There had been no time to react, no time to think of another plan. It was Sendak or Shiro. There were only mere seconds for him to decide to leap from his lion; bayard activated. His blade had gone straight through Sendak, and Keith had wondered for a second if he had actually even killed him. Confirmation had soon reached his ears though when Sendak fell face first into the dirt.

With his mind still reeling from the adrenaline he hurried over to where Shiro still lay. Helping him into a sitting position they both zeroed in on the dead galran his blood pooling beneath him.

That was six hours ago.

Currently Keith found himself in the showers staring at the tiled wall. He had been fine before laughing and talking with the others. But now as the warm water ran over his bruised and scarred skin, he found himself lost within himself.

It wasn't the first time he had taken a life; in war it was necessary to take life. To survive and defend. And that's what Keith had been doing. Surviving. Defending. He was a legendary defender after all, that title wasn't just for show. He couldn't lose it because he was depended on. He was needed. So, the first thing he did was bury it. The life he had taken, the emotions of shock and fear. He buried them and started construction of a wall that would hold. Nothing would ever break it; it could only get stronger.

But now that Zarkon was dead, the Galra were defeated. He had no reason to kill anymore. No reason to keep that wall that he had been building since day one standing. It had begun cracking from the moment they left Sendak's body, the group retreating to the Garrison. As the crowd cheered for their victory, it cracked some more. Debriefing had led to small chunks breaking free.

He ran his hands over his face then up and back through his hair removing it from his face. Tilting his head back he let the water hit it full force. He wouldn't lose it, not here.

The streaming of the water had all he heard for a while but that quickly changed to the blood pounding in his head. Now the water was nothing more than a background noise. His stomach dropped like it did when he leapt from his lion. And then the sound of Sendak's body hitting the dirt filled his ears. Over and over again the situation played out through his head ending with the soft thud of a body.

Shutting the water off, he towel tried his body before wrapping it around his lower half. His movements were slow and mechanical, barely registering what he was doing until he found himself standing in front of a mirror. It had fogged over from the hot shower beads of condensation still forming as the heat permeated the room.

His pulse picked up in pace as the hours before played through his mind. Thoughts swirling of if he should have given Sendak a chance to fight before Keith had killed him were quickly countered by the fact Sendak would've killed Shiro had Keith not arrived when he did.

The thoughts nearly suffocated him. He grabbed the sink handle slamming it to the side to start the cold water. Cupping his hands he splashed his face repeatedly, only when he was gasping for breath did, he stop. His wall was cracking more and more.

The water was still running as Keith lifted his head to the mirror. Taking a hand, he wiped a section clean. He was met with his own reflection, his face dripping wet, and his toned chest and arms covered in scars and bruises. His rising chest gradually slowed as his breathing returned to normal, and with a sigh he shut the water off. The dripping from the showers echoed as he returned his attention back to the mirror.

His anxiety skyrocketed as he jumped back from the counter slamming his back into the tiled wall with a SMACK! His bare skin smarted as he blinked the image of Sendak snapping out of existence leaving only Keith staring at his panicked self.

His breath came in rapid and short, and he grew lightheaded with every breath. He closed his eyes attempting to control his breathing as he slid to the floor.

It's just your imagination. Sendak is dead, you killed him to protect Shiro. He can no longer come after any of you. You're safe. You did what you needed to do. Without you Shiro would've been killed.

"Keith?"

Keith's eyes snapped open at Allura's voice. She stood at the door to the showers hesitating as to whether to enter or not.

"I'm Alright." Keith was shocked to hear the sound of tears in his voice. He didn't bother to stop her as she kneeled next to him. His vision blurred as everything from today finally burst the wall that he had spent years building. He tried to focus on the beautiful face before him. A face that he found he could tell anything to. "I-"

He didn't get the chance to get anything out before he lost control. Tears sprang free and rolled down his cheeks. Allura instantly had him in her arms shushing him, telling him there wasn't a need for him to speak. So, he didn't, he just allowed himself to cry as her warm hands circled on his back. Every once in a while, she placed a kiss on his temple, but she never once let go. And for that he was so very grateful.