"NO!" he screamed as he saw her bloody figure fall. The very much noisy world around him went silent without losing volume as he ran over to her as fast as he possibly could. He skidded to a stop before her and scooped her up in his arms, searching for the injury that caused her to fall. His stomach dropped while his heart shot up as he finally found her wound. Her armor had so much blood on it, but no amount could completely mask the giant gash just below her ribcage.

"No, no, no, no," he muttered with a gulp, "Oh, please, no!"

He looked up at her eyes, the ones he had seen crinkle with laughter so often before, the ones he had committed to memory without even trying, the ones that were smiling at him right now. He gripped her shoulders as denial kept running through his mind, so intense and rapid it hardly felt real.

"Hey, hey, it's okay. Really, it's fine. Bound to happen sometime, what with the constant combat. Just an occupational hazard." Her voice was a low whisper, yet he forced it to be the only thing he heard. "I'm just glad you're here to make sure they pay after I make my exit."

Her smile faltered as her hand flew up to her stomach and she gasped, the pain overcoming her for a moment. He moved a hand to take hers in the tightest grip either of them had ever felt, his eyes flooding with defiant tears despite the fact that all they did was slightly blur his view of the most important person he had ever known. She recovered her smile though, forcing herself to focus on him, since he was what mattered, her injury be damned. "I love you. Oh god, I love you so much."

"I love you too,” he said, choking back a sob. “I love you, I love you, I love you." He kissed her forehead, trying to stop this from happening, trying in vain to change what the Fates had so cruelly arranged. He pulled away when she gasped again, gripping her tighte, like he could somehow keep her inside, keep her from leaving.

"T-tell everyone that I love them. Tell them g-goodbye for me. Don't let them lose sight, either; save the world for me, if you don't mind." Her voice was whisper-soft now, and she squeezed his hand for all she was worth. He nodded, his insides twisting in terror as the weight of her request made itself well known.

She thought to herself that she had to let him know his incredible value before she was plucked from this particular story, and so she started to sing.

"You are my sunshine, my only sunshine, you make me happy when skies are gray." Her voice stopped as she was overcome with a mix of pain and complete and utter misery, but he helped her, as he always did, by continuing.

"You'll never know, dear, how much I love you. Please don't take my sunshine-" His voice cut off with a sob, unable to go on, but, with a shallow breath, she picked up for him.

"Away."

And then his sunshine was no more.