injure the CEO. Instead, he tried to heave the muzzle off his face, but it refused all tempts. Kaiba and Bakura were still laughing – until Ryou tackled Bakura to the ground.

Bakura's eyes widened in shock as Ryou buried his head into his chest. "Ryou! What in the name of Ra are you-?"

"I'm not letting you up until you remove that muzzle!" Ryou said forcefully, pinning Bakura's arms and legs firmly onto the ground. Bakura growled and tried to stand up, but Ryou wouldn't let him.

"Ryou…" Bakura muttered.

"Bakura…" Ryou replied. Bakura cursed in a hundred different languages, causing Ryou to scowl.

"Anger Management…"

"NOT THIS DISCUSSION AGAIN!" Bakura roared angrily.

"ANGER MANAGEMENT!"

"RYOU! WILL YOU STOP-?"

"ANGER MANAGEMENT!"

Bakura sighed in defeat. "Ryou, come on, I'm just having some fun! He left me outside for two hours…"

"Either you remove the muzzle, or-," (Ryou took a moment to think of some sort of other option that Bakura was certain not to choose) "-or you can, um, take care of the 'Pharaoh'!"

"WHAT?" Bakura screamed inside his soul room, causing their entire mind chamber to rattle. Ryou threw a man-eater bug plushie that had been in Ryou's soul room at Bakura's head, shutting up the Tomb Robber. "Fine, fine!" Bakura then removed the Shadow Magic from Joey's muzzle, allowing the blonde to take the contraption off his face. Kaiba huffed, muttering as he walked out.

"Hang on," Tristan said, who had not said a word during the entire riot. "Why did Kaiba even bother coming in here in the first place?"

There was a long pause. "Meh," Bakura shrugged, approaching Yami. "Any improvements?" Bakura asked, sounding like he couldn't care less.

"Well, it looks like his fever has broke," Yugi said, putting his hand on Yami's transparent forehead. "But he looks really pale, even if he is transparent."

Bakura snorted. "Well, I'm off to bed." Ryou glared at Bakura who ignored him. He climbed into his bunk and rolled over to face the wall, remaining silent. Everyone returned to fussing over Yami's health, not realising that Bakura was, in fact, still awake.

'No one cares about me,' Bakura thought scathingly, keeping his thoughts secret from his lighter half. 'It's always the Pharaoh who gets the attention. Even in the past he got the attention. I was shoved aside, and no one spared me a second glance. No one gives a damn about me!'

Those last few words, however, Ryou heard.

Golden eyes…honey-hued…amber lit…

Tea awoke with a start, trying to cling onto the last images of her dream. Those golden eyes had appeared to her once more, and she was more than certain she had seen them before. There was just something about them…

Tea peered out the window to look at the sky. It was still night, and tiny pinpricks of stars were visible. The night, however, was a navy colour, not completely black, which obviously meant that the sun would rise in a while.

Tea had been lying on the ground next to Yami's bed for only Ra knew how long. Joey had retreated to his bunk to sleep, as did Ryou and Tristan. Yugi and Tea had been the only ones to stay up and keep watching Yami through the night, but she must have fallen asleep at one stage. She looked to her right and saw Yugi dozing with his head on the edge of the bed. Tea glanced at Yami's sleeping form, relieved that he no longer had that shade of blue across his cheeks, and he looked to be sleeping soundly.

Tea got up, preparing to head into her room to sleep. Just as she was about to enter her room she felt someone's eyes on her. She turned back, looking around the room. All of her friends were asleep, and Joey was snoring loudly. Tea looked down at Yami's bed and nearly jumped in surprise; Yami's charming eyes were watching her, blinking slowly.

"Y-Yami!" Tea said in surprise. "What are y-you doing awake? You need rest!"

Yami smiled at her. "I think I need fresh air more than rest."

Tea blinked confusedly. "What? You can't go outside on your own, and you need to lie down…"

Tea saw the blue flush faintly appear across his nose and cheeks. He smiled at her grimly. "I know I'm ill. The fresh air will make me feel better. Would you…" he trailed off, not quite sure whether he should ask her that sort of favour. "Would you please take me outside? I understand if you want to go to sleep, of course."

Tea shook her head. "No," she said with a blushing smile. "I had a small sleep just before, I'll take you out. It's for the good of your health, and I owe that to you."

She approached the side of his bed. She knew he would have to help him up, but the thought of doing so was so terrifying yet exciting. She slowly slid her arm under his back, trying desperately to fight the blush that had formed across her cheeks. She helped him get into a sitting position, giggling inwardly. He swung his legs slowly over the edge of the bed and got to his feet. Tea let go of him for a second, and Yami's legs nearly gave in – in fact, they would of if Yami hadn't of grabbed Tea's shoulders at the last moment. Tea's blush intensified, and Yami grinned embarrassedly.

"Sorry about that."

"Oh, no problem," Tea said, sounding slightly high-pitched. Yami leaned on her shoulders for support, as his balance was failing him miserably. Tea then grabbed one of the thickest blankets on Yami's bed and wrapped it securely around his shoulders. Yami muttered his thanks, the blue flush deepening as they headed towards the door. Tea kicked it open gently and both of them headed outside.

It was very cold outside. The breeze was chilly but the actual temperature was what made the pair of them shiver. Tea led the ill Pharaoh towards a grassy area and lay him down. She soon lied down too.

It was a perfect view of the ocean. It was a small hill which made them lie on a slant, able to stare at the ocean and at the stars if they wished to. Tea hadn't even realised how beautiful this place was.

"Beautiful…" Yami said quietly.

Tea smiled, obviously thinking he was gesturing to the view, when in fact he was looking at her. "The moon seems to just light up the waves!"

Yami turned his attention to the ocean. "Indeed it is. You know, Tea," he said, shifting his head so that he could look at her. "The ocean reminds me of you a bit."

Tea blinked at him curiously. "How so?"

"I'm not sure, exactly," he said while playing with a piece of grass. "But I think it's your eyes."

Tea blushed. "I see."

"Blue. Oceanic blue. Very stunning," Yami muttered, before groaning as his cheeks lit up a brilliant blue. Tea placed a hand on his head, feeling it slightly warm.

"Hold on!" Tea said, suddenly startled. "You-I-we-?" She continued to babble.

Yami blinked at her. "What's wrong?"

"How can I touch you?" She demanded, not realising he was still transparent. "I thought only Yugi and objects can touch you!"

Yami looked at the sky, thinking. "I…don't know."

There was a puzzled silence. Tea shook her head. "Anyway, on to a different topic of conversation."

Yami chuckled. "Yes, a good idea." He then shivered and Tea inched over towards him, providing him with some more heat. Yami sighed in satisfaction, the gentle breeze playing with his hair. "Star constellations," Yami muttered, pointing at the sky. "Hey, I can see a Battle Ox!"

"That's a duel monster, isn't it?" Tea asked and Yami nodded slightly, wincing at the headache he gained in the process. Tea pitied him, but did not voice it in case he got offended by it. "I'm afraid I don't see a Battle Ox," Tea said, staring at the different star positions.

Yami sat up and grunted with the effort. Tea blinked and sat up too. "Something wrong?" She asked. Yami mumbled a negative reply before reaching for one of her hands. Tea blushed under his touch, and allowed him to raise it up to the sky. He moved her index finger up so that it pointed at one of the stars.

"You just follow the pattern, and you have a Battle Ox," Yami said, guiding her fingers from star to star like dot to dot. When he had finished, Tea could clearly see the slightly misshaped Battle Ox.

"Oh, I see it now!" Tea said brightly. "Wow, how'd you manage to find that?"

Yami shrugged and scanned the heavens. "Look, there!" He said while moving her hand over slightly to point at one of the stars. "A Baby Dragon!" And indeed it was.

"Dark Magician Girl!"

"Firegrass!"

"Big Eye!"

"Shining Friendship!"

"Sonic Bird!"

"Happy Lover!"

He continued to name the different duel monster constellations he could see, each time amazing Tea. He finally stopped and allowed her hand to fall back onto the ground. He sighed heavily. "I wish I had my guitar," he said sadly. Tea smiled gently.

"Its okay, Yami. You can always get another one."

Yami nodded mutely and Tea had a feeling that didn't cheer him up at all. That's when she made a mental note to repay him for saving her life somehow…

Tea looked down at Yami and saw him resting his head on her forearm. His eyes were shut and he was dozing peacefully, the blue flush no longer on his handsome face. Tea sighed loudly and brushed a bang from his face, tucking it securely behind his ear. "Yami?"

"Mm?" Yami murmured. Tea smiled at her sleepy crush.

"Thankyou."

Yami opened an eye slightly, Tea only just resisting the urge to go 'awwwww'. "Whatever for, Tea?" Yami asked curiously.

Tea smiled, looking out into the horizon as the first rays of sunlight split the darkness and lit up the ocean. "For…everything."

Yami smiled and yawned before going back to sleep, Tea doing the same.

The events in the early morning were indeed amusing.

Yugi had woken up, and immediately looked where Yami should have been occupying the bed – only to find it empty. Yugi had then attempted to wake everyone in the cabin up, but they were all too sound asleep. Yugi then dug into Bakura's bag and pulled out a 'Do It Yourself Sheep Shearing' book. Yugi blinked at it curiously before throwing it over his shoulder. He then pulled out a bag of round bouncy balls. He aimed carefully and began pelting them around the cabin.

Two or three hit Joey and Ryou while the other fifty or so rubber objects bounced off the walls, creating loud bangs and crashes as they knocked things over. Finally, after several moments of complete ruckus, everyone has woken up.

And none of them were pleased with the young Game King.

"Yugi-! Why on earth did you do that for? That was completely uncalled for!"

"Dang it Yug'! I was peacefully sleepin' undil ya decided ta throw dose bouncy dingys around da cabin!"

"Yugi! C'mon, man, cut us a break! We need to rest; it's early for corn's sake!"

Some swearing in Egyptian. "STUPID PHARAOH'S LIGHT! WHAT ARE THESE HELL WRITTEN BALLS OF MENACE?"

"Hell written balls of menace?" Said Marik musingly as he entered the cabin. "Good one. Morning everyone!" He said brightly.

There was a grumble from several people in the cabin. Marik scowled. "Well, aren't we all filled with Ra's essence this morning?"

"Ah, shut up, Marik!" Bakura cried grumpily, throwing a pillow at him. He climbed down the ladder and turned to face Marik, only to meet a soft pillow in the face. "Thanks," Bakura grunted.

"EVERYONE!" Yugi yelled before an argument broke out. "YAMI'S MISSING!"

Several, "what's?" and a, "ha! Nothing can stop me from world domination now!" along with a, "what-? No!" and finally a, "not now, Bakura!" was heard in response. Yugi began throwing people's bags around the room, as if expecting Yami to be hiding underneath them.

"Okay, Yug', calm down!" Joey yelped as Tristan's yoyo hit him in the side of the head.

"Where is he? Where is he?" Yugi muttered to himself quickly, shifting many objects aside. Everyone was suddenly worried for the small teen's sanity.

"Wow, he's almost as insane as you, Marik!" Bakura said, looking impressed.

"Yeh, I know!" Marik said in shock, failing to notice that he just got insulted. A few minutes later, however, everyone had run out of the cabin, calling for the former Pharaoh.

"No, no, no, no, no!" Yugi cried desperately, looking behind trees. Marik and Joey were the only ones who bothered to check under small rocks and pebbles. Then, Tea appeared next to Bakura, Yami in a secure grip and head lolling on her shoulder.

"Uh, guys?" Tea said uncertainly. "What are you doing?"

Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to look at the brunette, blinking at her confusedly.

"YAMI!" Yugi cried happily, racing over to Tea and Yami. The blue flush was only light on his features, but Yugi was immediately worried. "Tea, how come you can touch Yami?" Yugi asked incredulously.

"I don't know," Tea said truthfully. Yugi blinked at her before heaving Yami onto his shoulders and dragged him back to the cabin.

'Bah, damn it. I still get shunted aside,' Bakura thought savagely as everyone apart from himself and Marik quickly headed inside. "Marik, do you get the feeling we're unimportant to the plot?"

Marik blinked at him. "Plot?"

Bakura shook his head. "Never mind." He was about to head towards the cabin when he heard Marik yell at him.

"WAIT A SECOND! WHAT DO YOU MEAN HE'S 'ALMOST AS INSANE AS I AM'?" Marik roared. Bakura blinked.

"What are you talking about?"

"YOU SAID THAT THE PHARAOH'S LIGHT WAS ALMOST AS INSANE AS I WAS!"

"He did?" Yugi yelled angrily from inside the cabin. "Bakura, you're gonna get it later!"

Bakura rolled his eyes. "I'm petrified. And didn't I say that like ten minutes ago?"

"Yes, but you still said it!"

"But…it took you that long for you to understand it?"

"Yes."

Bakura shook his head, but quickly yelped when something hard collided with his head. "MARIK!"

"Hahaha!" Marik cackled, and began to poke him with the Millennium Rod. Bakura screamed and ran off in the direction of the beach, the lavender-eyed psychopath close behind. When they neared the water, Bakura turned around when he heard a high-pitched squeal behind him. He saw Marik running full speed back to camp, a large and 'vicious' looking sea star (Starfish) covering his face.

Not even bothering to think of how a sea star got on his melon of a head, Bakura fell on the sand, laughing so much tears were pouring out of his eyes.

Notes to Reviewers:

Dreamer of Dragons - Ra, that's pretty lucky! Hope you enjoyed this chapter!

Darkstar71 - Thankyou for the review! Enjoy!

Cutehelenjames - Another good review from you! XD HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Amazoness Archer - Glad you find me funny! Thankyou for all the reviews:)

Shining Charizard - You DO have a famous pen name, as it was one of the few I commented on. (Famous to me of course xD) And thanks for the reviews, hope you enjoyed! And my exams start today; I need all the luck I can get o.o'

Kat - Yep, you were right! Thanks for reviewing!

Funkgal-yamitea fan - Yes, YAMIxTEA FOREVER! XD Thanks!

Dirty footprints - Awwwww. XD And if I have time I'll read your fic; bit busy this week :'(

Seabreeze-YamiAnzu - Here's the next chapter, enjoy!

Celestial10000 (Anonymous) - I'll search for your story, hope you enjoyed this chapter! Thanks!

Death Angel's Fate - Hope you enjoyed that movie! x) Thanks for reviewing!

Jessica Morgan - Does he get better? Oooh, wait and see xD YamixTea for eternity!

C.A.M.E.O.1 and Only - SxS, huh? Hrmm, interesting couple. Hrmm...guess you'll have to keep reading and find out! Thanks for reviewing by the way :P

BrianSerenity - O.O Oh my Ra, what a compliment! (Glomps Brian and Serenity) Thankyou sooooo much:D

Michele (Anonymous) - Thankyou very very much:)

Funkymoleperson - Ah, thanks! Yeh well, expect chap.9 by this weekend (Australian time) Anyway, thanks for the review! Arigatou!

The entire Yu-Gi-Oh! gang, Daikaio, Rauzeras and T.Alligator – HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HELEN!
Rauzeras – Kinda late, Light?
Daikaio - I know it is, but we still have to celebrate! (Blows blower half-heartedly)
T.Alligator – Please review, thanks!

Chapter eight posted on 06/01/2005