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There was one rule of the arena that Shiro counted on.
'Survive the night and you earn treatment.'
Shiro grunted as the sentries tossed him and his 'teammate' into an already occupied cell. Sometimes the fights were themed or special circumstances placed to keep it entertaining. Today's fight paired off the fighters unevenly - strong with weak, short with tall - and chained them left hand to right hand. Thankfully his right hand had been the free one.
Unfortunately, his partner was also right handed.
Shiro gasped as his bruised body protested the rough landing. He gripped his side tightly, he'd be surprised if a couple of ribs weren't cracked. There was labored breathing next to him. He quickly remembered his partner's condition and forced himself onto his knees. In the poor lighting he could just see the bloody stump where his partner's left hand used to be. The 'bandage' the sentries had tied was already soaked through with dark green blood.
"Hang on Gopi."
One of the orange alien's black eyes was closed due to a bloody vertical cut. He doubted he'd be able to see through that eye ever again. One handed, Shiro ripped his rag of a shirt and struggled to wrap it around the stump. With a bit of impatience he turned to the prisoner sitting along the wall.
"Help me."
The dark blue alien merely continued to sit. Shiro narrowed his eyes beneath his dark bangs and went back to his task, using his teeth to help tie the knot. Gopi whimpered as Shiro tied it off tightly. He gave him a sympathetic look but did not ease the knot. If he had any chance of surviving it needed to be tight.
"We should rest."
Shiro helped him shuffle to an unoccupied wall. His ribs were screaming at him. He clenched his teeth behind his closed lips. Most of the fighting had been done by him. Gopi warned him that he was a potter, not a fighter. But even then, Gopi had tried to block an attack aimed for him, losing his hand in the process. He owed him his life.
"Keep your arm elevated on your knee." Gopi didn't even attempt to fight Shiro's maneuvering. "Just hold on for the morning."
Gopi closed his eyes tightly. "So long...I don't think I -"
"I'll look after you." He shifted around, bringing his leg under Gopi's to help elevate the injured arm. "I promise."
Shiro truly had meant it. But he had underestimated his fatigue...
The first time Shiro woke up on his own.
In the dark he reached out for Allura's hand on the pillow. He felt around for the underside of her wrist to her veins but he couldn't find a pulse. He sighed, pushed aside her hair to reveal some of her neck. He was no doctor but her pulse was calm, not erratic. Then he reached out for her forehead so he could check her temperature.
Everything seemed to be ok.
Two hours later, a nightmare woke him up. He jerked awake, his right arm having struck out in the air without him realizing it. Allura half awoke at that with an unrecognizable mumbling. The mice's soft snoring sputtered for a second and then continued. Her hand tiredly went along his right forearm, bringing it back down on the bed.
"Sleep."
His breath was still short but he managed to shake his head. She was clearly ok if she could manage to order him in her sleep. But just in case...With two fingers he reached out to the spot where her neck and underjaw met. She moved a little, making his fingers slide along her neck instead. She squirmed a little at the touch, then attempted to push his hand away.
"I'm checking your pulse."
She mumbled out something. He tried again, this time getting the spot he wanted. With her moving around, her pulse felt a little different and she didn't feel too off temperature wise.
He closed his eyes to sleep.
The third time he woke up because something was covering his nose. He snorted awake abruptly, quickly shaking his head to remove whatever was on his face. When he heard squeaking he rubbed his face with a sigh. Of course. He knew they wouldn't want to share a pillow. He made to scoot his head away but he felt little claws on his cheek, almost as if the yellow mouse was shaking him awake.
"What the - "
Their squeaking only increased in pitch. He sat up to activate the low lights. He stared at Allura but her hair was covering her face. She looks too still. He quickly moved her hair aside to feel her pulse. It was too faint. Her skin was cold.
"Princess." He shook her shoulder but she did not rouse. "Allura!"
There was slight motion under her eyelids. He wasn't too late. He wrapped her up in the comforter to keep her warm. Then his hands hovered over her, his mind trying to think about what to do. Drop in temperature means shock, which means a blanket. For wounds, he would clean them then re-bandage them. For blood loss the person would need more blood.
What the hell was he supposed to do for energy loss?
He suddenly thought of the blue glow from the castle, the same color as Allura's energy as she stood under the ship and revitalized the Balmera.
"The crystal," he breathed out in answer.
He picked her up and ran for the observation deck. He nearly slid along the floor as he turned a corner too fast but he didn't have time to put his shoes on. Along the way the castle lights turned on, leaving a trail behind him.
Breathless he reached his destination.
He hurried over to stand under the crystal where Allura usually stood. The platform lit up and the two control pillars rose. He looked down at her. There was nothing happening. He shifted his hold on her to pull up the screens. He found an intercom. He didn't have time to figure out how to buzz just Coran's room.
"Coran, come to the observation deck. It's urgent."
He repeated his call. Allura's head suddenly slacked against his shoulder.
"Allura?"
He brought his head lower. He couldn't feel or hear her breath. He hit the alarms then swiftly laid her flat on the ground. He couldn't find a pulse. He started doing compressions. Then he checked her pulse. He continued on, putting a little more force.
Still nothing.
"Come on."
He could feel sweat slide down the side of his face as he did more compressions. Because of the alarms he didn't hear the deck door slide open.
"Shiro, what's -"
Keith paused in the doorway, his breath caught as he saw what their leader was doing. He thought he wasn't particularly fond of Allura but he didn't hate her either. Seeing her still form on the ground as Shiro attempted to restart her heart made him realize that he wasn't exactly impartial.
"We doing another drill?" came Hunk's sleepy yawn.
Lance was close behind him. "I hope not or else - ohmyfreakingquiznak!"
That snapped Keith out of it, already knowing what Lance was thinking. "He's helping her breathe, stupid."
On cue, the princess' head abruptly arched away from Shiro's as she gasped in more air.
"Right," Lance attempted to cover over his mistake, " 'cause, why would Shiro call us to watch him kiss the princess?"
"Shiro's kissing who?"
Hunk turned to the sleepy eyed Pidge. "No one. Lance just jumped to conclusions."
"Someone get Coran," Shiro sharply demanded.
The group jumped at that and were about to move but the man in question was already pushing his way through. Keith quickly moved over and then followed the Altean. The rest followed suit. Coran shut off the alarms with a slap on the screen then dropped down. Shiro adjusted his hold on Allura so Coran could see her.
"As I feared. She's lost too much quintessence."
"Well can we just zap her with quint-whatever?"
Pidge, Hunk, and Keith gave Lance a thin glare.
"She's not a battery," Pidge huffed.
"Why not use the crystal?" Hunk asked before Shiro could suggest it. "It powers the castle."
Coran looked grave. "The crystal would only act as a medium to transfer quintessence into her."
"If the Princess could restore a planet, then why can't you," Keith directed to Coran, "restore her?"
"Not all Alteans can do a revitalize ritual. Very few could throughout our history."
"...Shiro's arm," Pidge murmured. "It can focus his energy and release it at will. Or quintessence, I guess."
"But wouldn't it be an attack?" Lance frowned.
"He could transfer it through the crystal first, then to the Princess," Coran murmured in thought. "That may neutralize the force of it."
Shiro felt her pulse. It was too weak.
"Let's try it."
"Whoa now," Lance stepped up as Coran lowered the crystal, "before we zap her - like I suggested - do we even know this will work?"
"It's an idea," Pidge started with a frown. "But we -"
"But nothing! We just survived an incredibly dangerous fight together and now we're causing the danger?!"
"Hey man," Hunk put a hand on his shoulder, "we all get it. But the Princess doesn't look good."
"Let's return her energy back the old way. Sleep and food like normal, rational human beings."
"She's not human," Keith dryly drawled. "Or normal."
"She's still one of us!"
"Lance." Shiro called out in a stern voice. "She's dying."
The words rang in the air like the Balmera's weak death moan.
Shiro put his hand on the side of the crystal. "Coran, are we ready?"
Lance looked at Allura's prone position under the crystal then looked at the nearest person. Keith was paler than usual, eyes wide like he was seeing a ghost. He turned completely around to Hunk who was already holding onto Pidge along his left side. Lance went to his right side, ducking his head against his shoulder.
"Dios." He couldn't stomach to watch.
"Now Shiro!"
The Black Paladin released his power slowly at first. The purple energy looked like a taint in the blue glow but then as it traveled down to the point it seemed to dilute in color. Coran did something on the control panel then looked to Shiro. He added more juice. The crystal glowed more. He felt his head getting lighter.
Then Coran opened it.
Blue light shot out from the tip and hit Allura. Those watching couldn't see anything for a moment and then sight was returned to them. Shiro was down to a knee, clutching his head. Coran was kneeling on the ground, blocking their view of the Princess.
"Did it work?" came Lance's soft question.
Allura's legs moved, making Hunk release his breath. "Yeah."
Coran carried Allura back to her room.
The rest of the team went back to bed, secured in the fact that the experiment was a success. Shiro laid on his cot feeling his body drained unlike anything he'd felt before but his mind wide awake. He was trying to not think about finding Allura's too still body lying in her bed in the morning. He heard a scratch at his door. He opened it, picked up the yellow mouse and left his room.
He had intended to stay the whole night anyways.
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AN: So I broke up this scene into two chapters. It was getting really long. XD I don't know why but I like the idea of the yellow mouse taking a liking to Shiro. :3