Chapter 4: Holding You Up

Water surrounded him as he sunk under, the current dragging him down as his lungs demanded air. Without thinking about it he began to kick, but agony ripped through his ankle and he gasped, water filling his mouth before he snapped it shut again. He tried in vain to use his arm muscles to pull himself to the surface, but the current was too strong and he couldn't breathe and he couldn't get himself any closer to oxygen.

He tried in vain to kick only one leg, but his ankle still protested the movement, making his arms falter. He sunk a little further down before he managed to force his arms to work again. Mello's eyes were burning and the water was choking him. The muscles in his arms were burning as fiercely as his lungs and he realized with horror that he couldn't get to the surface.

Suddenly arms wrapped around his middle, dragging him up. Realizing it could only be Matt, he helped the best he could with his arms while Matt began to kick them upwards. Just when Mello thought he couldn't hold his breath any longer they broke the surface.

Mello almost doubled over coughing, his lungs trying to expel the water that had gathered there. One of Matt's arms was still firmly around his waist as he tried to guide them closer to dry land, but while holding Mello up he couldn't get them closer to shore. He'd never tried to swim while holding someone else up, and he was finding it to be quite challenging. Not having both arms to swim with made it more difficult, and Mello's weight was also working against him, dragging him back down.

The current was trying to drag them into the middle of the river, but Matt refused to let that happen. Mello could feel him strain to get them closer to shore. He managed it, but the downside to shore was the rocks and tree limbs scattered throughout the water. Matt, realizing his mistake, cringed at the sight of the rocks jutting out into the river. Not having time to move, he made a desperate attempt to grab one. The surfaces of the rocks were slippery and his hand did not get a good grasp, causing both boys to crash into another rock.

It was enough to make Matt falter in his swimming, and the duo went underwater, the current quickly starting to pull them in deeper. Matt struggled and got them both to the surface, now facing the opposite shore as they began to drift more towards the middle of the river.

Matt's back scratched into a sharp tree limb and he yelped, the pain distracting him long enough that they both sunk under for several seconds before he pushed them back up. Matt was coughing, struggling to keep them both above water. With such a strong current he was tiring quickly, and by keeping Mello as high above water as he could, Matt was having a difficult time staying above water enough to breathe himself. "Grab a branch" he managed finally.

His legs were growing tired, and they went under again for less than a second before he got them above water. Mello was scouting for upcoming tree branches. Matt's arm felt almost numb from the death grip he had around Mello, and it was getting harder to get his legs to obey him and keep kicking.

Mello could feel Matt weakening against him and used his arms to bring them closer to shore. A fallen tree was approaching and seeing maybe their only opportunity; he reached out and attempted to close his hands around it. The tree was dead though, and the branch Mello had managed to grab broke, unable to hold them with the current working against them.

Mello could tell Matt's kicking was slowing, almost stopping altogether several times before he managed to keep going. Ignoring the flare of pain from his ankle, Mello began to kick slightly as well, trying to remove some of the burden at least until another fallen tree was in view. Matt, too busy trying to keep them afloat could not get them any closer to shore. "M-Mello," Matt panted. "Can't," he breathed out before both boys were submerged in the river again. Mello redoubled his efforts, even with his ankle hurting him. With both boys kicking they broke the surface once more, now farther from shore than they had been.

Luckily they were still facing the correct shore, and there was another fallen tree coming up. This one still had green leaves on it, so a branch might hold if they grabbed it. They worked urgently now to get closer to shore, worried that neither of them would have the strength to continue much longer. Somehow, as the tree neared, they were just close enough to reach it.

Mello used both arms to grab one of the thick branches. He pulled himself closer, wrapping his arms tightly around the branch as the current almost yanked Matt away. Mello slowly moved farther down the branch, holding securely to the tree since from his position Matt couldn't reach the branch on his own. Finally Matt removed an arm from around Mello and in a wild reach managed to grab the branch himself.

A minute later they'd pulled themselves into more shallow water where the current wasn't as bad, and it didn't take long to reach land. Mello crawled onto the shore, panting, and Matt pulled himself up beside him, limbs shaking from even such a simple effort. Matt allowed himself to collapse against the ground, breathing heavily. Neither spoke for a moment, trying to catch their breath.

It was Mello who spoke first. "Are you okay?" he asked, looking down at the redhead.

"Yeah," was the breathless reply. "Are you?"

Mello nodded, turning to sit on the ground, now that he didn't feel like he was about to kneel over. Matt rose beside him, shivering slightly as the breeze picked up. It was mildly warm outside, but the river had been freezing. Mello shivered slightly too, looking around to judge where they were. "At least we're on the same side of the river as we were before," he said at last.

Matt nodded. "Yeah. Your bag is back where you put it down, so we still have everything. I don't think we moved too far down the river."

They sat there several minutes, catching their breath and trying to let their muscles relax after their impromptu swim in the river.

The wind blew again, making both boys shiver. Mello stood, wincing slightly on his ankle. Trying to use it so suddenly had made it feel worse again. Matt stood, legs shaking slightly. They were still aching from their sudden use in the river, but Matt ignored that, stumbling along back the way they had come with Mello.

There were more trees down here, and it was harder to walk. The wind was picking up, indicating the possibility of rain. The sun had completely vanished by now behind a wall of dark, ominous clouds. Mello was careful to not put his full weight on his ankle, using trees for balance. He didn't think Matt could handle his weight right now.

The redhead tripped over a branch and crashed hard against the forest floor. Mello paused and turned back, watching Matt rise on his elbows. "You okay?" he asked again, since Matt was taking a while to stand up. Matt said nothing, just pulled himself up, only slightly unsteady on his feet. He managed a weak smile and moved forward, catching up to Mello.

They walked for ten minutes before Matt tripped again. Mello turned to look at him, shivering as the breeze picked up once more. The wind seemed nearly constant, hitting the trees above them and occasionally meeting them down on the ground. The sky was growing darker and he could hear thunder in the distance. They had to hurry and get back to the cave before it hit. "Matt?" he asked when the redhead didn't move. Mello went to his side, leaning down to place a hand on Matt's shoulder. "Are you alright? Can you walk?" he asked.

"I just need a minute," Matt said, voice tinged with exhaustion. Mello moved back to give him room to sit up.

He looked around worriedly. "We have to hurry though, so not long okay? You hear the storm coming right? We didn't leave wood in the cave so we need to get some."

"I know. Sorry."

"It's okay," Mello said, sitting back. He watched Matt for a minute. "Um…" Matt looked up at him. "I didn't…I mean…thanks for saving me," Mello said finally. Matt just smiled.

"What else would I have done?"

They sat several moments in silence, Matt leaning against a tree. Another low clap of thunder came from the distance, prompting Mello to nervously look around their surroundings. He really didn't care for storms even back home, and being out here in the woods with no protection was making him really nervous.

Matt stood then, still slightly shaky. He was still so tired. He was tired, cold, and his limbs felt heavy and sluggish, but he knew they couldn't keep sitting here. A storm was coming. That fact was only reinforced by a sudden harsh gust of wind. He could rest later, once they were somewhat safe.

They moved slowly through the woods. Mello's ankle was throbbing from helping keep them afloat, but he didn't ask Matt for help. He was on the verge of asking Matt if he wanted help. He had never seen Matt so unsteady before.

Thunder rumbled in the distance and Mello tried to increase their pace. His ankle protested, and he fell on one knee, clenching his eyes shut. No I don't have time for this. We have to keep moving.

"Mello?" Matt questioned, pausing to lean against a tree, closing his eyes. He was feeling slightly lightheaded now as well. "You okay?" Mello stood, slowly making his way towards Matt.

His concern grew. Matt had obviously done the majority of the work in getting them to safety, and after eating so little he was probably feeling faint. "Do you need help?" Mello asked finally. Matt opened his eyes, surprised that he hadn't even noticed the blond come closer.

"No, I'll be fine once we sit down. Let's just keep going." Mello was dubious, but nodded, beginning to lead them back towards their shelter. He stayed close to Matt now, reaching out to steady him if he needed it, worried his best friend would fall over on his own.

He managed though, and it didn't take very long to reach the place Mello had fallen. Their clothes were still soaked, and the air had cooled greatly since they escaped the river. Both shivered as Mello quickly gathered his stuff. The cave wasn't far away now, and as they neared it Mello veered off course. "Quick, grab some firewood," he said, already collecting some. Matt nodded and moved in the opposite direction, trying to find good dry pieces. They were so near the cave that it was harder to find it, so both boys had to venture farther away to find some. Mello made a trip back with a handful then stood outside the cave, wincing slightly as thunder rumbled above him. The wind suddenly gusted, making him watch the trees warily.

Where was Matt?

"Matt?" he called, moving in the direction the redhead had gone. He couldn't have gone that far, but the trees were thicker here, and Mello couldn't see very far into them. Light rain began to fall, but thunder rumbled again above him. "Matt!" Mello called louder this time. There was no answer and he looked around before moving quickly farther into the woods. "Matt? Matt!"

He couldn't find him, and in his nerves Mello had gotten mixed up. This wasn't right because Matt really was lost now. Now, when he was exhausted from saving Mello and a storm was bearing down on them. The rain was coming down harder now, and Mello wasn't entirely sure which way he had come from. The wind was howling, the trees around him bending in the wind. Small tree branches fell from several trees as a streak of lightning flashed across the sky, followed by a loud crash of thunder. Mello cringed and turned around, eyes straining desperately through the rain.

"Matt!"

/…/…/…/

AN: Oops…I wrote another cliffhanger xD Why do I always do that with this story?