III - SWORD OF THE BRAVE // Doraemon Fanfic

26 - A FRIEND'S DEPARTURE

"NO, WAIT KIYO! DON'T!"

Nobita and his company watched as Kiyoshi took the leap into the opening.

Nobita was the first to reach out to Kiyoshi, trying to stop him which is why he was also the only one near the hole to the basement.

"He made the jump," Doraemon added, panicking.

"Suneo might be down there. We can't leave him. We have to go down too," Gian mentioned restlessly.

"Wait. I'll go get the rope ladder and drop it down again," Christina said.

"I can't afford to wait. Kiyo needs me," Nobita declared and took a deep breath, bracing himself for the impact he was about to suffer, and leapt.

"NOBITA-!!"

"Fuck, why are you like this? Why don't you ever think about yourself?" Christina furiously commented.

Shizukaru had already brought the ladder. "Here, I got it." and dropped it down the opening into the basement.

One by one, all of them hurriedly climbed down into the dark basement.

The drainage system has seeped out all of the water along with the army of earth soldiers. It was dead empty now.

They took the turn and sprinted to the room in which Spider was locked. The door was already open with Nobita standing right there, frozen still.

When they reached his place, they immediately knew the reason why.

The sight was too dreadful to register with one brief look.

Kiyoshi had his blade through Suneo who had his own sword stained with General Spider's blood; his head rolling on the ground.

It was like for a moment the world had come to a standstill.

The first movement was shown by Kiyoshi who drew out his sword from Suneo and broke the trance.

Nobita and his group, being brutally pulled back to their senses, first ran towards their fatally injured friend.

"SUNEO-!!"

They dropped before Suneo while Gian plucked him up from the pillar support and placed him in his arms.

Suneo coughed up blood.

"G-Gian," Suneo made an attempt to reach for Gian's face, his hands shaking which Gian caught and placed them tenderly over his cheeks.

Suneo smiled back.

"You'll be okay. You hear me? You'll be completely fine, Suneo," Gian said, grabbing onto his hands, crying as well as struggling to keep a smile on.

Christina glanced down to have a look at Suneo's wound. Her brows twitched and she desperately bit her lip, to keep herself from weeping aloud, not when Gian was trying so hard to help Suneo hang on with everything he had.

"Is-Is everyone okay?" Suneo asked.

Doraemon nodded. "Everyone's okay."

"Is he d-dead? Spider, is he-?"

"Yes, he's dead. You don't have to worry. It's over, Suneo. You ended it," Gian added in a consoling tone.

"Thank God," Suneo replied calmly.

Nobita hadn't spoken once since he came in and knelt down beside Suneo. All his efforts went into stopping himself from crying hopelessly in front of his friend.

But slowly, he felt his blood beginning to boil and rise up to the surface. His eyes burned with unrelenting rage.

I won't forgive you!
I'll never forgive you!