"Down there!" Pidge cried, indicating a ravine on the planet's surface, and Keith grunted.

"I see it." he said flatly "No need to point out the obvious."

"And there's no need for you to be so rude, yet here we are." She retorted.

"Guys, you been like this since we left the Castle, can you please stop?" Hunk complained, rolling his eyes. He and Allura were trailing behind in Yellow, having agreed that they should have another Lion.

"Hunk is right," Allura said, leaning closer to the screen. "We are here to save Shiro, not create a rift between us."

Keith huffed, urging Red on just a little faster. The movement didn't quite seem natural, causing Pidge to furrow her brow.

"Approach with caution, Paladins," Coran's voice sounded in her ear, and Pidge shook her head, focusing on him instead of Keith. "You don't know what you will find down there!"

"Yes we do." Keith said through grit teeth. "Shiro."

Pidge frowned again, hand gripping the back of Keith's seat. She stared at the side of his head for a moment, tapping her toe as she thought.

"So, uh Keith..." she said quietly, muting their channel so the others couldn't hear. He grunted in response, not even turning to glance at her. "What's the problem between you and Red?"

Keith tensed.

"Nothing." he muttered, clicking the channel open again. Pidge huffed, turning it off and glaring at him.

"Keith. You and Red aren't working as well as you normally do, so much so that Yellow is able to keep up with no effort."

"Maybe I'm just holding back so he can."

"Don't pull that with me Keith, I can tell something's up."

"Can we just open comms again? They're probably discussing something important."

"Don't avoid the question!" Pidge snapped, before she immediately softened. "Sorry. That's not helping."

Keith didn't reply for a while, instead focusing on the ravine ahead.

"... I got angry." He said quietly. "Remember when Lance's signal was glitching out?"

Pidge nodded. Of course she remembered, it wasn't like anything that was unfolding ahead of them was making her forget it.

"Well..." He still wasn't looking at Pidge. "I-" he gave a dry laugh. "It sounds so stupid now, like an argument that a kid would have in school."

"What is it?"

"I hit Red. I mean- I know it's not her fault, but I just got angry and the signal was jumpy and- and I-" he broke off. "I don't know, Red's been silent ever since."

"Did you apologise?" Pidge found it kind of funny that you could apologise to a gigantic robot cat and it would actually have an effect, but Keith just gave her an unreadable look.

"Didn't change anything."

"Well... Did you-"

Keith clicked the comms open, signifying the end of the conversation.

"--ysers seem to be all over the place, kinda like a minefield." Hunk was saying. "I've done a quick scan, and I think they're set off by pressure on the surface."

"So how do we land?" Pidge leaned into frame, already immediately switching to Paladin mode. The conversation she had had with Keith still lingered in her mind, but there were more important things ahead.

"Pretty sure the Lions are strong enough to withstand the water pressure. Not sure about us though."

Pidge hummed. "Well, if we get as close as possible to the gap without actually going down, then we should be fine, as long as we tread light. The jetpacks should have enough power to get us out again, and maybe stop us from putting our feet down too often."

"Should we split up?" Allura asked. "Pidge and Keith can continue towards the signal, whilst Hunk and I remain in Yellow and circle above. Just as an extra precaution, in case this is a trap."

Hunk shrugged. "I'm fine with whatever you guys decide, honestly. Like, I really wanna see Shiro but even that can be pushed back for everyone to get out safe."

Pidge didn't fail to notice the way Keith's grip tightened on Red's controls.

"Keith?" She said quietly. Keith once again avoided her gaze.

"You know how you said he probably wasn't in too much trouble?" He muttered, glaring at the signal blinking on his radar as if it was at fault.

Pidge blinked, not quite understanding. "Uuh, yeah?"

"Then why hasn't he replied? We're within range now, Shiro should be speaking to us by now."

"There's some elements deep in the planet's surface that can block signals;" she said, pointing to a rising level as they got closer and closer to the pinpoint of the Black Lion. "Down in that ravine, that's where the majority of it is. The Lion's signal is strong enough to get through, but maybe it's blocking comms and Shiro can't contact us because of it."

If anything, Keith's grip tightened more.

"Look, Keith-" Pidge sighed, wanting nothing more than to pinch the bridge of her nose - something she couldn't do whilst wearing her helmet. "I'm trying- really trying and-"

She took a deep breath. "Just... Don't get your hopes up, okay?" She said quietly, reaching out to squeeze Keith's shoulder. With once again no reply, Pidge turned back, heading for Red's underside hatch.

"There's Black!" Pidge pointed to the giant beast, a grin making its way onto her face. She deactivated her bayard, allowing it to dissipate into her armour and sprinted forwards.

Somehow this all seemed too easy. The geysers were slow enough that they could dodge with little hassle; and even though there were several life forms on the radar, none of them had come out of hiding. Pidge had no idea if they were hostile or not, but kind of hoped it would stay that way.

"Pidge-" the tone in Keith's voice was unidentifiable, but it caused Pidge to freeze in her tracks. She turned to face him, an unasked question on her tongue.

She didn't even know what she wanted to ask, but the look on Keith's face was enough to make it die, leaving a quiet hiss of air to pass through her lips.

Don't get your hopes up. She had said that to him, mere minutes ago. And yet here she was, rock the weight of the whole Earth dropping in her gut.

Because there was blood.

So much blood.

"It-" Keith clamped his mouth shut, shaking his head.

"D- do-" Pidge pushed her fear down. It couldn't be. There was no way that it was-

"Shiro!"

Keith's voice sounded so broken, so scared.

"Shiro!" He yelled again, shoving past Pidge towards Black. She couldn't call out to get Keith to slow down, to stop.

Her legs were shaking too much to follow.

It was so much blood - everywhere. Dried pools and stains turning the rock a dark shade of brown-red.

Near the largest patch - midway between Pidge and Black - was a tangled mess of something metal. It should have been familiar, Pidge felt it tug in the back of her mind. Almost as if it were- had been-

Shiro's cybernetic arm.

It was too much blood. There was so much.

Pidge's legs gave way and she sank to the ground, gasping for breath. They were too late, they were too late.

There was so much blood.

Her vision was fuzzy, unfocusing and blurring as she tried to force air into her lungs.

"Pidge? Pidge, are you okay? What's wrong?"

Hunk's voice snapped her out of it, bringing her back to reality in an instant. The hurt was still there, still trying to drown everything else out, but for now it was an ache in the heart.

"Pidge?" He tried again, voice gentle and soft in Pidge's ear. She gulped, turning her face to the sky, where the Yellow Lion circled above.

"It-" the words were stuck in her throat.

Distantly, she heard Keith scream, and the sound of something hitting the ground with force. He yelled wordlessly again, kicking a rock in his anger, and it took a toll on Pidge to even look his way.

Keith collapsed on the ground, hands twisting into his hair. "He's gone."

Pidge's breath was squeezed out of her, and she gaped in half-desperate horror. "He can't- he-"

"Pidge? Keith's not answering, is something wrong?"

"Helmet-" she tried to explain, the words getting stuck in her throat. "Keith took- took off h-his helmet."

"Is it bad? Is he in trouble?"

Pidge shook her head in response, remembering too late that it was radio only. "N-no."

It hurt her to see her teammate in such a state. He was curled up on the ground by the Black Lion's feet, shoulders shaking silently as he cried.

Pidge found tears leaking from her own eyes. "We-" she cleared her throat to no avail. "He's not- he- he- he's not-" she broke off with a quiet sob, trying to stifle the sound. "He's gone."

The silence on the other end of the comms was worse than any questions the rest of the team could subject Pidge to.