He was running. He was running fast and hard and he was so out of breath. He was running and a million shades of green were flashing past him, dark brown trunks of behemoth trees the only thing breaking up the monotony of jungle leaves. He was running, and so was she.

So was she, the girl who shouldn't have even been here. The girl who, just a few short weeks ago, he hadn't thought capable of emotion or caring or altruism in any form. But she was here, and she was in front and a little to the right of him, running just as hard and fast as he was. The only thoughts crossing his mind were breathe…in…out…deep…follow…pink…blonde…BREATHE…

Helga…

Really, she shouldn't be here. This was his problem, his adventure, his misfortune and burden to bear, not anyone else's and most certainly not hers, and yet… yet here she was.

And they were running from who knows what that would do who knew what to the sprinting couple if they caught them. So they ran, and they would have kept running had a tree root not mysteriously and conveniently popped up right under his blonde companion's foot.

She was in the process of turning around to look at him when her foot found the root and she toppled to the ground, and he toppled on her, their legs a tangled mess and the unusual sounds of South America pounding in their ears.

She had fallen on her back and he had fallen on her stomach, his arms on either side of her, ensnaring her in an unintentional embrace and effectively pinning her to the ground. He had closed his eyes when he felt himself falling, and upon landing, opened them to see bright blue eyes looking back at him, set in a red and sweaty face.

They were both gasping for breath, trying to suck in enough air with each massive gulp to fill their oxygen-starved lungs. His chest pushed against hers with every intake until their bodies eventually worked out a rhythm; he breathed in, she breathed out, and they remained on the floor of the jungle for a minute or so, just trying to catch their breath.

And maybe it was the combination of excitement and nerves and pure adrenaline, or maybe it was the look in her eyes as they searched his face. Maybe it was because they were running for their lives and it was possibly the last and only time he'd ever get to do this, or maybe it was simply the heat of the moment. There were so many maybes running through his head, but as he closed his eyes and lowered his face to hers, his young lips pressed cautiously against her soft ones, he couldn't remember being scared or frustrated, the way he'd felt the entire time they'd been in this stupid, forsaken place.

He just felt… right, somehow. Happy, and calm. The kiss was short and sweetly innocent, and when he lifted his face and opened his eyes to look at the girl beneath him, he found her staring up at him, eyes wide in shock, almost as if she didn't believe what had just happened. Her mouth hung open, and she looked ready to speak when the sound of feet crashing through the dense undergrowth and deep voices shouting angrily in Spanish broke into their moment. Her eyes darted around frantically, filled with fear and tinged with confusion and annoyance.

He quickly rolled off her, and they scrambled to get up, beginning to run again almost before they were completely on their feet. He grabbed her hand before he could think too much about it and they sprinted together into the heart of the San Lorenzo jungle.

A/N: Yay, another story! :) I've honestly almost exploded from the amount of creativity that seems to be bottled up inside of me, but I just couldn't seem to get anything just right, whether it be a story or a piece of fan art or what-have-you. Finally, though, I managed to produce something. Hopefully it's not complete crap, haha.

I realize that this may not be completely canon; I know Gerald's supposed to interrupt them, not some random ne'er-do-wells from the bowels of the jungle, but I thought jungle pirates gave the scene a nice little bit of danger and seriousness.

Enjoy! :D