Water spurted from Keith's mouth as he finally breached the surface. Lungs burning he gasped for fresh air, accidentally dipping below the water again before he steadied his treading and was able to keep his head up. Water streamed from his helmet and ran over his eyes, which he furiously wiped away. It was dark, but as he let his eyes adjust he began to pick out features of the cavern. The waterfall had caught Keith in its deadly whirlpool and tossed him about like a lost sock in the laundry before finally releasing him into a black pool of water under the cliffs somewhere behind the waterfall. The roar of the falls still echoed in Keith's ears; as he turned to look at where he came from he could see the impenetrable curtain of water a ways behind him. The cavern was large, obviously the work of water eroding the rock over a millennia or possibly even longer. Keith could make out an outcropping of some sort protruding from the back of the cave and began to swim towards it.

As he swam Keith noticed a familiar white hood floating just under the surface of the water a few feet away. "Lance?" Keith called out, his voice echoing off of the damp cave walls as he surged forward. Fear gripped his stomach as his hand brushed the fabric and pulled the hood towards him. Empty.

Keith shouted again, his panicked eyes frantically searching the waters surface. Not sensing anything he continued on his path towards the back of the cave. Still holding unto the soaked empty jacket Keith pulled himself up unto the rock shelf. Water began to pool underneath him as Keith threw the jacket down and began to strip himself of excess clothing which was now rendered heavy by the weight of the water. The pile of his shoes, belt and jacket quickly joined Lance's jacket. Removing his helmet Keith tipped it over the edge of the outcropping and watched the stream of water flow from it. Unfettered with excess weight Keith stood again and surveyed the inky black deep water again. "Lance!" He shouted and stood dripping and uncertain of what to do next. The sound of dripping water and the waterfalls in the distance filled the cavern. He ran his hand through his hair brushing the wet strands from his face.

Keith waited for a frustrating eternity, heart pounding in his ears. At last a splash broke the surface! Without hesitation Keith jumped back into the inky black water. The tan hand that had breached the surface sunk quickly again. Keith spurred himself on and disappeared with a ripple as he dove downwards. For an earth shattering moment the cavern was again as it had been - still and serene. Straining against the waterlogged bundle in his arms Keith erupted from the darkness. Kicking furiously he wrapped one arm under Lance's shoulders and pulled him towards shore. It was no small effort to push Lance up unto the rocky ledge; the Blue Paladin was unresponsive and Keith nearly lost him to the depths of the pool again once or twice during the laborious process.

At long last Keith gave a great heave and managed to get his colleague on to land. Keith sat for a moment on the cold wet rock beside the boy, afraid to look, terrified at what he might see. In the dim light of the cavern it was hard for Keith to make out any defining features but one thing he did know was that the boy had not moved yet. Slowly Keith's hand reached for Lance's. His awkward fingers traced his palm to the wrist. The skin was wet and clammy, the same state as Keith's. Keith shivered slightly as he continued, noticing that now that he was out of the water that a damp cold had begun to set in on his body. Distracted by his own pulse racing in his ears Keith could not discern a heartbeat. Fear sinking deeper into his bones he grabbed the boy's wrist and began to shake his arm. "Lance? Lance, come on." He whispered into the dark. Unable to not face the facts any longer Keith shifted onto his knees, towering over the lifeless form before him. "Quite fooling around Lance." He ordered, hoping this was just a sick practical joke. He began to shake the Paladin by the shoulders. Still no response.

Keith felt as though ice was gripping him from the inside as he lowered himself over the body. Groping awkwardly with his hands he found Lance's mouth and placed his ear next to it. Listening for any breath Keith placed his other hand on the boy's chest. Still no movement. His mind began to whir, he knew what he had to do, but did he have the courage to do it? Even though he had dropped out of the cadet program Keith had made it as far as the basic first aid class, but he didn't recall paying attention all that much.

"You owe me big for this." Keith muttered as he found Lance's nose and plugged it with his left hand. Quickly, before he could bring himself to change his mind, Keith pressed his lips against the other boy's. In the darkness he missed slightly and clunked his teeth at first. Tilting Lance's chin up with his right hand he got a better lock on his lips and exhaled deeply into the other boy's mouth. Lance's chest rose and fell; feeling more confident Keith gave him another breath and then paused for a moment listening to see if there was any response. When nothing came he felt for Lance's chest and placed both hands against it, pressing downward as hard as he could he began the compressions. Keith lost count, he knew he was supposed to count, but he couldn't. Had he done 8, or 12? Should he keep going? "Dammit!" He cursed. Arms growing tired Keith stopped and went to give Lance another breath. He found the lips easier this time and gave a full breath - waited - and then went for the second.

As Keith blew into Lance's mouth again he felt a sudden surge of resistance. Water projected upwards into Keith's mouth and he sat up gagging and sputtering, thoroughly disgusted with the second hand drink. Lance began to cough and instinctively shifted his body to his side as his brain fired back up. For a tense moment both boys just sat there coughing up water and spit until it felt like their lungs threatened to spill out as well.

Keith sank back into a sitting position and held his head in his hands. His head ached as he came crashing down the adrenaline high of saving his friend. He was glad that the darkness and the general wet status of both boys hid the tears that stung his eyes. "What the hell Lance?" He finally uttered, the sharp tone of his voice echoing back from the damp rock walls.

Lance rolled over onto his stomach and brought himself to his knees. "What?" Lance felt as though a gallon of water had just been emptied from his head, his thoughts were foggy as he tried to gain his bearings while simultaneously processing words and remembering how to say them. His voice was scratchy and every breath was punctuated with another cough. He attempted to sit upright but cringed as a sharp stab of pain pierced his head and the ensuing wave of dizziness brought him back down to the ground.

Keith tempered his angry words. "You okay?" He asked in a softer tone.

"Maybe?" Lance laid back unto the rock and took stock of his body. Toes were intact, fingers too. He winced as he brushed some clingy wet hair back from his forehead. The area was sticky and warm. "I don't know. How about you?" He tried to remain casual despite the fact that nothing was in fact okay about the situation at all.

"I'm fine." Keith answered, glad at least that he had come out of the accident unscathed. "I have no idea where we are though." Keith stood up and walked barefoot back to where he had dropped his extra clothes. He flung Lance's sopping wet jacket in his general direction, it landed with a resounding splat on the rock next to him. "First things first, let's try to start a fire. Then I'll see about getting us out of here." Keith began to rummage in his side pockets looking for the box of matches he always carried. They may be soaking wet and unusable, but it was better to have hope than nothing else.