Praevideat
A Voltron: Legendary Defender story

Summary: Elaina Blanche, a notorious science teacher at the Garrison, follows her runaway students on an unwelcome adventure of space travel and intergalactic war several light years away from her home. As Elaina struggles to find her place on Team Voltron, she must face her own skeletons and overcome many challenges to finally understand what her purpose is.
Genre: Adventure, Friendship
Warnings: Spoilers, Minor Mental Illness

Chapter 1
Rise of Voltron Pt I

The day was still early, but the heat knew no time as it attacked the earth at full force. The trio took shelter beneath the awning of the cabin, but only one wasn't occupied with anything in particular. He sat on the step just staring up at the cloudless sky with his legs kicked out in front of him. The sweat was beading down his face, but he wasn't bothered. He was used to a much more humid climate; the dry heat of the desert was nothing, though he did wish he was by the sea or a pool.

His ears caught it first. A low hum reverberated through the thin air.

"Are you guys hearing that?" The humming was getting louder and louder, allowing the curiosity to build up in the teen. Lance stood up from the wooden step and glanced out at the distance, looking for anything that could be emitting that noise.

"Sounds like a hover vehicle," Pidge stated off-handedly, his eyes never leaving the screen of his computer. He was sitting on the wooden deck, working on something while Hunk sat a few feet away working on his own project. "We won't have to worry about it though."

Lance saw a dirt cloud at the distance but shrugged his shoulders and leaned up against the wooden column with his arms crossed. Pidge was probably right. Even though they did sneak into a Garrison camp, save a man who mysteriously disappeared a year ago, and then run away from Garrison commanders, there was a very slim chance that the Garrison could find them out there.

"Are you almost done with that alien thingamabob?"

"It's a Geiger Counter," Hunk explained, his response a little more focused than Pidge's. He looked up from his work and began flailing his screwdriver around. "I just have to-"

"Okay, okay. Got it. Just get it done, big guy." Lance sighed. This was all crazy. Alien lions. Alien weapons. Aliens! His patience was wearing thin as the determination to out-cool Keith continued to grow tremendously. He wanted to prove how much better he was than that annoying dropout by showing whatever was going on was just in everyone's head was just their imagination.

And was it just him or is that dust cloud getting bigger? At this point, Lance could confirm that Pidge was right, that was definitely a hoverbike. Lance stood up straighter, blocking the sun from his squinted eyes. If he didn't know better, it looked like the bike was heading in their direction.

"Um, guys-" Panic was evident in his voice as his pitch spiked, catching the attention of the other two. Hunk, now distracted, stood up and leaned forward on the railing. Pidge just turned his head to glance at the incoming vehicle before typing away at his computer once more.

"How did they find us?" Hunk wondered, his eyes filled with fright. "What if we get arrested? What if we go to jail?" He gasped and stepped back. "What if they call my parents?" Alligator tears began to fall. "I'm gonna die!"

"You're not gonna die, Hunk."

Lance looked over at the pipsqueak of the group. "How are you so calm, Pidge?"

Pidge shrugged. "Because I don't have an overactive imagination?"

Before they knew it, the bike came to a quick stop a few feet away from the porch steps and lowered itself down. The rider's outfit matched the color of the bike, wearing a tight, dark leather jumpsuit that left little to the imagination. Even with the helmet and tinted visor, everyone could tell the rider was obviously a woman. She tore off her gloves and shoved them into the small pack that was attached to her lower back and started unbuckling the straps of the helmet.

"Are you here to arrest us?" Lance's sense of danger disappeared as soon as he noticed the rider and didn't hide the fact he was checking her out. "Because I wouldn't mind being your prisoner."

The rider hopped off the bike and walked up to Lance. His smirk deepening, pleased with himself. She placed her weight on one foot as she stared at him before reaching her hand up to his face. The teen could feel his heart quicken its pace as well as his cheeks warming up. He was ready to question her actions until he felt a tight grip on his ear, sending a shockwave of pain down his neck. He squealed like a pig as she dragged the teen over towards Pidge and Hunk.

"What in the crow are you three doing here?!" Using her free hand, she lifted the visor, revealing a unique shade of violet colored irises. Lance gulped and froze, just like Hunk did. "The entire Garrison is looking for you! What do you think you were doing sneaking out like that?"

"Ms. B, we have a perfectly good-"

"It was rhetorical, McClain." Ms. B, or Elaina to her friends, harshly let go of the cuban teen and whipped off her helmet, allowing her dark hair the freedom to fall down her back. Her glare never lessened as her eyes landed on the youngest of the three, who was still acting like he wasn't paying attention.

"Wait- How did you even find us?" Lance questioned after he recovered, still rubbing his sore ear. "We're in the middle of nowhere."

Elaina glared at him, "You three go missing while under my watch."

Lance swallowed hard and took a step back. The tension escalated quickly, forcing the three boys still. Their teacher is mad. No, that would be an understatement. Lance could almost feel the heat releasing from the woman's fuming body. Elaina Blanche was in a terrifying rage.

Now how was Lance going to sweet talk them out of this one? The last time someone missed curfew, Ms. B had them on cleaning duty for weeks, and "spotless" did not meet the woman's standards in cleanliness.

The wooden door of the old cabin swung open, the creaking of the rusted spring breaking the tension. Elaina turned towards the door just as it slammed shut to spot a black-haired teen staring back in surprise.

"Kogane's here too?" Elaina said in disbelief. Since when did this group start hanging out? She shook the thought away to keep her mind on track. A meteor fell out of the sky. A surprised mandatory lockdown for all students and personnel. Then Lance, Hunk, and Pidge snuck off during said mandatory lockdown and were missing all night. That was the problem at hand. But seriously, why were they with Kagone? What was she missing?

She panned her eyes to all four boys before she said, "You have five minutes to tell me what is going on here before I drag all of you, including you-" Elaina made sure to point at Keith, "-back to the Garrison."

"You can discipline-"

"Shut it, Lance!" Elaina stared intensely all four boys but received only silence in the end. She took a deep breath in and slowly released it. Yelling at them was obviously getting her nowhere. She rubbed the side of her head, now noticing the exhaustion weighing on her. She took a deep breath and slowly released it. "All right. I'm not mad."

"But you sound mad," Hunk mumbled. Lance slid between the big guy and their terrifying teacher, waving his hand behind his back. Hunk understood and continued his work.

"I'm not mad." The woman repeated tensely. Then she relaxed her shoulders. "But I'm not lying when I said I have to bring you boys back." Her eyes shifted to Keith, the air thickening in the process. She made sure to look over his shoulder rather than his eyes to avoid as much contact as possible. "You should head home, too. Being out here isn't safe, especially alone."

Her eyes picked up on movement inside the shack. Her training kicked in as she grabbed the sleeves of Lance and Keith, pulling them behind her and taking a protective stance in front of all four boys. Her hand dug into the small pouch around her waist and pulled out a handgun.

"What the- Since when did you have a gun, teach?!"

Elaina ignored Lance's cries, and she called out to the mysterious person in the cabin. "I know you're in there. Come out slowly with your hands up!"

A hand gripped her shoulder and attempted to pull her back. Elaina could ignore Keith's action, but not his words. "What are you doing? It's Shiro!"

Elaina's stance faltered. Shiro? No. He was gone. Died on a mission last year. Images of her missing friend scattered her thoughts before recovering.

Then the man exited the cabin, following the woman's instructions. First, Elaina couldn't hide her shock. Her eyes first caught the white fringe that just barely covered his eyes and the deep scar that decorated the bridge of his nose. Elaina took a shaky breath as her eyes continued to trail down, noticing the pale complexion of his skin, before stopping at the strange mechanical prosthetic he sported in place of his left arm.

Her heart was going through a whirlwind of emotions while her head was saying, "This is him."

"Hey there, Elaina." Then the man smiled, the same smile that told her "see you soon" 18 months ago. And his deep, smooth voice… Then Elaina finally gained the courage to look right into his eyes, the windows to the soul her mother use to say. Familiarity overwhelmed her core as everything she had locked away came rushing forward from the day they met all the way through to his departure. Finally, Elaina clicked the safety on and lowered her gun.

"Shiro?" Her throat suddenly lost almost all its function. "That's not really you...is it?"

"It's been awhile." His smile widened as he brought his arms down, leaving them open like an invitation. Her heart clenched in her chest as she took a second look at him. Elaina spent so many months trying to tell herself that she'll never see him again, telling her heart to forget he even existed, and now here he was looking at her as if no time had past. She smiled too and took a step forward.

"It's finished!" Hunk suddenly appeared between Shiro and Elaina, holding out a messy contraption with a toothy grin. He glanced back and forth between the duo before his smile drop and his eyebrows raised. "Did I ruin a moment? I totally ruined a moment."

Elaina let out a silent sigh before turning back to Pidge who was staring back at her with a smirk plastered on his face.

I told you so.

The woman gave a nod before turning her attention back to the rest. "Now can someone tell me what the blaze is going on here?"

Author's Note:
I'm not sure if I'm going to continue this. I just have it written down and wanted to share it at least. There's still some editing I need to do since I feel I made this chapter very vague and it seems fast paced for this particular "reunion" moment. Not sure, but let me know what you think! Thanks!