Akko was desperate. The thudding sound of footsteps was growing closer by the second, and her heart beat so fervently within her chest that she thought she was suffering from a heart attack. Her hands trembled, and tears bit at the back of her eyes. From a single, stray branch jutting awkwardly out of the cavern wall, situated beneath the ledge atop which Akko sat, hung Diana.

"Diana!"

Akko was growing oh so desperate because Diana's face was a mess of blood dribbling from a cut near her hairline, over her eyelids and around her lips, and her eyes had already lost against exhaustion to remain open.

Their wands were broken, the wooden handles busted to bits and the metallic tips shattered like glass. Even when - when, not if - she managed pull Diana onto the ledge, she had no source of magic to heal her, and she had nothing even remotely resembling medical supplies to staunch the bleeding or alleviate the pain.

"Diana, please, stay with me!"

Her voice was strained, thin and on the cusp of hysterics. She wasn't even sure if Diana were conscious at that point, but she wasn't willing to entertain that idea. Her nerves were already in disarray.

But a sharp gasp fled her lungs as Diana's eyes began curling open, fluttering against the flow of blood trailing the curves of her face. A glob of blood ran over her left eye, and Akko watched in horror as she moved to wipe it, leaving only one limb gripping the branch; but her hand was already coated in the same gooey substance, and she wiped her eyes clean with her shirt sleeve, instead.

"Diana! Push up, okay? I'll pull you up!"

She just needed a few more inches from Diana. That was it, and it would close the gap between them. But that meant Diana needed to find leverage, enough to stand herself a few inches taller. Her legs fumbled below her, kicking at air and finding nothing upon which she could rest - and Diana choked with a jarring realization that there was nothing but a black expanse under her. She dug her nails into the bark.

There was nothing beneath her, nothing at all for as far as her eyes could see. Her heart drummed heavy and thick in her ears, and for a moment the world went terribly, suffocatingly black.

"Diana!"

The cave came back to her in a jolt, and the air that invaded her lungs burned, piling down her throat at an alarming rate. She gagged, a rough, breathless sound, and something of iron ran past her lips.

"I know it hurts, but you gotta push up!"

Diana kicked, and finally, her foot make contact with something. She pushed up on it, and her muscles lit on fire. She shot her arm up, hoping Akko would grab hold of it herself because her vision was swimming far too quickly for her to attempt any semblance of accuracy.

Neither she nor Akko thought they would ever feel such relief from the feeling of blood squishing between their fingers, or from the biting sensation of Diana's arm potentially being ripped from its socket as Akko heaved her up.

But there was finally - finally - something beneath Diana, something hard and solid and unmoving, and the world swam a little less viscerally.

As soon as the very tips of her toes were secured on top of the ledge, Diana found herself in Akko's arms, head buried under her chin and a hand greedily claiming purchase on her back.

"Oh my, God, Diana," Akko cried, tears of relief mingling with those of unwound worry and anxiety. "I'm so happy you're safe."

Warmth dripped from her tongue, and Diana melted in the embrace. She could hardly return the gesture over the lead in her bones, but she was more than content to be on the receiving end.

Her head lolled across Akko's shoulder, and a trembling sigh snaked its way past her lips.

"Ah... Akko..." Immediately, the girl in question quieted. "We need to go now, for...I may...ah..." Black dots flittered across her field of view, and if they stalled, her vision was bound to be overrun by them.

Her breathes were coming in clipped, heavy exhales and staggered inhales; and the sound alone tugged Akko's nerves into a tight bundle, clenching her heart uncomfortably.

"Diana...?" The name shook on Akko's tongue, and she tightened her hold on Diana.

"We must go," Diana breathed out.

Akko jerked back, hands going to Diana's shoulders to keep her in place. Diana missed the warmth as soon as it was gone.

"You can't. You're hurt, and-"

"Akko."

Her head felt heavy, and she let it fall forward, begging away the lightheadedness and the nausea churning in her stomach. Her forehead came to rest on Akko's chest. "Must I...remind you of the dragon." She didn't; the sound of its footsteps had yet to cease, echoing about the chamber and drawing all the more closer. "If we sit...sit here, we are as good as dead."

Diana swallowed thickly, and something warm and slimy lined her throat. She faintly recalled the iron taste and considered checking for blood - but her hands were already smeared with it; she wouldn't be able to tell what it was if she tried.

Akko pulled her back once more, and Diana blinked a few times, forcing the black dots to disperse. Tears prickled at the brunette's eyes because Diana was hurt, she was hurt. She was bloody and tired, and Akko could do nothing to help her.

"We'll move, okay? W-We will, but you're not doing anything. You're not walking, you're not... Diana, nothing, okay?"

She rested her palm gently on Diana's cheek, directing her face towards her. With her other hand, she bunched up her baggy sleeve and padded the blood from her eyes and forehead. It was thick and smeared across her skin, leaving behind sickening trails of red. Diana's blue eyes sought contact with her own, but they swirled with panic and tears.

Akko swallowed down something that tasted bitter, something that made her stomach do flips; because the longer she stared at Diana, the more she realized she was hanging precariously close to the cusp of unconsciousness, and that was probably of what Diana had been trying to warn her.

The blond's eyebrows furrowed, and she choked down a sob as a flush of pain surged from the tips of her toes to the top of her head.

Akko's heart fluttered restlessly along in her chest because she had never been this deafeningly scared before. Diana was a mess of blood and weary bones in her arms. She could hardly remain upright, and Akko didn't think that a person could look so thoroughly exhausted.

"Are you injured?"

She jolted; and in her momentary haze of shock, Diana leaned back into her, resting her head on Akko's shoulder.

"You protected me f-from the hit. P-Promise, Diana, I'm okay." Her voice was pulled taut.

A sliver of silence passed between them, long enough for two heavy, echoing steps to sound from some opening above them. Diana's head toppled lightly against Akko's, and she released a quivering breath that brushed lightly against the brunette witch's ear.

"I am relieved."

She spoke in a contented sigh, wispy and soft and a mere mumble into Akko's shoulder.

"But you're so hurt, Diana." Her voice had risen an octave higher.

"And you'll get us out." Diana lifted her arms around Akko, settling into the embrace. She wanted to be closer, to bury herself in this warmth. It was satisfyingly numbing, and she could only vaguely feel her fingertips over the cold that permeated her body.

"I believe in you."

Something cold and heavy dropped in the pit of Akko's stomach. She clutched at the back of Diana's uniform, dissolving into tears and a blubbering mess of hiccups.

"Diana, you're so hurt." Akko felt like a child, whining and crying to her parents, but she couldn't help it. A deep-rooted terror had coiled within the pit of her stomach, and her nose was assaulted by the tang of blood filling the air and dousing her shoulder. Her friend was practically dead weight against her, and she was fearful that Diana's next breath wouldn't come, throat congesting closed with whatever was making that horrible gurgling sound.

"I will be all right, Akko." Diana paused to attempt to steady her breathing. Her head felt light, but next to Akko, jolting with sobs and other minute movements, she felt semi-grounded. "We'll get out."

Akko nodded, running a hand up and down her back. "W-We'll get out," she parroted. "I-I'll carry you - on my back."

She was greeted with silence.

The ground quaked beneath them, and Akko broke the embrace, prying Diana from her. Her hands clenched at the fabric of the uniform, and her nails bit lightly into skin.

"O-Okay, Diana?"

"...mmm..."

Her eyes weren't open. Akko wasn't certain whether she kept them closed to avoid the blood sliding once again over her eyelids, or because exhaustion compelled them shut against her own volition.

Akko fumbled to smear the blood away, hoping it was the former.

"Diana... H-Hey, Diana," she spoke, patting Diana's cheek, vigorously ignoring the extra weight the blood had added to her sleeve. "We need to move. You're still with me, r-right?"

And gradually, her eyes blinked open, blue pools weary and beaten. She released a heavy breath, but something had coagulated in her throat, stopping her from inhaling past a certain point.

"My back - I'll carry you," Akko repeated.

Akko adamantly refused to release one of Diana's hands, but she turned on her knees, offering her back to the blond. She linked one arm around her neck, and Diana brought the second up on her own. Once her hands were clasped, Akko tentatively let go.

"Can you put your legs through?" she asked, arms set at her waist.

Diana began fidgeting, boots scraping against the cavern floor. Akko grew nervous as the shuffling continued because maybe that was too much for Diana by that point - but one leg, then the other, finally slipped through her arms. Akko clasped her hands together, and Diana edged forward atop her hold.

"You okay?" Akko asked.

Around her neck, Diana's hands trembled; and she slumped against Akko's back.

"Do not worry, Akko," she replied. Her breath against Akko's ear sent a chill down her spine. The brunette forced down the tears biting at the back of her eyes and clenched her stomach against the nauseating flips it was doing.

"But are you okay?"

To her surprise, Diana let out a short, clipped laugh. And as Akko rose to her feet, grunting against the added weight, something else, something different and light sent Akko's stomach into a flurry - and she supposed it was because Diana - Diana - chose her next words to be a joke:

"Yes, I'm in... I'm in good hands."

Author's Note: I apologize in advanced for this first chapter. I lost a good chunk of it this morning while editing, so I scrambled at like 3 am to start rewriting it, haha, tons of fun. (Although, if I'm honest that's not totally sarcasm because I wound up changing a lot of things that I personally like a lot better). I hope you have enjoyed reading! :)