Moving On

On the Atlus

Four teens and one adult walked into the briefing room, their eyes were glazed over and their heads hung low. Most of the crew sat waiting for the team, but the feeling of dread and despair filled the room, and that's when they noticed that the blue pilot in pink armor was nowhere in sight. "Where's Allura?"

The group visibly flinched as they all avoided his gaze, keeping their sights on anything but the Altean, but they could feel his eyes bore into them. They couldn't answer, pain weighing heavy in their chests, as they tried to keep their eyes dry from the tears that wanted to build, "Guys, where is Allura?!"

Pidge let out a sob, being the first to break, Coran's eyes shifted to the green paladin, but they darted over to Shiro when he heard him finally speak up, although his voice was heavy and tired, "She's gone, Coran..."

"Gone? What do you mean gone?!"

Shiro finally looked up, his wary steel grey eyes meeting Coran's dark blue, "She and Hanerva sacrificed themselves...they saved the universe...all of them..."

The Altean's eyes began to mist, "You mean she's...no...no princess-" He covered his mouth as a sob threatened to escape. The room was filled with silence except for the sounds of Coran trying to hold back his sobs, and Pidge's quiet sobs.

Shiro stepped forward toward the man, "Coran-" before he could continue he was cut off, "How could you let this happen! You were supposed to protect her, you were there, why didn't you stop her!?"

"You think we didn't try!" Coran's eyes darted towards Lance who was glaring at him with tears now streaming down his face, the Altean did see the new additional blue markings on the teen's face, however, too upset, he didn't say anything about that, "Well you should've tried harder!"

"Coran!"

Said man turned and glared at Shiro, "I know you are upset, but you can't just take it out on us, we lost her too."

Coran took a deep breath as he glared at the man in front of him, he was about to retort, only to take heed of Shiro's words, they were just kids, forced into a war they didn't know was happening, he was being selfish blaming them. He then remembered his last order from his king, and his tears started to fall like waterfalls as he stared at the ground, "I was supposed to protect her...King Alfor trusted me and-" He felt a hand clasp his shoulder, causing him to look up into Shiro's eyes.

"There was nothing we could do, nothing you could do, it was her choice, and she saved us all."

(:)

Keith rested on his bed with Kosmo's head resting on his stomach. He knew he had to get up, he knew he had to go back and train, that he couldn't just stay in his room with Kosmo all the time, but his mind was a buzz while his chest felt empty. He lost a close friend, she felt like a sister to him, and now she was gone

He was about to let his eyes close and fall asleep again when Kosmo's head jerked up, his eyes staring directly at the door. "Kosmo? What-?" He was cut off as his alien dog disappeared followed by the sound of barking. Something was wrong.

He leaped off his bed, grabbed the knife under his pillow dashed out of his room, and followed the sounds of barking. He came to a halt in front of the bathroom door where Kosmo's barking was the loudest and a voice could be heard, but Komo hushed and muffed it.

Confused but still on edge he opened the door and saw Kosmo barking at Lance who was backed into a corner, he had a bloodied blade in his hand and there was a cut on his face.
"Lance!"

The brunet froze and looked up, his blue eyes darting at the knife, and he quickly hid it behind his back as if Keith didn't already see the weapon.

"Heeey," his smile was forced, and eyes were still rimmed red, with a cut just under the blue Altean marks that Allura gifted him before she left.