Chapter 11

They stepped over the threshold, the door closing silently behind them. It melted away into the background, completely invisible in the dense wall of trees. The scene before them was depressing to say the least. Everything seemed to be black, white or grey. They were standing at the edge of a large lake, frozen solid about two metres thick. Surrounding the lake was a mile of impenetrable black forest, leading up to slate grey mountains. The sky was a pale grey, white shadowy clouds skittering about on the wind. The ice cast a glassy sheen over the dark water below.

"Nice," Garnet murmured.

"Kai's been here before. We saved him from drowning when his feet got frozen to a piece of sinking ice," Tyson whispered back.

They walked out into the middle of the ice, where Garnet felt Kai's presence the strongest. They stopped and looked around. No Kai. Tyson frowned.

"Maybe we missed him," he mumbled thoughtfully.

"No, he's definitely here. We're just looking in the wrong place..."she trailed off, staring at her feet. "Tyson, I think he's under the ice."

"That can't be good," Tyson muttered, panic in his eyes.

"You think?"

Garnet started pounding at the ice with her fists, until Tyson pulled her away. He led her hand to an imprint he had seen in the ice. It was about the size and shape of his pendant. She stared at it for a moment before nodding. He knelt down and placed it into the depression, fingers crossed at his side. For a few moments, nothing happened. Then, so slowly that at first they didn't notice it, spider-web thin cracks started to appear in the ice. He grabbed it from the depression as the cracks deepened and a splintering sound filled the air.

Kai opened his eyes, feeling like someone was sucking the life out of him with every breath he took. The cracking sound he had heard from the surface echoed through the water. He saw shadows peering over the whole in the ice's surface. He smiled. Someone had come. This comforting thought flitted through his head before he sank into unconsciousness again.

Tyson and Garnet gazed over the hole's edge. The water seemed to sink down forever, a black oblivion to which there was no end. Except for a tiny speck of white in the middle of it. That, they decided, had to be Kai. Garnet dipped her finger into the water, shivering as it quickly froze the already cold digit. She whipped it out, clutching it in her other hand. Tyson looked at her, drew in a breath and slowly submerged his hand in the freezing cold water. He blinked and looked up at her.

"I can't feel the cold," he muttered incredulously.

"I can. I can't go down. You have to go by yourself," she replied, worry appearing on her face.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine," he grinned, not so dense as to not notice her evident unease. "Besides didn't it say that I had to call him from shadowy depths? This lake is about as shadowy and deep as you can get."

With that, he sat down on the edge of the hole and pushed himself in.

He swam down, silvery bubbles escaping every now and again. He kept the white dot in clear view, hoping he didn't run out of air before he got there. About halfway between the surface and his destination, he felt his lungs start praying for oxygen. He screwed up his face, determined not to drown. A few seconds later, a stream of bubbles erupted from his mouth. He waited for the water to start pouring down his throat, filling his lungs with liquid. He floated there for about a minute before he realised he wasn't choking. A blush came to his cheeks as he reasoned that as it wasn't real water, he couldn't actually drown in it. He started kicking again, propelling himself nearer and nearer the white shape. He reached his destination and stopped for a breather. He almost choked when he set eyes on Kai. Kai was floating opposite him, head bowed in unconsciousness. He too was wearing armour, very similar to Tyson's except that it was scarlet and gold. And he was covered with a thin layer of ice. It glittered on the armour like drops of rain and it made his face look like a mask, with harsh, frozen lines. Tyson grabbed Kai's arm, noticing the horribly slow breathing. He swam slowly to the surface, clutching Kai's arm like a vice.

Garnet knelt on the ice, an impatient look on her face. Either Tyson had drowned, or he was just taking a really, really long time getting Kai up from the lake. Suddenly Tyson's head burst out from under the lake, Kai's quickly following suit. Garnet gasped. He looked just as emaciated in his mind as he did in the real world, except that here the ice made him look thinner and paler. They laid him out on the ice, Tyson shaking the water out of his head, spraying it in all directions.

"Now what? He isn't recovering, is he?" Tyson asked, still clutching Kai's hand.

"Thinking," Garnet mumbled behind her fingers.

On Kai's chest lay another pendant. Like Tyson's, it looked like it had been snapped in half. It was carved from dull grey stone, and a crying dragon had been engraved into it. Her eyes lit up with an idea.

"Give me your pendant for a moment," she said, holding out her hand.

"Okay," Tyson replied uncertainly.

She pressed both pendants together. They interlocked perfectly. She closed her eyes, wishing with all her might for Kai to recover. For a while, nothing happened. Then, the pendants gave off a soft glow, and were rejoined. In the glow, the ice covering Kai's face started to melt. Tyson smiled, pearly tears rolling down his face as Kai opened his eyes.

"I'm alive. That's a surprise," he muttered before turning to Tyson. "Would you stop crying on me please?"

"Sorry," he sniffed, smile widening.

"We have to go," Garnet said, pointing at her own pendant, which was shining brightly.

"What about Kai?" Tyson asked, looking down at his lover.

"Don't worry, I can make it out of here on my own," Kai replied, sitting up.

Tyson nodded, and took Garnet hand. She closed her eyes... and they were back in the hospital room.

Garnet closed the book and looked again at Kai. Even though they hadn't come out of his mind that long ago, he looked miles better for their trip. Tyson opened the door and ushered in the rest of the Bladebreakers. They stood beside the bed, counting the minutes. He had to wake up soon. The nurse came in, shaking her head sadly at their hopeful faces. She was about to leave when Hilary gave a relieved squeak. Kai's eyes opened, blinking in, what must have seemed, the blinding light of the lamp. Garnet had never been happier to see crimson eyes open in recognition. Tyson held Kai's pale hand, and beamed when Kai returned the gesture. The nurse could only stand for a moment in shock, before coming to her senses and running to fetch another of the nurses. When the medics were sure that he would be ok, they all left Tyson and Kai alone for a while. Garnet leant against the hospital wall, a small smile on her face. Kenny walked up to her and stood by her for a few minutes, comfortable just to be with her.

"We have a lot to thank you for," he whispered after a while.

"You needn't thank me. He's my friend as well. You should never give up while you still have a chance, no matter how small it is," she replied thoughtfully.

He smiled gently. He took her hand and kissed her softly on the lips. She smiled and returned the gesture.

"I'm glad you're here," he whispered, holding her.

"So am I. And I assure you, I won't be leaving anytime soon," she replied, smiling.

The End.

YAY! I have finished my first story. Please rate, and I might include Garnet in another fanfic. If you didn't like her, please tell me so that I know not to make the same mistake twice. Thank-you for all your support, and for actually getting to the end. Bye-bye for now! Nisa-chan666.