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“NO!!”
Sabre heard the voice. It didn’t register. He braced himself for the impact, waiting for Void to finish him off. Sabre waited for the pain to burn and eventually fade as he died.
Instead, he saw a flurry of Rainbow colors dash in front of him. And Sabre watched it hit him. He watched him fall to the ground.
Rainbow didn’t scream. He didn’t cry out or curse or shout. He fell to the ground with a dull thud, and everything went quiet.
Except for Sabre. Sabre screamed.
He ran forward, collapsing onto his knees and embracing the ruined body of his best friend.
“No, no, Rainbow, I-“
“It’s okay.” His voice was nothing greater than a mumble. Then he coughed.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m so so sorry…”
“Shh.” He whispered, putting a bloodied, bruised and broken hand to Sabre’s face. And he smiled. But there was nothing to smile for. “It’s okay.”
“We’ll heal you.” Sabre swore. He turned around to face Galaxy, whose eyes were open wide, watching as if frozen. “Galaxy, you- you can do something! Please-“
From above, Void chuckled. The monster. He flew up a bit higher, far away from their reach. Sabre glared, he glared with a hatred so deep and red, it felt like he had never hated before.
But he couldn’t waste his time on Void. Rainbow was right in his arms, and he was dying. After all they had been through, Rainbow was dying.
This wasn’t like Infinity sending him away. This was the apex of Void’s power, a specially strong force made specifically to destroy Sabre for good. Enough to kill. Enough to kill his Rainbow. His friend. His only.
“I’m sorry.” Sabre sobbed. He didn’t know he was crying until his chest ached and his lungs burned, and the drops of anguish fell pathetically onto Rainbow’s face. And he still smiled.
“It’s not your fault.” Rainbow rubbed his cheek, almost lovingly so, admiring.
Sabre regretted everything. If he didn’t let Rainbow fall to Void…if he didn’t choose Galaxy over Rainbow…if he didn’t let Rainbow save him-
“I’ll be okay.” He was still speaking. Still kicking. Sabre could save him, he could build a machine, he could do something, figure something out… “I love you.”
The world froze. It faded away, and it was just them two. Rainbow—his victim turned best friend, the only person that really, really mattered in the end—was dying. And for the first time, Sabre couldn’t do a single thing.
Rainbow coughed. “Really, it’ll be okay. You’ll figure it out.”
“I won’t.” Sabre cried. “Not without you. I’ve always had you.”
“Not always.” Rainbow argued, forcing that same smile. “Remember that time we were separated? …when- when you found me in the ice…”
Sabre shook his head. “But I found you. I- I don’t want to lose you. Not forever. I can’t do it.”
“I know you can. It’s okay.”
Rainbow was dying. And Sabre would refuse it until the day he joined Rainbow in death.
“I love you.” Rainbow repeated.
“I love you too.”
And the hand on his face, wiping the tears away from his blindfold, fell. And the loving, forgiving smile on Rainbow’s face disappeared. And the faint sound of a heartbeat slowed to a stop.
And Sabre screamed.