You are my reason

Gates of hell

The first week had passed of year 9 and all seemed well, until Katie began being friendly with Axca. She had been one of Zethrids groups in Primary school, the same ones who bullied them.

"I JUST DONT SEE WHY YOU HAVE TO FORGIVE EVERYONE PIDGE!" Keith screamed from his window at her.
"THEY HURT YOU SO MUCH! YOU HAVE NO NEED TO BE FRIENDS! It's for you own good, Katie please." He pleaded with her but she only got angrier
"YOU CANT TELL ME WHAT TO DO KEITH" and with that she brought her self back in to her room, slamming her window and shutting her curtains. She stormed down stairs ignoring all of his pleas.
"Pidge? What's wrong?" Matt questioned patting the seat next to him on the sofa. She loudly sighed flopping on to the sofa under his arm "Keith." She mumbled rolling her eyes and snuggling in to him, "What now? Do I need to beat him up?" Matt joked, a small chuckle coming out of her lips and she turned her attention to the TV, "No it's ok, We just need to cool off I'll talk to him to tomorrow" she concluded, slowly falling asleep in her brothers arms as she had so many years ago.

Keith sat up all night, anger in his veins.
"How could she do this? Be friends with them?" Keith worried himself until he was sick, literally. Shiro came in to help him along with his mother both concluding school wasn't the best idea, Shiro and Matt were bringing Katie to school in the morning anyway so he was ok to stay home.

That morning, Katie sat in the back of Shiros black car completely oblivious to her surroundings .
The 14 year old sighed audibly closing her eyes for only a moment.

Her life changing in the blink of an eye.

A purple car came speeding at them, brutally crashing in the side the Holts were in, throwing them around and jostling them violently. The car flipped multiple times, strangled screams filling the once silent atmosphere.
Then it was over.
Red.

She could only see Red every where.

Black.

She slowly dropped unconscious, dangling against her seat belt.

The three were pulled from the wreckage, their bodies so lifeless like puppets with snapped strings.

Their families were called and already at the hospital, Tear stained eyes and shaky hands. Katie and Shiro were immediately rushed in to surgery, Katie had a large piece of metal in her stomach and Shiro's arm was barely attached. Keith watched in horror as he saw Katie's body being rushed in, her hair drenched and sticky in her crimson red blood. Her green lion hoodie she had worn to his 10th birthday and they joked still fit her 4 years on, now bearing a hole.
Like the hole in Keiths heart as he watched her leave.
Matt was concluded ok in the end medically, mentally however he was a mess.

"I didn't protect her. I should've protected her."
He continued to say those words over and over again pacing up and down the room in his battered and purple body, wincing at every step.

-§-
*4 hours later*

Shiro finally came out of surgery but this time, not in one piece.
His once strong and muscular arm gone and in its place a bold, metal frame. It was silver with purple bits around it and a black hand.
Galra industrial equipment.
Everyone crowded in Shiros room, not noticing Pidge being wheeled back in. She too had not come back whole and from under her left knee stood another prosthetic, similar to Shiros and a scar ran all the way up her chest and stomach.
Keith ran to her and stood by her bed instantly grabbing for her hand.
"Pidge I'm so sorry. It should've been me. I shouldn't of yelled, your my best friend. I'll never forgive myself for not protecting you" He said in quiet whispers, his voice breaking and the tear reforming as he sat by her.
"Don't- don't be such a- s- sop e-emo" She stuttered slowly and groggily. The young boy instantly throwing his head up and his arms around the girl,
"Don't ever do that to me again nerd! I thought you were gone" he cried in to her
"Gonna take a lot more than that to kill me, trust" she joked as everyone began talking about the two new prosthetics.

Katie, Shiro and Matt were released from the hospital a couple days later only to find that their local police, the Blade of Mamora, haven't been able to apprehend any one for the cause of the crash.
Katie hadn't had any sleep since the crash, often climbing up on to the roof to look at the stars.

One night as she climbed,Keith's bedroom light came on and window flung open "Pidge?" He called out to her. "Yeah?" She turned to see the boy staring at her with blatant confusion
"I'm going to look at the stars wanna come?" She said as he began to climb he climbed on to his roof and ran jumping on to Katie's as soundless as possible before lying next to her. "Why aren't you asleep?" He asked, "Nightmares" is all she replied with and Keith immediately understood.
"Hey I'm here ok?" He said as he put an arm around her and she began to drift off into a comfortable sleep.
He picked her up gently and climbed back inside carefully holding her close to him before putting her in bed and tucking her in. He gave her a kiss on the forehead before jumping out and over the fence, in the night.

Tomorrow she would go back to the dreaded school.

-§-

The morning came around and she got back in to the swing of her normal routine, picking out some jeans and a black hoodie to go with her converse and sorting out her hair.
She ran down for breakfast eating it rather quickly before kissing Colleen on the cheek and running out the door. She wasn't even late, but she refused to get back in the car and so it took a bit longer than normal to get to Altea Academy High school.
Keith raced after her, slamming his own door shut as he sped down the street, Panting and slowing as he reached her.
"You- you left with-out me" he said mocking hurt. "Well you weren't ready" she laughed at his panting state, and he smiled at hearing her laugh again.
They reached school in good time, Lance and Hunk meeting them at the gates that they had nick named 'the gates of hell'.

Everyone around Pidge turned quiet all the conversations turning stagnant.

All eyes on her.

They all began pointing and looking her up and down making her feel more self conscious than ever, then the whispering started.
"She was that car accident girl" one said
"She's got a fake leg" another spoke.
Pidge immediately felt out of place, like everyone was judging her.

She ran.

Tears stinging her eyes out, out to the back of the school, where the willow tree stands.
Keith followed her and Lance and Hunk screamed at everyone making comments to leave her alone.
"No one likes a freak" she sobbed in to Keiths shirt
"That's not true you aren't a freak and I like you Pidge" he said kissing her on the forehead and rocking her
"It's ok I'm here" he said soothingly to her. "Lance call Matt will you?" Keith asked the Cuban tossing him his phone "Password Mullet?"
"Pidge" he said instantly blushing as everyone looked at him "What? It's something I'll never forget!" He says defensively as Lance and Hunk smirk at him making his face blush even harder. "Just call Matt!" He spoke frantically ready to kill them. Lance explained everything to Matt and he and Shiro came to pick them all up.

-§-

"I can't." Katie said looking wide eyed at the car.
"I can't" she said again backing in to Keith "It's alright, Pidge, we are all here now, I promise nothing will happen to you." He said holding her and picking her up to place her in the back before taking the seat next to her.
"Ice cream from Sals at the mall anyone?" Shiro suggested sitting in the passenger seat "YEAH" they all chorused from the back of the seven seater.
They all got their ice scream and sat around the table. Allura, one of Matt and Shiros friends had come to meet them all, she was the daughter of Alfor and the heir to the Altean throne to half the capital city. She had long silver hair and bright blue eyes, Pidge was just happy to have another girl in the group to talk to.
They all left finally happy after a dismal day and all finally ready to face the gates of Hell once more.

Together.