Anti surfaced, gasping for breath and grasping at the floor. Dark appeared next to him, easily pulling himself free and helping Anti out of the vortex swirling in the middle of the living room.
He was exhausted. Not even being able to stand anymore, he flopped in Dark's arms, weakly gripping the hat you'd gotten him for christmas.
"This isn't healthy Anti. You can't jump anymore." Dark's voice was firm and full of concern for his friend. It made his heart ache to see his usually hyper friend barely clinging onto keeping his form.
"I need to find them Dark. I have to." Voice barely a whisper, Anti tried to stand only to have his knees give out. He fell, landing with a heavy thud on the hardwood floor, not even registering the pain.
"You've jumped almost thirty times Anti. You can barely hold onto to this plain of existance. If you jump again, you'll lose yourself in there and have to reform, which could take who knows how long!" Dark sighed, eyes downcast, "Maybe it's time to stop buddy."
Anti's reaction was immediate. His head snapped up, eyes full of fading hope.
"I can't just give up Dark. They're still in there, I heard them!"
"But I didn't hear a thing just now! Just face it Anti they faded in there! They're go-"
"THEY AREN'T GONE!" The room shook with the force of Anti's voice. His hands shook too as his grip on the hat tightened.
"They can't be gone..."
Both were silent.
Eventually, Dark sighed in defeat.
"Ok. I'll look one more time. But," He pointed a finger at Anti, "you aren't coming. It's too dangerous for you."
Anti peered up at Dark, who couldn't believe how vulnerable he looked. Never before had Dark seen such raw emotion from Anti that wasn't anger.
"Thank you."
With shaking hands, Anti thrust the hat into Dark's grip.
"I think I'm going to need something else. The hat may have worked before but they'll have faded more now." Anti thought for a moment.
"The earrings I got them. They forgot to put them in for the date. They must have an extreme emotional attachment too, right?"
"I hope so. This is our last chance."
Dark wandered out of the room to retrieve the earrings, leaving Anti to stare into the black pit before him.
He just couldn't stop shaking.