Just By a Few Days
Your name is Jade Harley and you never got to meet the one person who helped you through all the problems you had and the ones you helped him with. You wish that you could have hugged him when you reached the meteor and maybe just hug away all his problems and anger. Gog damnit! Why did you have to take so long to get there?! You might have been able to help him… Maybe you could have…
Finally! You and John arrive at the meteor and you get to see Dave and Rose and Feferi and oh my goodness! Karkat! You skip off of the ship and expect to see everyone, especially Karkat because he's the big bad leader and all, to be waiting. But, nothing, no one awaits you. You can't help but frown but then shrug it off, hey, everyone must be SOOO busy and must have just forgotten~! You run around, looking in all of the rooms before you stumble across Rose and she looks… sad.
"Rose! It's so gre- What's wrong?" She looks up at you and a smile graces the girl's lips.
"Oh, it's nothing, Jade. It is such a pleasure to see you." She smiles and walks over to you, hugging you tightly. You happily hug back but why was she hugging you? From what you knew about Rose and that was quite a lot, she wasn't exactly the type of person to give hugs! She pulls back from you and you can't help but ask,
"Rose? Where is Karkat?! I've been looking around for him everywhere and I just cannot find him!" Suddenly, her smile turns to a frown and she gently takes your hand, leading you to her bed.
"Please, sit down Jade, I must show you something…" Rose's soft voice trails at the end and you raise your eyebrow a bit, why couldn't she just tell you where Karkat was? She walks to the small desk and grabs the laptop of it, bringing it back and setting it on the bed. "Do not react too negatively please, or I might have to go and fetch Dave to come and calm you."
"Come on Rose! I'll be fine! I'm sure whatever you have to show me won't be that bad that you have to go get Dave, but I do want to see him!" You bounce up and down on the bed a bit, wondering what was just sooo important that she had to show you now. She slowly opens the laptop and turns it towards you.
You see Karkat on the screen and you can't help but smile even more! His horns were so nubby and adorable. He started ranting like usual, his normal mad self but then… Wait, he just stopped and he looked so empty, and then the video blacked out. "Rose… What is this…? Where is Karkat?!" She shakes her head and then you hear his voice again, immediately looking back down at the screen. He looked so horrible… Tired and like, like he had been crying! You wanted to go and hug him more than ever. You didn't remove your eyes from the screen and quickly you realized the worst and you began to sob quietly.
Suddenly, the last video came up and he looked so tiny, more than usual and he kept saying he was sorry over and over. What was he sorry for!? Why did he keep apologizing to us? A bit later, he wasn't moving, you couldn't see the rise and fall of his chest as before and Rose shut the laptop. You know had warm, salty tears sliding down your face and you sobbed, you couldn't help it, you had missed seeing him and talking, like you had wanted to do.
"W-When…?" You manage out and that really seems like all you can say at the moment. Rose just shakes her head and looks down at the bed before back up at you.
"You missed him, only by a few days… I'm so sorry Jade." She wraps her arms around you and pulls you closer to her. You shake your head, no, no he can't be dead, Karkat can't die! You bury your face into Rose's shoulder and cry into it. Only a few days… What if you could have been faster, could you have helped him? You can't help but think you could have.
You had always tried to help him, like trying to get his future and present self in order but did you really help? Did anyone ever try and help him? Probably not and you feel horrible for never doing more to help him… to help your… friend.
He had been through so much and now he was gone.
Your name is Jade Harley and you are a horrible friend! You are laying in one of your best friend's arms and sobbing, you couldn't do anything to help him…
Sleep well, leader, you deserve at least that.