Needless to say, tensions were high as the days passed. Everyone was here now, no one even thought that they might possibly get another roommate now that the beds were filled and the food came through all eight boxes. Red spent more and more time sparring with anyone who would join, while Sparky found himself accidentally shocking anyone who stood within three feet of him and Light only stirred from his hacking to take meal breaks, and even that because Friend made him do it.

So no one was all that surprised when the fight happened. I mean, really, they hadn't had a fight yet, and considering that they spent every waking moment in each others company, it was bound to happen sometime.

Light had been irritated when Friend interrupted him to come eat, and as a result, had suddenly decided that Ghost needed some prodding to open up. Ghost had stuck to himself since his awakening, and nobody forced him into anything. Except, apparently, Light.

To be fair, Ghost didn't seem to mind much, as Light sat next to him and started talking his ear off, alternating between ridiculing the rest of the group and stating things like "Come on, you're smart. I can tell. I could use a fresh perspective, you should totally come help me figure this out."

Ghost sighed. "Well, without a computer in my head, I wouldn't be much help," he stated for the eight time.

Light waved him off. "You won't need a computer in your head," he said. "I just need someone to bounce ideas off of. You know, a bit of creative advice? I think you'd be pretty good at that."

Ghost chuckled. "I don't know," he said. "I don't feel like an engineer. I think you'd be better off leaving me out of it."

"Aw, come on," Light prodded. "Give yourself some credit. You've got a brain behind those pale grey ghost eyes. I can tell."

"If he said he didn't want to do it," Reg stated. "He doesn't want to do it. Why can't you ever let things alone?"

Light raised an eyebrow, turning to Reg. "What, and let him sit here all lonely while you guys ignore his existence?"

Reg paused. "If that's what he wants," he said finally.

"Maybe he's just shy," Light offered. "Maybe he's one of those introvert types who only open up to people who are willing to put in the effort. Or maybe he's super stuck up and he's determined to ignore us until we've proven we're worthy of notice." Light turned back to Ghost and held his hand out. "Hi," he said with a smile. "I am most definitely worthy of notice. You can ignore Regular Guy over there. He doesn't want anything to do with you anyway."

"I never said that!" Reg exclaimed. "I was just saying-"

"You were just saying that I should stick to my own business and leave Ghostie here alone to watch you guys eat," Light said. "Forget it. I'll do what I'll do and you can huff at me in silence. Shut up."

Reg threw his hands up in frustrated surrender. "Yeah," he said, with a slight sigh. "Yeah, okay, whatever." Picking his bowl back up, he continued eating in silence.

Light watched him for a second, waiting to see if he would continue, then turned back to Ghost. "So then," he started.

"You're acting like a martyr," Chill interrupted. Light looked up at him in confusion. "No, not you, idiot," Chill told him. "Reg."

Reg looked up. "So now I'm a martyr?" He asked. "I just didn't want to argue with Light."

"I don't see the problem with that," Red offered.

"The problem," Chill said. "Is that he's playing as if he were being gracious, humbly stepping back and letting Light win even though he knew Light was wrong. But really, I feel that Light was right in this matter."

"You're bringing this all up and calling me a martyr because you're not satisfied with how the argument ended?" Reg asked incredulously. "What, do you like seeking out drama?"

Chill smiled. "While a little drama now and then does sound… exciting," he said. "I more brought this up out of a sense of justice. I hardly think it fair for you to act all superior and good when you were in the wrong."

"You keep saying that," Red commented. "But who are you to decide which of them is right and which is wrong?"

"Simple," Chill said. "I was an impartial observer. Not part of the fight itself."

"By that logic, I was impartial too," Red stated. "What if I were to say that Reg was right and Light was wrong?"

"Guys," Friend tried. "Let's try to calm down."

"Oh, but you're far from impartial," Chill said to Red, ignoring Friend's warning.

"How is she not impartial?" Reg demanded. "She wasn't part of it at all!"

"Miss Red's opinion cannot be counted as impartial," Chill stated. "Because of her attraction to you."

Everyone paused.

"Awkward…" Light muttered.

"Yeah," Ghost agreed with a small chuckle. "Maybe he does live for the drama."

"Excuse me, did you say my attraction!?" Red demanded angrily.

"Aye," Chill nodded, a small smile turning the corners of his mouth. "I've seen the way you two behave, always sitting together, always exchanging a glance, always in each others company-"

"Where else would we be, in this tiny Caravan!?" Reg demanded, his cheeks red.

"You're blushing," Chill announced. "You share the attraction."

"I- I do not," Reg started.

"Careful now," Chill warned. "You don't want to insult the lady."

Reg glanced at Red worriedly, before turning back to Chill, who laughed.

"Now see, what did I tell you," he said. "It is love! Oh, how fine!"

"Shut up," Reg ordered, stepping toward Chill threateningly, his face even redder than before. "Shut up before I make you!"

"Take one more step and you face me," Sparky said fiercely, now stepping up beside Chill.

"Two against one?" Reg laughed. "And here you were talking about justice."

Chill also seemed annoyed. "You know," he said, turning to Sparky. "I am not so incapable as to need your protection."

"But he threatened you," Sparky said angrily.

"Yes, and I can fight my own battles, thank you," Chill said.

"SHUT UP!" Everyone turned in surprise to where Muscles was sitting against the wall, glaring at everyone. "Voices annoying," he growled. "Trying to eat." Angrily shoving a bite of food in his mouth, he glared.

"Ahem, yeah," Light started, clearing his throat. "Sorry, Big Guy, we'll quiet down." Turning and chuckling to Ghost, he picked his own bowl back up.

The situation seemed to have diffused now, and Friend let out a sigh of relief.

"... It's just as well," Chill said as he picked up his bowl, smirking a little. "We would not want to hurt Reg's pride in front of his fiery lady."

It was the straw that broke the camel's back. Without a word, Reg turned and punched Chill in the jaw, sending him falling backwards into Friend, who caught him.

Standing up, Chill smirked, a dangerously mischievous gleam in his eye. "Oh, it is on," he said, standing back tauntingly. "Come on, then, Reg. Take another swing. Do it for the honor of your lovely lady."

Pandemonium broke out. Reg stepped forward to take another swing, only to be stopped by Sparky, who grabbed hold of Reg's arm angrily. "YOU DARE HIT A COMRADE!?" He yelled, sparks coming out of his hands and shocking Reg, who grit his teeth.

"I can fight my own battles!" Chill said with a long-suffering sigh.

"You certainly know how to start them," Red exclaimed before jumping up and grabbing hold of Sparky's arm, twisting it just enough for him to release Reg's. The two stepped back.

"Guys, stop it!" Friend said desperately, going and standing between the two groups, Sparky and Chill on one side, Red and Reg on the other.

"Get out of the way," Sparky said lowly. "This battle does not concern you."

"Yes it does!" Friend said. "I am very much concerned!"

Everyone gasped as Chill suddenly disappeared, only to reappear behind Reg. "Behind you," he whispered.

Reg, already tense from the strain of the Caravan and from Chill's goading, turned and swung again, only for Chill to disappear a second time and materialize behind Sparky. "Are you going to stand for this?" He asked him, and Sparky turned, glancing at Chill with a smile.

Turning back to where Reg had turned again at the sound of Chill's voice, Sparky clenched his fist. "Reg," he said. "Put up your fists!"

"This is really getting messy," Ghost noted.

"Yeah it is!" Light responded. "FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!"

"Don't encourage this!" Friend yelled desperately.

Red glared at Chill. "This has gone far enough," she said.

"Oh, I don't think so," Chill responded with a smirk. "It's just barely got going. Sparky, charge."

With a yell, Sparky ran forward and swung at Reg, who dodged it. Muscling up, Reg accepted his fate and swung back defensively.

"Reg, Sparky, calm down!" Friend tried.

"Keep at it, boys," Chill said calmly, leaning back against the wall.

"Oh, this is gold!" Light noted with a laugh.

"I just hope nobody gets hurt," Ghost sighed.

Meanwhile, Sparky continued to advance and Reg continued to defend, backing up step by step. Red tried in vain to stop Sparky, but all her ninjaness in the world seemed to have no affect on Sparky's strength.

By this time, Chill had gone to stand next to Light and Ghost. With a chuckle, he leaned towards Light. "Watch this," he said quietly before disappearing.

Reappearing behind Reg, he tapped his shoulder, disappearing again when Reg turned. This left Sparky an opening, and he managed to get in a good hit, sending Reg flying- Directly to where Muscles was sitting, watching in annoyance.

With an enraged yell, Muscles pushed Reg off him and threw his bowl to the ground, spilling the rest of the food. "THAT'S IT!" he yelled, standing up. "I SMASH YOU ALL!"

First, he punched Reg and sent him flying to the other side of the Caravan. Then he charged Sparky, who took the hit with a grin and punched back. They fought for a few moments, while Red went over to make sure Reg was alright, and Friend tried desperately to reason Sparky into stopping. Sparky ignored him and the two continued to fight, until finally Muscles got a powerful hit in, sending Sparky to the ground, momentarily dazed.

He then turned to Chill and sent his fist flying toward him, going right through him as Chill appeared behind him. "Missed me," Chill said.

Muscles roared and turned, missing again, as Chill began disappearing and reappearing about the room, never taking a single hit.

This continued for a few minutes more, before Red, now angry and cunning, rejoined the fight. She repayed Chill's earlier favor, and utilizing her quick feet and reflexes, stepped up behind him as he reappeared and tapped his shoulder. Turning his head for a split second, Chill realized the trick as soon as he fell for it. But it was enough to buy Muscles a hit, and as Chill turned back around, he caught it in the eye.

Falling back, Red caught him, and she held him up, sending her glaring gaze at Muscles. "You win," she said. "They're all out."

Muscles loosened up his shoulders and grinned. "That show them to mess my food," he said, turning away.

Suddenly, Red shrieked and dropped Chill, backing away.

"What happened?" Friend demanded as he, Ghost and Light all stepped forward.

"It- it burned," Red said, holding her hands out.

Looking down, they saw that Chill had turned blue, as he did sometimes, the affect the group had dubbed Radiation Fever, as he had no control over it and as it made him freezing cold to the touch when he turned. Stirring, he sat up. "Now, that's a wake up call," He said strainedly. "It burns."

"What did you do!?" Sparky demanded, now fully awake.

"I- I didn't do anything," Red exclaimed. "He-he did it to me!"

"You did it to each other," Light said, taking hold of Red's arms and examining them. "You're fire and he's ice. Your heat burned him and his ice burned you."

"That's so stupid," Chill said, sitting up and putting a hand to his blue face. "I suppose while I'm like this, you can't see whether or not the brute managed to give me a bruise?"

"No clue. Now shut up," Light said. "How bad are you burnt?"

"I'll survive," Chill said. "The pain is already fading. Part of this blasted fever, probably."

"Holy-!" Light said once more in regards to Red, as he let go of her hands and stepped back a bit.

"What!?" Red demanded.

"You… You're blue!" Light exclaimed.

"How are you doing that!?" Friend demanded as everyone stared.

Red looked down at her hands, the blue had started there and traveled up her arms, now her face was blue as well, while her hair turned black and her eyes turned orange. "I don't know!" She said, her eyes wide.

"Does it burn!?" Light asked.

"N-no," she said. "Just where I'd already touched him."

"How are you turning blue!?" Friend demanded.

"I don't know!" Red exclaimed again. "I just am!"

Her hair began going red at the roots again, and her normal appearance spread down from there.

"It's fading," Ghost noted quietly.

"You don't think she caught the Radiation Fever, do you?" Sparky asked Light.

Light shook his head. "No," he said. "We already decided it wasn't contagious, when you got slightly burned that one time and nothing else happened."

"Do you suppose you might have the ability to change your form?" Chill wondered. "And perhaps my transformation triggered this ability?"

Everyone considered this.

"How do you think of stuff like that?" Light asked. "Does that just pop to your head when someone turns blue?"

"It makes sense to me," Sparky stated.

"Let me try," Red said. "Maybe if I concentrate…"

Closing her eyes, everyone watched.

After a few moments, she opened her eyes and let out her held breath. "It's no use," she said. "I can't focus with these stupid burns on my arms."

"What happened?" Reg asked quietly, and everyone turned to see he had come to and joined the group, looking at the burns on Red's arms in concern.

"Oh, uh, she and Chill accidentally burned each other," Light explained. When Reg shot a glare at Chill, Light was quick to clarify. "It was after the fighting was over," he said. "Red was the one holding him up after she tricked him into letting Muscles knock him out. It was an accident."

"Sure, tell the whole story…" Chill muttered.

"Does it hurt?" Reg asked Red, ignoring Chill.

Red hesitated. "Whatever," she said finally. "No secrets here. Yes, it does."

"Can I try something?" Reg asked.

Everyone looked at him.

"I hope that wasn't as dirty as it sounded," Light stated.

"What?" Reg asked in confusion. "N-no! I think… I think I can heal her."

"What is up with everyone today?" Friend wondered aloud. "First Chill suddenly discovers he can rematerialize, then Sparky thinks the ability to just change your form makes sense, and now Reg decides he can heal people. Any other crazy ideas you guys wanna spit out?"

Sparky raised his hand, while Chill let out a chuckle. "I already knew I could rematerialize," he stated quietly.

Red held her hands out to Reg, who held them in his own. "I've already healed from the fight," he said. "So I know I have healing capabilities. Maybe I can transfer some to you?"

"Um, Friend's got healing powers too," Light said with a slight frown. "Why do you get to hold Red's hands?"

"Oh, don't start that again," Friend muttered, elbowing him. "Besides, I don't feel that way. She's like my sister."

Reg shot a frown at Light before turning back to Red and closing his eyes. after a few moments, the burns on Red's arm began fading, until they disappeared.

"Wow," Light noted. "So Regular Guy doesn't just muscle up or down at will. He also has freaky healing abilities. Ladies and gentlemen, a round of applause if you will!"

"Cut it out," Reg said, turning red.

"Now then," Friend said. "While everyone's calm and not acting stupid, we need to come up with a few new rules."

Everyone looked at him.

"Number one," Friend said. "No picking fights in the Caravan. In these close quarters, it will always end in someone actually getting hurt."

"But with what we just discovered about Reg, we don't have to worry about that," Light pointed out.

"Second rule," Friend continued. "Don't get complacent. Even with Reg's new powers, we don't know the extent of his capabilities. Nobody be careless and die."

"That's a good point," Light admitted.

"Third rule," Friend said. "Muscles, even if you're baited into fighting, you gotta get that smash thing under control. You could've hurt somebody."

"Didn't," Muscles defended.

"I know you didn't," Friend said. "But you've got quite a punch there. Be careful. Which brings me to the fourth new rule: No picking fights with Muscles, no tricking other people into getting into fights with Muscles, and no making Sparky charge."

"You keep looking at me," Chill said with a smirk. "I assure you, I never pull the same trick twice."

The blue began to fade from Chill then, and Light chuckled. "Dude," he said. "You were right, Muscles did give you a black eye. It's a real shiner, too."

Muscles laughed. "Sorry smashed Chill's eye," he said to Chill. "But Chill deserved it."

"Okay," Light said. "I see the speech therapy is working so far. Next lesson, Muscles: Pronouns. Pronouns are beautiful shortcuts. You've gotta stop talking like we're all in third person."

Muscles looked properly confused as Light continued the lesson, he'd taken to working with Muscles where everyone else avoided correcting him, for fear of his hot temper.

As they talked, Chill turned to Reg with an easy smile. "Now, that was fun," he said. "No hard feelings for my little joke, I trust?"

"You were joking?" Reg asked in surprise.

"Of course, you idiot," Chill said. "Things were getting tense and boring. We needed a bit of an avalanche in order to avoid bringing down the mountain. And Red," here he turned from poor Reg, who looked at him incredulously before shaking his head and giving up. "Congratulations," Chill continued. "Not many people can pull a trick like that on me."

"People have tried?" Red caught, raising her eyebrow.

Chill blinked. "Come to think of it, I think they have," he said. "Now if only I could think up an example. Ah well. No hard feelings?"

Red gave a small smile. "Sure," she said. "We all learned a few things today, so it wasn't a waste of our oh-so-valuable time. No hard feelings."

The doors of the windows all slammed shut then, and everyone turned in surprise.

"Aw man," Friend lamented, looking around and seeing all eight bowls around the room. "Next meal will be a sloppy one, guys," he warned.

Everyone groaned, and life settled back to normal for the eight members of the Caravan.