Lance's POV

O O O

We managed to buy a good amount of Nunlea for a good price. We can thank Coran for being this skilled in making deals with stubborn sellers.

We're currently in the control room again, and I look down at the bottle in my hand, filled with black liquid. It doesn't look like water in the slightest, more like melted licorice or something. I don't even want to know how it smells.

"This looks disgusting", Pidge comments and shake the little bottle in her hand, cringing and grimacing at the bubbles forming and slowly bursting. "Are we really going to pour this over us? I will vomit in my own mouth."

"Not necessarily on you. Like on your skin", Coran says. "Pouring it over your armor will be just fine. Like a shield around you."

"We must hurry", Shiro says impatiently. It's rare for him to be impatient, with all that patient yields focus but I guess when it comes to Keith he can throw his whole motto away and turn out completely opposite of what he doesn't want us to be.

I wonder if he would do the same for the others. He probably would.

"Shiro is right", Allura says and steps forward. "Me and Coran will let you know when you are close to Jombonia and when it's time to use the Nunlea. Then you will easily fly down and search for Keith without falling asleep." She holds up her finger and point at each of us. "But remember, the Nunlea will lose its effect after ten vargas, so you need to hurry."

We all nod, looking at each other like some kind of support, telling each other we will succeed.

"Off you go."

O O O

We fly for about ten minutes before we reach near enough Jombonia to get to use the Nunlea. Allura commands us to pour it over our whole body and smear it over most parts of the armor to estrange the Jomboni's completely and properly.

I put my lion on autopilot and take up the little transparent bottle from in between my tights on the seat and open it, following the smoke coming out of it with my eyes. I watch it dissolve in the air.

"This is so weird", Hunk says and I guess he poured the Nunlea over him already.

"I can't see shit", Pidge mutters and she must have emptied the bottle too. "It's over my whole helmet and blocking my view. And it's all over my seat. Gross."

"Pidge, don't swear", Shiro warns again. "There are plenty other appropriate words to use to express yourself."

"Shit is basically poo", Pidge retort and I hear Shiro inhale. "I don't see anything inappropriate in that. However, fuc..."

"Pidge", Shiro snaps and she just sighs.

I shake my head with a small smile and am glad to be distracted by the whole Keith thing for a second or two and just hear my friends behave like normally. Or, as normal as it can be with these dorks, including me.

I take a short breath before pouring the black liquid over my head and shivering when it's sliding down the rest of my armor, spreading across my helmet and making me see nothing. I hear it hit the floor in Blue's hangar and I mentally apologize to Blue for having to experience this mess with me. I can hear a low hum and my chair vibrates just slightly, and I know she forgives me.

I smile and start to smear all the liquid over all the spots that's not covered, wiping it away from the glass of my helmet.

After just a few seconds the liquid gets drier and stick to my armor, like thin coating.

"Are you all ready?" Shiro asks us and we all confirm that we are. He commands us to fly after him and we immediately take off.

O O O

"Guys, guys!" Pigeon call out and we all look up in sync. She gestures for us to come over to her where she stands several meters ahead and we immediately run towards her.

I feel little touch of hope inside my heart when somethig is clearly happening now other than me just accidentally kicking away a big rock and almost breaking my toes.

But the hope disappears ad fast as it appeared when we reach to Pidge and look down at the little puddles of blood, like a trail, leading further away to the begging of some caves with actual soil around.

I hope this blood doesn't belong to who I think it is, but then I remember what Allura said about all the Jomboni's being dead and I chew at my lip hard enough to feel a taste of metal spread in my mouth. Ugh, I hate the taste of blood and seeing someone's else's spilled blood on the ground at my feet makes my stomach twist and turn and I smell it everywhere. Blood everywhere.

"Keith..." I grimace and Shiro's shaky breath and the name he is pressing through his lips lips like they are seized and the word not strong enough to come out as loud.

We all lower our heads, also believing it's his blood we looking at but then Shiro moves.

"Keith!" he yells and we look up again to see him running to the caves, following the trail of blood. I'm not sure what he's running for because I have a hard time believing what I want but I immediately follow him.

My heart is beating in my throat, making it hard to breathe but I already had it hard to being with so I don't pay any further attention to the difficulty.

I hear Hunk's heavy footsteps behind me - even with the loud ringing in my ears - and I see Pidge running beside me, a horrified expression on her face making her look smaller than she is.
I blink away the blur from my eyes but it's not tears.

Not yet.

My legs start to burn as I press myself forward but it's nothing compared to the fire in my chest.

Fire. Like Keith. Like Keith's lion appearing from beyond the cave, open mouth in a weird position like it must had crash landed like this, her head resting on the ground and big spots of red on her body exfoliate, scratched. There is a big buckle on her side and she looks liveless, or as liveless as a robot can look.

And I front of Red, there is this little fragile silhouette, scooped up in Shiro's arms and he is hunched over this body like he could protect it under his imaginary wings. We all stop and look down at them.

"We... We need to get him into the castle...Fast." Shiro curses and lifts Keith's fragile body higher up on his lap and I know Pidge will never these Shiro for swearing after this because none of us wants to remember this moment ever again.

This is real. This is not a dream. We are not dreaming and we won't wake up in our lions again, realizing we never flew down here in the first place. This is reality. But now I hate reality more than ever. Reality can be such a douche sometimes and I understand why Keith would want to stay in this happy dream forever.

I want to dream something happy and not see this disaster in front of me. With Shiro sitting on the ground, shaking, Keith's onmoving body on his lap, the bigger puddles of blood around them and the grey sky seemingly falling down at us.

I didn't think the sky could fall but now I do.

Falling like the tears I have never seen Shiro spill before, as he looks up at us.

O O O

Kinda sad chapter cuz I'm sad I'm getting sick and my ears are hurting.