True Love

Gone

The team, after hearing Lance's screech, got there as fast as they could. Lance was sobbing uncontrollably. Hunk quickly went over, hugging him.

"Lance? Lance what's wrong? What's going on?" Hunk asked.

"I thought Keith was with you..." Pidge muttered. Lance sobbed harder, letting out loud cries.

"He's gone!!! He's gone and it's all my fault!!!" Lance sobbed out, shaking harshly.

"What do you mean?" Krolia asked. It hurt Lance the most to tell her.

"Keith... He- He's dead" Lance choked out. Her eyes slowly widened. Pidge was wide eyed, Hunk froze, his grip on Lance tighten a bit, Allura put both hands over her mouth, Shiro stared in disbelief, Coran right alongside him, he wasn't quite sure he heard him correctly, Romelle quickly fell to the ground, both hands over her mouth at two tears fell down her face.

"W- What do you mean?" Coran asked.

"H- He- I- We- I was just yelling and he was- and he was just- just- and I wouldn't stop when- and- and he said we- He said we'd be okay!!!" Lance sobbed.

"He said we'd be okay!!! We!!! Together he said- He said we'd make it- we'd make it out... Together..." Lance's yelling turning into quieter sobs.

"I- He got- He got me up and- He just- He looked so exhausted- And he- He said.... He said he loved me" Lance choked out. No one knew what to say.

"He was going- going to- He as going to make it- he said he'd make it.... And he.... smiled at me... and just-.... He fell..." Lance's voice going into a whisper, his cries coming back, becoming louder and louder.

"He's gone!!!" Lance choked out, Hunk pulled him closer, pushing his head to his shoulder a bit, rubbing his back softly. Shushing him.

"I know- I know... It's hard for you to tell us... Just take some breaths, relax" Hunk said, he quiet down, Hunk rocked a bit.

There was a silence, soft sobs, sniffles, and shaky breaths breaking thru.

"Lance, what happened to Keith?" Hunk asked, running his fingers thru his hair.

"Keith... I don't know he just-" Lance choked, but took a deep breath.

"He just passed out" Lance said, his voice calmer, not breaking.

"Where is he?" Hunk asked. Lance was silent. Then let out silent soft cries.

"I hope somewhere where he's happy" Lance choked out.

"What do you mean by that?" Shiro asked. Lance took a deep shaky breath, closing his eyes, only able to see the scene, over and over again.

"I watched-.... I watched him fall-...... Fall down- Down the cliff" Lance choked.

"He just passed out and fell!?!" Pidge asked, Lance jumped, shaking more.

"N- No... I- I fell first and he- He caught us" Lance choked out.

"Then how are you here?" Coran asked.

"He- He lifted me out, I couldn't reach him, he knew I couldn't reach him, but he worked so- He worked so hard to get me up here and j- and just passed out! And he fell!!!" Lance started choking out again, sobbing all over again, Hunk quickly comforted him again, quieting him as much as he could. A few looking down at the cliff, seeing the pat of land Lance and Keith were once standing on.

Cosmos teleported. He held something in his mouth, his ears were back, he set down Keith's jacket. A few had to look away. Kroila took the jacket in her hands, Cosmo whimpered, missing his partner, his friend. Kroila's grip tightened a bit, she held it close, tears coming from her eyes, she let out a soft cry.

Lance had stopped. He slowly pulled away.

"Lance... I wouldn't do that..." Hunk warned. Lance looked at him, then to Krolia. He slowly moved over. Krolia looked to him. He opened his arms to her, she stared a while longer, making them all nervous. She quickly and tightly hugged him, letting out a few cries. Lance was shocked at first, but hugged her back, Cosmo teleported into the hug, being fully accepted into it. After a few moments, the other slowly, one by one, joined in on the hug.

Today, they have lost as friend, a teammate, a lover, a son, a brother, a former red paladin, a black paladin, and a Blade member.

Today, they've lost Keith. And no one had thought it would ever happen, no one ever thought it'd be so soon. Not one of them, not for a second.

And Lance blames himself for this.

Once the hug slowly unbanned, they decided to take the most beautiful flower, and plant it by the cliff. Hoping it will continue to live there, ever after it was moved. They all took a turn by it, to say a few last words they'd want to say to Keith, a tear form each one of them. They slowly, one by one, maybe even two at a time, went back to the castle.

Lance, Krolia, and Cosmo were the last ones. Krolia put a hand on Lance's back, causing him to look over.

"My son really did love you, even if we only had such a short amount of time together, he expressed that very well" Krolia said, softly. Lance smiled, even though he still held a hurt expression, he let it drop as he looked back to the cliff.

"I'm so sorry. It's all my fault, I wouldn't listen to him and I just-"

"It's not your fault, Lance. You were upset, and you had every right to be. Keith is the type of person to put his loved ones safety before his own, to protect them from harm, even if it means he will be harmed himself. You weren't the one who killed him, he sacrificed himself for you. Those are two completely different things" Krolia said, Lance looked to her, shocked by her words. It was like she's gone through this two. And with her background, she probably has.

Tears welled up in Lance's eyes, a smile coming into his face.

"Thank you, I needed to hear that" Lance choked out, Krolia opened her arms, Lance gladly accepted the gesture, hugging her. She softly wrapped her arms around him.

"I know you did, I know...." Krolia whispered to him, letting him cry it all out.

Cosmo stared off the cliff, he backed away.

He howled once then looking down to the flower they had planted.

Krolia knew the name and meaning of the flower, but didn't say anything about them planting it there.

It was a Breng leven, which is translated from Dutch to 'Bring life'. This Flower was used a lot to heal wounded royalty, those sometimes used on soldiers, and stolen to be used on villagers and such. It's meaning is, Healing Of Impossible Wounds.

There were plenty of lovely flowers around.

So why did they pick that one?

Krolia, Lance, and Cosmo, slowly left to the castle.

"We should be going now... We can try to visit when we can" Coran said, the group all nodded, getting onto the ship.

They all took one last look at the cliff.

And then they were off.