A/N: Woo! Double digits!

Chapter 10

Swimming in Dark Waters

She felt like she was being torn apart as the angry currents pushed this way and that. Pain stabbed at her as salt water seeped into her cut, making her arm feel like there were wasps digging their stingers straight into it. Tetra gasped at the pain and irritation, only to inhale water. Her lungs forced her to cough it back out, releasing her precious air. Chills rippled through her small body as the cold water entered through her mouth and nose.

Panic seeped through her entire mind as to where she was going, she clawed at the water with one arm and kicked as hard as she could to find the surface; only luck could help her, for she couldn't tell left from right, let alone up from down.

The girl opened her eyes to search for light, but was met with crazy stinging in her eyes. She had to ignore the pain if she wanted to live, so she scoured through the black water for any trace of light. She knew she had to hurry, as her air and energy were quickly depleting with her continuous coughing and kicking.

The girl suddenly surfaced, to her relief, and she began gasping for sacred oxygen, though she was almost instantly thrown back under as a wave crashed down not to far from where she was.

She was sent sprawling through the black waters at the impact of the blow, kicking out all energy she previously had.

Water was shoved into her mouth and the young pirate was forced to cough out the rest of the water from her lungs, leaving less and less oxygen for her to live on. The water threw her around even more sending bubbles spiraling around her, and they floated so freely, as if they were laughing at the suffocating girl. Her head appeared above the surface one last time, and she gratefully sucked in as much air as she could just as a tall wave slammed down on the girl. That one knocked her unconscious just as she felt an arm grab her waist. Using her last breath, she silently retaliated in fear; screaming out all the air from her lungs.

This 'being' held Tetra close to his chest as he tugged on the life rope twice, delivering them upwards through the raging waters.

He fell onto the deck with Tetra out cold on top of him. Link gently lifted her off of his chest to a standing position, with her arms draped around his shoulder.

"Get her to somewhere dry with medicine and a blanket! And get her out of those wet clothes! Quickly!"

The crew was baffled at the young boy ordering them, but Nudge, being the only member to have medical knowledge, stepped forwards and picked up Tetra and rushed to her room. Link followed hot on his heels.

Link changed out of his wet clothes and into dry ones in the crew quarters as Nudge helped Tetra change out of her wet clothes. This worried Link, but Nudge was like a father to the girl, not a lover, so there wasn't much to worry about. When he finished drying his dripping hair, Link didn't spare a second and charged in Tetra's room and gasped at what he saw.

Tetra was sprawled on the wood floor of her cabin, with Nudge doing CPR. The man quickly explained that once she had finished changing, she started gaging, and stopped breathing. Link sat on the edge of her bed, biting his nails. He couldn't stop wishing that she would be okay even as part of him had a strong urge to tackle the man off of her. He turned away, unable to watch their lips touch even if it was to save the young captain's life. The only thing he could do was avert his gaze and hope for her to wake up soon. He quietly growled at Nudge to hurry up, before he lost all his sanity.

Tetra bolted upright and started coughing out water from her lungs, much to a relieved Nudge and grateful Link, and immediately the boy was at her side.

"Are you alright Tetra?" Link asked.

"C-c'mon Link, you d-didn't t-think I w-was going to s-survive being th-thrown into an ice c-cold ocean?" You r-really should have more faith in your c-captain."

A somewhat relieved smile made its way onto Link's face and he gently laughed.

Tetra was finding it extremely hard not to relieve the contents of her stomach all over her floor, and hard to speak through her constant shivers.

"Nudge, get her a blanket please," he ordered, not taking his eyes off Tetra and helping her onto her bed.

Nudge secretly did not like being ordered around by someone lower then him on the pirate ladder, but obeyed anyway, fetching the warmest blanket he could find.

The man came back quickly and wrapped the thick blanket around her shoulders. Her shivering only slightly decreased, leaving the two as worried as before.

"The blanket retains heat well, but her body temperature is too low to heat it by herself. We need a pre-warmed blanket." Nudge explained.

Link looked at him in confusion. "But we don't have a pre-warmed one."

"I know, we need someone to warm it up for her. I would do it myself, but I'm afraid I would be too large for that blanket. One of the smaller members of our crew would have to do it."

"Maybe Niko…?" Link suggested, though hating the very thought of Niko wrapped up in a blanket with Tetra.

"No, she would rip his head off if she saw Niko that close to her."

Link nodded and made a relieved sigh. Nudge put his head in his hands.

He lifted it up quickly. "Maybe you…?" he trailed off.

"Me?" Link spluttered, "but wouldn't she tear my head off?"

"I'm sure she wouldn't mind it," he said with a mischievous grin.

Link felt his face turn hot as he realized the true intent of Nudge's words.

"Uh, okay…" he timidly stepped towards the shivering girl. "But only because she's cold!" Link harshly reminded him, his completely red face making Nudge chuckle.

"But of course," Nudge grinned.

The boy awkwardly slid into the blanket with Tetra, who's shivering declined drastically when they touched.

Link adjusted himself so they were both comfortable; Tetra was leaning on Link's side with her knees up. His arm was wrapped around her shoulders-only for warmth he stubbornly added- and her head fit perfectly into his neck, resting on his shoulder.

'Geez, she is cold.' He thought as his hand brushed the bumps on the pirate's bare arm.

"Don't they look cute…?" Nudge murmured to himself, to quiet for Link to hear. "Well, I'll be leaving now," he said louder, "If she needs anything, just call, or come and get me," he turned to the door, only to be stopped by Link's voice.

"Wait, you're just going to leave us here by ourselves?" Link asked.

"Do you want me to stay…?" Nudge questioned, already knowing the answer.

"Not really…" he mumbled "But what if she needs something?"

"It sounds as though the storm is abating so I'll be on the deck, you can come and get me like I said before. The crew will probably need further instruction, so I must leave you both."

Link nodded as the man slowly closed the door behind him, leaving him and Tetra alone.

He looked at Tetra and gently smiled. Her shoulders were rising in unison with her breathing, and she was only shivering slightly. She looked so peaceful; anyone would have seen an innocent young girl who got caught in the rain, not a bold pirate leader who almost suffocated in the waves of a stormy sea.

Link slowly laid his head on hers, shutting his eyes and letting out an exhausted sigh. His wish to sleep was quickly interrupted by a brisk banging on the door.

"Link? Ya in there swabbie?"

Without waiting for a reply, Niko barged into the room, only to stop dead in his tracks. Link thought it was because he broke one of his captain's most important rules; NEVER walk into her cabin without permission, but his thoughts quickly changed when a smirk planted itself on the pirate's face.

"Well ain't this a sight for sore eyes?"

"She was cold! Nudge said I should! Really it's not what you think! Agh…" Link stammered, and then dropped his head in defeat.

"Uhuh, sure," Niko just snickered at Link's scarlet face. "That is one interestin' move there laddie, just be wishin she don't cut yer arm off under that blanket," he paused slightly, "Well I am so sorry I interrupted," Niko winked and stepped out the door.

"Dang Niko…" he growled under his breath.

Link felt Tetra stir next to him.

"What happened…?" she croaked, her eyes still closed.

"You were asleep all that time? When did you wake?" Link asked, silently thanking the gods.

"About when you accused me of not being able to handle a water lashing," she answered groggily.

"You're still half asleep aren't you?" Link chuckled.

"Ung. Just answer my question."

"I'll explain it later, just go back to sleep," he gently hushed her.

Tetra slowly opened her eyes, and got that weird gut-feeling when she glanced over their position. She gave Link a fake glare, who just smiled sheepishly.

"You're lucky I'm too weak to move, or you'd be dead meat, punk."

Link chuckled. "I'll explain in the morning, I swear."

She sighed in response and much to the boy's surprise; she nestled in closer to his side, and grumbled something that sounded like 'stupid hormones'.

Link tensed up at this gesture, but Tetra didn't notice or say anything, because she closed her eyes again and began to doze off.

Link must have been as red as a rose as he thought,

'Gee I sure hope my face doesn't stay this color, and then I would be known as Tomato Boy instead of the Hero of Winds.' He shuddered at the thought and laid his head on Tetra's as the ship grew closer and closer to his home island.

Heeee 3
I love Niko.