Word Count: 4,965
Ya know, just a detailed write of the whole Kuro/Keith fight, no diabolical twist here *evil smile*
...
He was waiting for him when he came.
Lurking in the shadows as the paladin cautiously walked down the ramp, a look of confusion and determination set on his face as he wandered further and further into the facility and Kuro couldn't help but smirk at the willingness the boy gave to fall into his trap, all because he believed Shiro was still there, that he could still be helped. That he could be cured.
His lips pulled back in a dark smile.
This would almost be too easy.
Of course, he would go easy on him at first, the fight would be no fun if it ended only a few minutes after it began. But Kuro was more than sure how the fight would end. One way or another the paladin would die, and he would use this 'connection' between them to his advantage, plunging a knife into their bond to better break him apart before going in for the kill. He had his orders, he'd kill the boy, but not without a little fun on his own part first.
It was only fair he'd have a chance to rise against him before crashing back down.
Figuring the kid had had enough time to poke around the last place he'd ever see, he emerged, being sure to keep his steps quiet as he walked up from behind, the paladin too busy studying one of the cloning canisters that had lit up under his touch to notice his approaching undertaker and Kuro couldn't quite stifle his smile.
This was going to be fun.
"Hello, Keith."
The kid gasped, whirling around to face him, his violet eyes (who even had violet eyes? What ridiculous color was that?) widening, but the fear behind them didn't last long before smoothing back down. Trust, took the place of fear, and, in turn, Kuro frowned.
They were going to have to fix that.
"Shiro, it's going to be okay."
Okay? No, not just okay, things were going to be more than okay once he finally killed him, once he finally let the blood spill all over the floor, and he shivered at the thought of that beautiful crimson painting his skin, coating it in a beautiful red-
He smiled, aware his thoughts were jumping ahead of him, but he couldn't help how excited he was, "Yes, I know."
"We just need to get back to the castle."
He frowned at that, this kid actually thought they were walking out alive? If he wasn't in the company of another person he would've chuckled before curling his fists, ready for a fight, and a violent snap of anger surged through him that they were still standing there talking, "We, are not going anywhere!" he charged, fist igniting in a flash of light.
He watched in mild amusement as the paladin's eyes widened, a flicker of fear hidden beneath them before he brought his shield up, his fist instead smacking against the blue plated surface. He could feel the kid tense under him as he attempted to duck and roll out of the way, before straightening up as he threw it back in some attempt to send Kuro stumbling backward, instead he held his ground, fisting the paladin in the chest and he watched in satisfaction as he flew backward, back smashing into a control panel behind him.
Kuro lunged, fist crashing against the panel instead, the paladin only a blur of red and white as he ducked out of the way, just narrowly missing his head, and Kuro cocked his head to watch him ignite his jetpack to further the distance between them and his smirk returned.
Oh, this was going to be fun.
He marveled at how fast the boy could move when death was on his tail, ducking and attempting to block his blows as they stumbled along the platform, the blue clash of his knife filling his vision as his fist pounded against it. It didn't take long before the paladin slipped up, and Kuro threw his fist forward, satisfied when he finally landed a hit, feeling the way the boy's ribs gave way under his fingers with a satisfying snap before he fell off the platform, relishing in the pained cry that left his lips because of it.
He was wounded.
Good.
He watched as the kid flew further and further down before he landed (lucky) on another platform under them, igniting his jetpack just before he hit to lessen the blow as he landed. Kuro frowned, a surge of rage coursing through him at the sight of the paladin not falling to the surface of the planet far, far below them.
He jumped with ease, ignited fist coming down with everything he had, his strike aiming directly for his head, watching in frustration as the kid jumped out of the way just in time for him to come down in a cloud of smoke and dust, nothing there but a hard indention of where his fist had connected to the metal under him.
Kuro growled under his breath.
The kid was quick.
He'd have to fix that.
Getting to his feet, Kuro paused for a moment, feeling a knife-like pain cut into his head, and he stumbled forward. Still concealed in the cloud of debris, he grabbed his head wincing as the strong-rooted feeling of wrong- not right filled his head.
They- they felt like thoughts.
But not his thoughts.
Someone else's thoughts.
He snapped the pieces together so fast he almost fell over because of it. Fuck, they were his thoughts, the other one, the weak one. He was in his head.
It took what felt like forever before the pain died down as quickly as it had come, leaving him dizzy and lightheaded. But he was back in control of himself, so he pushed forward.
Emerging out of the cloud of dust, he fixed the paladin with a hard stare, watching as a look of determination came across the paladin's face before once again pulling his knife out, the blade growing and sharpening into a deadly tip, knees bending ever so slightly, preparing himself for a fight.
As he glowered down, something came over him then, an instinct to raise his Galra hand and flex his fingers overtook his thoughts and he obeyed. The long blade of a sword appearing out of existence, the heat of its surface caressing his face before he brought the blade down and lunged toward the paladin, vaulting off the steps and into the air, swinging his sword down towards the paladin's head. He couldn't help the feeling of sweet satisfaction filled him when the blade cut through the railing behind him like butter, the edges red and smoldering. The kid himself having enough time to dive out of the way to avoid his attack, brought his sword/knife up in front of him to parry another blow, catching his wince as the blade got too close to his face, and Kuro smirked, pushing forward for another attack.
He startled when the paladin attempted to land another hit, Kuro letting his arm go slack for the paladin to twist away, his gloved fist barely reaching his face before he brought his other arm out, twisting the kid's wrist back away before landing a punch on his jaw, feeling rather than seeing the kid's head snap backward, sending his helmet flying off his head and over the railing to the planet surface far below them.
He took the temporary surprise in the paladin's face for all he had, swiping at his head only for him to duck out of the way, his sword slicing through another barrier rail, watching out of the corner of his eye as the kid rolled before getting back to his feet several paces away. He jumped forward again, their blades once again a clash of color and sound as he chased him down the catwalk startling when the kid moved to actually jump, jetpack igniting as he attempted to get away from him. Kuro just barely lunged after him, arms wrapping around the paladin's middle before they flew off the catwalk.
Both of them were a mass of arms and legs as they fell, and he took the opportunity to tightly squeeze his arms around the teen's ribs, earning himself a pained wheeze and shout from the injured paladin before they were ripped apart, his fingers just barely grasping the support wire sliding past him in time before the wire snapped under his weight.
He gripped the thing tight as he swung towards the ground, grunting as he landed on his side, roughly sliding along the ground till his back hit a pile of crates with a harsh sound that rang in his ears.
Aware he was wasting precious seconds, Kuro madly scrambled to get back to his feet, eyes widening in surprise and shock just in time for booted feet to brutally kick into his stomach, sending him flying off the end of the platform, breaking through the protective rail (protective rail his ass, he flew through that thing like it was made of paper) with no sign of stopping as he tumbled down another pile of crates before finally getting back to his feet, stumbling away from the paladin who was nothing but a mass of swinging blade before bringing his sword up just in time to avoid a hit to the face, his back pressed against the rail, the threat of empty space kissing his neck as the paladin's eyes shifted, looking more Galra as the whites of his eyes faded to an angry yellow, his pupils themselves becoming nothing more than enraged slits, and Kuro's heart (against his will, he might add) jumped to his throat.
How the heck was he going to get himself out of this one?
Of course, that was when his head then took the perfect opportunity to jump ship.
He held back as pain, pain, pain slid into his skull, pounding against his eyes and numbing his senses, and he unknowingly lost more ground as their clash of blades swam closer and closer to his face, the paladin refusing to let up on his hard grip. The push back of his mind was harder this time, thoughts now swirling with images, and he caught sight of Shiro and a younger kid- Keith- riding hoverbikes across the dying light of the desert sun before shifting violently to Shiro and a handful of other officers attempting to break up a fight between Keith and another student, the kid's face swelling the hint of a good-sized bruise blooming on his pale cheek already, but the dark-haired teen still refused to back down from the fight, his face holding nothing but rage, eyes much like they were now.
With a smirk, Kuro saw his opportunity and took it, pushing back as the pain dulled once again to a nonexistent throb, jumping back into the fight, "That's the Keith I remember."
Thankfully, his prod worked, the last remaining wisps of pain fading from his mind and he watched in amusement as the kid's eyes widened, blinking in confusion as they faded back to normal.
He grinned, feeling the paladin's grip slacken for a minute or two and Kuro easily flung his blade to the side, watching as the thing embedded itself into the ground several feet away from them.
He watched him look to where the blade landed and could tell the second the kid grew at war with himself, staring with amusement at the questions that ran behind his eyes: continue their fight with nothing but his bare fists? Or risk losing his head in the rush to get it back in his hands?
Kuro really hoped he'd pick the second one.
He wanted to see blood.
He could feel the adrenaline pumping through him from the fall, feel each of his fingers twitch and flex with every breath that rushed into his lungs, he wanted more, more excitement, more of that rush.
And let's not forget the anticipation for when Kuro finally landed the killing blow.
It was almost too much for him to take.
His sword flickered back to life again with a rush of heat and a smirk on his lips when the kid tensed before he ran, feet skidding along the ground, eyes blown wide like a terrified rabbit and Kuro menacingly swiped his blade over the boy's head, liking how the paladin seemed to double his efforts to get to his knife. He swung once, twice, three times. By his third swing, the kid was ducking into a roll, coming back up just in time to parry another strike, falling back against the pure force that flew through the both of them as their blades clashed.
He let a snarl rip through him as the kid continued to duck and weave through his attacks, launching himself in the air before coming down with everything he had, satisfaction running through him when the paladin met the blow, flying backward with the force, his back hitting a metal support with an ear-shattering clang and Kuro relished in the loud cry that left the kid's lips the hit most likely jarring, if not completely breaking his already injured ribs.
He lunged again, quicker this time, bloodthirsty to finally end it, to finally see his sword slice through the boy's neck-
-only for his sword to slice through the metal pole that had been behind him instead.
He jumped back with a shout when the structure came crashing down, sending a rush of dust and dirt at him, obscuring his vision and causing him to take a few steps away from the wreckage.
Fatigue was starting to get to him he could tell that much in his few seconds of peace, and Kuro paused for a moment, just letting the whoosh of air come in and out of his lungs as he inhaled, hands on his knees, eyes screwed shut. If he had to look to any good thing happening this far into the fight (he wasn't going to deny his annoyance that this should've been over by now), there wasn't a scratch on him. Not a scratch.
The paladin was injured, and within that time he'd managed to make at least three blows on him, whether it was merely a clash of blades or a fist to his neck.
He was doing good.
He needed to do better.
"Shiro," the paladin spoke from the other side of the rubble, his voice littered with light gasps of breath, "I know you're still in there." As if, Shiro was too weak to do this, too naive to see what was in front of him. He had all of this power, and yet he was too blind to realize just what he could accomplish with it. That's why Kuro was in charge now. He was the one stepping up to finish the job. Shiro was gone. "You made a promise once, you told me you'd never give up on me-"
"And, I should've abandoned you just like your parents did." He broke in with a snarl, fingers clenching, teeth bared, "They saw that you were broken. Worthless-" he spat the word "-I should've seen it too."
The paladin's face remained emotionless at his attempted jab at breaking him down, but he didn't miss how the paladin grew just a little unnerved at his retaliation, "I'm not leaving here without you."
He chuckled, the sound dark and menacing in his ears, he liked that sound, he needed to hear it more often- "Actually, neither of us are leaving."
On cue, the tech around them began to glow a dark magenta, a far cry from the deep purple hues that had been coating the facility merely seconds earlier and Kuro watched in amusement as the tech began to spark and glitch around them.
The virus had worked.
He tensed as pain suddenly came erupting into his head without warning, clenching his teeth and he was somehow back on his knees again, the dust still swirling around him and he gripped his head, ragged pants escaping his mouth mingling with dull whines. The kid was screaming his name from somewhere, a pained cry echoed somewhere in his ears, realizing a minute later it was actually coming from him.
"Shiro!"
There was whispering in his head then loud whispering, pairing that with the mixing and mingling emotions of Shiro still swirling and fighting in his head and Kuro almost lost whatever was in his stomach right then and there.
And then his Galra arm light up like a Christmas tree and he truly screamed, pain running rampant, his nerve endings feeling like they were being torn from his body and he yelled again whithering away on the floor. What was up- where-
There was loud thrumming in his ears and Kuro blearily opened his eyes in shock to see his arm sparking and glowing just before a surge of pure power cut through his body, and the platform was being cut apart at his feet. He could feel the surge running through him as he raised his hand away from him, the beam cutting through the scene in front of him, a large chunk of the rocky overhang coming away before falling down and out of sight. His eyes caught sight of the kid (why was he still standing there?) diving off the platform, and Kuro rushed to the edge in time to watch him land on another level, turning around and fixing Kuro with a stare that held nothing but pure terror before he turned and ran.
There, that's better.
Without a second thought, he cut through the platform with his newfound power, watching as the broken piece of metal and canisters fell, the kid still on it and Kuro watched him madly scramble as his last remaining hope for escape was cut away from him, literally.
The paladin twisted and slid as the thing fell, no longer holding any control over his body and he twisted through the air. The paladin turned into nothing but a red and white blur as the cut piece of platform slowly turned on its side, canisters, and pieces of fallen rubble raining down on him, and he watched with a hard glare in his eyes as the kid dived to avoid a falling piece of wreckage, just barely managing to catch onto the very last possible platform as the remaining piece of rubble plummetted down and out of sight, and Kuro's heart practically sang at the resulting scream that echoed through the facility.
Of course, it would've been even better if the paladin had plummeted down with the rest of the crumbling facility, but he'd take what he could get.
Watching in interest, Kuro impatiently clenched his fists as the teen managed to pull himself onto the platform, small pieces of rock and debris still falling as the cloning plant slowly crumbled to bits around them. He was clearly out of breath and growing more and more sluggish from his injuries, which meant he'd be easier to finally catch and kill.
And, with a final smirk before the fun began, he jumped after the paladin, jetpack igniting to lessen the blow of his fall as he landed not far from where the kid had collapsed on the ground, limp hand only inches away from his knife, as Kuro's feet touched down with a hard clang that reverberated through his ears.
He paused as he stood over him, the kid finally still enough to see, taking in the paladin's features with a tilt of his head for the first time since he'd walked in. There was now a thin line of blood seeping from his dark hair, most likely from a stray piece of metal or debris hitting him in the head (his heart happily jumped to his throat at that), and Kuro didn't have to guess by the way the paladin was laying to know he had broken or at least cracked several ribs during the fight.
He felt- powerful to finally stand triumphant over him, his mission was almost complete, and he couldn't wait till the moment he killed him.
Kuro summoned his sword again, the heat from the blade sizzling and crackling as he stood over the fallen paladin, and, with one final look at the kid's slack face, with barely an emotion left in his head, he struck, blade raised above his head as he brought it down with all his force, right over the paladin's head, then-
He startled as hands brought the knife up, just barely catching the blow with a strained whimper, the teen's eyes now open, dark and pleading as he attempted to push the blades down further. How was this kid not dead yet? He needed to die why couldn't he just let go and be done with it?
He growled in response to his own thoughts, pushing harder against the paladin's lingering strength. It wouldn't be long now, just a few more seconds of this futile attempt to try and protect himself and then-
"Shiro- p-please. Y-you're my brother-" a whimper escaped pale lips as he strained to speak, and Kuro pressed down harder with a hard growl of frustration, earning himself another strangled gasp from the paladin's lips, why wouldn't he just die already?- "-I love you," the teen gasped, speech leaving him as he fought to stay alive.
Kuro's eyes widened in alarm at the motion that bled from the teen's words, the stab of pain coming back into his consciousness full-flare- this- this Shiro's consciousness, he dimly thought as it fought once again for dominance in his head- and he struggled to keep it down.
This had gone on long enough.
He-he needed to end this now.
"Just let go, Keith," he growled, pushing their clash of blades further against the paladin's neck and the boy whimpered, closing his eyes and turning his head, as his own blade slowly but surely burned into the kid's cheek, leaving a quite pleasing mark behind, "you don't have to fight anymore. By now, the team's already gone-" he watched the paladin's eyes widen "-I saw to it myself."
If Kuro had to admit anything to what happened next, he'd at least be willing to admit that it was the wrong thing to say in the wrong moment to say it.
With a sudden burst of vigor, there were feet planted against his chest, and before he could even think, he was thrown back from the paladin with a yell, back hitting the support pole that protruded from the platform they were standing on. A flash of pain lighting up his neck, his head quickly following, sending his eyes on a tailspin, and he struggled to stay upright, growling under his breath, biting back a full-blown snarl as his vision swam into smudges of fuzzy shapes and swirling colors.
His eyes narrowed as he finally focused enough to catch sight of the teen getting back to shaky legs, brandishing the knife in his direction, fingers quivering, but, hidden under all that exhaustion, he could see a new kind of fire in his yellow-hued eyes, a fire that held nothing but loss masking his gaze, quickly taken over by what he would only describe as pure rage. "You-"
Unable to even finish his sentence, the kid roared, charging forward with flaming vigor, and Kuro took the opportune moment for all it had, blade forming once again at the flick of his wrist and a flash of purple light. It was almost as if the whole universe were moving in slow motion at that moment, and as the paladin continued to run from across the platform, he angled the weapon down- further- there.
Keith was only a foot in front of him when Kuro thrust forward and-
He relished in the feeling as pure- completeness washed over him when his blade slid home, the startled gasp that left pale lips, the look in his eyes as violet orbs widened and the knife crashed to the ground with a barely heard clang. He watched in satisfaction as the beautiful red tint of blood began to almost immediately seep from his chest- the only dangerously exposed place the paladin's armor didn't cover. He couldn't wait to paint himself in the kid's blood, to see the exact moment the paladin's life drained from his eyes. It was now only minutes before it would happen, he- he couldn't wait to-
Wait, what was he doing here? What happened?
The fluttering gasps in front of him had his eyes taking in the person in front of him, and Shiro couldn't even begin to describe the sound that tore its way from his lips when he finally locked eyes with the teen; on the sword protruding from his chest, the blade dissipating when Shiro pulled his hand away in shock at what he was doing. "K- Keith?!"
His eyes ventured around them, to what looked to be a cloning facility and- oh, God. Oh, God, oh God-
What happened? How did he get here? The last thing Shiro remembered was pure agony tearing through his head at the castle, the feeling of his consciousness being torn away from his body and then-
Wait a minute, did- did he do this?
"Sh- Shiro-" he was barely able to move in time to catch him as Keith's knees gave out from under him, his face already white as a sheet and he gently brought them both to the ground, hands going to try and stench the bleeding already flowing from the wound and streaming past his fingers and collecting on the floor and ohGodwhathashedone?!
"Keith, I- fuck, it's going to be okay, you'll be okay, I- I promise," despite the hopelessness of the situation, he found himself muttering assurances anyway, but as the blood continued to soak past his fingers, and Keith was already loosing so much of it and there was just too much and-
He- he couldn't do anything but watch him die.
But he deserved it, didn't he? After all, he'd-
He swallowed, the action thick and suffocating, forcing the thought away, for the time being, he needed to fix this.
"Keith, Keith, it's okay," he carded a hand through the teen's hair in some sick attempt to somehow make up for what he's done, his crimson soaked fingers painting red streaks through his hair, the wet sheen reflecting in the light. His voice was coming out in nothing but a soft whisper as the cloning plant continued to crumble to bits around him, the teen's head draped in his lap. He could make this better, he- he could fix this, he-
"It's-" he broke off, no longer able to hold back the sob that built it's way up his throat the 'okay' dying on his lips as he bowed his head to his chest. His fingers grasped into the teen's head, fingers gently pulling at the black strands still in his grasp, Keith's skin soaked in sweat from the fight he'd lost. "Keith-" he could taste saltwater on his lips that had nothing to do with the beads of sweat on his skin. "Keith, I- I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry, I-"
He couldn't hold himself together anymore, and he let the tears fall instead, letting the sobs wrack his body as memories flashed in front of his eyelids. Every moment he'd had with the boy, every triumph, every loss, every scraped knee he had to fix, every happy smile, every time Shiro looked into Keith's eyes to see the unwavering trust that laid there-
"'S okay, Shiro," he looked back at the teen through blurry vision, his voice barely above a whisper, the boy's eyes quickly growing more unfocused and distant. He watched as a weak cough came from his lips, a spatter of blood shooting from his mouth. A thick trail of scarlet slowly traced down his chin, falling to his neck before dripping to the floor under them in painstakingly slow time, "-t -wasn't your f- fault."
No, no it was, no matter how many times Keith could say it, he was the one that did this, he- he was the monster that-
Another choked sob.
He'd never forgive himself for this, he knew every day in eternity in the hell he'd live in for doing this, he'd never be able to forget this moment, but he deserved it, that much he knew was a fact.
He deserved every moment of this, "It's going to be okay." Was he whispering that to Keith or himself now? He sounded so much like a broken, scratchy record he wasn't sure anymore-
"I forgive you," a slick hand, likely covered in his own blood ascended onto his cheek, the touch so soft it had Shiro choking back a whole new wave of tears, the boy was trying to comfort him of all people, in his dying moments, Shiro should be the one comforting him, not- "Shiro, I- I forgive you."
He brought his hand up then, cradling the thin fingers in his own, clenching his eyes shut and grimacing as the stabbing pain of what he'd done filled him, as Keith softly repeated the phrase over and over till his voice grew too soft to hear, till air no longer came to his lungs.
He could feel when Keith finally let go, feel the life dissipate from his body, see the moment the gleam in his eyes went out, and his head lolled to the side, no longer supported by- by anything.
Because he was gone.
Keith- Keith was dead.
And it was all his fault.
...
WOOOOO!!! ANGST AT IT'S FINEST RIGHT HERE!!!! *immediately breaks down and cries because whotheheckamIkiddingthisissofreakingsadImbawlingsohardrn*
But there you have it, folks, my practice writing action/turned one-shot/turnedsomethingreallyreallysadtocryabout.
Brought to you by pineomega who actually got me so hard into a writing mood with this request, it was great :D
Have I actually done an in-depth death scene like this before??? Probably...
Do I think this is one of my better-written shots??? Absolutely
Anyway, here it is, I hope you like, there'll be plenty more angst to come after this. Maybe after I try writing a nice, big ol' fluffy scene for ma boy Keith, because I don't know about you guys but this was pretty dang hardcore :D
OH and also as a side note (dang Fang, why don't you just make this a whole other chapter for how long you're making this a/n?), I re-watched the fight scene between these two so many times and I had to pause it in so many spots that I noticed something that just made me laugh so hard:
Tf, Keith WHY YOU HAVE THREE LEGS?!?!?!? IS THERE SOMETHING YOU'RE NOT TELLING US?!?!?!?
But tbh if ya just edit out Keith's third (???) leg, it'd actually make for a pretty nice thumbnail...
Oh, and there's this:
I think it's a perfect representation of how I feel after school, I might just put it up as my profile pic sometime.....
Anyway, I'll shut up now.....