AN: Ugh it's too short, but that ending is just so perfect. Anyway another chapter for you all. Also I've started the next chapter of My One and Only. It may be a while, but it's STARTED.

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Chapter 5: The Storm

"Mello?" Matt called. He'd sworn he heard the blond call, which was good since he'd gotten a bit confused with where he was, but the rain had picked up and now it was impossible to tell whether he was imagining it or not.

Dropping the now soaked wood Matt looked around, trying to figure out a way back to the cave. Everything looked the same, and the storm was a bit distracting. He was pretty nervous that a tree was going to fall on him. The wind was coming in strong gusts, and trees were swaying and bending with the wind.

Slightly paranoid, he watched the trees around him and slowly took a step in the way he thought he had come. A loud crash of thunder came and he jumped. "Mello?!" he shouted, hoping to whatever Gods existed that the blond was nearby and could hear him over the storm. There was no immediate answer and a large branch fell from a tree behind him. Startled, Matt jogged forward, tripping and almost falling as a result. He caught himself on a tree and looked around, desperate for something familiar to jump out at him.

Still not entirely sure where he was going, Matt slowly ventured forward. "Mello where are you?" he whispered, wincing when another bright flash of lightning filled the sky. At least somewhat sure of his course, Matt continued forward as best he could, keeping an eye on the trees above him.

It was a downpour by now, and if Matt hadn't already been soaked he would have been drenched in minutes. The rain actually stun upon impact, and he could barely see in front of him. He kept moving though, heart pounding in his chest. How had he wandered so far away? Would Mello be looking for him? What if he couldn't find his way back?

He paused as a wave of dizziness struck him. Afraid of collapsing, he slowly sat down, leaning against a tree for support. He closed his eyes, taking several deep breaths, cringing as thunder roared above him.

'I can't stay here. I have to find Mello. I have to get back to that cave. But I'm so tired.' Matt forced his eyes open, to be met with the sight of rain and trees. 'I can't stay here,' he told himself again, slowly standing and still using the tree for balance. He knew he wasn't safe, and a particularly bright flash of lightning followed almost instantly by thunder made him jump and quickly take several steps forward. He forced himself to keep moving, despite how heavy and tired his limbs felt. The fear of the storm was managing to push that to the back of his mind.

It was easy to push the exhaustion to the back of his mind when he was in danger. He all but forgot how tired he was when he heard a loud crack and another large, dead tree branch broke away from a tree in front of him and fell to the ground with a loud crash. He hurried past the tree. His heart was pounding and he felt like he had been out in the storm alone for hours when in reality it had only been several minutes.

The wind died down a moment and Matt swore he heard someone calling for him. "Mello?!" he all about screeched.

He heard someone yell back in response and headed towards the voice as quickly as he could manage. He was so scared. "Please let this be Mello. Please…I need to get to him." Hoping to be closer now, he shouted again. "Mello?!"

"Matt!" the voice was clearer this time, and coming from up ahead. Matt pushed forward, clothes soaked through and hair plastered to his head. There was another crash of thunder from above and he winced. The sky was almost black now, and it was getting harder to see. Even if it was daytime, the trees and clouds was making it a lot darker. Finally he saw a flash of blond through the trees.

"Mello!" Matt shouted, and the blond turned towards him, shoulders sagging slightly in relief. Mello quickly began navigating around the trees, both boys moving to meet the other as fast as they could. When they met in the middle Matt didn't hesitate, throwing his arms around Mello's neck. "Mello."

The blond's arms circled his waist. "Matt. Are you okay?" he asked franticly. Matt nodded and they just stood there a second. A crash of thunder alerted them of the danger they were still in and they pulled apart.

"I think it must be this way," Matt said, pointing from the way Mello had been. Now that he wasn't alone he felt a little more rational, and realized the area wasn't completely foreign. Mello nodded then hesitated, finally linking his arm with Matt's, as if afraid the redhead may disappear if he let go.

Both held each other tight as they climbed over trees and around plants, moving quickly as the storm continued around them. Adrenaline had temporarily overridden their exhaustion enough for them to keep moving as the storm increased in intensity.

Mello yelped slightly when his injured ankle did not quite clear a fallen tree. He tripped and fell, dragging Matt to the ground with him. Both groaned, but Mello quickly pushed the pain aside, standing and dragging Matt up with him. "Come on, we must be close," Mello encouraged when Matt seemed to sag against him. "Just a little farther," he said, giving Matt's arm a firm tug. The redhead blinked slowly and nodded, quickly moving to keep pace with Mello.

It seemed to take ages before the cave came into view. The two soaked boys, still clutching to one another, dodged quickly inside. Both cringed as the thunder was amplified inside the small cave, and quickly moved away from the opening and farther inside where the rain couldn't reach them.

They quickly released each other. Both were shivering violently now, and Mello opened his bag, pulling out the spare change of clothes he had with him. He paused as he realized something; Matt had nothing else to wear.

He turned toward the redhead, who was standing, arms wrapped around himself and at a loss. Matt met Mello's eyes and gave a weak smile.

"You can't wear those, you'll freeze," Mello said.

Matt shrugged. "What else can I do?" he asked, teeth chattering. Mello looked around helplessly, as if a spare set of clothes would magically appear for the redhead. This, of course, did not happen. Matt had moved towards the firewood and began stacking it, pulling out his lighter to start the fire. At least this would keep him a little warm.

Mello turned, removing his soaked clothes in favor of his dry ones. He felt warmer almost instantly. Matt, who was nurturing the small flame, obviously did not have that same comfort. Suddenly having an idea, Mello dug through his bag before removing the blanket and striding towards Matt. "Here, take those off and wrap up in this," he said.

Matt looked at him indecisively. "I'll get the blanket wet, and then you can't use it to stay warm."

Mello growled. "Matt you're completely soaked! I at least have dry clothes. Just do it before you get yourself sick." Matt took the blanket and turned, throwing his clothes to the ground and wrapping up in the blanket. He was still shivering, but it was definitely an improvement.

Mello laid out their clothes beside the fire then sat beside Matt, cringing as lightning filled the sky. The storm clouds made it very dark and ominous, and the lightning seemed obnoxiously bright. He was still chilly too, even in his dry clothes, and Mello found himself gravitating closer to Matt, hoping to absorb whatever body warmth the boy had. Matt seemed to welcome this, and leaned against Mello. His shivers had died down since wrapping himself in the blanket. Matt laid his head down on Mello's shoulder, not able to quench the fear of the storm raging outside. Although it was safer in the cave, the storm had increased in intensity. A sharp crack filled the air as lightning and thunder struck at the same time. Mello's arms wrapped around Matt, not only to comfort but to seek comfort as well.

The rain was falling in sheets and drowned out all other noise in their meager shelter. Matt quietly began humming the Mario theme song, increasing in volume in hopes of at least distracting himself from the storm. It was a trick he had learned some time ago that usually calmed him down. It wasn't very effective, although when Mello joined in it did help a bit.

They stayed like that for a while, neither talking except for the occasional hummed video game tune when Matt got particularly nervous. Both began to relax as the storm died down. Mello finally pulled away from Matt long enough to retrieve a chocolate bar and a full sandwich from his bag. He quickly took his place beside Matt again. He handed Matt the sandwich and opened his chocolate bar. Both ate half of their food before exchanging. If the situation wasn't so dire, Mello would never share so much of his chocolate. However, even he knew he couldn't survive on chocolate alone. The swim had used up energy neither of them had, and food was definitely necessary. This brought their rations to one sandwich, one apple, and three chocolate bars.

"We're almost out of food," Matt muttered finally.

Mello nodded. "I know."

"You still can't get up that hill on your ankle," Matt added.

He nodded once again. "I know."

"…What are we gonna do Mel?"

Mello said nothing for a moment. "…I don't know."

Matt rested his head on Mello's shoulder once more. "Are we…" he paused, "Are we going to be okay?" he asked quietly.

Mello's arms went around him again. "Of course we are," he said firmly.

There was a flash of lightning as if to disprove this point. Matt hid his face on Mello's shoulder. "I'm scared," he admitted, voice almost a whisper. It was the first time either of them had said it out loud. Mello's arms tightened around him.

"We're going to be fine. We'll get through this."

Mello couldn't admit that he was scared too; because that would scare Matt most of all.

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AN: See? Not a cliffhanger. Anyway I'm not sure when I'll update, I'm going out of town for a few days again in less than a week, so I may get another chapter out by then. Thanks for reading.