As the ringing in his ears subsided, the Red Paladin tried to figure out what the hell had just happened.

An attack?

An earthquake?

Whatever had happened, it had - been - really bad.

An explosion, maybe?

They'd been near the Castle, with - Kolivan - and - the Blade of Marmora - and then -

The air felt - wrong - and something heavy was pressing down on his chest, on his legs, and he couldn't move his arms. Even as his world went white with pain, Keith tried to move, and when he couldn't, he tried to open his eyes, but he couldn't even manage that.

Was he trapped beneath rubble?

Then there was noise, a lot of noise around him, and he could hear the others calling his name, but when he tried to answer, he couldn't. He couldn't even - get enough breath - and his chest - hurt -

Panic surged through him, and fear, and a sense of impending finality.

It hurt, it hurt, it hurt and he couldn't get air, he couldn't tell his friends where he was, he was being crushed by degrees and it was agony, and he couldn't even scream, he couldn't do anything but just lie here, under what felt like a thousand pounds of rock and rubble.

More voices, again, even closer this time, and they were worried, and he wanted to tell them where he was, but -

"There! I see him!"

"Are you sure? We can't risk moving him unless we're sure, that whole thing's about to collapse - if it falls onto him even his armor won't be able to protect him -"

Too late, he thought, but when he tried to say so, he only coughed up blood, and the sound, weak though it was, was heard.

"Shitshitshit it's him, it's him and he's hurt, come on come on come on, let's go let's go let's go -"

"Okay - okay - on three -"

Keith thought he heard the sounds of people moving quickly into position, and through an immense effort of will, he managed to open one eye. His vision was blurred, hazy, and he couldn't make out any details of the area around him, but the little light he could see was too bright, and he shut his eye again as the sounds around him grew louder.

Too much noise, too much movement, too much, too much, too much. He felt sick.

Someone grabbed him, the weight above him shifted away, and then he was pulled free of the rubble, and finally, the pain hit him.

He hadn't thought he could scream.

He'd been wrong.

Hands. Hands were touching his face, his arms, his chest, and there were voices, lots of voices, and it was all too loud and too bright, and he hurt, he hurt everywhere, and he didn't want them to touch him - all he wanted to do was breathe, but his lungs wouldn't work right -

Something was still wrong -

What's wrong with me -

Fear pulsed through him, white-hot and vicious, and he tried again to ask, but his lungs - wouldn't - work the way they were supposed to -

He felt a hand brush across his forehead, and then - someone - Allura? - was telling him to relax, that it was going to be okay -

Liar -

He couldn't breathe, how was that okay -

He jerked his head angrily away from her, trying again to open his eyes, but his eyelids wouldn't open now - why wouldn't they open -

"Hunk, he's freaking out -"

Lance?

"Okay, okay, here, I can help -"

Water trickled down his skin, and then what felt like Hunk's headband patted against his forehead.

"-it's okay, Keith, it's just some blood - um - on your face - it's okay - "

Keith jerked his head away again, snarling weakly, because he didn't care about the blood on his face, that wasn't important -

Pidge's voice, short and abrupt and high in panic.

"This is bad, guys - we need to get him to the healing pods, right now - "

Allura's voice again, sharp with fear as well.

"We can't just move him without - "

There were so people around him, so many voices, but - where was -

"...Shiro..." He whimpered, and the noise around him seemed to fade for a second.

He didn't care, he didn't care if anyone saw him crying, he didn't care if they thought he was weak or stupid, he didn't care at all. He just wanted his brother.

"...Shiro..."

Someone near him swore, vehemently.

More voices above his head, something about getting a stretcher, readying a healing pod, but the pain was crashing down onto him again, and the world blurred out into sounds and light and all he knew was that he didn't want to be alone.

Please, I'm sorry, please don't leave -

There were running footsteps that faded away into the distance, and he didn't even try to keep from crying then.

They'd left him, they always left him, and there was nothing he could say or do to make them want to stay -

Another hand - an unfamiliar one, with clawed fingers - grasped his forearm, and Keith thought he heard Kolivan start to reassure him, that it was no easy thing for a Blade to die, and that Keith had many long solar cycles still ahead of him - but - but everything hurt, and Keith didn't have any breath to spare, he didn't have any - at all - and everything - just - hurt -

Even as his awareness fractured and split apart, someone picked him up and began carrying him, and he knew he must have screamed again, and he hated himself for this, for being so weak, it was stupid, it was -

...was...

His vision whited out again, but then he was on - some sort of table - and hands were touching him again, and he tried to fight them off, because all he felt was pain, but then -

Other hands, stronger hands, gripping his forearms, forcing them down by his sides until clamps activated, and then Keith tried to kick his way free, but they'd secured his legs, too, and his head hurt too much and he couldn't get enough air and all he wanted was for the pain to stop, and to see his brother again.

Where was Red?

Where was...anyone?

Then Coran's voice, steady and reassuring.

"Keith, we're starting the healing pod - it's all right - we're here for you."

He heard a soft, hissing sound somewhere near his head, a cool mist settle onto his skin. With a final effort, he forced his eyes open, and saw Allura, Coran, and Kolivan all standing directly outside the pod.

Kolivan had...blood...on his clothes. He must have been the one to carry Keith down the corridors.

The last thing Keith wondered, before the healing cycle began, was how Kolivan had known where the infirmary was.